“I’ll be coming with Paula and Wolfie in the morning.”
“Good. If it’s not too late tonight, I’ll call you. I do love you, my dearest Emilee.”
“And I you,” she whispered. “Bye.” But even as that last word came out, a thought flashed into her head. “Hans?”
“Yes?”
“I know you have to go, but can I ask you one question?”
“Of course.”
“Would you object terribly if I were to be baptized into the Mormon Church?”
The silence on the other line was deafening. Finally, she heard him stir. “Where in the world did that come from?”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while now. But there have been so many things going on and—”
“Emilee!” It came out sharply. “I really have to go.”
She drew in a deep breath, biting her lip. Then she plunged. “Hans, you showed me great respect tonight by asking if I agreed with going to war again, for that is what this could turn out to be. I am deeply touched that you trust me that much.”
“This is not the same thing, Em—”
“Some years ago, you and I made an agreement. I would not try to force you to believe as I do if you did not try to stop me from believing as I do. So in a way, you’ve already agreed to this, Hans.”
When he didn’t answer, she added, “Unless you are reneging on your part of our bargain.”
“I. . . .”
She cut in quickly. “I’m not holding you to your bargain, Hans. But I am asking you. Can you show me that same trust and let me decide if this is the best thing to do or not?”
“That’s not really fair, you know,” he said after another long pause.
“What’s not fair about it?”
“You always being right.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It is. If that is what you really—”
“It is. More than I can express to you.”
“Then . . . will you pick a date when I can be there?”
A sob of joy was torn from deep within her. “I will. Now go. And Hans?”
“What?”
“Go with God.”
There was a soft, rueful laugh. “You know how I feel about that.”
“Even after what happened today?” And then, before Hans could answer, Emilee set the phone in its cradle and sat back and began to cry.
Bibliography
Anderson, Jeffrey L. “Mormons and Germany, 1914–1933: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Its Relationship with the German Governments from World War I to the Rise of Hitler.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1991.
Scharffs, Gilbert. Mormonism in Germany: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany Between 1840 and 1970. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970.
Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.
Trager, James. The People’s Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from Prehistory to the Present. Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1992.
About the Author
Gerald N. Lund received his BA and MS degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.
Gerald N. Lund, Fire and Steel, Volume 3
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