Victoria Ward and the Gilded Age of the Hawaiian Kingdom

By Joy Ogawa

1889, Iolani Palace, O‘ahu: The majestic Hawaiian Kingdom teeters on the brink of oblivion. At its heart stands Victoria Ward, a woman of royal Hawaiian blood, bound by her lineage and duty. Armed with vast lands, ancient cultural rituals, and the unwavering loyalty of her villagers, she becomes the beacon of hope for a nation under threat.

But as the sands of time flow, will Victoria’s efforts prove enough to salvage the once-glorious realm she cherishes? Her legacy echoes through generations, influencing descendants who remain fiercely devoted to their roots.

Decades later, an invaluable treasure, left behind by Victoria, is discovered by her kin. Could this discovery be the key to resurrecting the splendor of the Gilded Age of the Hawaiian Kingdom? Join the journey across eras, where history and destiny intertwine, and the past might just shape the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798886936650

Joy Ogawa

Joy Ogawa was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai‘i. A graduate of Santa Clara University, she is currently a senior probation officer for the State of Hawaiʻi. Hobbies include jogging, needlework, and paddling Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe for the Lōkahi Canoe Club in Honolulu, HI. This is her debut novel.

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About the Author

Joy Ogawa was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. A graduate of Santa Clara University, she is currently a senior probation officer for the State of Hawaiʻi. Hobbies include jogging, needlework, and paddling Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe for the Lōkahi Canoe Club in Honolulu, HI. This is her debut novel.

Dedication

Mahalo (thank you) to the Story Summit Writers’ School for championing my voice, my Accountability Group ladies for motivating me to never ever give up on my writing, my parents, and the people of Hawaiʻi. Also, a special thank you to Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu, HI. This story was written during a time of healing that Queen Emma’s hospital made possible.

Copyright Information ©

Joy Ogawa 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Ogawa, Joy

Victoria Ward and the Gilded Age of the Hawaiian Kingdom

ISBN 9798886936643 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798886936650 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023919174

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

This novel would not have been possible without assistance from Story Summit, The Bishop Museum, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the Victoria Ward, Limited company.

I

The Royal Ball at Iolani Palace

Ke Kinipopo Aliʻi

1889

The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi

Oʻahu

Iolani Palace

A beautiful part-Hawaiian, part-Caucasian woman fusses over her daughters’ Victorian finery as they exit the carriage. She arranges them in order by age, except for the guest of honor. The palace doors open, and the Royal Hawaiian Guard announce their arrival.

"Your Majesty, introducing Ms. Annie Eva Theresa Einei Ward, debutant, the fourth daughter of Mrs. Victoria Kathleen Robinson Ward and the late Mr. Curtis Perry Ward. She is accompanied by her six sisters and brother-in-law."

As the Ward family curtsies before the grand crowd and the royal court, Einei says excitedly, Oh, he used my Hawaiian nickname!

Ei Nei, pronounced eh-neh, is a Hawaiian term of endearment meaning ‘You, you there’ instead of ‘sweetheart’ or ‘dear’.

King David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua is a charming and handsome modern renaissance man who cuts a dashing figure in his ceremonial Victorian English royal and military dress with fashionable bushy mutton chops. Jovial, his brown eyes sparkle with delight as he formally receives the Ward family. He marvels with his Queen how much the Ward sisters have grown.

Victoria quietly reassures her daughter, That is the nickname your father endeared you with. That is how you wish to be addressed.

They make their introductions to society’s upper crust and the Native Hawaiian monarchy in a palace ahead of its time. The oldest Ward daughter, Mellie, and her husband, Frank Hustace, already have two young sons. Relatives ask after the boys.

"Oh, but mother, how I wish I had a long, beautiful, meaningful Hawaiian name full of mana," Einei says longingly.

Your Majesty, shouts the Royal Hawaiian Guard suddenly, stomping his ceremonial staff, getting everyone’s attention. Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Ka’iulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn.

Like the Princess, Einei says in awe.

Princess Kaʻiulani, as she prefers, is two years younger than Einei and is the envy of every educated, privileged young Hawaiian woman. The Princess and Mrs. Ward share a first name, yes. It was the fashion of the era for Hawaiian women of chiefly lineage to be given the name of England’s Queen Victoria as a way of marking them for destiny. But there was no denying for the much-older Mrs. Ward that prejudice and judgment about lineage and blood quantum were just below the surface, even in this Gilded Age. Following the initial celebration of Princess Kaʻiulani’s birth in 1875 as the highest-ranking royal birth of the Kalākaua dynasty, Mrs. Ward became aware of whisperings that she was now the ‘Other Victoria’ or the ‘Half-Breed Victoria’. In other words, she would never be considered for the throne if, heaven forbid, something tragic happened to Princess Kaʻiulani. And that was fine with both families.

King David Kalākaua warmly embraces his beautiful niece, taking her on his arm. The crowd parts to allow the 14-year-old Hawaiian princess and her uncle to make their way to the dance floor to officially open the Royal Ball.

Victoria shushes Einei and gestures to bow her head respectfully as they pass, urging her, You know who you are and from whom you come.

"Why didn’t tutu give you a Hawaiian middle name then, mother? Are we sure we’re not royalty," insists Einei with a wry, knowing smile.

She is being sarcastic. Wit is en vogue for an educated young woman. This was not the Ward family’s first brush with the Hawaiian monarchy. Their parents’ wedding in 1865 was attended by the entire royal court of Kamehameha V, also known as Lot. The influence and mutual respect between the families go back to the time of their grandfather, James Robinson, and ‘Liholiho’ Kamehameha II. The eldest son of the unifier of the Hawaiian Islands, Liholiho was influential in assisting James with starting his ship repair business before his untimely death from measles in London in 1824. James then became friends with Kamehameha V, who in 1869 asked his assistance in throwing a ball for the Duke of Edinburgh in the largest space available at the time. At Honolulu Harbor, above the shipyard where James had his maritime business, it is recorded as a grand affair.

And through Victoria’s mother, affectionately called tutu, Hawaiian for grandmother, they are indeed a part of the Hawaiian chiefly class. Tutu was Rebecca Kaikilani Prever, a woman of Hawaiian ancestry whose chiefly lineage had roots on two neighbor islands in Ka’ū, Hilo and Honokōwai, Mauʻi. Lineages matter in their society. Besides class and prominence, it is also important in ensuring the constitutional monarchy endures and with it, the Kingdom’s independence. Victoria was brought up to think of the monarchy as her cousins.

As Princess Kaʻiulani spins around the ballroom, she meets Victoria’s eyes and nods a respectful greeting. The Princess is graceful in keeping up with her uncle while acknowledging members of the crowd. She has been in-training for the throne since the day of her birth. Her uncle, the King, beams with pride.

The musicians play the final verse and their dance ends. The King points out their new friend, the Treasure Island writer Robert Louis Stevenson. The Princess excitedly rushes over to greet him. R.L.S., as he is called by friends, is embarrassed, yet happy by the Princess’ attention, feeling self-conscious in his shabby clothes. As a famed author, clothes never mattered to him until this very moment. Sticking out like a sore thumb, he is an honored guest of the King himself upon the insistence of his niece. News of R.L.S.’s arrival on Oʻahu spread quickly to a fellow Scotsman, Archibald Cleghorn, the Princess’s father, who introduced him to the aliʻi. He ingratiated himself to them and gravitated to their cultural and intellectual curiosities. He was a frequent guest at Iolani Palace, known to spend hours talking with the King and taking long walks with Princess Kaʻiulani discussing current affairs and philosophy.

The crowd of influential Hawaiʻi residents are eager to talk to the famed author, but many are unsure of how to talk to a writer, or what to talk to him about. After a decade of declining health, his adventures on the high seas in search of a better climate, he feels settled in Hawaiʻi for it seems to soothe his restless soul. His health improves, he travels to the neighbor islands, he enjoys the close friendship of the aliʻi, and writes volumes, publishing the novels The Master of Ballantrae and a series of short stories set in Kailua-Kona including The Bottle Imp.

The