"You mean to say that God gave that woman a revelation? What about your living prophet?" - Turner explains polygamy to Abigail

Furthermore, my father was four wives only after my mother, his first wife whom he loves very deeply, gave her consent and helped him choose the other three."

                This brought Abigail clear out of her chair, startling Rose.

                "You mean she agreed?

                His foolish first wife agreed to let him -"

                "Yes! Yes, Sister Blake, she agreed and I don't believe she was foolish. Neither she nor my father wanted to do it, but you see, when you have been blessed so much and given sufficient testimony of the divinity of this work, it's possible to possess a faith so powerful, one can conclude the rightfulness of a commandment and obey it, even if one is not inclined to favor it.

                In other words, knowing the gospel and knowing we have it in its entirety, including the plan of salvation, we must be a faithful people.

                `We accept the principle of revelation completely and honor a living prophet chosen by the Lord as His mouthpiece on earth. If the Lord tells his prophet to tell me to take more than one wife, it is as if He has told me Himself, just as He called me through His prophet to leave my home and come preach to you here."

                "But your mother! Your father's first wife," Abigail argued, "How ... oh, how could she agree to something so monstrous?"

                "Let me tell you about the wife of one of our current apostles, Heber C. Kimball, the one Reverend Charles talked about last night who first opened England to the gospel.

                Heber's wife's name is Vilate and after Joseph Smith made known the commandment and told Heber he must comply, Brother Kimball very nearly went crazy with worry and confusion. You see, his relationship with Vilate goes clear back into their childhood and their romance and affection for each other is legend in the church.

                Many's the time I've heard brethren exhort husband to love their wives and continue the courtship long after the wedding, just as Brother Kimball does with Vilate. How he feels about Vilate has always been obvious, even now when he's taken more than twenty five additional wives."

                It was Rose's turn to shout,

                "Twenty Five???

                My God!!"

Jacob Hannah ground his teeth together and got to his feet. Glad he thinks so.... no idea what I'm goin to say.

"Remember Jacob, you weren't sent to argue with the Reverend. The Lord wants you to deliver His message and you know what that is. Go ahead, Elder. You'll do fine"

Jacob Hannah ground his teeth together and got to his feet. Glad he thinks so.... no idea what I'm goin to say.

Rose was disappointed. The majority of the listeners were disappointed.

Mister Calm and Quiet was not rising to speak, instead letting his partner, Mr. Nervous Eyes struggle to the front, a Bible and another book in his paws. She watched as he laid both books in front of him, looked out at the congregation and hesitated, not anxious to speak.

Why not?

Did not he come here for this very thing?

Assembling the few scattered ideas left in his head, Jacob still hesitated.

Declare the message Turner had said.

Answer the charges the Reverend had demanded.

Jacob swallowed hard; then charged, stumbling at the start.

"Uh, Ladies, and, er Gentlemen....

No! I can't call you that. That is, I, I gotta call you 'brothers and sisters'.

I hope yer not mindin that, but the Lord, er, Jesus taught that you an me’re all sons and daughters of God, the Heavenly Father."

What the hell am I sayin? I'm runnin out of words!

"...and where I come from we respect each other that way. My ... my companion, behind me ..."

Of course he's behind me! Dammit Hannah! Quite stutterin!

"My, uh, companion behind me's always spected me to call im 'Brother Cole'.

Ah, that is, I mean that was in Utah. Here in England he wants me to call im 'Elder Cole'. Of course when we was youngsters in the wilderness we only knew each other's folks as 'Brother this' or 'Sister that'.

Brother Cole is, well, I, er, hope you'll all come to think of us -- both of us as your brothers."

Lord! I gotta get on with the subject!!

The whole chapel seemed on the verge of an exploding restlessness. Rose felt as if her skin was crawling, so irritating was the Elder's fumbling. The speaker was obviously a humble man, but his fear and reluctance was almost palpable.

Why hadn't the other one spoken?

Come on, Jacob old boy! You can do this.

Keep goin!

Either yer a man about this or ya ain't. Ya quit now an you might never try public speakin agin!

And there ain't no damn way I'm lettin Turner go back to Utah or even to Franklin Richards and say Isaac Hannah's boy done made the pure ass fool a hisself.

"My name is Jacob. I mean, it's Jacob ... Jacob Hannah."

Please Lord!!! Please give me the what to say!

"I drew ... I have drawd ... the lot to speak first. Yeah, Elder Cole'n me drawd lots and the lot fell ta me, an that's the Lord's way a sayin I shoulda oughta speak first..."

Rose felt there might be, perhaps 30 seconds more of calm in the chapel before people started to walk out.

SPEAK, damn you!

Get on with it!

Answer the goddamned Reverend's goddamned questions before we all rush out of this crazy farm.

What do you idiots think of God?

"Yeah, well ....." Jacob shook his head, "I'd like another shot at Albert. You know, if only that old biddy would listen with her heart, she'd know too."

"Mysterious are the ways of the Lord," Turner observed to Jacob.

"Perhaps Albert's small part in the introduction of the gospel into Insley has been played to completion. Maybe the rescue of his daughter was necessary to get him to help us into the Reverend's chapel. Now, with the Reverend publicizing our preaching, there is more interest than we ever had before we met Albert Blake."

"Yeah, well ....." Jacob shook his head, "I'd like another shot at Albert. You know, if only that old biddy would listen with her heart, she'd know too."

One week later the missionaries heard again from Reverend Charles. Soon a flyer was seen all over Insley.

“BY THE GRACE OF GOD YOU SHALL BE A WITNESS TO HIS TRIUMPH OVER THE SERVANTS OF SATAN. KINDLY BRING YOUR FAMILIES TO EAST INSLEY CHAPEL AND GIVE YOUR SUPPORT AS I CONTEND WITH THE DECEIVERS RECENTLY SENT TO OUR SHORES FROM THE TERRITORY OF UTAH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! -” REVEREND ROBERT CHARLES

The Reverend Charles had taken it upon himself to try to discredit and drive the Americans out of Insley, issuing a public challenge to a debate.

Albert took the notice home and literally forced Rose to plan on going with him. With Abigail his success was nil. She had retreated to her silence and her kitchen.

"God forgot me a long time ago, Albert, and it's too late for Him to try to get me back. Reverend Charles is perfectly able to defend the faith without my support."