Beyond All Dreams (21 page)

“Is Neville home yet? I need to see him.”

“Why?” the landlady demanded.

Mrs. Norquist's disapproval always rubbed Anna the wrong way. For a split second, she wanted to say she intended to fling Neville down in the front hall of the boardinghouse to make
passionate love to him for all to see. For pity's sake, what did the woman think?

“I just need to talk to him. It's private.”

“Anna?” Neville came around the corner, eating a pretzel. “What brings you here?”

She beckoned him outside, feeling Mrs. Norquist's accusatory eyes boring into her back. Just wait until that woman saw tomorrow's newspapers. Whatever slender thread of respect Anna still had with the landlady would be blasted to pieces. She dragged Neville to a bench in the park across the street, but was too nervous to sit.

“I need a place to stay tonight. I can't go home.” She told Neville of the bizarre events of the afternoon. Watching the horror cross Neville's face made her feel even worse.

“Have you talked to Mr. Spofford?”

She shook her head. “I tried, but the reporters were following me all the way out the hall. I finally asked one of the security guards to keep them away and escort me to the streetcar.”

“Keep clear of the reporters,” Neville said. “The story will blow over as soon as they can be distracted by a house fire or other gossip. If they can't find anything on you, they'll move on to the next bit of scandal.”

“Can I sneak into your room for the night? I can't risk going home.”

“Mrs. Norquist wouldn't like it.”

“Don't tell me you're afraid of her too. I thought I was the only one who cringed at the sight of her witch's broomstick.”

Neville rolled his eyes. “She's not that bad, Anna. Besides, it's for your own benefit. The last thing you need is to be seen sneaking into a man's room. Come on, I'll get you a hotel room.”

She didn't relish another long walk, yet what choice did she
have? “I'll pay you back,” Anna promised as they set off down the street.

Neville shot her an exasperated look. “As if I'd take your money.”

She almost wanted to weep. How comforting to have a solid friend she could always rely on. For a few silly weeks she'd thought she could trust Luke Callahan, but she should have known better than to fall under the spell of a politician.

T
he next morning's newspapers led with the startling arrest of twenty-three congressmen who had attempted to thwart the tariff vote by staging a boycott. While all the men were released after the tariff vote had been passed, most of the ink was spilled on the scandalous behavior of the wayward congressmen.

Anna sat huddled in the corner of a coffee shop, reading each of the three major Washington newspapers. She felt grubby from sleeping in her shift and wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but she didn't dare return home and dreaded having to report to work this morning. What if the reporters returned? She'd worked six years with a spotless reputation, and now it had been blown to smithereens on the pages of Washington's newspapers.

Luke's colorful excuse for missing the session was gleefully reported. None of the articles mentioned her name, but all described the petite, winsome librarian known for working in the map room and supplying personal service to Representative Callahan.

Personal service
. That was the exact phrase used, and it was
branded into the front of Anna's mind like a scarlet letter. Heat flooded her cheeks, and a prickly sensation covered her skin. This was going to be awful, but Mr. Spofford would protect her. It was under his orders that she'd been appointed to work with Luke.

She deposited the newspapers in the wastebasket as she left the café. Stepping into the blustery November morning, she smoothed the collar of her blouse and raised her chin. She'd done nothing to be ashamed of, and maybe no one at the library had seen the newspapers yet. With all the unpacking, who had time to waste reading Washington gossip?

She didn't sense any unusual attention as she entered the library and crossed the gleaming marble floors, her boots clicking and echoing in the chambers. She learned otherwise when she entered the workroom on the second floor. A group of librarians was clustered around the lunch table, a newspaper spread out before them. They were all men, and they swiveled to stare at her as she entered the room.

“Ah,” Mr. Ferris said stiffly, “the Capitol's most enthralling librarian.”

So much for wishful thinking. Mr. Ferris, the rare-manuscripts librarian, looked annoyed, while the law librarian and the two art librarians were laughing.

Anna smiled and dipped into a curtsy. “It's a burden, but I suppose someone must own the title.” She hung her wool frock coat on a hook.

“Don't get too comfortable,” Mr. Ferris said. “Mr. Spofford wants to see you.”

Anna hoped the panic didn't show on her face. “Did he say what he wanted?”

Mr. Ferris shook his head. “No, but you need to go right away. He seemed unusually upset this morning.”

Surely Mr. Spofford would protect her. It was under his direct orders that she'd been assigned to Luke in the first place.

Although most of the library had been moved to the new building, Mr. Spofford's office was still in the old library. Anna murmured a prayer as she crossed the street and entered the Capitol. Her footsteps echoed in the vacant rooms of the former library. How much larger it looked now that it had been emptied of its books, just a few scattered pieces of trash and abandoned furniture littering the floors. It seemed sad, the beloved old library now stripped of its treasures. She walked down a long corridor to Mr. Spofford's office. His door was closed, but he answered as soon as she knocked.

“Miss O'Brien,” he said warmly, ushering her inside. He looked tired and careworn as he closed the door behind her. “Forgive me that I cannot offer you a place to sit, but this won't take long.”

The office was crowded with packing boxes, and every available seat was stacked with books. She twisted her hands, trying to tamp down the fear building inside her.

“I am afraid I'm leaving the Library of Congress,” he said.

Anna blinked in confusion. Ainsworth Spofford had been at the helm of the Library of Congress since before Anna was born. He'd been appointed to the position by Abraham Lincoln himself.

“You're leaving?” she asked.

“It's time. I have completed the great monumental task of my career. The new library has been funded, built, and opened to great acclaim. It now seems the government prefers a younger man to lead the library into the next century, and it's time for me to step aside.”

“I don't understand,” Anna said. “You love it here.”

Mr. Spofford winced, and to her horror tears began pooling in his eyes. “I'm afraid I didn't have a lot of say in the matter.”

Mr. Spofford had been fired! She was dizzy with the injustice of it. He deserved more credit than anyone in Washington for creating the vision of what this magnificent library should be, and now to be disposed of like yesterday's newspapers . . .

He settled his hands on Anna's shoulders. “Enough about me,” he said. “I need to let you know that I've left a letter for my successor, taking full responsibility for assigning you to Mr. Callahan. I know you to be a woman of good character and don't believe anything unseemly has occurred between you and the congressman. I can only hope there are no negative repercussions.”

Anna nodded, her mind reeling. She was depending on Mr. Spofford to shield her against the rumor mills. “I can't continue doing his research. Please don't ask it of me.”

He nodded. “I'll reassign whatever remains to another librarian before I leave. You need have no further contact with Mr. Callahan.”

Relief settled over her. Her business with Luke had gone on much too long. He'd been wildly inappropriate and was her complete opposite in temperament, comportment, and occupation.

But somehow she couldn't help feeling that she had just lost a very good friend.

Mr. Spofford asked Anna to keep silent about his news until he could make a formal announcement. Two hours later, he assembled the librarians in the lunchroom and made the stunning announcement. His tone was diplomatic, but there was no doubt that he'd been fired.

“I will be leaving this afternoon,” Mr. Spofford continued. “My office in the old library has been packed and it seems an appropriate time to leave. I wish you all the very best.”

The room was silent, everyone staring in disbelief as if unsure what to say. The saddest sight in the world was Mr. Spofford turning around and walking back to his office to finish packing up.

Why wasn't anyone protesting? All the librarians just stood there like docile sheep as though they'd been struck mute. Were they going to let this injustice pass and not do anything to prevent it? Anna looked at Mr. Ferris, the librarian most likely to throw fits at any insult delivered to the library. But he just shook his head and walked slowly out of the lunchroom. The others followed suit.

Anna wasn't the right person to organize a protest; timid girls like her made terrible leaders. Yet she'd gladly be a foot soldier if someone else would take action. She fumed all the way back to the map room. She wanted the earth to stop spinning and to take out an advertisement in the newspaper proclaiming the insult that had just been delivered to a great and honorable man. She glared out the window, across the street to the Capitol, wondering who was responsible for Mr. Spofford's termination.

She grabbed her coat. It didn't matter. She could hide up here in the safety of her cozy library, or she could use her God-given sense of outrage to do something about the situation.

Anxiety ratcheted higher as she crossed the street and headed to the Capitol, its dome looming larger and more intimidating than ever before. She had no illusions about her powers. She was a shy girl who could barely speak in public, but it was time to muster every ounce of her courage and take action.

She scurried down the staircase to the lunchroom, where the congressional pages often congregated when they had nothing to do. She spotted Jack Wilkerson immediately. Over the years, Jack had always frustrated Anna by making a nuisance of himself in the library, but for today's task he was the perfect choice.

After explaining what she wanted done, Jack's eyes gleamed in respect. “You can count on me, Miss O'Brien.”

For once in her life she was grateful for Jack's sense of mischief as he led a group of the boys to the east wing. Next, she dashed upstairs where the Supreme Court shared office space above the Senate chambers. Like Congress, members of the Supreme Court had been hankering after their own building for decades, but they had to wait until the new library was complete before funding would be available for another massive building project.

Every instinct urged her to run and hide in the safety of the library, but she wasn't going to let her shyness get the better of her. Not today. It didn't matter how she felt; it only mattered how she acted. The door creaked as she opened it to the chamber where the court clerks worked, and two dozen grim lawyers turned their heads to stare at her. They didn't look very amused by the interruption.

Anna swallowed hard, then stepped forward with her request. Mr. Spofford had served in the Capitol longer than most of these men had been alive. He was well liked and a familiar sight to them all. To her relief, it appeared that even these lawyers felt outrage after hearing about Mr. Spofford's abrupt termination. They quickly agreed to her plan.

The House chambers were next. The last person on earth she wanted to see was Luke Callahan, but after the fiasco yesterday, he owed her a favor and she was ready to call it in. Hating the idea of setting foot inside the all-men's club, she gritted her teeth and marched toward the chambers.

The House wasn't in session and so the chamber was almost empty. A few members were playing cards while others were reading at their desks. Luke was nowhere to be seen.

She scanned the chamber once more, wondering what to do
next. Though she dreaded seeing Luke, he was her best chance at getting the cooperation of the other members of Congress.

Speaker Cornelius Jones sat at the top of the rostrum like an emperor, idly smoking a cigarette while reading. He glanced up at her. Unless he was the henchman who'd wielded the ax to bring about Mr. Spofford's termination, he was the best person to help.

The prospect of approaching such a powerful man, especially one with a ferocious reputation, was more than daunting. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and started heading up the rostrum steps.

Speaker Jones was a thin man, his skin tinged with a gray cast from the decades of smoking. He drew on the cigarette, curls of smoke surrounding him as he studied her, waiting for her to speak.

“Mr. Spofford has been fired,” she said bluntly.

The Speaker looked astonished. It was exactly the response she'd hoped for. It meant that it wasn't Cornelius Jones who had ordered Mr. Spofford's dismissal, and perhaps she could count on his help. She leaned forward and whispered what she wanted.

The Speaker nodded. “It will be done,” he said calmly as he tamped out his cigarette.