Her father’s eyes narrowed as he parsed her words. He clenched and unclenched his fists, a crafty look on his face as he considered the implications. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking clock from his desk.
“We have a deal,” he finally said, and Marianne didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.
Things moved quickly after that. Over the next few days her father called on Congressman Dern and various attorneys to undo the legal quagmire he initiated when he set the wheels in motion to accuse Luke of spying.
Clyde’s preoccupation gave Marianne the freedom to solve the longest mystery of her life.
What happened to Aunt Stella?
The only person to have contact with Stella after she was banished was Esther Magruder, Jedidiah’s wife and Stella’s mother. They carried on a secret correspondence for years, and Marianne remembered glimpsing those letters, always written in Stella’s distinctive purple ink. There had been a short-lived scandal after Esther died when it was discovered the old woman had hired an attorney to create a bequest for her daughter. Esther foresaw Jedidiah’s opposition and set funds aside to posthumously battle her husband in court in order to pay her daughter that bequest. She lost. Stella was never even notified of her mother’s attempt to remember her in her will.
Marianne snuck into her father’s office in search of clues as to where Stella had gone. Letters? Her grandmother’s will? Perhaps Clyde had Stella’s address secreted somewhere in case he wished to contact her about important family matters.
After an hour of searching, Marianne finally struck gold. Clyde kept a file of legal papers documenting Esther’s failed attempt to leave her daughter a bequest. One of the papers contained Stella’s last known address in Carson City, Nevada.
Marianne retreated to her room with the prized address and pulled out her copy of Don Quixote. Was she as foolish as Don Quixote, seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses and fighting for impossible causes? Just because Aunt Stella wrote with purple ink and dared to elope with the man of her dreams didn’t mean she was some sort of heroine, but Marianne still liked to hope she was. She hoped Stella found happiness with her dashing husband in the wilds of Nevada, where they built a perfect kingdom of their own.
Near the end of the week, her father came to her room.
“I have a deal with Congressman Dern,” he said in a clipped voice. “Lawyers are preparing an agreement. Delacroix will be released tomorrow afternoon. I have notified Andrew to expect you on the eleven o’clock train to Baltimore tomorrow morning.”
Relief trickled through her along with a wallop of dread. This was suddenly all very real. She had known it was coming, but it was still hard.
“I shall be ready.”
Both her parents accompanied her to the train station the following morning. It was the Baltimore and Potomac Station, the wonderful gothic building she had once explored with Luke. This would probably be the last time she ever saw it, for it was due to be torn down soon. It made the lump in her throat grow even larger.
Vera noticed. “Don’t cry, darling,” she crooned. “You won’t have to stay away too long, and think how much fun you’ll have in Baltimore.”
Marianne nodded. How typical for Vera to completely misread the situation, but she had no desire to clarify things. The train was drawing near, billowing clouds of steam as the engines slowed. The breaks squealed, and heat poured from the locomotive. Clyde looked so stern, even though he had won almost everything. She was leaving Washington and had agreed not to contact Luke. Wasn’t that enough for him?
She met his eyes. Her imperfect, stern, but loving father. They had both disappointed each other, but on this one thing, she couldn’t let him break his vow.
“Please keep your word about Luke,” she said, knowing that even mentioning his name was a risk, but it had to be said. “I know you don’t approve, but I love him, and I’m doing this on his behalf. Please don’t let me down. I don’t think I can bear it if you do.”
Clyde gave the tiniest nod of his head. “I will keep my word. I expect you to do the same.”
She nodded. Vera gave her a farewell hug, but Clyde still seemed angry and offered only a handshake.
Two hours later, the train pulled into the Baltimore depot. Andrew awaited her on the platform, and he was alone.
Good. She would deliver on every promise made to her parents, but nothing extra. She had come to Baltimore exactly like she promised, but now she was free.
“How was the ride?” Andrew asked as she stepped onto the platform. All around her passengers were disembarking, porters unloaded trunks, and people hugged loved ones.
This was not going to be a loving reunion.
“Fine,” she replied. “Papa knows it was you who squealed to the press about my real mother.”
Andrew blanched. “No, he doesn’t.”
“He paid a hundred dollars to learn the source of the story, and what a disappointing surprise it was. He and Jedidiah both want your head on a platter.”
Andrew looked sick. He reeled a little and grabbed a light pole for balance. “Does Mama know?”
“Not yet. She’ll probably figure it out once Grandfather replaces you in the company, which is surely coming.”
The breath left Andrew in a rush. “He can’t do that. I’ve given everything to this company. I’m next in line.”
“Jedidiah can step back in.”
That triggered another round of protestations from Andrew. He hadn’t even bothered to apologize to her. All he worried about was scrambling to secure his own position in the company. She let him ramble as she set off for the ticket window, opening her reticule to retrieve her money clip.
Andrew followed. “Maybe Dad will side with me,” he said. “Grandpa is getting old and senile. He can’t even use an adding machine.”
It was an effort to keep her voice steady, but she managed it. “Grandpa doesn’t need to take over the company. Papa is probably going to lose his next election, thanks to you, which means he’ll be able to take back the reins. Congratulations. You’re about to find out what it’s like to venture out into the world on your own. As am I. I came to Baltimore exactly as promised. Now I am going to buy a ticket to Nevada. Good-bye, Andrew.”
An hour later she was on her way to find Aunt Stella and learn what it felt like to no longer be a Magruder.
Thirty-One
Luke’s spirits were glum as he met with Mr. Alphonse for the latest update on his legal situation. It was just the two of them this morning, and the meeting was easier without Gray there. Luke didn’t have to pretend that his spirits were holding up with Mr. Alphonse.
“A court date has been set for November,” Mr. Alphonse said. “This is good because it will let us prepare—”
“Good?” Luke cried out in disbelief. “I can’t last in here until November.” He held up his hands, cracked and blistered from the bleach in the laundry, but he couldn’t be reassigned elsewhere in case Marianne came back. It was obvious Clyde was keeping her on a short leash, but he still hoped.
“November is only four months away,” Mr. Alphonse said. “And we need as much time as possible to prepare for a constitutional challenge. I am gathering briefs from interested parties who want to weigh in on freedom of the press, and those will be our most powerful weapon. Your motive in publishing the story was honorable, but it was against the law unless we can mount a constitutional challenge.”