“Cry it all out,” he whispered gently. She would be mortified to be seen like this, and there was no one down here to witness her total collapse. He rocked her in his arms, the sound of her tears making him feel more helpless than ever.
But he was not without resources. He had money and ties among the Cuban planter class he could call on. He would leave for Cuba immediately in a desperate bid to untangle this quagmire.
It meant he wouldn’t be able to escort Annabelle to Mount Vernon for the Fourth of July as they had planned. He’d send a note to her, promising a later date, but cringed at the prospect of telling her of this mortifying blot on his family’s honor. It would be easier to simply say he was called away on business, but he wouldn’t do that.
He owed her the truth. He and Annabelle had always been honest with one another, and in this darkest hour, he would not taint their relationship with a lie.
Eighteen
Dearest Annabelle,
I have been called away to Cuba on family business. My brother has entangled himself in disloyal political schemes and has been charged with treason. I have no explanation for why Luke walked down this path, but those are questions for another day. The charges are serious, and I will do my best to mitigate the consequences.
This means I will be unable to escort you and Elaine to Mount Vernon. It goes without saying that I would rather be with you, but I shall say it anyway. My feelings for you are deep, and I fear this blot on our family’s honor may cause you to reconsider our relationship. While this would be understandable, I ask for a chance to prove myself to you. I am a loyal man, both to my family and my country. I beg for your patience while I work through this crisis, and I shall notify you the moment I am back in Washington.
With deepest sincerity,
Gray
Annabelle clutched the letter to her chest as relief cascaded through her. It wasn’t Gray.It wasn’t Gray!Elaine sat on thecouch beside her, or else Annabelle would have leapt into the air and shrieked with joy. All she could do was stare out the apartment window, amazed that the entire course of her life had shifted during the sixty seconds it took to read this letter.
“What does your letter say?” Elaine asked, her knitting needles clicking in a predictable rhythm.
Annabelle couldn’t tell her. Normally she told Elaine exactly what had arrived in the post, but when she’d spotted Gray’s return address on the envelope, she had simply said it was a letter without adding details.
“Gray reports he has gone to Cuba on business,” she said, her voice still trembling in relief.
“That’s all?” Elaine asked. “You seem quite taken with the news of a business trip. You’re breathing so fast, it sounds like you’ve just sprinted up five flights of stairs.”
Annabelle fanned herself with the letter. She couldn’t tell Elaine about the elation still ricocheting through her at the news that Gray wasn’t a traitor and wasn’t destined for a hangman’s noose.
But his brother might be. Somehow the fact that Gray and Luke lived under the same roof was the cause of the confusion. Between the two men, it was easy to assume that Gray, with his outspoken hostility toward the government, was the disloyal one. Luke projected an air of carefree charm that was completely at odds with international intrigue.
Maybe it was deliberate. The best spies were surely the people nobody suspected.
“I’d better get dinner ready,” Annabelle said.
Ever since being asked to spy on Gray, the spices he’d given her had sat gathering dust. She had been too heartsick to use them, but tonight she would experiment. Their cheap cut of mutton would be much livelier with a hefty dose of fragrant paprika. She lit the stove, then poured a little of the aromatic spice onto a plate along with flour, salt, and pepper.
It didn’t take long for the elation of Gray’s letter to fade as other worries crowded her mind. Gray must never learn of her role in exposing his brother. He claimed to be horrified at what Luke had done, and she believed him, but that didn’t mean he would ever forgive her if he learned she was responsible for his arrest.
It was Luke who had committed the crime, not her. Maybe there was no need for her to tell Gray anything.
Her hand shook as she dragged the mutton chops through the flour and paprika. She had to calm herself. This wasn’t her fault, she had done what any loyal American would do. But she still trembled as she laid the meat in the skillet. Carrying a secret like this would be hard.
But she could do it. She would bury the memory of that terrible day and move forward with her life. The past would be forgotten.
Silverware clinked as Elaine set the table. “That smells divine,” she said with a sigh.
It did. Everything about Annabelle’s world had become richer and more complex after Gray came into it. Wasn’t it fascinating how a scant spoonful of spice could transform an entire meal with an explosion of flavor? Just like that two-paragraph letter had sent her spirit soaring. Life was going to be good. The world was a huge, wide-open space full of choices, and anything was possible.
She had found a man of valor, and he was sailing into dark waters, but she would come alongside to help him survive the ordeal.
There seemed to be no end to the good fortune raining down on Annabelle. When she arrived at the Smithsonian on Monday morning, Dr. Norwood was at her little workroom with good news.
“A position has been found for you with the Department of Agriculture,” he said. “A permanent position that pays considerably more than the modest stipend I have been able to give you here. Beginning immediately, you will be working alongside Mr. Greenfield in the division of cereal grasses. Is that acceptable to you?”
She opened her mouth but was so elated it was hard to find the right words. “Yes!” she finally managed to stammer. “Yes, I’d be very happy working for Agriculture.”
