The Dark Continent – Chapter 5

"Young British woman marries missionary to Africa in 1899"

Elizabeth paced nervously as she waited the doctor to finish his examination of Aston. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the doctor came out, looking somber. “What is it, doctor?” she asked impatiently. “Mrs. Larksley, I’m afraid your husband has...

Becoming My Husband’s Secretary

"I never realized that being my husband's secretary would lead me into a life of adultery."

My husband James’s secretary quit last year; after marrying one of his clients. He was struggling to find a suitable replacement. He had hired a number of secretaries, but they just kept quitting sometimes not even working a full week....

The Dark Continent – Chapter 4

"young british girl marries missionary to Africa at the turn of the 1900s"

After the war, Aston had been reassigned to a mission in the Belgian Congo, one of the few protestant missions in BC, where the need for health care and education was great. A missionary was often the primary source of...

The Dark Continent – Chapter 3

"Elizabeth marries missionary to Africa in 1900s"

When the last of the schoolchildren finally left, Elizabeth sighed and started to prepare the tea. Aston was in the chapel, working. Throwing some coals in the stove, she picked up the letter from home and re-read it for the...

The Dark Continent – Chapter 2

"Elizabeth marries missionary to Africa in early 1900s"

The completion of the railway brought civilization, in the form of white settlers, to the region around the mission. With the taming of Kenya, as British East Africa was beginning to be called, John Brown’s trade routes changed. No longer...

A Dinner Invitation

"I had wanted her for years but hadn’t found a way to get past the hurdle of her being married."

We had been friends for several years. Not close, intimate friends, but the social contact was regular enough, and, from what I could ascertain, the enjoyment of the contact was mutual. I have to admit that I had always had...