“And you believe that?” Luke had never been devout, but a fib like that would get Gray off his back. She and Luke were experts in dodging Gray’s nagging, fusty ways.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Gray said, pacing before the fireplace. “I’ve been trying ever since Luke was arrested to get him to fight in his defense, and he refuses.”
“Maybe I can persuade him.”
He cocked a brow at her. “How?”
“I’ll go to Cuba and talk to him in person. If anyone can persuade him, I can.”
“What then?”
“Then we pay a fortune in bail to get him released until the trial. And then we smuggle him onto thePelicanand overseas to freedom.”
Gray’s breath left him in a rush as he collapsed into a chair. “It will never work. He’s guilty as sin, and they’ll never grant him bail.”
“The Americans won’t, but he’s in a Cuban jail, and they might. Their island is in tatters. Their roads and bridges and freshwater systems have all been wiped out by the war. You don’t think they’d be happy to get their hands on a quick infusion of cash?”
Gray shifted in the chair, his face tense in concentration. “And then Luke makes a run for it?”
“Then Luke makes a run for it,” she confirmed.
The family’s steamship, a mighty cargo vessel called thePelican,was currently on a run back from Madagascar, loaded down with spices and rare vanilla beans. If Luke got released on bail, he could sail away on thePelican, but it meant he’d never be able to come back to the United States. He’d have to make his home in Europe or Africa or the Far East. Their family would be permanently fractured. Luke would never walk her down the aisle or spoil her children. In saving him, she would lose him forever, but it would be worth it.
“Gray, please. It’s our only hope. We can still aim for a presidential pardon, but I don’t think Luke can survive another four years in prison. In his last letter, it looked like he could barely hold the pen.”
“It’s breaking the law,” Gray said.
“He’s not guilty.”
“I think he is.”
She straightened. Unless Gray got on board with this plan,it wouldn’t go far. She drew a breath to try again, but a rattle at the front door distracted her as Annabelle stepped inside.
“Gray, you won’t believe it,” Annabelle said breathlessly, unwinding the world’s longest scarf from around her neck. “The department just got a new shipment of cold-tolerant millet from Siberia. We begin testing the strains tomorrow. It’s beyond exciting, it’s—”
“We have a guest,” Gray said, interrupting Annabelle’s effusive praise of millet, whatever that was.
Annabelle froze, looking distinctly uncomfortable, but managed a cheery smile anyway. “How nice to see you,” she said. “What a splendid gown. You always look so lovely.”
“Thank you,” Caroline replied stiffly. “It sounds like you are enjoying your work at Agriculture.”
Caroline would be polite even if it killed her, although she’d rather bodily fling Annabelle back to Kansas. Gray had once warned Caroline not to make him choose between her and Annabelle, and she didn’t want to test his loyalties.
Annabelle took a seat before the fire, and Caroline explained the rest of the plan to them both. Gray could divert thePelicanto Cuba and get Luke off the island without anyone being the wiser. From there, Luke could go anywhere in the world, free to make a new life for himself. He could breathe clean air and see the sky and have a real future. He might even be able to work for Gray, managing the family’s spice fields in Africa and Asia.
Despite Gray’s skepticism, he wanted to know more, but Annabelle’s wariness was apparent.
“I want to find a solution for Luke too, but this would put both of you in legal jeopardy, and Luke is guilty. It’s not worth it. Hechoseto walk down this path—”
“Bite your tongue,” Caroline snapped. Luke couldn’t be guilty. She knew it in her bones and would never believe otherwise unless Luke looked her in the eye and swore to it. Even then, she might suspect something, because Luke was crafty andten steps ahead of them all. For pity’s sake, he was managing to get birthday presents to her from jail!
Caroline stared at Gray, praying for his cooperation. He looked torn as he met Annabelle’s gaze, some sort of unspoken communication flying between them.
“Annabelle, I need to do this,” he finally said. “I’m not ready to divert thePelican, but I need to take another trip to Cuba to see him. At the very least, maybe Caroline can persuade him to fight for his freedom.”
Annabelle’s shoulders sagged. “Whatever you think is best,” she said, but reluctance was heavy in her voice.
Eighteen
