Chapters (50)
- Cover
- Half Title Page
- Books by Elizabeth Camden
- Title Page
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Historical Note
- Questions for Discussion
- In 2021, look for Luke Delacroix’s story in
- About the Author
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- Back Cover
“Annabelle, I need to do this,” he finally said. “I’m not ready to divert the Pelican, but I need to take another trip to Cuba to see him. At the very least, maybe Caroline can persuade him to fight for his freedom.”
Annabelle’s shoulders sagged. “Whatever you think is best,” she said, but reluctance was heavy in her voice.
Eighteen
Caroline’s next step was to get Mrs. McKinley’s permission to leave for an entire week. Her intention was to leave for Cuba the day after the inauguration, which would be perfect timing, since Washington would rest in exhaustion following the whirlwind of festivities. She mentally prepared herself as she helped the first lady with the final fitting for her ball gown.
Caroline had expensive tastes, but even she was astounded by the splendor of Ida’s inaugural gown. Two seamstresses and Ludmila were on hand to help with alterations and caring for the garment while Caroline watched from the far side of the bedroom. How marvelous the gown looked! Made of cream satin, embroidered with silver thread, and lavishly embellished with crystals and pearls, the gown cost eight thousand dollars, more than most people earned in a year. If the price of that gown ever slipped out to the public, it would trigger a hail of condemnation, but there was no denying that Ida McKinley had good taste. The gown was fit for a queen and tailored to perfection.
“You look amazing,” Caroline said.
“You will be the apple of the president’s eye,” Ludmila added with a wink at Caroline. They still worked on English language quirks, but now that Ludmila was attending night school, her English was even better.
“I suppose it will do,” Ida teased in a flash of good humor. Her health was good, her husband had won a second term, and he’d just plunked down a fortune to ensure his wife outshone every other lady in the city.
Caroline only hoped Ida’s good mood would last, because getting her permission for the trip to Cuba was going to be a challenge. Caroline had worked seven days a week for the past year, so a single week didn’t seem like a lot to ask, but one could never be certain of Ida’s mood.
Caroline worked with both seamstresses to carefully lift the dress off the first lady. It was so heavy! Or perhaps she was merely nervous. How odd it felt to be handling thousands of dollars in seed pearls and satin while preoccupied by thoughts of her brother sweltering in a jail cell.
The seamstress helped Caroline hang the dress in the wardrobe while Ludmila filled the satin slippers with wadded tissue paper. How best to raise this delicate topic? Ida was very focused on her own needs, so perhaps that was the best place to start.