“I do,” Nathaniel said quietly. If Holland had papers, they’d been forged. Tracking down financial crimes was his specialty, and he was ready to pull out the big guns.
Nathaniel and Luke spent the rest of the day in Wilkie’s office, untangling the Holland conspiracy. Luke shared more details of what he’d overheard while eavesdropping from the neighbor’s basement. Holland had been angry as he shouted over the line, claiming the only reason he worked with Foster’s bank was because they were big and ought to have plenty of ready cash on hand. The Foster bank was the largest on the East Coast, and Nathaniel had gotten to know Congressman Foster and his wife during the long presidential train trip.
Nathaniel quickly rattled through what he remembered about the Fosters. Mrs. Foster was a preening, social-climbing busybody who had done her best to make Caroline miserable. She couldn’t possibly keep a secret, but her husband could. A proper investigation of Foster and his bank would require the cooperation of a judge and banking experts. Going through the proper legal steps would slow them down. By then, Captain Holland could have fled the country, and they still hadn’t discovered his accomplice in Key West.
Wilkie met his eyes across the desk. “Do you think the Fosters could be in on this?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“What about Caroline Delacroix?” Wilkie suddenly asked.
“What about her?” Nathaniel asked. Bringing Caroline into this conversation was a needlessly painful distraction. Guilt had been gnawing at him since the moment the wordMilwaukeehad been uttered in her presence. She deserved more than he’d given her, but the Kestrel Gang needed to be stopped. The economic integrity of the nation’s currency depended on it.
“We can use Caroline to get through to Mrs. Foster,” Wilkie said. “They’re friends. It won’t raise any alarm bells, and perhaps she can sniff out if there is any unseemly association between Mrs. Foster’s husband and Captain Holland.”
“Caroline isnotfriends with Mrs. Foster,” Nathaniel said, possibly the understatement of the century. “She’d rather eat nails than spend time with Emmaline Foster.”
“Caroline is a patriot,” Luke said. “If she can help bring Captain Holland down, she’ll pounce on the opportunity.”
It was true, and Nathaniel knew they didn’t have much time to get her on board.
Thirty-Six
Nathaniel’s immediate reversion back to his old ways hurt more than Caroline could admit. While she was grateful he was emerging from the despondency that had crippled him, it was as if he immediately reached for his blinders to focus on the next duty at hand. Even now, he was spending the day holed up with Wilkie and Luke while she twiddled her thumbs at home.
No more! It was time to regain a sense of normalcy after the chaos of the past few weeks, and she knew exactly where to begin. Shopping had always been a guilty pleasure, and today she had the perfect excuse to indulge, for Luke desperately needed clothes that fit. She ventured in and out of men’s haberdasheries, trying to enjoy herself as she wandered among the bolts of fine wool fabrics and shelves brimming with silk ties, vests, and cuff links. She’d love to see Nathaniel in one of these suits. The only time she’d seen him in anything but his sober black suit was the night of the inaugural ball, when he’d looked so handsome in the cutaway tails and high-starched collar that it nearly took her breath away.
Well! Nathaniel would shudder if she tried to deck him out in this finery, so she picked out a suit for Luke, three broadcloth shirts, and a spectacular fuchsia silk tie. It was time to injecta flash of color back into their lives, even if her spirit wasn’t quite there yet. For a while she’d thought she was on the verge of joining her life to a man who was a dear friend but also took her breath away.
He was still those things, but it would be hard to build a life with him if he was in Milwaukee. Or Boston. Or wherever else Wilkie chose to send him.
She paid for Luke’s new clothes and arranged to have them delivered to the townhouse, for she’d planned an epic day of shopping and couldn’t be weighed down with packages. If she returned to the emptiness of their home, she’d start moping over Nathaniel’s abandonment again.
Or Ida’s rejection. Ida had been the closest thing to a mother she could remember, and the way things had ended hurt. Working for Ida had mostly been a thrill and a joy, but how quickly and tragically it all came crashing down.
Outside the shop, a gust of wind sent some fallen leaves scuttling down the street, their brilliant orange shade beginning to brown at the edges. She felt like those leaves, discarded and fading. She wandered down the street, gazing into bow-fronted windows to admire the antiques and bric-a-brac, but it didn’t really help.
She turned to continue walking and almost bumped into George Cortelyou.
“Hello, Caroline,” he said warmly.
“George!” How wonderful to see his familiar face. She hadn’t had a chance to say good-bye after her expulsion from the White House. He looked hale and hearty, even though with the president’s death, he was out of a job too.
“I’m sorry about how things ended,” George said kindly, for he was quite possibly the only person on earth who truly understood what Caroline was up against with the first lady. “You didn’t deserve what happened.”
“How is Mrs. McKinley?” she asked, determined not to let regrets mire her down.
“She and her sister left for Ohio yesterday. She’s doing as well as can be expected.”
“Good,” Caroline said honestly, for she truly wished only the best for Ida. “And you? What’s next for you?”
“I’ve been keeping busy,” George replied. “President Roosevelt is creating a new department to govern the nation’s business and trade. It’s going to be called the Department of Commerce, and I shall be secretary there.”
“Wonderful! And who shall you be secretary for?”
“You misunderstand,” he said with a kind smile. “I’m going to be the Secretary of Commerce. My first job is to manage the department’s creation.”
She gasped in astonishment. “Oh, George!” She impulsively rushed into his arms for a hearty embrace. “No one deserves it more than you.” Her voice choked up, and tears clouded her vision. Her emotions had been careening wildly ever since Buffalo, but this was such good news. George had always been a rock for her, and the new president couldn’t have chosen a better man.
