“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s subtle, but no one can miss it.”

The corners of Mrs. McKinley’s mouth turned down. “A little plain. I want some height.”

“The tiara?”

An eager look flitted across the older woman’s face. “Do I dare?”

“Do you remember what the Spanish ambassador’s wife wore at the last state dinner?” It had been a diamond choker so wide she could barely lower her head to eat. “If Doña Maria can wear a king’s ransom on her throat, you can wear one on your head.”

Ida sat on the bench in front of the vanity while Caroline set the tiara in place, carefully hiding the pins and arranging Mrs. McKinley’s hair to its best advantage.

“Perfect.” She reached for the crystal snood to return it to the armoire, but Ida stopped her.

“You wear the snood,” she said, and Caroline quickly traded places on the dressing bench so Ida could drape the fragile silk cords over her hair. It was the prettiest, most feminine thing she’d ever seen.

“My sister and I once traveled in Europe,” Mrs. McKinley reminisced. “I bought this in a fit of youthful exuberance after seeing Romeo & Juliet, because the actress wore something just like this. There you are, my dear.”

Downstairs, the Marine band began to play, which meant guests would be arriving soon. Aperitifs and informal conversation would take place in the East Room for an hour, then the guests would progress to the state dining room for the dinner.

“Quick, let me powder your nose,” Caroline said. She would also add a bit of color to Ida’s cheeks, for Mrs. McKinley’s naturally gaunt face could use some warmth. Caroline and Ida both indulged in the semi-scandalous practice of using cosmetics, but the trick for getting away with it was to use a subtle hand.

“Ready?” she asked as she handed Ida the cane.

“Ready,” Ida replied firmly.

Caroline tried to memorize every detail of the glamourous evening as she accompanied Ida downstairs. This job was hard and might never result in a pardon for Luke, but she must still count the blessings of being able to participate in grand events such as these.

Nathaniel took a spot on the staff staircase, his notebook at the ready. From this angle, he could see through a narrow interior window to the guests gathering in the East Room below. It was an elegant display of old-world royalty, new-world money, and spectacle on the grandest scale. The waiters wore formal suits, and earlier he’d seen towering floral arrangements so large they needed to be wheeled into place.

A rustle of silk sounded behind him. He twisted around to see who was coming and nearly choked. Caroline Delacroix looked like a fairy princess straight out of a picture book.