President McKinley smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good! I trust we won’t need to have this discussion again.”
Nathaniel didn’t breathe easy until he was in the sleeper car. He climbed the ladder to his upper berth and slid inside. It was a narrow mattress with only a cubby at the foot of the bed for his belongings. He lay sleepless for almost an hour before Sullivan arrived and tugged the curtain aside.
“What did the president say?” he whispered.
“To keep my hands off Caroline.”
“Ouch,” Sullivan said. “I guess you’d better do it, then. Orders are orders.”
Nathaniel nodded and jerked the curtain closed. It was going to be a long twelve weeks.
Twenty-Four
Caroline ought to have enjoyed the tour, for each day brought outings to colorful local attractions, the chance to mingle with enthusiastic crowds, and a rollicking crew of lively companions aboard the train. She stayed constantly by Mrs. McKinley’s side at each stop, helping carry the conversation when Ida could think of nothing to say and making their excuses when Ida wanted to return to the train early.
But Luke was always hovering in her thoughts. A letter from Gray reported that Luke had recovered from his battle with pneumonia but was still housed in the military hospital as a precaution. At their stop in Richmond, she gave thanks at the cathedral, falling to her knees in silent prayer, then impulsively deposited both her sapphire earrings into the collection box for the poor.
She also made certain that a copy of the photograph Rembrandt took of her standing on the steps of Monticello alongside the McKinleys was sent to Luke at the army hospital. Military personnel screened all the prisoners’ letters, but that was exactly how she wanted it. She wanted them to know Luke had powerful connections.
In her letter, she even included the fatherly warning PresidentMcKinley had given to Nathaniel when their flirtation was exposed. Gossip about the president’s warning had spread like wildfire through their party. It was an embarrassing way to start the tour, but perfect for letting the people guarding Luke know of her close ties to the president. If it bought an iota more care for Luke, it was worth it.
At each stop, the communication car hooked into the local telegraph wires to receive incoming cables. Caroline always awaited word from Gray, hoping for news of Luke. At their last stop, he’d wired to say that he’d had a letter from Luke and would forward it to the post office in Charleston for her to pick up.
This morning they were touring the Charleston Naval Shipyard, where Mrs. McKinley would christen an ironclad battleship before a cheering crowd. Caroline helped Ida down from the carriage and admired the harbor, where dozens of American flags snapped in the wind and a brass band played in the distance. Sunlight glinted on choppy waves, and she shielded her eyes to admire the steel-hulled battleship they were about to christen.
Nathaniel awaited them at the dock, along with a dozen members of the local police. She couldn’t help admiring his austere form as he stood at attention, awaiting the arrival of the presidential party. It had been five days sincel’affaire de lobster, as the disaster had been dubbed, and Ida had been teasing her ever since.
“Your young man looks in fine form this morning,” Ida said.
“He’s always in fine form.”
Ida let out a bark of laughter. “You’d best do something to hold on to him. The Major warned him away, but you don’t want to be an old maid. You need to keep that young man interested.”
I intend to, she silently vowed.
The ceremony rolled out according to plan. The mayor ofCharleston gave some opening remarks, then the president delivered his five-minute speech. After that, a navy admiral accompanied Mrs. McKinley into position to smash the bottle against the hull of the ship.
The crowd cheered, and the band began a rousing tune by John Philip Sousa. Mrs. Foster hovered in the background, waiting for her opportunity to pounce and share the McKinleys’ carriage back to the train depot, and Caroline was more than happy to surrender her seat to her.
Caroline thrust Mrs. Foster toward Ida. “You can help her back to the train,” she said. “I’ve heard wonderful things about the historic Charleston Post Office. I’m off for a quick peek.”
A local police officer had already told her where to catch a trolley that took her straight to the famous post office. It was a magnificent three-story building of white granite in the classic Renaissance Revival style. Inane wishes that Nathaniel could see it tugged at the corner of her mind, for he appreciated fine architecture.
Inside, it was even more impressive, with opulent red marble and mahogany floors. Her footsteps echoed off the vaulted ceiling as she approached the front counter.
“I’ve been told a letter is waiting for me,” she said. After receiving her name, the clerk disappeared into a back room and soon returned with an envelope addressed in Gray’s bold handwriting. Its thickness indicated several pages inside. She caught the returning trolley and waited until she was safely aboard to tear open the letter, setting Luke’s aside to read Gray’s letter first.
It wasn’t good. Gray wrote that although the worst of Luke’s pneumonia was gone, he wasn’t rallying as expected. He remained in the American hospital, manacled to the bed and wasting away. The doctors were at a loss as to how to proceed.
The envelope containing Luke’s letter rested in her palm. She laid her hand over it and sent up a single word of prayer.Please.
She’d braced herself for bad news, but what she read was worse than she could have imagined. His penmanship was spindly and lopsided, but more concerning was that only a few sentences were lucid. After asking after her health, his words were confusing and nonsensical.
You can’t trust the Dutch. Their ships are lousy, as the legend of the Flying Dutchman attests. That ship carried treasures beyond imagining, but it has corrupted the captain.
The crew from the north has vanished, and the road to a city of columns is in danger. The trouble comes from the westernmost key.
Please remember, you can always trust a good dancer and the second in command.
