2013 RITA Winner for Inspirational Romance 2013 Christy Award Winner for Historical Romance 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award Winner for Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense After a childhood rampant with uncertainty, Lydia Pallas has carved out a perfect life for herself. She spends her days within sight of the bustling Boston Harbor, where her skill with languages has landed her an enviable position as a translator for the U.S. Navy. Lydia's talents bring her to the attention of Alexander Banebridge, a mysterious man in need of a translator. Driven by a campaign to end the opium trade, Bane is coolly analytical and relentless in his quest. He cannot afford to fall for Lydia and must fight the bittersweet love growing between them. When Bane's enemies gain the upper hand, he is forced to turn to Lydia for help. Determined to prove her worth, Lydia soon discovers that carrying out Bane's mission will test her wits and her courage to the very limits. 2013 RITA Winner for Inspirational Romance 2013 Christy Award Winner for Historical Romance 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award Winner for Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense After a childhood rampant with uncertainty, Lydia Pallas has carved out a perfect life for herself. She spends her days within sight of the bustling Boston Harbor, where her skill with languages has landed her an enviable position as a translator for the U.S. Navy. Lydia's talents bring her to the attention of Alexander Banebridge, a mysterious man in need of a translator. Driven by a campaign to end the opium trade, Bane is coolly analytical and relentless in his quest. He cannot afford to fall for Lydia and must fight the bittersweet love growing between them. When Bane's enemies gain the upper hand, he is forced to turn to Lydia for help. Determined to prove her worth, Lydia soon discovers that carrying out Bane's mission will test her wits and her courage to the very limits. When forces conspire against them from without and within, can their love survive? Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in Gilded Age America, featuring clever heroines and richly layered story lines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won Christy, Carol, and RITA Awards and have appeared on the ECPA Bestsellers list. She lives in Citrus County, Florida, with her husband, who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books. Learn more at ElizabethCamden.com. AGAINST THE TIDE A NOVEL By Elizabeth Camden Bethany House Publishers Copyright © 2012 Dorothy Mays All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7642-1023-5 CHAPTER 1 Fifteen years later, 1891The Boston Navy Yard It looks like the Russian navy has just launched a new gunship,"Lydia said. It was hard to tell from the grainy photograph, but the shiplooked different from the others reported in the Russian newspapers.Lydia rose from her desk and walked across the office toshow the newspaper to Willis, whose encyclopedic memory ofwarships was astounding. She only hoped he would be willing tohelp her. She had been working at the research wing of the UnitedStates Navy for more than four years, but it still irked Willis thata woman had been hired for this sort of work. Lydia handed Willis a magnifying glass to better scrutinize thephotograph. "I don't remember the Russians ever having a rotatinggun turret," she said, "but it looks like they have one, don'tyou think?" Willis Colburn was so thin it looked possible to shred cheeseoff the blades of his cheekbones. He pushed his spectacles higheras he studied the picture. "You know, Lydia, you are supposed tobe the expert on Russian," he said pointedly. Actually, Lydia was the expert on Russian, Greek, Turkish,Italian, Albanian, and Croatian. Her job was to scan journals,technical reports, and anything else sent from southern Europein search of innovations in ship design. When she first saw the jobadvertisement looking for someone with multiple language skillsand an intimate knowledge of ships, she nearly levitated withexcitement. Her first two years after leaving the orphanage weredifficult, laboring at the fish canneries and packing tins with saltedmackerel until she couldn't see straight. It was monotonous, smellywork, and at the end of the week she was barely able to pay the renton a room in a boardinghouse, which was why she was so eager toland the job at the Navy Yard. The position called for someone whocould read foreign documents and make sense of developmentsin ship design. Lydia remembered everything about the sails, tack, and riggingof fishing boats, but when she first saw the imposing battle frigatesin the Navy Yard, she wondered if she had overestimated herknowledge of ships. Admiral Fontaine did not seem to care. A ruggedly attractive manwho seemed far too young to have attained the status of admiral,he