“Well, then.” Dr. Tisdale took a heavy breath and looked her straight in the eyes. “I suspect you will like my final suggestion even less.”
None of his other ideas sounded palatable, but she was at her wits’ end. “Let’s hear it.”
“I think he needs to get back up on the same horse that threw him. Agent Trask is a man, and he needs to do something to regain his pride. He needs toearnit back.”
Dr. Tisdale was right; she didn’t like it. Every instinct urged her to protect Nathaniel, not throw him back to the wolves.
But the doctor was correct. Nathaniel was a man of extraordinary diligence and aptitude. He needed to use those God-given tools to do something to redeem himself. The face-saving job in the basement wasn’t likely to make him feel like a hero. He needed to solve a crime or rescue a damsel in distress—do something to shake him out of his lethargy. He needed his soul called back into service, but she didn’t know how to do it.
Caroline met the White House butler in the dining room to review arrangements for that evening’s dinner for the governors.“Let’s use the Wedgwood china and the ordinary silverware,” she suggested. “Nothing too fancy yet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the butler said. “And do you have a recommendation for the floral decorations?”
“No more red carnations. It’s time to welcome a new administration, so let’s have simple arrangements of roses with greenery.”Out with the old and in with the new.
A crash sounded from outside, and a glance out the window showed one of the Roosevelt boys wading in a fountain, kicking water at his siblings. Caroline sighed. Ida was heavily medicated and unlikely to hear anything, but it would be better if the children weren’t so noisy.
“Let’s head downstairs to discuss the wine list,” she said.
Before they got far, a tall, strong-jawed woman intercepted Caroline in the staff hallway. She wore plain but flawless attire and carried a notebook propped in her arm.
“Miss Delacroix?” the woman asked.
“Yes. Can I help you?”
The woman offered her hand with a sad smile. “I am Isabella Hagner. Mrs. Roosevelt’s secretary.”
“Oh.” It felt like a punch in the chest. How intensely awkward. “My goodness. Well! What a surprise.”
Out with the old and in with the new. It applied to her now.
Caroline took a fortifying breath and returned Miss Hagner’s handshake. “Allow me to introduce you to James Macklin, the head butler. You will find him to be a godsend in your work here.”
The two exchanged nods of greeting, then Mr. Macklin made a discreet exit. Caroline escorted Miss Hagner to the crowded office she would need to vacate. Both Roosevelts would be bringing their own secretaries, which meant George would be out of a job soon too.
“Hopefully you will have a more spacious office once the west wing addition is complete.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done to steer the commemorations over the past weeks,” Miss Hagner said. “No one envied you that task, and it has all been beautifully tasteful.”
“Thank you,” Caroline said, wondering at the odd lump in her throat as her gaze wandered the shabby, crowded office. The arrival of her replacement shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was. She had loved it here and hadn’t expected this meeting so soon. It was time to say something gracious. Something that wouldn’t hint that her heart was splitting at its seams. “I hope you will be as happy in this job as I was,” she finally said, embarrassed at the prickling of tears.
Miss Hagner nodded. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Caroline was about to demur, but the faint sounds of children playing outside filtered through the walls. They were normal, happy children. They shouldn’t be resented because they were too young to appreciate the tragedy the nation had been through.
She chose her words carefully. “I’m sure the Roosevelt children are delightful, but Mrs. McKinley’s nerves are sensitive. Would it be possible—”
“Say no more,” Miss Hagner said gently. “I shall take care of it.”
And she did. Within a few minutes, the noise of the children subsided, then vanished altogether.
Caroline continued sorting through the condolence letters, unexpectedly dispirited by her replacement’s arrival. She’d been so busy over the past two weeks that there’d been no time to think about her own future, but it was coming fast. Never had the prospect of change been so frightening.
Thirty-Two
Caroline spent all day Friday helping Ida pack for her return to Ohio. It was unexpectedly painful, for the first lady’s spectacular wardrobe contained a treasure trove of memories. With each gown she packed, Caroline remembered a state dinner, a reception, or a visit to a local attraction. Pina and Ludmila helped strategize how to pack the gowns into a dozen trunks for transportation back to Canton while Ida directed operations from her wheelchair in the corner.
“What will happen to this one?” Pina asked as she reverently laid out Ida’s inaugural gown. The satin dress literally crackled with a thousand seed pearls and crystals.
