Beyond All Dreams (37 page)

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they
who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven
.
”

Luke's political career was probably over. He'd tried so valiantly to work toward peace, and there were going to be consequences in next year's election. She hoped Luke would be able to put this defeat into proper perspective. He'd stayed true to his convictions, despite the overwhelming pressure to capitulate. What an irony that he and Cornelius Jones would both go down in flames together.

The war was now in the hands of the Senate. Rumors began to fly as they awaited results of the vote. Cornelius Jones, Speaker of the House for more than ten years, had resigned his leadership position in acknowledgment of the resounding defeat. People wondered if he would even run for Congress next year.

“The vote won't take nearly so long in the Senate,” Jack said, chomping on a strand of licorice. “They've got better manners over there and don't argue so much.”

It turned out not to matter. An hour later, the Senate's sergeant at arms stepped out onto the portico to make the announcement. The vote had passed by a margin of 42 to 35. The nation would be going to war.

The crowd cheered. Caps were tossed into the air, flags waved, and a band struck up a rousing tune. People started to rush the Capitol steps, pushing forward in their exuberance to shout victory.

She needed to find Luke. The Capitol police were still barring the door, and trying to get past security would likely be hopeless. Yet he'd turn up at the Willard sooner or later. Trying to get off the Capitol steps was like swimming upstream. She was buffeted by elbows, and her hair came tumbling out of its bun before she escaped the crowds.

She took the streetcar to Fourteenth Street, where there were no cheering people and everything seemed strangely normal. A nun bought an apple from a vendor's cart while a man in a
bowler hat got his shoes shined. Word of the vote hadn't yet trickled to this part of town, and Anna wished the simple normalcy of this sight would last forever. The news would arrive here shortly, however, and then this heartbreakingly ordinary scene would pass.

She stepped inside the hotel and walked to the front desk. “I'd like to leave a message for Lucas Callahan. When he arrives, will you let him know that Miss O'Brien is here?”

The clerk looked at her over the rim of his spectacles. “He's already left, ma'am.”

She blinked. “Left?”

“He left for the Potomac train station about fifteen minutes ago. We had to arrange for a special carriage to transport all the trunks and traveling bags.”

Could Luke really be leaving Washington so abruptly? His political career was surely doomed, but she hadn't expected him to leave the city without finishing his term.

Memory of his haggard face made her doubt. How different he was from the laughing, confident man she saw striding into that Fisheries committee all those months ago, when he'd been filled with energy and optimism. That man had been beaten down in the most important battle of his life, and even she had lined up to join the opposition by complaining about keeping the true fate of the
Culpeper
's crew a secret.

Luke was an impulsive man. If he didn't feel like he belonged in Washington, he would follow his heart and leave. After all, Speaker Jones had already resigned his leadership position, and it was in Luke's character to indulge in an extravagant gesture like resigning in protest. Would she ever see him again if he quit and returned to Maine? Would she be nothing more to him than a fond memory of a fleeting love like Violet Desjardins?

She wouldn't stand idly by, waiting to find out. If nothing
else, these past few months had taught her that she needed to step outside her cozy world and fight for what she wanted. It didn't take long to get to the Potomac train station, and she steeled her resolve for the battle ahead. She'd been willing to go to the Yukon Territory or to Cuba to find the answers about the
Culpeper
. She would be equally willing to go to Maine to hunt down Luke. Running after him might be an expensive and humiliating gamble, but she would risk it. She loved him too much to let him go without a fight.

The station was hectic and noisy as the powerful locomotives came to a stop, releasing gusts of steam and smoke. Three different railroad lines all converged there, and Anna had never realized how loud a locomotive could be until one pulled alongside the depot, its pistons and cylinders squealing to a halt, steam hissing as the hydraulic brakes released.

She headed to the ticket office, where she inquired after the next train that could get her to Maine.

“Sorry, ma'am. The last northbound train of the day has already boarded. It will be leaving shortly.” He nodded to a long passenger train on the other side of the station. She longed to dash across the platform and climb aboard, only she didn't have any money with her, and no clothes other than what she was wearing.

“When's the next train?” she asked. The man at the ticket office consulted the schedule on the wall tacked behind him and told her she'd need to return the next afternoon at four o'clock.

She couldn't wait until tomorrow. Right now Luke was reeling from the worst defeat of his life. He needed comfort and support, and she wanted to be the one to provide it. She wanted Luke to know that she loved him and was proud of him for undertaking such a valiant cause, even though it hadn't worked out.

Without thinking, she turned and ran toward the train. Her boots thudded on the wood planking of the platform, her breath growing short as she hurried down a hundred yards toward the train. It was much taller than she and it was hard to see inside the windows, but the people sitting next to each window were clearly visible. She ran along the length of the train, looking for Luke's distinctive profile in one of the windows. The pressure building in the steam valves raised in pitch as the train prepared to depart. She hadn't even searched half the length of the train when the lead engine gave a mighty gust, and the pistons began their cranking.

“Oh, please . . .” Anna muttered, running faster now as the train pulled away. The faces in the windows slid away from her, the train gaining momentum as it pulled out of the station.

At last, Anna watched it disappear around a bend. Why couldn't Luke have stayed and said a proper goodbye? Now he was gone, and she hadn't even told him that she loved him. She wanted to fling herself down onto the platform and weep.

“Anna? What are you doing here?”

She gasped. Luke was standing before her, looking dashing and windblown, a curious light in his eyes.

“I thought you left!”

“I just came to help my sister and nephew with their luggage. I asked Julia to come for a week, and she brought two trunks. Two trunks! That woman must be the best-dressed female on the East Coast.” He paused, then looked her in the eyes. “What, did you think I was fleeing back to Maine with my tail between my legs?”

“Well, yes, a little.” How could she find the words? He was still here and he didn't look beaten down and defeated. He looked tired but . . . happy? Luke sent her one of those sideways smiles that always sent her heart into double time.

“I confess to being a sore loser, but I'm not a quitter. Why are you here?”

Because she loved him. Because she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, while all she had ever done was push him away because she was afraid she wasn't good enough for him.

Another train came barreling toward the station, the chugging of its engine sending a deafening wall of noise rolling across the platform. But her heart swelled with a love so overpowering she couldn't contain it. She cleared her throat, drew a deep breath, and hollered with every ounce of strength she could muster.

“Because I love you!” she shouted.

Luke shook his head. “I can't hear you.” He leaned in, cupping a hand to his ear. The locomotive roared into the station, yet she'd already summoned her courage and it wasn't going to wait.

She tried again. “I love you! I want to marry you!”

The train squealed to a halt, the high-pitched whine and clouds of steam causing the expression on Luke's face to turn tense and frustrated. He grabbed her elbow and walked her away from the newly arrived train.

“Anna, I couldn't hear a word you just said, but I think I understood the gist of it. I may be suffering from temporary insanity . . . but did you just ask me to marry you?”

Her momentary burst of courage evaporated, and her throat constricted. All she could do was nod.

The smile that broke across his face was like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. He lifted her off the ground and swung her in a circle. His laughter echoed across the train station and filled her with joy.

“I'd be honored,” he whispered in her ear after he set her down. He cupped her face between his palms and looked at her with all the warmth and radiance in the world shining in his eyes. “Let's go out and celebrate.”

His mood seemed odd to her. “I thought you'd be upset,” she said. “About the war . . .”

He smiled and shook his head. “I tried with everything I had to avoid this war, but it's coming and there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't know if it will last a week, a year, or a decade, but I do know that I love you. That we are both stronger together than apart, and I want you by my side, Anna, no matter what the future holds.”

It was true they were as different as could be. He was hard where she was soft. Flashy and flamboyant where she was plain. He had the ability to harness his impulses and passion into a political career, while she preferred to work quietly in the seclusion of a library.

She would have to quit her job and that was going to hurt, but she'd find something else to do with her talents. Now that the secret of the
Culpeper
was known, there was nothing to stop her from writing about her father's contributions to the field of cartography. Depending on the outcome of the election in November, she might have to leave Washington and follow Luke to his home in Maine. It would mean leaving Neville and the city she loved behind to walk into an entirely unknown world, but it would be all right. She had finally found her place in the world, and it wasn't inside a library. It was going to be new, different, and sometimes a little frightening, but she was ready.

T
HREE
M
ONTHS
L
ATER

A
nna dreaded being the center of attention, although she'd have to endure it if she ever wanted to become Mrs. Lucas Callahan. The church was full and Luke was already standing before the minister at the altar. She fiddled with her veil one final time, and then Neville stepped beside her.

“Hey, Anna,” he whispered, holding an arm out toward her. “It looks like we're finally heading down the aisle together after all.”

She smiled as the music started and Neville walked her down the aisle to give her away to Luke, who had never looked flashier with his lavender silk vest and pink tourmaline tie clip. Only two weeks earlier they'd celebrated Neville's marriage to Mrs. Norquist, who had warmed up to Anna immediately upon hearing of her engagement to Luke. Now the four of them, each as different as the four seasons, had formed a tight friendship Anna knew would endure for decades.

Luke's brother, Gabriel, served as his best man, with Cornelius Jones watching from the front pew of the church. Jones had
resigned as Speaker of the House in protest against the war, but he still served as a member of Congress. He and Luke renewed their outspoken disagreements over tariffs, the budget, and almost every other issue in Congress. During the day they were fierce political rivals, but after hours their friendship remained solid. It was proof that men of good character could disagree with one another and yet still respect the fundamental human decency in their opponent.

As they knelt before the altar, Anna listened to Luke's confident voice vow to be her faithful husband in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in times of plenty and in times of failure. He promised to love, protect, comfort, and cherish her for all eternity. For a girl who'd been alone most of her life, Luke's promise was overwhelming.

At first Anna had been reluctant to get married while the nation was at war, but Luke had disagreed. “What better time to celebrate the joys of life than in the midst of war?” he'd said.

Hundreds of people came to the wedding. It seemed that Washington society was eager for a chance to escape the grim news of the hostilities with Spain. The war was in full swing now, with American forces mobilized in the Caribbean and the Far East. The Americans had already seized Guam and the islands of the Philippines from Spain, and it was likely Puerto Rico would be next. Spain was gasping for breath and was unlikely to hold on much longer, yet thousands of lives on both sides had already been lost.

They held the wedding reception in an outdoor garden. It was a perfect summer day, and the garden had been draped with white bunting and bridal flowers. Anna had convinced Mrs. Zanetti to sing for them. Now that the secret of the
Culpeper
was laid bare, there was nothing to keep the Zanettis trapped in frozen exile, so last month they had returned to Washington
to resume leading a normal life. Mrs. Zanetti sang with her joyous soprano voice while Silas accompanied her on the cello.

Aunt Ruth had initially declined the wedding invitation, claiming she had nothing suitable to wear. But after Luke paid a visit to her, a new dress magically appeared and Ruth eagerly agreed to attend. After that, Ruth had been almost like a mother in helping Anna plan the luncheon menu and select the floral arrangements. They might never be as close as a real mother and daughter, but they were on their way toward mending a long-simmering rift.

“The waiters have brought in the wedding cake,” Luke said. “Your final task is to help me with the cutting before you slip back into a life of quiet anonymity.”

She smiled in relief. True to Luke's word, he had no plans to pressure her into any sort of public role as a congressman's wife. She'd had to resign her position at the Library of Congress, but she still visited the library almost daily as she began research on the monumental biography of the world's great cartographers. She had a brand-new typewriter and was learning how to use it. They had no idea if Luke would win the reelection in November, so she was doing as much preliminary research as possible in case they ended up moving to Bangor in a few months.

No matter what happened, though, the past year had taught Anna that she was no delicate bougainvillea blossom, for she'd finally found the courage to venture out into the world beyond the safe walls of the library. She had embarked on a new quest to write a book that would someday be added to those wonderful library shelves all over the nation.

Luke helped Anna to her feet, and they walked to the table holding the cake. She sent a secretive nod to Neville, who lifted the cloth from a boxy contraption sitting atop a tripod a few yards away. Mercifully, Luke didn't notice until they were stand
ing before the tiered wedding cake, ready to begin cutting, when Neville squinted into the eyepiece.

“Slide closer to Luke so I can get both of you in the frame,” he called out.

Luke recoiled as soon as he realized what was happening. “Don't,” he said, pulling aside to get out of the camera's view. “Can't we just enjoy the moment without spoiling it with that monstrosity?”

“Quick, get back in the frame!” Anna laughed. “It's a motion-picture camera, and Neville is already rolling the film. You look like a bear.”

“You'll thank me for this someday,” Neville said while rotating the crank on the side of the camera, and Anna knew he was right. So long as she didn't have to speak, she was delighted to have these few jubilant moments of her wedding day captured on film forever. She beamed and waved at the camera, and then nudged Luke in the ribs, trying to get him to do the same.

“I bought you a typewriter,” he grumbled. “That's the limit of my tolerance for modern contraptions. Make Neville stop cranking that thing.” He folded his arms, lowered his brow, and scowled at the camera.

“Our children are going to love this someday,” she said, which caused Luke to plant a whopper of a kiss on her laughing mouth. Mrs. Zanetti stood up and cheered. Neville finally stopped turning the film.

“Perfect!” he called. “Fifteen seconds of film immortalized for all time.”

“I should have known you were trouble the first day we met and you tried to foist that newfangled pen on me,” Luke muttered as he sliced into the cake, although he was smiling as he said it.

For all his blinding self-confidence, Luke still struggled with
the coming flood of technology. She could help him with that, even if she thought his old-fashioned romanticism of the past was rather charming. After all, wasn't it their differences that made things so interesting? God had sent her someone who was exactly right to inspire her to make full use of the talents she'd been blessed with. Luke had helped her learn the truth about the
Culpeper
and encouraged her to write a book about mapmakers, no matter how impractical it might be. By joining their lives together, they had what it took to weather the storms ahead and reach beyond all their dreams.