A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman Read Free Book Online

Herald-two weeks that had changed her life so completely.
    She lazed on the blanket like a contented cat, prayer book, journal, and pen by her side. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face toward the warmth of the sun. Oh, there were so few days like this left! The mournful echo of a loon filled the autumn air, its melancholy song bittersweet to her ears. It was a new season, and in some small way, she mourned the passing of the old-the summer, her school years, her adolescent daydreams.
    But the new was certainly not without promise. Turning to lie on her back, she thought about her first weeks at the Herald. True, it had not been as exciting as she had hoped-passion was hard to come by when typing obituaries and weather eight hours a day. But it was, in a way, rewarding.
    It was strange. Only two weeks had passed, and yet she felt so different, older, more alive. Ina mere eight days-on September 30-she would be nineteen, but it was more than that. A feeling of importance, of contribution. She was, after all, part of the inner workings of one of the finest newspapers in the country. A minute role, to be sure, but a cog nonetheless in the wheel of a great machine. One that kept its fingers on the pulse of one of the grandest cities on the Eastern Seaboard.

    Faith breathed in deeply, the expanse of air filling her chest with a sense of pride. Despite the monotony of her job, she rather enjoyed it. Well, perhaps not the job as much as riding the trolley to work with Father each morning. She loved listening to tales of his early days or colorful commentary on co-workers. She'd always been close to her father, but within the last two weeks, she sensed something new in their relationship. Over and above their love as father and daughter, they now had a common bond, a kinship that had nothing to do with blood. They were newspeople who loved the smell of ink and the demand of a deadline.
    Then there was Maisie. Never had Faith met anyone who made her laugh more. Throughout high school, Faith had developed several friendships, but none even came close to what she and Maisie had shared in two short weeks. They had connected immediately, babbling on about the latest fashions, and Mary Pickford's hairstyles, and their dreams for the future. At the most inopportune times, Maisie's droll sense of humor would make Faith giggle out loud, catching the disapproving eye of Miss Hayword, who would tap a chubby finger against her lips in a scolding fashion.
    Faith smiled. Everything was perfect. Or almost perfect. She rolled on her side and felt her smile stiffen.
    Except forBriana. The image of the typing pool's resident bully invaded her thoughts. A hardened beauty from the wrong side of town, Briana reveled in picking on Faith. The moment she'd learned Faith was Patrick's daughter, she and her sidekicks had taken every opportunity to bombard her with insult and innuendo.
    Faith sighed, remembering the knock-down fight that had finally resulted after a week on the job. The memory of Briana sprawled in a sea of trash flashed before her, and Faith couldn't help the smile that twitched on her lips. For a solid week she had taken the bullying, biting her tongue so many times her teeth ached. She'd even managed to hog-tie Maisie when Briana's words had been particularly nasty. And then it happened-Briana breached the bounds of Faith's temper, striking at the soft underbelly of all that Faith held dear: her father.

    With frightening speed, Faith had rammed the palm of her hand against Briana's chest, felling her like a tall, leggy oak. Briana toppled against a row of overflowing trash cans lining the dock wall, her face frozen in shock. She attempted to rise, smelling faintly of sardines.
    Mortified, Faith reached to help her up.
    "Don't you touch me! You better believe Miss Hayword is going to hear about this. Let's see what your precious daddy thinks of his little girl bullying her fellow workers."
    Briana's cronies brushed bits of trash off her