She found him at the end of the hallway, arguing about lighthouses with a balding man as he paced the floor in frustration. “If we are to oversee coastal ports, it makes sense for us to handle lighthouse oversight as well,” George said.

“Lighthouses are the purview of the Corps of Engineers,” the bald man replied. “I see no cause for them to be transferred to Commerce.”

George finally noticed her standing in the open doorway. “Caroline! Come inside and tell me if you think the Department of Commerce should add lighthouses to our list of responsibilities. The president has already charged us with the inspection of coastal ports. I think lighthouse oversight is a logical extension. What do you think?”

“Is this a test?”

“Yes. Of your political acumen. Are lighthouses a good match for us?”

“My political instincts tell me to side with the man on top rather than the man taking notes.”

“Excellent answer!” George said. “All right, Mr. Soames, step outside for a few minutes while I interview Miss Delacroix. If we can hire her, she will brighten each day at Commerce.”

She waited until the older man left. She still held George’s letter, not wanting a job for herself but rather for the first set of young women graduating from Petra’s school. Ludmila and fourteen other women were now trained in typing and clerical skills. When she explained this to George, his brows lowered.

“I won’t be hiring frontline staff for months. I need high-level operation management. That’s why I want you. Your political instincts are as good as anyone I’ve met. I’d like you to manage my office.”

Merely looking at the files stacked on George’s desk made Caroline tired. She had loved her work at the White House, but the prospect of leaping back into the governmental whirlwind as a new department took shape was exhausting.

“Come, Caroline,” George gently scolded, “I’ve always known you could do more than host tea parties or manage Ida’s volatile moods.”

“I like planning tea parties. And it turns out I couldn’t quite manage Ida’s volatile moods, as we all know.” It hurt even to broach the subject, and George’s eyes softened in sympathy.

“Perhaps if you write to her?”

She shook her head. “Any letter I send will be returned unopened. I’ll never stop hoping for a reconciliation with Ida, but it’s best done in person. I’ll go to Ohio someday soon.”

Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t go to Ohio until after Nathanial returned from the Florida Keys. He wouldn’t be in town long before he’d be rushing off to Milwaukee, and she didn’t want to miss him. It was foolish to schedule her life around a man always so willing to dash off on missions, but she couldn’t help it. She thought of him every hour of each day.