“Look who I found.” She waved the doll back and forth.
“My baby!” The three-year-old launched herself from the chair and grabbed the doll’s skirt.
“Careful, Ellie.” Tessa squatted down to Ellie’s level. “You don’t want to break her.”
“Give your Aunt Tessa a hug, sweetheart.” Hannah set down her coffee cup. “It was kind of her to bring your baby home.”
The little girl wrapped her arms around Tessa’s neck and squeezed hard. “Thank you.” She scampered back to her seat at the table and plopped the doll down beside her.
“If that poor doll survives the year, it will be a miracle.” Hannah nodded toward the empty chair beside her. “Can you join us? Mrs. Umdahl said the muffins are almost ready.”
“I can only stay for a few minutes. I have to get to Como.”
“To see Reese?”
“To garden with Reese.” Would her sisters ever truly take her work seriously?
The housekeeper brought out two plates filled with sunny-side-up eggs, cooked apples, and muffins and set them on the table before Hannah and Ellie.
Hannah looked at the plate and her face paled.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa took Hannah’s fork and pierced the center. Orange yolk oozed all over the place. “See? The yolk’s just the way you like it.”
Without warning, Hannah covered her mouth with her hand and bolted from the room. What was the matter with her? She hadn’t looked sick a few minutes earlier. It was only a runny egg yolk. Why would that make her stomach churn? She hadn’t been that sensitive since—
Realization dawned. Cheese and crackers, her sister had to be in the family way again. Her pulse quickened. What wonderful news! But why hadn’t she said anything?
The housekeeper scooped up Ellie and told her it was time for her bath. Tessa took the opportunity to search out her sister. She found her lying down on her bed.
Tessa found a washcloth in the bathroom, dampened it, and returned to lay it on Hannah’s forehead. “How are you feeling now?”
“I’ve been better. Don’t worry. It’ll pass.”
“Yeah, in about nine months.”
Hannah’s eyes popped open.
“Don’t look so surprised. I keep telling you I’m not a child anymore.” Tessa sat down on the side of the bed. “Besides, it didn’t take any of my super sleuthing skills to figure out your secret after that little display, but I do have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Why am I the last to know?”
Hannah squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.
“I’m not the last, am I?” Why was Hannah keeping this exciting news to herself? Was there some kind of problem with the pregnancy? “Is everything all right with the baby?”
“Yes. I’ve been fine except for this morning sickness.”
“Does Lincoln know?”
“Of course.”
“Does Charlotte?”
Silence.
“Hannah, we’re your sisters. We have a right to know these things.” Tessa stood and closed the bedroom door. “Why aren’t you telling her?”
She laid her hands across her stomach. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Tessa jammed her hands on her hips. “Try me or I’ll tell her myself.”
Hannah sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “That’s blackmail.”
“I know.”
An uncharacteristically long sigh told Tessa that Hannah didn’t have the strength to fight her. “I’m protecting Charlotte. She wants a baby so badly, and I’m afraid my news will hurt her.”
“But she’ll be more hurt that you kept this a secret.” Sure, Hannah had a point, but she wasn’t thinking this through. How could Tessa make her understand? “What if the roles were reversed? Would you want Charlotte to keep this kind of news to herself?”
“No, but I’m not Charlotte, and she’s going through enough without dealing with my condition.”
“You think Charlotte would be jealous? Our Charlotte?”
Hannah shrugged. “Maybe. At the least, she might feel this isn’t fair.”
“But we’re sisters. Sisters share everything. That’s what you’ve always told us.”
“Don’t be naïve, Tessa. Of course there will be things from time to time we’ll each choose not to share, and this is one of those times. I’ll tell her eventually, but if I can keep this to myself for a little longer, maybe Charlotte will discover she’s expecting a baby by then too.”
“I haven’t said this often, but you’re wrong. Dead wrong.” Tessa placed her hand on the doorknob, her heart hammering in her chest. A surge of protectiveness on Charlotte’s behalf seemed to overtake her. “You don’t want to hurt Charlotte, but that’s exactly what you’re doing. She’ll be as excited about this baby as I am. It might take her a little time to get there, but she will. Deep down, I think you already know that.” She pulled the door open.
“Tessa?”
“What?”
“You won’t say anything about my news?”
“It’s not my news to tell.”
Guilt jabbed her. This was one time she wasn’t sure staying silent was a good idea. Would her own silence only add to Charlotte’s pain?
Lord, please help my stubborn sister see the error of her ways.
To Sam’s surprise, James said nothing about the bloomers she wore. In fact, he’d complimented her on her fetching hat. When his driver reached the corner of Fifth and Saint Peter, James signaled him to stop in front of Saint Paul’s Orpheum Theater.
Sam sucked in her breath when she saw the playbill in the display case. Mon Amour? Her French might by rusty, but she was fairly certain mon amour translated to my love. Surely that was simply a coincidence.
“I hope you like operettas.” James held the door for her. “This one is a comedy, and it stars Miss Amelia Stone and Armand Kalisz. I hear they are quite the musical treat.”
Similar to its sister theater in Minneapolis, Saint Paul’s Orpheum welcomed patrons with a posh foyer. Stepping inside took Sam back about ten years. She remembered visiting it with a young Lincoln to watch her first vaudeville performance. Today, however, her escort was considerably older.
Inside the theater, they selected a seat in the middle, not far from the front. She heard a woman gasp as she passed, which made her chuckle. It was always fun to shake things up a bit. If she weren’t with James, she might have spoken to the woman about how things were changing in America for women. In fact, the vote for women’s suffrage should be coming up before the legislative session ended.
Sam turned to James. “By the way, how did you get away from the legislature today?”
“The finance committee is meeting later this afternoon and into the evening, so I suddenly found myself free for an extended lunch. Unfortunately, the committee has some things to hammer out, which could mean a very long night for me.” He captured her gloved hand. “But enough of that. We’re here to celebrate amour.”
As if on cue, the lights dimmed and the curtains rose. With her hand still clasped in James’s, Sam settled back to enjoy the operetta.
It began with a young composer, played by Mr. Kalisz, who had written an operetta that critics felt lacked depth of feeling and soul. The morning after the first production, a young prima donna, played by Miss Stone, called to order a new opera. Each time she visited, she sang different styles of songs she wanted the composer to write for it, and he began to fall in love with her. At last he was inspired by her to write an ardent love waltz called “Mon Amour” and finally won her heart.
James squeezed her hand as the two lovers kissed, leaving no doubt he’d carefully chosen this production, and her heart leapt at the thought. She ached to give in to her feelings, yet her head told her to hold back. But why? What was keeping her from enjoying James’s attention and, more importantly, his advances?
James leaned close as the lights came up. “Mon amour, what kind of song must I sing to win yo
ur favor?”
His tone was light, but she turned to see his eyes were full of sincerity. Her chest constricted. What indeed was she looking for?
Her husband would not have wanted her to spend the rest of her life alone, and another chance at love might not come again. She did love James as a friend and had for many years. That love would blossom if she gave it half a chance, but she couldn’t. Not yet.
“I’m still not ready, James.”
“I know.” James stood and pulled her to her feet. “Samantha, I won’t give up easily, but I’m not sure you’ll enjoy my singing as much as the composer enjoyed hers.”
Sam wasn’t so sure about that. Every time he said her name, her resolve to hold back weakened a little bit more.
21
Memorial Day dawned warm and sunny, and Tessa pictured a perfect day. That is, it would be perfect if Reese were her companion rather than Edward. Oh, she enjoyed Edward’s company for the most part, but now the thought of being with him instead of Reese rubbed her like sandpaper. Still, it was for a good cause.
Yesterday Reese had told her that Mr. Chattingworth had expressed his support of the conservatory project. Since he’d seen Tessa speaking with Catherine Chattingworth at the vacant lot garden the other day, he’d surmised Tessa might have had something to do with garnering that support. Mr. Nussbaumer had confided in Reese that he was short only a vote or two of the plan passing the park commission on Monday. After today’s soiree, she hoped to seal the deal for Mr. Nussbaumer, so she guessed that she could handle one more outing on Edward’s arm.
She pinned her suffrage banner in place, put on one of her favorite hats, and hurried down to join Aunt Sam. Following the Memorial Day parade, where Hannah and Charlotte would join her and Aunt Sam to walk with the suffragists, she planned to meet Edward at the capitol steps to hear Senator Ferrell make a speech.
By the time they arrived, band members had begun warming up their trumpets, flutes, and tubas. The infantry and cavalry units would follow the military band, and the suffragists, who’d not truly been invited to march, planned to follow them all.
Tessa searched the crowd of banner-clad women for her sisters, but it was Aunt Sam who spotted them first. Together she and Aunt Sam zigzagged their way through the ladies to reach them. After a few minutes, the military band struck up a song and the parade began.
They’d gone only a short distance when Tessa glanced at Hannah to see how she was handling this early morning exertion. Perspiration beaded on Hannah’s upper lip, but she dabbed it away with a handkerchief.
Tessa leaned close. “You okay?”
“Shh.” Hannah scowled. “I’m fine.”
The crowds cheered as they passed. At least most of the people cheered. A few people who’d yet to step into the twentieth century expressed their lack of support with rather ugly catcalls. Unfortunately, from her position on the outside edge of the group, she heard every jeer.
“Tessa!”
She turned toward the male voice calling out to her and spotted Reese. Warmth spread from her head to her toes. Giving him a wide smile, she waved back.
Aunt Sam linked an arm with hers. “Was that your young fellow?”
“Yes, I can’t believe he even found me.”
“I can.”
Tessa glanced over her shoulder to get a final glimpse of him. Perhaps she could find him after the parade and before he left for his afternoon with Mr. Nussbaumer. Stealing a moment together was better than nothing.
By the time the parade concluded at the capitol, a crowd had gathered at the foot of the stairs to listen to James’s speech. Sam noticed a podium had been set up with a few chairs behind it for the speakers, who had not yet arrived.
Edward, Lincoln, and Joel spotted them and motioned her and the ladies to the front to stand with them.
After they exchanged greetings, Edward touched the banner on Tessa’s shoulder. “Why does this not surprise me?”
“The world is changing, Edward, and I intend to be in the forefront.”
He chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me either.”
James and three other men stepped from the capitol and took their seats behind the podium. He scanned the crowd and his gaze fell on Sam. A flicker of excitement seemed to be quickly replaced by a scowl. Was it her sash he disliked? Or was she reading his expression wrong?
The military band began to play “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” Then, after a lengthy introduction, James walked to the podium. He explained how the first Memorial Day was held at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers, and he spoke about the high cost of freedom. The longer he spoke, the louder he became.
“The men”—his gaze locked on Sam—“who fought so bravely to preserve the freedom of this great nation deserve more than to have flowers strewn across their graves. They deserve to be remembered with a deep sense of gratitude.” His strong baritone struck a chord with the audience, and he was rewarded with applause.
Sam’s heart swelled with pride. Unlike with so many politicians, every word James had said seemed heartfelt. As he was a veteran himself, Sam knew how much he truly wanted the fallen soldiers honored for their sacrifice.
After another speech by the mayor, a minister offered a prayer of thanksgiving. The crowd began to disperse to the final march played by the military band.
James descended the stairs to shake the hands of onlookers, but instead of making his way in their direction, he took a turn to his left.
“I think he’ll join us in a few minutes,” Edward told the group. “At least that’s what he told me earlier.”
“Where are your parents today, Edward?” Charlotte tucked a strand of windblown hair behind her ear.
“They’re in Chicago for a week.” He craned his neck. “I believe my grandfather is coming now.”
Sam smiled at the approaching senator, but he scarcely gave her notice. As the group walked away, he chose to fall in line beside Lincoln rather than her.
This did not seem like the same man who’d taken her to a matinee yesterday. Had she angered him somehow, or was he simply trying to honor her wishes of keeping their relationship a secret?
If he was, he was doing an excellent job. Today no one would ever guess he had feelings for her.
To Tessa’s surprise, Edward whisked her away soon after the conclusion of his grandfather’s speech, and they arrived at the Noyeses’ mansion on Virginia Avenue before most of the other guests.
Edward made no move to exit his motorcar. “I wanted to be able to point out who’s who as they arrive, so you’ll know which person to be sure to speak to.”
“Thank you for helping me even though things didn’t turn out how you hoped.”
He hiked a shoulder. “It was an inconsiderate plan, but once I teach you to ride that motorcycle—”
“I know. I know. I’ll owe you.”
He chuckled. “You sure will.”
Tessa glanced at the impressive colonial-style house. Painted buff with white trim, it sported a wrought-iron fence and columned porches. She could only imagine what its gardens looked like.
“You probably already know that Charles and Emily Noyes have made a trip around the world and have returned to the West Indies several times. That’s a good place to strike up a conversation with either of them. He’s also a coin collector and is interested in archeology and history. Know much about any of those things?”
“No, but I can act like I do.”
“I bet you can.” As the couples filed in, Edward provided her with names and other information that would help her speak with each influential person. After a short while, he came around and opened Tessa’s car door. “Remember, once the park commission passes the plans, they will have to acquire funding through a bond issue, so all the support you can garner is important.”
She stepped out and smoothed her skirt. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The Noyeses’ home opened to a large backyard complete with a rose-covered trellis. Pat
hs curled amid flowering shrubs, and heathers and petunias bordered the croquet court. At the center of the lawn, a dance floor had been constructed and draped with oak boughs. As lovely as it was, the gardens lacked a cohesiveness that would make it stunning, and Tessa mentally began imagining it with a few changes.
Like an arrow aiming for the bull’s-eye, Edward directed Tessa toward Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Oldham. “We can hit them both at the same time.”
Since these two women both competed in the annual chrysanthemum show, it didn’t take long for Tessa to work her way into their conversation and turn it to the subject of flowers and parks. When she brought up the subject of the conservatory, the women were both more than willing to encourage their husbands to support Mr. Nussbaumer in the endeavor.
“You were amazing.” Edward offered her his arm, and together they walked toward Mrs. Brokaw, the last specific person to cross off her list. “With the ability to manipulate a conversation like that, maybe you should have been the attorney and not your sister. I’m not sure I trust you now. Are you manipulating me?”
“Manipulating?” She frowned. “I’d never do that. I was simply acting for a good cause.”
Edward chuckled. “Come on. I’ll introduce you. Mrs. Brokaw will be a great person for you to connect with. If you ask her about her children, you’ll be an instant friend forever, and she’ll probably introduce you to everyone she knows. I’ll excuse myself, but when you need to be rescued, nod at me.” He took two glasses of lemonade from a waiter’s tray and passed one to Tessa.
“If it isn’t two of my favorite ladies.” Edward flashed a sparkling smile at the middle-aged women dressed in fine frocks. “Mrs. Brokaw, Mrs. Goddard, may I introduce my friend Tessa Gregory? She’s the niece of Mrs. Phillips.”
“Is she now?” Mrs. Brokaw raised her eyebrows.
“How is your aunt, dear?” Mrs. Goddard sipped from a glass of lemonade. “I heard she suffered an apoplexy.”
“Quite some time ago, but she’s recovered remarkably well.” Tessa noticed Edward begin to step away.
“If you ladies will excuse me, I see someone with whom I need to speak.” He patted Tessa’s hand. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll return shortly.”
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