Crazed: A Blood Money Novel (25 page)

* * * * *

Life in Death: The Faraday Story

by T.S. Marcus, PhD

(A Comprehensive Examination of
America’s First Warmongering Family)
Library of Congress Classification Number:
EJ3369.V22 T101 2014

Part III: The Business of Bloodshed (excerpt)

[...] In February 1866, family patriarch Richard Faraday sat down with the president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, to discuss what should be done with the massive stockpile of weaponry that had built up following Faraday Manufactory’s decision to stop selling to the Union and Confederate armies in the final months of the American Civil War. By all accounts, Faraday wished to destroy the weapons, melt them down and recycle the materials into the company’s public works production lines—locomotives, shipyards, railways, city infrastructure. The war had torn the country apart, and Faraday didn’t want to play any role in further destruction, only the rebuilding efforts.

President Johnson, on the other hand made an offer to purchase the entire stock, for what at the time was an outrageous price. While the Manufactory—and the Faradays, by extension—outearned any other industrial competitor of that era, the consensus seems to be that it was less the value of the offer than who made it. By the end of the meeting, Faraday had not only agreed to supply the U.S. government with the warehouse of unsold weapons, but signed a contract to continue producing weapons—solely for the government. No private consumers would be able to purchase a Faraday firearm, thus easing Richard Faraday’s concern about the perpetuation of violence.

For many years, this change in policy had a non-effect on Faraday business practices. Manufacturing continued at a fast clip, employment growing apace with industrial demand. The Manufactory expanded to accommodate its market leadership, opening facilities along the eastern seaboard and establishing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were
the
force to be reckoned with, when it came to money and power in the healing United States.

Soon enough, other countries came knocking, hoping for a piece of the engineering frontrunner’s pie. Richard’s eldest daughter, Amelia, had essentially taken control of company management, though her younger brother, Marcus, conducted all public-facing business, as females of the time remained widely disregarded as capitalistic forces of nature. The unmarried Amelia had attended medical school and wished to shift the company focus from simple production on a mass scale, as they were in the late 1880s, to innovation, with manufacturing outsourced to vetted contractors and steelworks.

For all of Amelia’s plans, though, she was thwarted at every turn by Marcus. From Amelia’s personal diaries—which were donated to the Library of Congress under the directive of her last will and testament—it is apparent that Marcus conducted closed-door meetings with foreign dignitaries and industrialists, forging agreements for expansion into European soil that not only circumvented Amelia’s strategic vision, but violated the contract Richard and President Johnson had executed in 1866.

Marcus was able to hide his under-the-table dealings until 1890, when he contracted enteric fever—otherwise known as typhoid—assumedly from the excessive amount of time he spent in the extremely unhygienic Boston neighborhoods frequented by prostitutes. During that time, Amelia kept his appointments and made rare appearances as the public face of the company, when it became apparent that Marcus had “misbehaved,” to quote one of Amelia’s diary entries from those months.

Amelia immediately went into disaster-prevention mode, cancelled the agreements with foreign partners before true production and distribution could begin overseas, and contacted the U.S. Secretary of State, James G. Blaine. From Amelia’s diary:

Today, I was forced to apologize. It is strange, I now realize, that I have gone so long without apologizing, and that I have grown quite comfortable with not doing so. By holding a position of power, I have negated the woman-ness of my form that socially compels me to be apologetic, even given situations wherein nothing I have done necessitates an apology.

Oh, how I have enjoyed this freedom from “sorry”! And now my beloved brother has made it so that a “sorry” was inevitable.

Secretary Blaine was a gentleman, of course—an individual of his stature and political longevity understands the nuance of delicate discourse. He did not force me to grovel, though I will admit, I felt the need to do so (I quelled that need, Diary, never fear). Instead, we together reviewed the terms of Father’s initial agreement and closed any potential loophole a future Faraday—never again Marcus—might think to exploit.

For the next 50 years, we will be held to the highest and most singular of standards: those of the sitting President of the United States, whomever he may be, and subject to his dictates in stocking our country’s armory.

When the Spanish-American War began in 1898, the United States was prepared. The naval battles waged were triumphant in large part due to the technological advances that had been applied to battleship weaponry, courtesy of the newest—and unknown to the public—branch of the Faraday company: the Division of Martial Ontogeny. The DMO was the first department of Faraday Industries to operate solely in the shadows, known only to a particular subset of Faraday employees and certain high-ranking government officials.

Marcus Faraday had no role in the development of the DMO (though he did survive his brush with typhoid), and neither did any other male Faraday. Amelia, with her distaste for apologizing, channeled her drive for scientific innovation into the creation of the DMO—her brainchild, her dominion—and it is from that point forward that the Faradays’ moral high ground began to crumble beneath their feet.

To discover more titles by Edie Harris, please visit her website at
edieharris.com
, where you can read free stories, sign up for her newsletter and more.

Look for
Thrilled
, the next book in the Blood Money series, coming from Edie Harris and Carina Press in October 2016.

No engineer alive can do what Gillian Faraday does in her California lab, and her newest weaponry project is poised to take the tech world by storm. Only one problem: a deadly enemy is demanding the prototype in exchange for her brother’s life.

For months, Gillian has kept this secret, racing to beat the clock and save the youngest member of their family. Her FBI handler, however, knows she’s keeping something from him—something big—especially when Gillian escapes from under his ever-watchful eye.

Agent Theo Rochon can’t believe he’s chasing the woman who has become his best friend halfway across the world. He isn’t prepared for what happens when he catches up with her, or for anger and distrust to turn to searing heat.

Gillian is determined to save her brother, but Theo refuses to compromise his asset’s safety. Together, they set out to finish a dangerous game that can only end in blood.

Acknowledgments

I could not tell these stories without the assistance and support of two invaluable women—my mother, Nancy, and my editor, Kerri. Thank you for your patience and understanding, your editorial knowledge and your challenging critiques. You force me to be a better writer, and for that I am forever grateful.

Also available from Edie Harris
and Carina Press

Blamed: Blood Money Book One
Ripped: Blood Money Book Two

And coming soon

Thrilled: Blood Money Book Four
Locked: Blood Money Book Five

About the Author

Edie Harris is the author of cinematic, compelling, James Bond-esque romantic suspense. She studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Iowa. During the day, she does corporate things and subsists on caffeine and pastries. Her nights, however, belong to the world of romance fiction. Edie lives and works in Chicago.

Blood Money
follows the lives and loves of Faraday Industries—a family of spies and sanctioned killers. Meet them all today!

BLAMED: A BLOOD MONEY NOVEL
A Blood Money Novel
, book one

“One of the best romances I’ve read all year.”—
SmartBitches, Trashy Books

Beth Faraday, a former assassin who wants nothing more than to stay retired, finds her new life turning anything but normal when sexy British spy and ghost from her past Raleigh Vick shows up in Chicago, determined to protect her from the bounty that’s been placed on her head.

RIPPED: A BLOOD MONEY NOVEL
A Blood Money Novel
, book two

“Gritty, intense and filled to the brim with suspense and intrigue, this romantic suspense series has me hooked.”—
Fiction Vixen

A sexy, hot-blooded spy coerces an ice-cold attorney to partner with him to wreak vengeance on the villain who threatens them both.

Blood Money
continues with
THRILLED: A BLOOD MONEY NOVEL
and
LOCKED: A BLOOD MONEY NOVEL
!

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