“Meet me outside in an hour,” he whispered into her ear. He had to see her alone. The past weeks had been brutally hard, but the first ray of light had pierced the darkness.
He gave her a quick, final hug, then slipped away.
Nathaniel waited on a bench across the street from the Delacroix townhouse, still astounded over the events of the past hour. He was happy for Caroline. Having her brother back home was her dearest wish in the world ... but it was worrisome too.
Relief for Caroline mingled with his strangling sense of guilt. Over the past weeks he’d completely abdicated his professionalduties. Worse, his despondency had been a needless distraction for people shouldering immense duties during the crisis of the assassination and the presidential transition.
It was time to drag himself upright and assume his duties again, because tonight he had spotted something that couldn’t be ignored. Despite Caroline’s radiant assertion that Luke was entirely innocent and had been acting only for the good, it wasn’t true. He had no doubt Luke Delacroix’s shrewd nature might sweep the entire matter under the rug unless Nathaniel acted. Caroline’s first loyalty was going to be to her brother, but Nathaniel would act in the best interests of the nation. This needed to be handled delicately.
A little over an hour later he spotted Caroline slipping outside, sparking a quick flash of well-being at the sight of her. How he adored her! He stood, raising a hand to catch her attention on the dimly lit street. Even from here, he could see her smiling as she darted toward him, hands outstretched.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she grasped both his hands, springing up to give him a kiss on the cheek. She smelled like lemon soap and happiness.
“Better.” It was the only word he could think of to describe the strange whirlwind of emotions that had careened from despondency to joy and then anger at the way Mrs. McKinley had treated Caroline. Everything about tonight had been overwhelming.
“Luke has gone to bed for the night,” Caroline said. “Let’s walk along the harbor where we can be alone.”
She took his arm and led him a few blocks down the street to a wooden boardwalk stretching along the harbor wall. Moonlight glinted on the water, and the gentle slosh of the incoming tide sounded against the old rocks. She turned to step into his arms, and for a few moments they simply held each other. It felt like they were the only two people in the world.
“It’s after September 15th,” she said against his shoulder.“We can start living our lives like normal people. No more working around the clock or sleeping in dormitories with half a dozen others. No more prohibitions against seeing each other. We can behave and court like ordinary people.”
He stepped back to get a better view of her, loving the way the moonlight illuminated her face. “And how should an ordinary man court the most charming woman in the city?” he asked, a smile beginning to tug at his mouth.
“Little presents. I love little presents.”
He nodded sagely. “I can do little presents. What else?”
“You could give me a kiss now and—”
He cut her off with a deep kiss. He could feel her smiling against his mouth, and eventually he had to pull back because he started smiling too.
“Keep going,” he coaxed. “I’m learning, and I want to do this right.”
“You could take me on outings.” She shivered a little while looking up at him.
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, partly to warm her, partly because he simply wanted to. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I’ve lived like a monk, so you’ll have to suggest examples of these ‘outings’ I should take you on.”
“How about the new exhibit at the Smithsonian?” she suggested. “There’s a reception for a medieval manuscript exhibit next week. It was postponed due to the president’s funeral, but events are starting again. It will be a modest occasion with some refreshments and the chance to wander a new exhibit before it opens to the public. I know I can get us in. Will you accompany me?”
“Of course.” Her mention of the president’s funeral cast a pall over him, but he tried not to let it show. He kept stroking her arms, trying to think of something cheerful to say and shake off the gloom.
Impulsively, he unfastened his kestrel tie clip and reachedout to grasp the edge of her shawl, pinning it on her. “Here,” he said. “My first little gift.”
“Are you sure?” She touched her fingers to the silver pin. “I know how much it means to you.”
“That’s why I want you to have it.” Actually, he simply wanted to give her something, and the tie clip was the only thing he had on hand. “I’m glad about Luke,” he finally said. “You deserve to be happy.”
“So do you,” she instantly replied.
He wasn’t quite convinced of that yet. Not after the burden he’d been. The only way he could salvage his pride was to stand up and resume his responsibilities. That meant he couldn’t ignore what he’d seen tonight.
He withdrew a few inches to study her expression carefully. “Who is your brother working for?” he asked softly.
A little shiver ran through her. “The very best people,” she finally said with one of her typically charming smiles, which was a dead giveaway that the question made her uneasy.
When he’d first arrived at her house, during that initial rush of elation, she’d said Luke had been released on President Roosevelt’s orders, but when Nathaniel tried to learn more, Luke silenced her. Something was going on, and it seemed underhanded. When he said as much to Caroline, she got defensive.
“There is corruption in the military,” she said. “They sent Luke to investigate.”
