Caroline gasped when she saw the first lady dressed in a splendid gown of mauve satin and a diamond choker. Ida looked spectacular, but her hair ornament was a problem.
“Let’s see what else might work better with that gown,” Caroline said diplomatically.
“I love egret feathers,” Ida said, adjusting the spray of snowy white feathers in her hair. The problem was that the egret had been driven nearly to extinction by ladies who craved the latest fashion. Only three months ago, the Lacey Act had been passed to stop the sale of endangered bird feathers across state lines. It would be a diplomatic disaster for Ida to wear them at a state dinner.
“Your husband signed the bill,” Caroline pointed out. “It might reflect badly on him if you wore the feathers.”
Ida immediately lifted the headdress from her tightly styled hair. “Quick! Help me find something else.”
This was the best part of the job. Ida McKinley had a wardrobe that would make Marie Antoinette envious, and Caroline loved helping coordinate the outfits. She opened the silk-lined armoire where the formal headdresses were kept. There were jeweled combs and floral scarves, but Caroline’s favorite was the delicate snood encrusted with crystals.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s subtle, but no one can miss it.”
The corners of Mrs. McKinley’s mouth turned down. “A little plain. I want some height.”
“The tiara?”
An eager look flitted across the older woman’s face. “Do I dare?”
“Do you remember what the Spanish ambassador’s wife wore at the last state dinner?” It had been a diamond choker so wide she could barely lower her head to eat. “If Doña Maria can wear a king’s ransom on her throat, you can wear one on your head.”
Ida sat on the bench in front of the vanity while Caroline set the tiara in place, carefully hiding the pins and arranging Mrs. McKinley’s hair to its best advantage.
“Perfect.” She reached for the crystal snood to return it to the armoire, but Ida stopped her.
“You wear the snood,” she said, and Caroline quickly traded places on the dressing bench so Ida could drape the fragile silk cords over her hair. It was the prettiest, most feminine thing she’d ever seen.
“My sister and I once traveled in Europe,” Mrs. McKinley reminisced. “I bought this in a fit of youthful exuberance after seeingRomeo & Juliet, because the actress wore something just like this. There you are, my dear.”
Downstairs, the Marine band began to play, which meant guests would be arriving soon. Aperitifs and informal conversation would take place in the East Room for an hour, then the guests would progress to the state dining room for the dinner.
“Quick, let me powder your nose,” Caroline said. She would also add a bit of color to Ida’s cheeks, for Mrs. McKinley’s naturally gaunt face could use some warmth. Caroline and Ida both indulged in the semi-scandalous practice of using cosmetics, but the trick for getting away with it was to use a subtle hand.
“Ready?” she asked as she handed Ida the cane.
“Ready,” Ida replied firmly.
Caroline tried to memorize every detail of the glamourous evening as she accompanied Ida downstairs. This job was hard and might never result in a pardon for Luke, but she must still count the blessings of being able to participate in grand events such as these.
Nathaniel took a spot on the staff staircase, his notebook at the ready. From this angle, he could see through a narrow interior window to the guests gathering in the East Room below. It was an elegant display of old-world royalty, new-world money, and spectacle on the grandest scale. The waiters wore formal suits, and earlier he’d seen towering floral arrangements so large they needed to be wheeled into place.
A rustle of silk sounded behind him. He twisted around to see who was coming and nearly choked. Caroline Delacroix looked like a fairy princess straight out of a picture book.
“Are you attending this fancy dinner?” he asked, drinking in the sight of her layers of silk and lace. Diamonds glittered in her ears, and she carried long white gloves in one hand.
“Hopefully not. I sometimes step in to facilitate if the first lady falls ill, but she seems in good health tonight. I doubt I’ll be needed.”
“Who are those men with all the medals?”
The scent of lemony perfume surrounded him as she leaned closer to peer through the slim window. “The German diplomatic corps. They love their epaulets and awards.”
“And the man with the scarlet sash?”
“That’s the papal nuncio. He’s the official envoy from the Vatican.” She glanced down at his notebook, both surprised and appalled. “Are you spying on them?”
“Of course. I know what to expect from ordinary tourists now, but this is a different crowd. I need to learn what’s normal at an event like this.” Would she make fun of his exactitude like she usually did?
“Scoot over and let me interpret for you.” To his amazement, she settled in beside him, sitting on the same step while her skirts billowed around them, and he wondered if her hair was as soft as it looked. They had to lean over to peek through the narrow window into the room below.
