I knew the risks, but I had to try to convince him. “It’s a ballroom. Hundreds of people go there every night to dance.”
“Not Reverend Baldwin’s daughter.”
“You’ll go with me, right? You’ll protect me if something goes wrong?”
He was quiet for a few seconds, and then he said, “You’ll go whether I’m there or not, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
He growled. “Fine. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“I’ll have Irene with me.”
“Irene?”
“My cousin, from Iowa. You remember her, don’t you?”
“Vaguely. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll pick both of you up at eight.”
Nerves fluttered through my stomach as I thought about going to the Coliseum. I didn’t want to hurt my father’s reputation, but if Andrew and Thomas hadn’t done it yet, maybe the kind of people who frequented ballrooms and nightclubs didn’t care. The whole generation had a live-and-let-live attitude, so maybe I would be safe.
“Thank you, Lewis. We’ll see you tonight.”
As I hung up the phone, Mother entered the dining room. She carried a tea tray and wore a bright smile. “I couldn’t help but overhear the last part of your conversation, dear.” Her eyes were shining. “Is Lewis coming to call tonight?”
How much had she heard? If her pleasant demeanor was an indication, it hadn’t been much. “He wanted to take me out tonight,” I said, “but I told him Irene is here, so he agreed to take her along.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows dipped together. “I hope he’s not taking you somewhere unpleasant.”
“No. Of course not.” I wasn’t lying, but it still felt like I was being dishonest. I couldn’t tell her where Lewis was taking us, and I hoped she wouldn’t ask. “Shall I get Irene for tea?”
“Yes, please.” She moved into the parlor as I went past her up the stairs to tell Irene where we were going tonight.
No doubt she’d be surprised—and excited.
I was so nervous that evening, I didn’t eat a thing at supper. My palms were clammy, and my stomach was in knots. A headache had begun to form behind my eyes, and I just wanted to get the whole thing over with. I was afraid both that my life would changeirrevocably after I spoke to Annie and that it wouldn’t change at all. I’d never felt so torn between the past and the future.
My entire life, I’d been trying to protect my father and his ministry, but tonight, I was risking it all to speak to Annie. I just prayed I wouldn’t be recognized.
“You two look lovely,” Mother said as we came downstairs after changing into evening gowns. “I hope you’ll have fun with Lewis.”
Guilt ate at me as I tried to smile.
Father was in his office, writing sermon notes for the three evenings he planned to preach during his tent meetings. He’d been advertising it all over the state of Minnesota and into northern Iowa, western Wisconsin, and the eastern parts of the Dakotas. It would be the biggest tent revival of his career, if everything went as planned. But he never wavered, showed anxiety, or worried that people wouldn’t show up. Maybe his unfailing faith in God—and in his calling—was the very thing that attracted people to him. If he didn’t believe it would be a success, then he’d never attempt to hold such a large gathering.
Was that the answer to my own fears and distance from God? If I believed I was cursed by my ancestor, and that I didn’t have a choice in the matter, I lived as if I was defeated. But perhaps, as Marcus had pointed out, I wasn’t cursed. And if I believed that, then it would affect the decisions I made and the way I lived. I could have victory, instead of defeat. It brought to my mind a passage from the book of Deuteronomy that said God had set before the Israelites life and death, blessing and cursing, and He had instructed them to choose life, that they and their descendants would live.
It was a weighty thing to consider—and something I would tuck away to ponder later, when I wasn’t concentrating on talking to Annie.
Outside, the daylight was dimming, and the late August night was fast approaching. I was wearing an evening gown we had purchased in Paris on one of our last days. Since we stayed longer than planned, we had the opportunity to do a little shopping.Mother had splurged to purchase the gown for me, and this was my first opportunity to wear it. The cream-colored silk flowed from a dropped waist in many delicate layers to the hem. It had a multicolored floral design printed on it and a gold belt around the waist. What had surprised me the most was that it was sleeveless, something that Mother appeared to be overlooking tonight.
Lewis pulled up to the curb as I grabbed my purse and glanced in the hall mirror one last time. Irene looked stunning in a shimmering gold dress, made of tulle and silk, with an equally elaborate gold headdress. I had chosen a simple pearl headband, and Irene had styled my brown hair into a roll at the back. It felt nice to dress up, but I couldn’t help wishing that Marcus could see me like this. Elegant. Beautiful. Feminine.
Even though I tried to push thoughts of him aside while I was focused on Annie and my life in 1927, the truth was that he was always on my mind. I only had a few more days with him before we’d part ways in Charleston, and I’d never see him again. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, I could think of little else.
Lewis knocked on the front door, and I took a deep breath, turning away from the mirror—and my heartbreaking thoughts of Marcus—to face him.
Mother opened the door, giving me the chance to admire Lewis in his tuxedo. He looked handsome, with a black tie and white waistcoat, his hair smoothed back, and his face freshly shaved.
