He couldn’t. Hecouldn’t. He had a job to do, and Caroline was a distraction.
“We should return to the White House,” he said.
“Must we?”
He had a duty, and so did she. “I’m afraid we must.”
“Why did I suspect that was exactly what you’d say?”
Without changing his expression, he cocked an elbow toward her, and she immediately curled her palm around it and smiled.
The oddest thing was that she didn’t seem disappointed. Quite the opposite. It was almost as though she’d been hoping he would adhere to his staid, pedantic routines.
And that made him want her even more.
Seven
Caroline sought out the best criminal attorney in the city to help her file the paperwork for a presidential pardon. Jeremiah Alphonse was also the only attorney to have won a pardon from President McKinley. Every window in his law office was open, and a ceiling fan slowly rotated overhead. Mr. Alphonse had a massive salt-and-pepper mustache but kindly dark eyes as he let her know what she was up against.
“McKinley has granted only one pardon after almost four years in office. Ever since I successfully petitioned for it, my office has been swamped with people hoping to repeat the miracle. Presidential pardons are as rare as hummingbirds in the Arctic. They take years and have only a minuscule chance of success. Who do you want pardoned?”
“I’m only asking hypothetical questions. No one in particular.” News of Luke’s arrest hadn’t yet been widely circulated, and she intended to guard his privacy.
“Hypothetically,then,” Mr. Alphonse said with a knowing tip of his head. “It all depends on the severity of the offense. How bad was the hypothetical crime?”
“Pretty bad,” she admitted. That was an understatement. Short of murder, treason was the worst crime imaginable.
“That’s a problem,” the lawyer replied. “Presidents are willing to extend a second chance for crimes of youth, cowardice, or perhaps trifling financial indiscretions. The man I won the pardon for had been found guilty of blasphemy. Still, even such minor offenses are hopeless this close to an election.”
She blanched. She couldn’t bear the thought of Luke sweltering in jail until after the election in November. Even worse, if President McKinley lost the election, she would have no hope whatsoever. Her shoulders sagged, and it felt like she’d just aged fifty years.
“Miss Delacroix, you just plunked down a fortune to purchase my services and complete confidentiality. I can’t render effective counsel unless I know the details of the offense and the identity of the perpetrator.”
How could she keep her chin up and admit that her twin brother had confessed to treason against the United States? Luke was only six minutes older than her, but he’d always been her hero. He was utterly and completely fearless. Not like Caroline. When she was a child, she was afraid of everything. Of the dark, noises in the attic, unfamiliar foods, even caterpillars.
Luke never made fun of her. He simply gathered up a bunch of caterpillars and let them crawl all over his arms, his neck, the top of his head. Then he spoke calming words as he carefully lowered one onto the back of her hand so she could see that it would be okay.
On their fifth birthday, her father arranged a treat by shipping in artichokes from California. She’d been leery of the odd-looking vegetable, mistrusting its scent and tough outer layers. Coaxing from her father and Gray did no good. It wasn’t until Luke gamely ripped off an artichoke petal and pretended to relish the mushy, strange-tasting food that she dared try it.
Every year after that, Luke presented her with a perfect artichoke in memory of her newfound courage. It didn’t matter that sometimes he was away at college and once traveling inSpain. On her birthday, Luke made sure she received a basket of artichokes, one for each year they’d been alive.
His example taught her to outgrow childish fears, and soon she was tromping alongside him as they searched the countryside for Indian arrowheads and buried treasure. They snuck out of the house after dark to watch the flurry of bats careen wildly about the trees in their backyard.
The problem was that as they got older, she continued to embrace Luke’s daring outlook on life. Together they set Washington society on fire. There was never a party they didn’t attend, never a race they didn’t run. Once when her father was overseas, she and Luke arranged a wild birthday party for themselves aboard a barge in the Potomac. They lit off fireworks and drank champagne straight from the bottle. Caroline borrowed a sword from a naval officer to cut the birthday cake. It was the sort of daring caper that made them the most celebrated people in town. She’d always thought it was harmless, but Luke eventually started crossing the line into real trouble.
She would have to confess everything to Mr. Alphonse if he was going to help her.
“My brother was arrested for espionage and treason in Cuba,” she admitted quietly. “He was consorting with Cuban revolutionaries who are trying to force an end to the American occupation of the island.”
Mr. Alphonse let out a low whistle of incredulity.
“He’s not guilty,” she rushed to say. “He confessed, but I think maybe he was tortured or wasn’t in his right mind. This doesn’t sound like my brother. Luke was always a little wild, but he was never evil. He doesn’t have any interest in politics! I have no explanation for how he could have gotten mixed up in this.”
“Miss Delacroix, no man guilty of treason will ever be pardoned by a sitting US president. Is Mr. McKinley aware of the pending charges?”
“He knows. I told him the day I learned of it and offered my resignation. He wouldn’t take it.”
“I think it would be best if I return your retainer,” Mr. Alphonse said. “I see no possibility of winning a pardon for your brother.”
