“I can’t get on that train,” she continued, still staring at the yard below. “If word comes that Luke has taken a turn for the worse, I need to be able to go to him. I can’t be in Kansas or California or hunting down blueberries.”

The train left tomorrow, and she needed to be on board. Not for his sanity, but for the good of her brother. He used a calm voice to cut through her misery.

“If Luke’s health begins to fail, trust that your older brother will be at his side,” he said. “For now, you need to preserve your link to the McKinleys. If you quit now, you’re losing your best chance for a pardon.” He squeezed her shoulders. “After coming so far with Mrs. McKinley, you’re not going to be defeated by a request for blueberries. When times get tough, you get tougher.”

It looked like she tried to smile but failed. “Not this time. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I’ll move to the Florida Keys and wait for word in case Luke needs me. I can hire a boat and be there in a few hours.”

“To sit by his deathbed? Or are you going to get on that train and fight for him? And I’m not talking about a pardon, I’m talking about solidifying your position with the McKinleys. Get your photograph taken with them at every public event and send copies to the officers at the military prison. Let them know who they’re dealing with. They won’t dare let him die if they know how powerfully connected his family is. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s your best shot, and you’ve got to depend on your older brother to fight the battle on the other front.”

“Why are you talking like this? Building me up when I know you think Luke is guilty?”

He looked away, afraid that if he met her eyes, she’d see how much she meant to him. “I’m building you up because I know what it is to be torn down. And I don’t want that happening to you.”

He faced her, drinking in the sight that had held him captivated from the moment he set eyes on her. “You are in the early stages of a battle. There are almost four years until the president’s term is over. Don’t burn yourself out too quickly. Learn to see the joy in each day. Even if it means finding a basket of blueberries or calming an anxious woman who has been overwhelmed from the moment her husband was elected to the presidency. There’s valor in that, Caroline.”

She stepped closer to him, her dress brushing up against his legs. He could smell the lemony soap in her hair.

“I feel stronger just being with you,” she whispered.