Beyond All Dreams (29 page)

“Then don't forgive him because he deserves it, but because
you can
.” Her voice was tender but firm as she held his hands. “Luke, your father was broken. He didn't have the strength or the wisdom to overcome his weaknesses, but you do. Don't let him defeat you. Unresolved anger will poison your body and soul, unless you quit giving it the power to hurt you. Jesus asked us to forgive our enemies, and that alone is a good enough reason to try, even if your father doesn't deserve it.”

With their hands still clasped, she leaned down to kiss his fingers. “Try, Luke. Trust that Jesus was giving us wise counsel when He bid us to love one another, even those who have sinned against you. When your anger wells up, try to remember the loving forgiveness that has been extended to us all, and follow His example.”

She staggered him. From the moment he'd met her and she'd whispered that clever reprimand in his ear, Anna had amused, dazzled, and humbled him. And he knew in that instant that he wanted to marry her. No matter what it took to convince her they belonged together, he wanted this woman in his life.

Anna felt like she was living in a dream. She had just spent the most magical few hours of her life with a man who had managed to slip beneath every one of her defenses and imprint himself on her soul.

The candles had burned down to nubs hours ago, finally sputtering out with wisps of smoke curling through the air. Moonlight streamed in through the Palladian windows, illuminating the room in a silvery glow. She teased Luke by threatening to turn on her portable flashlight, but didn't really mean it. The moonlight was too beautiful to spoil with the glare of man-made light.

It was almost four o'clock in the morning and she still hadn't gotten around to asking Luke for the favor she needed. Pressure built inside her chest. She wasn't used to asking for help, yet at this moment—this perfect moonlit moment—she felt like she had a friend whose strength of character would help her face down whatever dark forces were gathering against her.

“I need help,” she finally said. “I don't understand Mrs. Zanetti's warning or what I've gotten myself into, but I can't turn back now. I need to know what happened to my father. Is there anything you can do?”

“I would do anything in the world for you,” he said. He leaned closer until his forehead touched hers. “I'm glad you came to me. I want to be the one you lean on when you need help. The one you can trust.”

He kissed her again, and joy surged through her, for she
did
trust him, flashy cuff links and all. They were as mismatched as a diamond and a lump of coal, but regardless they were perfect together. She had never, not for a single moment, pretended to be anyone other than exactly who she was, and this stunning man still adored her.

He broke the kiss. “First thing in the morning I'll start call
ing in whatever favors I have left to figure out what happened to that ship.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Luke reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don't want this evening to end.”

She agreed. At this precise moment, everything in her life seemed perfect. She wished it were possible to freeze this moment in time and live in it forever.

“I should probably get home,” she said slowly.

Luke seemed reluctant, but nodded.

She waited in the empty breakfast room while he made the arrangements for a carriage to drive her home. Without his warmth, the room was cold and vacant. Even the ordinary noises of the building settling were worrisome, but it must just be her paranoia setting in again. The sun would be rising soon, and exhaustion would set in quickly without Luke there to electrify her world.

Luke returned and helped her into her coat. “The carriage is being brought around now. It would be best for your reputation if you weren't seen walking out with me, so we need to say goodbye here.”

She nodded, already feeling the magic of the evening slipping away. “What happens now?”

His teeth flashed white in the dimness. “That's up to you, O'Brien. The whole
coup de
foudre
that clobbered me last autumn . . .”

The strike of lightning. Love at first sight. Was such a thing really possible? Her hands tightened around his. “Still there?”

“Still there,” he confirmed.

His voice sounded confident, but she saw hesitation in his eyes. They had already walked away from the attraction that hummed between them once before, which now seemed like a lifetime ago.

“I think I glimpsed a flash of lightning this evening,” she whispered.

His eyes gleamed, and he stepped closer, pulling her against him. “Anna, there's
nothing
standing between us. I know you worry that you won't fit into my world, but I will make a place for you. Whatever you want. If you want to keep working at the Library of Congress, I'll browbeat the director into changing that stupid rule about married women. If you want to quit and write your book, I'll do everything humanly possible to help you. If you want to stay home and knit booties like the president's wife, that's fine too. All I know is that I want you by my side. Shoulder to shoulder. We belong together.”

As she curled into the velvet-lined carriage, she replayed the memories of the past few hours. It was time to stop defining herself by the taunts of her childhood that made her believe she didn't deserve a man like Luke Callahan. His opinion mattered far more than the cruel girls who'd tried to convince her she would never amount to much.

Because whatever her flaws—and they were numerous—she fit like a puzzle piece alongside Luke Callahan. For the first time in her life, remaining safely ensconced in the upper floors of the library was not as appealing as stepping out into the world alongside a man who sparkled with gemstones and laughed in the face of danger.

After a morning of pounding on doors at the Capitol, Luke headed to the Library of Congress on Monday to tell Anna of his plans. For once, the sight of the solid bronze doors and gold-leaf ornamentation didn't irk him as he vaulted up the stairs. His heart picked up speed when he saw Anna bent over a six-foot map, taking notes on a pad of paper.

“I'm meeting with the secretary of the navy at four o'clock,” he said.

She nearly dropped the notepad as his voice broke the silence in the map room, but the smile that blazed across her face could have ignited the room. It made him feel like a hero out of the old legends.

“How did you get an appointment so quickly?”

“I'm a very powerful man,” he said, sauntering forward and tugging her into an embrace. “You should be glad I'm on your side,” he whispered into her ear.

“I
am
grateful,” she said with a smothered laugh, “but that door is open, and your hands are traveling in an unseemly direction. Stop that . . .” She swatted at his hands, but was laughing and didn't try very hard.

“What would happen if I pulled you behind that row of bookshelves and kissed you silly?”

“I'd get fired if anyone saw us.”

“What if I told them we were getting married?”

“I'd say you were rushing things.” But she was still smiling and didn't try to pull away from him. He pulled her behind the aisle of books anyway. The moment they were out of sight, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

“I'm glad you came to me the other night,” he whispered.

Her eyes twinkled. “That sounded a little naughtier than it actually was.”

“I suppose it did.” He was still smiling like an idiot as he kissed her again. “No matter what I find out this afternoon, I want to marry you, Anna. We're stronger together than apart. You know that, don't you?”

In response, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him back.

“I'll meet you here at five o'clock,” he said, holding her hands
to his chest. “Maybe a little later if the streetcars are packed, but wait for me here.” It was hard to drag himself away.

Soon he was approaching the ornate office outside the navy's wing in the War Building. The secretary's man of business informed him of the bad news.

“I'm sorry, sir, but Secretary Long is unable to meet with you. However, the assistant secretary of the navy is ready to accept the appointment.”

Luke sighed, but then thought maybe this was for the best. Rumor claimed Secretary Long was merely a figurehead and the real power in the navy rested with his ambitious assistant. Nevertheless, Luke wouldn't allow the assistant secretary to pawn off the ridiculous smoke screen about Admiral Channing's reputation.

Luke entered the assistant secretary's richly appointed office, noting the young man's strong build, his broad smile and white teeth. He rose from behind the polished mahogany desk, offering his hand.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Roosevelt,” Luke said.

Theodore Roosevelt was brand-new in Washington. After a brief whirlwind career in New York, he'd been appointed the assistant secretary of the navy only a year ago, but was already putting his stamp on the navy.

“Glad to be of service,” Mr. Roosevelt said, then gestured to the chairs behind Luke. “I've asked a few others to attend the meeting.”

Luke turned and was stunned to see the thin, withered figure of the Speaker of the House perched in the corner, a curl of smoke rising from his ever-present cigarette.

“Speaker Jones,” Luke said tightly. The skin around Cornelius Jones's mouth tightened, and there was the strangest expression in his eyes, almost as though he were afraid.

To the left of Speaker Jones, a tall man with a cleft chin and perfect posture rose and offered his hand. “Admiral James Channing,” he said, introducing himself. “I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, and I hope we can make progress on this whole
Culpeper
business.”

Were they really going to trot the admiral out to accept responsibility for a shoddy report? Something much bigger was going on here.

There was a knock on the door, and the clerk stepped inside. “The president has arrived, sir.”

Luke held his breath as William McKinley, followed by a few men of his guard, stepped into the office. Luke looked around at the men in the room in bewilderment. Despite the grin on the assistant secretary's face, the air crackled with tension.

“Close the door, Mr. Callahan,” Theodore Roosevelt said. “We've got business to discuss.”

T
he first thing Anna saw when she entered the map room following her lunch break was Jack Wilkerson slumped in the chair beside her desk. It looked as if the fifteen-year-old boy had been crying. “What's wrong, Jack?” she asked, settling into her chair.

“I got caught putting a derby hat on the Neptune statue outside. I didn't hurt anything, but Mr. Young is snapping mad about it.”

“Oh my,” Anna said, trying not to smile. The fountain in front of the library had a large sculpture of Neptune at its center. It would have required a healthy dose of courage for Jack to navigate through the spectacular fountain with its shooting streams of water to reach Neptune's head, and Anna secretly wished she could have seen the mighty Roman god wearing the derby.

“I've never been yelled at like that before,” Jack said, his lower lip starting to wobble.

“I've groused at you dozens of times,” Anna said. “It never seemed to bother you much.”

“Yeah, but I'm not afraid of you. Mr. Young is a different
story. He yelled so loud it echoed all over the building, and he said I'm banned from the library for good. I shouldn't even be here, but I needed someone to talk to.”

There was nothing Anna loathed more than shouting voices, but sometimes a man's bark was worse than his bite. “The man who owns the boardinghouse where I live is famous for his outbursts. I remember when Mr. O'Grady hollered at his wife because she overpaid for a crate of rhubarb. He yelled until he was blue in the face, but his wife wouldn't back down. She went right ahead and made a dozen rhubarb pies, and then wouldn't let him have any until he apologized. By the end of the day they were friends again.” She paused a moment, allowing space for her words to sink in before continuing. “Wait a few days for Mr. Young's ire to simmer down. He's more likely to forgive you if he believes you're truly sorry. Only you can convince him if you deserve a second chance.”

Although she doubted it would happen. Mr. Young seemed so formal and stiff, and nothing was quite the same since he'd taken over administration of the library.

After Jack left, Anna tried to concentrate on the railroad maps, but the extraordinary events of her evening with Luke kept distracting her. It made her realize how lonely she'd been all these years. Her friendship with Neville had helped to mask her isolation, though it was no replacement for the warmth and intimacy of what she had with Luke.

She'd never seriously considered the possibility that she would get married and share her life with a man. Now she could think of nothing else. She would have to leave the library, but Luke would be worth it. Maybe there would even be children. Her heart sped up at the prospect.

Luke would be an amazing father—passionate and gregarious and fun. She would have to be the sensible one. But between the
two of them, they would be the finest of parents. She wished five o'clock would hurry and get here so she could see him again. Of course, she wanted to learn about the
Culpeper
, but she was just as anxious to savor his easy grin and maybe let him kiss her again.

Five o'clock came and went. She spent the extra time making a list of cartographers who deserved to be included in her biography. If she got married, she'd have a chance to finally begin her book.

By six o'clock she was getting hungry, but she didn't dare leave in case she missed Luke. After all, the meeting could have run late or the streetcars could be slow due to icy conditions. It was almost half past six when a congressional page stepped into the map room, an envelope in his hand.

“Mr. Callahan said he can't come today, but he sent this.”

Anna tried not to let the disappointment show as she popped the seal on the envelope and read the brief note inside.

Anna: After this afternoon's meeting, I believe the navy's actions all stem from the need to cover up Admiral Channing's careless report of 1882, nothing more.

Luke

The letter fell from her hands.

Unbelievable. How could Luke write this message in light of what he knew about Silas Zanetti? And what the old diplomat said? Perhaps he didn't feel comfortable putting anything more insightful in a letter, so she would simply have to be patient and await further information. There was no point lingering at the library any longer.

The first thing the next morning, she rushed to the Willard Hotel to intercept Luke before he left for work. The clerk at
the front desk told her that Mr. Callahan had left for Capitol Hill before dawn. Not to be deterred, Anna sent a message to Luke at the Capitol, asking that he visit her at the library as soon as possible.

She reported to the map room, breathless and only a few minutes late. Each time someone walked past the open door, she whirled around like an idiot, yet lunchtime came and went and still there was no sign of Luke. She spent the afternoon trying to answer questions about shipping lanes along the Saint Lawrence River, her concentration all but shattered. Why hadn't Luke at least sent another note if he couldn't come in person? At the end of the workday she remained in the map room for an hour in case he came. For a man who had been stripped of his congressional responsibilities, he seemed quite busy all of a sudden.

No message was waiting for her at the boardinghouse, and the next day passed without her hearing anything from Luke. Twice she had succumbed to curiosity and went to the Capitol to see him in person, but those annoying guards never let her near the congressional retiring rooms. One would think they were guarding the crown jewels the way they jerked to attention the moment a peasant like her tried to communicate with a congressman. She sent additional messages to Luke, but received no response back. It was bewildering.

And a little hurtful. She had no experience with romantic relationships, so perhaps her expectations of Luke were too high, but something didn't feel right and she didn't know what to make of it.

On Thursday, a large envelope was delivered to her in the map room. Her breath caught, certain it was a reply from Luke, until she noticed the return address printed in the upper corner.

Neville.

She tamped down her disappointment and opened the en
velope, only to find a section of the
Washington Post
inside. Neville always teased her for never reading the current news, and she wondered what he wanted her to read now. She squinted at the note he'd written in the margin:
See the bottom of page
3
.

She flipped the pages, then sucked in a breath when her eyes landed on the story on page three. The headline read
Lucas Callahan of Maine Reappointed to House
Budget Committee.

A smile spread across her face as her chest swelled with pride. He did it! No wonder Luke had been too busy to see her. Somehow he'd either mended fences with the Speaker of the House or figured out a way to win his old appointment back. Either way, this was a huge boon to Luke's career. She skimmed the short article quickly. No additional details were given about why Luke had been reappointed to the most prestigious committee in Washington; it merely noted that his service was to begin immediately.

It would have been nice to hear the news from Luke himself. He'd shared so much with her that it seemed strangely impersonal to read about this in the newspaper.

She folded the page, sliding it into her top desk drawer. Perhaps now that he'd regained his leverage in the House, he would have time to see her. Memory of his moonlit face, carved in shadow, rose before her.

“I would do
anything in the world for you,”
he'd said in a voice full of longing.

She had to believe that. Luke Callahan might be the only truly honest politician in Washington, and she trusted he would come through for her.

Anna finally received a note from Luke on Friday. It was a hastily scribbled paragraph, acknowledging that he'd gotten
her messages and apologizing for being too busy to see her. He suggested his calendar would permit him more free time by early April and asked for her patience.

April?
It was only the beginning of February! He needed two months before he could spare a few minutes for her? She wanted to be understanding, but this note was a slap in the face. After their night in the moonlit breakfast room, it felt like he'd leap across oceans to see her.

Anna didn't care if she was risking her job. She needed to see him. Congress was in session today, and the only way she'd see Luke was from a seat in the gallery above the House chambers, but it was better than nothing.

The session had already begun. Anna tried to be quiet as she slid into one of the squeaky seats in the gallery overlooking the floor of Congress. She braced her arms on the railing to look down at the hundreds of men milling about. In the front, three tiers led up to where the Speaker of the House sat. Cornelius Jones looked bored while a congressman droned on about the endangered white ibis bird. She scanned the crowd looking for Luke among the hundreds of men seated in the semicircle below her, not quite certain what she'd do when she spotted him. She could hardly call out to him, but if he saw her here, at least he might stop ignoring her.

A door opened on the opposite side of the room, and she was relieved to see Luke finally arrive, striding down an aisle with the self-confidence she always found so attractive. He darted up the steps toward the Speaker's rostrum, and Anna held her breath. There was no love lost between these two men, and she worried Luke was about to do something rash.

Instead, he hunkered down beside Speaker Jones to confer in a relaxed, casual demeanor. Speaker Jones didn't seem surprised as he leaned in to listen to whatever Luke was whispering.

The two of them seemed quite cozy up there, ignoring the business on the floor, swapping stories. A fleeting smile passed Speaker Jones's lips, and he clapped Luke on the back. Luke smiled back.

Anna leaned forward over the balcony to gain a better view. The tight camaraderie between Luke and his sworn enemy was simply stunning. Luke had a spring in his step as he walked back to his seat on the House floor.

“Luke!” she blurted, surprising even herself. He glanced up and saw her.

His smile vanished, and the color drained from his face. He looked away, swiveling so she could no longer see his face. He took a seat at his desk, his back to her.

Speaker Jones banged his gavel and called the House to order. “I have an announcement before adjourning for lunch. President McKinley has appointed me to chair a special committee on matters of pressing international affairs. I have selected Mr. Callahan of Maine to co-chair. A list of additional members will be posted in the
Congressional Record
. We will report directly to the president.” He banged the gavel again. “No further business.”

Anna bolted from her chair, angling sideways to move ahead of other spectators. She had to get down two flights of stairs to intercept Luke before he could flee to the safety of the congressional retiring rooms.