Prelude of Promise

The Gilded Age 1868-1878

Part of The Destiny Chronicles

By Sherry Jones

1868 New York City on the brink of change. As the Gilded Age dawns, the city is a powder keg of ambition, scandal, and staggering wealth. Railroad and industrial empires are on the rise, the fight for women’s suffrage is sparking controversy, and Fifth Avenue mansions are hallmarks of a new aristocracy. When Lottie Villard married Emory Endicott, she never anticipated they would have eight children. As their offspring approach adulthood, Lottie’s elder sister, the indefatigable Duchesse Madeleine de Montault, arrives from Paris with her vast fortune and purchases side-by-side mansions near Madison Square—one for herself and twin sisters, spinsters Cora and Nora; the other for Lottie, Emory, and their large family. Upon completing their education, the Endicott siblings settle in their new residence, unaware of the dangers inherent to New York City. Dark forces surround the family, who become embroiled in a variety of clandestine affairs, ambition, greed, and treachery among some of the most villainous and affluent people of 19th-century New England. Tension arises at Emily Astor’s sixteen birthday party when sisters Emmelia and Araminta compete for the affection of banker Lex Wintervall, the most eligible and handsome bachelor in New York. In the years to come, each sibling’s life unfolds in drama: Stephen, a seminary graduate, debates whether to become a Methodist or Presbyterian minister. Lawyer Ben is sent on a mission to South America and returns with a wife who immediately incurs his mother’s disapproval and father’s high regard. Duchesse Madeleine founds the Eagle Eye Detective and Security Agency for twin nephews, Gaspar and Jaspar. Lottie resists sending Juliette, her youngest, to law school at Columbia College, and when daughter Cornelia falls pregnant, Lottie consults her knowledgeable stockbroker, Victoria Woodhull, an outspoken women’s vote activist. Even the Endicotts’ coachman, Zsoltan Nikolin, and their maid, Sophia Gulliver, hold secrets of their own, which threaten all they hold dear.Prelude of Promise is a sweeping, multigenerational family saga that brings the glamour and grit of 1870s New York to life. The saga continues in Passing of Princes, where the adventure moves to London, featuring Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, before leading to the Tsar’s court in St. Petersburg. If you love immersive historical fiction, intricate family drama, and stories of strong female protagonists forging their own path, step into The Destiny Chronicles. This captivating tale is sure to immerse fans of Downton Abbey and Outlander in the drama of the Gilded Age.