Free Yesterday's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin

For years and years, it was that silly old map of Uncle Henry’s. I’ll wager he lied about a gold deposit, anyway. And you’ve not the foggiest notion where to look on the Zambezi—or whatever that area north of us is called.”
    He laughed at her, and she tackled the subject again, still hoping. “Rogan, please, you will cooperate with Uncle Julien, won’t you? You will come with us and work for Peter at the colony?”
    â€œNo.”
    She frowned at him. “You’ll be sorry if you don’t.”
    â€œMore sorry if I do.”
    â€œJulien isn’t a man to fight against, Rogan. He always has his way, and he always wins.”
    â€œNot this time. I know all about dear Uncle Julien, so save your breath. Look, Arcilla, I’ll share something with you I haven’t told anyone else—” He hesitated, barely able to restrain the excitement in his voice. “I found Henry’s map.”
    â€œYou found…” She drew in her breath and stared at him, knowing her eyes must be wide, for he grinned down at her.
    â€œI told you I would one day, did I not? Well, I have it. And I want to form my own expedition under Giles Mornay. He’s the son of Bertrand Mornay, the guide who first led Uncle Henry to the Zambezi region years ago.”
    â€œThen Julien doesn’t know about the map? He’ll be absolutely dazed.”
    â€œI don’t want him to know until I’m safely across the Limpopo River headed toward the Zambezi.”
    â€œWell, if anyone would know about guides besides Giles Mornay and Derwent, it would be Darinda. I told you, didn’t I, that she admires hunters and guides, soldiers, those sorts of brave men. It’s one of the reasons she’s doubtful about marrying Parnell. She told me she fears he won’t have the courage to stand up to Julien.”
    â€œAn odd statement seeing as how she likes to be with her grandfather. Didn’t you say she wraps him around her little finger?”
    â€œComing from her, that sort of statement is reasonable. I told you. Darinda is odd. Anyway, she may know Giles Mornay.”
    â€œThanks for the tip. But if she’s as close to her grandfather as you hint, I wouldn’t trust her with my plans. I’ll talk business with Mornay before it can get back to Julien. He’ll be onto me faster than a crocodile after a drowning swimmer if he knows I’ve got Henry’s map.”
    â€œWhere did you find it?”
    Rogan laughed. “Remember the painting Henry did of the battle of Isandlwana?”
    Arcilla wrinkled her nose. “That simply horrid thing, yes. Don’t tell me—”
    â€œYes. Amusing, isn’t it? All those years it was under my very nose. I should have known. Henry hinted enough about that painting.”
    â€œDid he? Well, what does it look like? The map, I mean. Show it to me, Rogan.”
    â€œNot now. It just looks like an old map.”
    â€œJulien will find out, you know.” She looked at him warily. “You can’t hide anything that valuable for long. If you’d join the Company now, the way he wants, you could use the map to make your own terms.”
    â€œCrafty, aren’t you, little sister? Maybe I could, but I don’t trust him.”
    She remembered Rogan as a boy trying to outfox Julien at Rookswood. He had deliberately kept some old maps in an ottoman just to fool Julien if he caught Rogan in Uncle Henry’s room. Arcilla shivered. She hated those awful rooms on the third floor.
    â€œLook, I’ll talk to Peter about you,” Rogan said, but there was a hesitancy in his voice as if he, too, wondered what good it would do. “I’m sure he’ll do something about your concerns, Arcilla. You say he’s at Kimberly with Parnell?”
    â€œYes. Julien sent him there to talk with Mr. Rhodes’s man, Dr. Jameson. Something about Bulawayo and that African chief who lives there