Fourteen
It was election night, and Caroline’s shoes pinched, her corset was too tight, and her face hurt from smiling, but what a privilege to help host this party tonight. The McKinley house was crammed to the gills, for every local official in northeast Ohio wanted to attend. A team of hired cooks had prepared a steak dinner for those dining inside, while hot chocolate and caramel apples were given to well-wishers who gathered on the front lawn. The mayor, the governor, and the local congressmen were all at the party, but the president insisted that plenty of local townspeople be invited as well. The miracle of modern telegraphy meant that they expected election results sometime around midnight.
It was hard for Caroline to enjoy the cozy warmth and celebration knowing that, at this very moment, Luke was alone in his cell. This election was surely the most consequential one of her life.
Her own anxiety didn’t matter. Instead, she circulated among the guests, serving hot buttered rum and witty conversation, and doing her best to keep the mood light as the hour grew late and everyone anticipated the arrival of the telegram.
Throughout the night, she sensed Nathaniel, always in thebackground but never far from the president. Her feet ached from wearing heels for the past sixteen hours, but more than anything, she craved a cigarette. Almost every man gathered here tonight held a pipe, a cigar, or a cigarette. The combination of exhaustion, election night jitters, a fine meal, and watching others indulge created a storm of longing. It had been six weeks since she’d had a cigarette, but tonight the craving came roaring back. A few minutes in clean, fresh air would help.
Ida sat enthroned in her chair with both of her nieces beside her. She had a glass of wine and a smile on her face. Caroline crossed to her.
“Is there anything you need from me? I’d like to step outside for some air.”
Ida cheerfully waved her away. “Go, go. This place smells like a smokestack.”
Never were truer words spoken. Caroline grabbed her cloak and made a beeline for the door to the back garden. It was chilly and dark outside, her breath turning to wisps in the moonlight. Her lungs filled with cold air, the scent of wet peat and old leaves soothing her restless spirit. Part of her still wanted a cigarette, but she took in another deep breath, trying to convince herself the fresh air was better.
“Are you alone out here?”
She whirled to see Nathaniel standing on the back stoop, watching her.
“Must you creep up on me?”
He stepped closer, looking around the darkened garden. “Not creeping, but I saw you leave and you looked upset. I wondered why.”
She hugged herself. How could she tell this man that her entire world hinged on what happened in the next few hours? Luke’s freedom hung in the balance, and even though it looked as if McKinley would win, she couldn’t take it for granted.
“I know you don’t like it when I speak of my brother, but a lot is riding on this election for me. At times like these, I could really use a cigarette.” She drew a bracing breath of cold air and put on an overly confident demeanor. “But I shall be strong,” she tossed off. “A Puritan. I shan’t indulge in the dreaded crutch of tobacco. I shan’t even take advantage of the moonlit night and fling myself at you again.”
Even in the dim light she could see the flush staining his cheeks. “I thought you had forgotten that night.”
“A passionate kiss from a handsome man? You must think me far worldlier than I am. You are only the third man I’ve ever kissed.”
He seemed taken aback. “I can’t believe that.”
“Why not?”
“Well,” he stammered. “You’re very beautiful. Popular...”
“I scare men away.”
“That too, surely,” he admitted, blushing madly but trying not to laugh, and somehow that made him even more attractive.
“I confess to having a wild streak in my youth, but it mostly amounted to trailing after Luke to carouse at opera houses, boating races, and the like. On our sixteenth birthday, Luke and I placed a bet to see who could get kissed first before the end of the day. I won when I asked the minister at our local church to kiss me, and he did.”
“Aminister?” Nathaniel asked in appalled marvel.
“Indeed! I’ve always had a thing for serious, sober men. My father found out about it and refused to tolerate a courtship, saying I was too young, and he was right. I still won the bet with Luke, though. Then a few years later, I got into more trouble when I dallied with the assistant secretary to the army. He was thirty-eight and I was nineteen. My father took it badly, and I was banished to a finishing school in Switzerland. I was never half as wild as my reputation. Those were the only two men I’ve kissed until that night on the staircase.”
Nathaniel looked like he wanted to melt into the ground. “I sincerely hope I didn’t overstep....”
He looked so mortified, she wanted to comfort him. Ithadhurt a little, the way he froze her out so swiftly after learning about Luke, but it felt like a million years ago now.
“Oh, hush,” she teased. “I survived your heave-ho perfectly well. You’re notthatirresistible to the female hearts of the world.”
The tension faded from his face, and a hint of the old comradery returned, and she wished they could be like this always. It felt good to have a friend like him, even if she secretly longed for more.
The sound of a galloping horse approached the house. They couldn’t see the rider, but the hoofbeats stopped near the front door, and footsteps thudded on the porch steps. Her heart seized, for this was surely the arrival of the telegram.
