Sara Donati - The Endless Forest: A Novel

When I was writing Fire Along the Sky, the fourth novel in this series, I asked Diana Gabaldon if she had found the fourth in her Outlander series hardest.

No, she shot back immediately. The fifth is.

She was, of course, writing her fifth at the time. This is more evidence of a phenomenon well known to those who make a living telling stories: Fiction writing is one of the few things you can do with your life that doesnt get easier as you go along. To provide balance to that unfortunate truth, the writing of fiction is enormously satisfying after the fact.

At the end of this series I am as confident as I can be that I have told Elizabeths story, but I also find myself confronted with an unavoidable truth: I cannot possibly name all the people who have helped me in one way or another along the line. In the sure knowledge that I am leaving out many who deserve to be mentioned here, I would like to thank:

• my editors at Bantam, first Wendy McCurdy and then Shauna Summers, and Nita Taublib, who stuck with the story when it wasnt clear it would ever take off;

• my agent, Jill Grinberg, my own personal buoy in the rough seas of publishing;

• Jills kids, for giving me a reason to spend time thinking about monkeys;

• the librarians and researchers and experts who took time to answer often ridiculous questions, or to point me in the right direction to find those answers for myself;

• Pokey Bolton, the very first reader to ever introduce herself to me, for her enthusiasm and early support;

• Lynn Viehl, who read this manuscript again and again and never threw it at meher help was invaluable;

• Kaera Hallahan, wherever she disappeared to, for encouragement at a crucial juncture;

• Penny and Suzanne, the best accidental sisters ever;

• the other participants at the now defunct CompuServe Writers Forum, who were by turns blindly supportive and constructively critical;

• Rachel Gorham, for her help with matters technical and not-so;

• Judith Henrickson, for her tireless work on the Wilderness Wiki;

• the editors at Baronage Press, most especially William, for the back-story research that made Dawn on a Distant Shore more historical than fantastical;

• Kathy Jones, genealogy queen, who made sense of the Wilderness universe in ways that were endlessly helpful and sometimes surprising;

• Katey Burchette, who runs a book-discussion website with unparalleled panache and exactitude;

• dozens of other regular visitors and commenters at my author weblog, including but not limited to Pam Shaw, Rachel Auclair, Carol Baughman, Bruce McCorrister, Kenzie, Robyn-the-MySpace-guru, Meredith Rigter;

• the original Women of the Wilderness from the first discussion board.

Thank you, one and all.

Letters

ELIZABETH BONNER TO HER DAUGHTER LILY BALLENTYNE

4th day of August 1823

Dear Daughter,

This letter is overdue, I know. I hope you forgive me when you learn that I have held it back in order to share good news. Yesterday your sister Hannah was delivered of a healthy son. Both mother and child are in good health and spirits.

Your nephews Henry and John are beside themselves with joy, but the girls were disappointed. When Ben brought them in to see Hannah and meet their new brother, Amelie patted her mother on the shoulder in a consoling manner. Eliza told her to never mind, the next one was sure to be a girl.

It was all Curiosity and I could do not to laugh aloud.

It is my impression that Hannah is finished with childbearing. She said to me not so long ago that five healthy children are more than enough, though she believes Ben would cheerfully continue until they were overrun like the old woman who lived in a shoe.

You are wondering what name they have given to this newest Savard, but I have promised Birdie that she could be the one to tell.

There is quite a bit of news that will interest you. Now that Blue-Jay is remarried and settled at Lake in the Clouds we were all hoping for a peaceful autumn, but Gabriel has declared his intention to marry Annie straight away.

I must admit that I am concerned. Annie was to go to Albany to study at Mrs. Burroughs School next month. It is my sincere belief that she deserves that opportunity, but it must be her decision. My concern right now is making it clear to Gabriel that he must be guided by her in this. And they are so very young.

Daniel is in good health and seems to have less difficulty with his arm of late, but then it is hard to know exactly. You know your twin, and will not be surprised to hear that he cloaks his feelings much of the time, and we see less of him than we would like. If it were not for his responsibilities as a teacher I suspect he would follow Robbie MacLachlans example and be content to live alone, far from any settlement. But he is the teacher, and a good one. Birdie finds him very strict in the classroom, but she does not claim that he is unfair.

In the village we Bonners continue as the main topic of conversation. Blue-Jays marriage and now the promise of Gabriels is of unending interest. Missy Parkerpardon me, I mean Missy OBrien as of this winter past. I said the other day that I can never remember that she married Baldy OBrien, and Curiosity laughed, and said that Missy must want to forget that herself.

So Missy came into the trading post while I was looking at fabric, and she told Mrs. Mayfair that the Bonners were reaping their reward for keeping such close quarters with Indians. Gabriel would be giving Mrs. Elizabeth Middleton Bonner red-skinned grandchildren and just how would she like that? Then she turned around and saw me standing there and she hopped in place, like a very plump rabbit.

I plan to have a discussion with Mrs. OBrien. It is unacceptable for her to speak so, when any one of Hannahs childrenmy grandchildrenmight be close enough to hear.

Other friends are mostly well. Martha is still in Manhattan and it seems unlikely that she will ever come back here to stay. Apparently there is now a young man who calls on her. Young Callie has had more than her share of trouble. This past season she lost almost her whole crop, for the second year in a row. The season was wet, and apples are prone to rot. With Levis help she presses just enough applejack to survive from one harvest to the next.

Now I will pass this letter over to Birdie. Your father and I, your sisters and brothers, we all send you and Simon our love and affection.

Your mother

Elizabeth Middleton Bonner

Dear sister and good brother:

Hannah and Ben have named their new son Simon. Is that not good news? Now that we have a young Simon, you must come home so old Simon can see his namesake. It would be the polite thing to do, and you know how much Ma likes it when we do the polite thing.

Some things that Ma should have writ: When I complained that if Gabriel got married and moved out of the house Id be alone, our fine brother said that is what comes of being an After-Thought and Da said, I would call Birdie our Best Idea. So you see, if you and Simon were to come home that would be a great comfort to me.