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Chapters (50)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Elizabeth Camden
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Fourteen
  20. Fifteen
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-One
  27. Twenty-Two
  28. Twenty-Three
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Twenty-Seven
  33. Twenty-Eight
  34. Twenty-Nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-One
  37. Thirty-Two
  38. Thirty-Three
  39. Thirty-Four
  40. Thirty-Five
  41. Thirty-Six
  42. Thirty-Seven
  43. Thirty-Eight
  44. Thirty-Nine
  45. Historical Note
  46. Questions for Discussion
  47. In 2021, look for Luke Delacroix’s story in
  48. About the Author
  49. Back Ads
  50. Back Cover

“I won’t nag, but I don’t want you to go. It’s not safe.” Cuba was a war-torn, dangerous place, and he couldn’t go with her to provide protection.

“My older brother is going with me,” she assured him as if reading his mind. “I know you don’t believe me, but I know Luke is innocent, and I can’t sit up here in the lap of luxury and ignore what’s going on down there.”

He closed his eyes, wishing he didn’t admire her so much. How could he tell her to stop loving someone? This sort of loyalty was in Caroline’s blood.

He still didn’t want her leaving. For months they had been living under the same roof, and he caught glimpses of her daily. Those moments of connection were important to him. He reached out to cover her hand with his own. They hadn’t touched since that night they kissed on the staircase during the state dinner, and a zing of electricity sparked merely from the brief contact of their hands.

“Please come back,” he whispered.

She looked puzzled but didn’t pull her hand away. “Of course I will. Life in Cuba would be disaster for my hair.”

“That’s not what I mean. Please come back to the White House.” Caroline’s presence was what made it worthwhile, a gilded flash of light and joy that made his days bearable.

“Mrs. McKinley is still angry with me, but she hasn’t fired me yet. I don’t expect that she will.”

“Good.” He squeezed her hand, then let it go.

He watched as she descended the staircase. He feared she was heading into trouble in Cuba, but was powerless to stop her.

Nineteen

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Caroline and Gray boarded a regular passenger ship to Cuba, as the Pelican was still traveling back from Madagascar and would only be summoned should Luke agree to their desperate plan to smuggle him off the island.

During their two days at sea, Gray did his best to prepare Caroline for what she would see in Cuba. Luke was going to be gaunt and grubby, the jail dilapidated and cramped, and the climate muggy. They had sent a telegram to Luke, telling him to expect their visit, but didn’t know if it got through to him.

Signs of rebuilding were everywhere on the island. Trawling ships dredged the lagoon, cranes lowered boulders to restore the harbor walls, and bridges were under construction. Members from the US Army Corps of Engineers directed the work while hundreds of Cubans carried it out.