Lincoln smothered yet another yawn as he stood near the window in his downtown office. He’d had a hard time sleeping last night. Victoria’s image had been too prominent in his mind. As had the desire to kiss her again. Not doing so when they’d been alone in the drawing room last night had been one of the hardest things he’d ever faced.
That’s why he’d gotten out of bed and left the house, and come to the office hours earlier than usual. He needed to find a way to concentrate on something besides her. He shouldn’t have agreed to this partnership or whatever it was between the two of them. Keeping the socialites at bay had been easier than controlling the thoughts and feelings that Victoria evoked inside him.
He certainly hadn’t expected that.
Why hadn’t he noticed all the things he was now noticing about her, before? It felt as if something had shifted inside him, like a door had opened and revealed things he hadn’t known were there.
He’d also never felt so powerless. That was the bottom line. He was powerless when it came to controlling his thoughts and feelings about her. He’d never thought that possible. Had never had something consume him so deeply.
A knock on the door interrupted his musing. He turned from the window and walked back to his desk. He’d never thought it possible that anything would take up more of his thoughts than work, either.
“Come in,” he invited.
The door opened and Jake walked in. “Hope I’m not interrupting, but I need to talk to you about something.”
Lincoln welcomed the interruption, but didn’t admit that. “Sure.” He waved at a chair. “Have a seat.”
While Jake sat in a chair across from his desk, Lincoln sat down behind it. “Everything all right?” Lincoln asked.
“For the most part,” Jake replied. “But there’s something I can’t get off my mind. I didn’t want to mention it in front of anyone else last night, and just so you know, anything said is off the record. I’m not here looking for a story, but I need to know if you are working on a case against Alderman Kelley.”
Lincoln leaned forward and braced his elbows on his desk. “Not directly, but I hope it leads to him.”
Jake nodded. “Does his son, Elwood, know that?”
“No one should know it, but I can’t say for sure,” Lincoln responded. “Why?”
“Because yesterday afternoon, Audrey and I went for another bicycle ride and spotted Elwood Kelley squatting in the bushes across from your house. He acted like he’d just been strolling past, but he hadn’t been. I saw him emerge from the bushes and from the way the leaves were smashed, he’d been there awhile.”
The hair stood up on the nape of Lincoln’s neck. “I saw him yesterday, too. In the morning, while Victoria and I were walking back to the house after she’d learned to ride your bicycle. Elwood was on horseback then.”
“There was no horse nearby in the afternoon. He walked as far as the cross-street corner and waved down a cab.” Jake shook his head. “I don’t have to tell you about his lack of trustworthiness. I told Audrey that I would prefer if she and Victoria don’t go bicycle riding without you or me with them. I wanted you to know, because she doesn’t always heed my advice.”
“Does any woman always heed advice?” Lincoln asked in jest, while at the same time the concern over what Jake had just said was growing inside him. He could trust Jake, would trust him with his life, but wasn’t willing to share Victoria’s claim against Elwood. She could be in danger if even a hint of her accusation leaked out.
“Not that I know of, but there could be one somewhere.” Jake leaned back in his chair. “If there’s anything I can do to help with your case, just ask. A legal case would be the only way to get Kelley out of office, and getting him out of office is the only way to help the people in his districts.”
Lincoln wasn’t opposed to gathering information in any way possible, but having a newspaper reporter snooping about would tip Kelley off that someone was looking into his activities. That wasn’t new, reporters were after Kelley all the time, but his hand in buying department stores outside of his districts was new, and it was being well hidden on purpose. So far, all the information that his sources had been able to dig up wasn’t enough to pin anything on Kelley. The only solid case Lincoln had against the purchase was due to Webster’s will, which wasn’t much.
More importantly, Lincoln wasn’t willing to endanger Victoria in any way. That was of utmost importance right now. He couldn’t chance her safety by having reporters sniffing around. “Thanks, Jake, but right now, I don’t want anyone knowing that Kelley could be involved in what I’m looking into.”
“I understand that,” Jake replied. “There was another fire in one of his housing projects two nights ago. Those apartments are death traps. It should be illegal for those builders to force people to live in such conditions. Kelley keeps boasting that he’s putting new regulations in place, but they never come to fruition, because the builders are paying him to keep any new regulations tied up in red tape and his mobsters keep the residents from talking about how bad it is.”
Frustration rose up in Lincoln. The horror stories he’d heard about the living condition of factory workers were the reason he’d started considering running for office, and having seen those quarters, he’d become even more convinced that’s what he needed to do. Something had to be done. Soon.
“You’re right about that, and about Audrey and Victoria,” Lincoln said. “I’ll reiterate that with them.”
“Thanks. I knew you would.” Jake sat silent for a moment, before saying, “And I know I don’t have to remind you to watch your back when it comes to Kelley.”
Lincoln nodded, and something he hadn’t thought of before struck a note. Taking on John Webster’s case right now, while in the midst of pretending to be in a relationship with Victoria, could put her in as much danger as her case against Elwood. Why hadn’t he thought of that before agreeing to help Webster?
That thought stuck with him after Jake had left, and that led to other thoughts, which made concentrating on work fully impossible. He left the office, and upon arriving home joined his mother, Audrey, and Victoria for lunch.
The women were planning a shopping trip that afternoon and as they left the table, he stepped up beside Victoria. “We need to talk,” he whispered.
“Is something wrong?” she whispered in return.
“Yes. Did Audrey tell you about seeing Elwood yesterday?”
“Yes, she did.”
“Did you tell her about your picture? The fingerprints?”
“No.”
They reached the doorway, and he took a hold of her elbow while addressing his mother and sister, who had already entered the hallway. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment. I need to speak to Victoria. It won’t take long.”
Barely acknowledging his mother’s or Audrey’s responses, he led Victoria to his study on the second floor. As soon he’d closed the door behind them, he said, “I don’t believe we should continue to be seen together.”
“Excuse me?” Giving her head a slight shake, she added, “Because of Elwood? I haven’t told anyone but you about the theft.”
“It’s not the theft.”
“Then what is it? Audrey’s wedding—”
“Audrey’s wedding doesn’t have anything to do with it, either.” Flustered, he ran a hand through his hair. This, how women complicated life, was exactly why he’d steered clear of relationships and why he had to continue to do so. She was different from others, he’d admitted that to himself, and that was also the reason he felt she deserved the entire truth. “I told you that I’m interested in running for attorney general.”
She nodded.
“I’m considering doing that sooner than I’d expected,” he said.
“Why? What’s happened?”
“Jake came to see me this morning, told me about seeing Elwood in the bushes in the park, and while he was there, he also told me about another fire in the projects. I’m sure it was in the paper, but I haven’t read the paper the last couple of days.” That was a fact he hadn’t realized until after Jake had left. He’d been so focused on Victoria that he’d even changed his normal routines. Things he’d always done. “Another fire makes me think something needs to be done sooner than later.”
“Like what?”
He drew in a deep breath. It had been his goal for a long time, but saying it aloud would make it something he needed to act upon, not just think about. “Like enforcing laws that are on the books. The current attorney general isn’t doing that. The election will be this fall. If I run and if I can get elected, Kelley and others like him will have someone they need to answer to. Right now, they are running roughshod over everyone because they’d never been held accountable for anything.”
Her thoughtful gaze was still on him as she nodded, as if waiting for him to continue.
“The fires in those housing projects are death traps,” he said. “The apartments aren’t built to code, and even when the codes change, nothing is done about them. The factories don’t pay the workers enough for them to be housed anywhere else. It’s a form of enslavement. The workers are paid just enough to keep their families fed, while the factory owners and the politicians they pay off are the ones who get rich. Kelley’s had control over the factories in his districts for years, and now he’s moving to take over the department stores. He wants to own the whole damn city and will if someone doesn’t put a stop to him.”
“How can he take over department stores?”
“By buying them,” Lincoln responded. “He’s forcing them into selling. He’s bought out Blackwells and wants to form a monopoly by buying all others.”
“Alderman Kelley is who bought out Blackwells?” she asked.
Lincoln stepped closer to her, leaned against the edge of his desk. “He’s using a front company to do it, so no one knows, and he’s using henchmen to coerce others into selling their stores. The problem is that I can’t prove it. I’ll be able to slow him down from taking over Webster’s store by legalities with John’s father’s will, but it won’t fix the problem. The only way to do that is by having someone hold him accountable. The attorney general can do that by having representation of the state agencies, boards, and commissions, but the one we have right now, is already deep in Kelley’s pocket. As is the mayor and other politicians. He controls them as much as he does the factory owners.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “He sounds dangerous.”
“He is, and corrupt. So is his son.” Lincoln bit the end of his tongue, and cursed himself. Scaring her wasn’t his goal. He laid his hand atop hers and quickly continued, “John Webster said he’s being watched at all times. It could very easily be Elwood watching him and he’s trying to figure out if I’ve taken on John’s case.”
“You think he was watching the house for you, not me?” she asked.
That’s what he was hoping. He didn’t want her in danger. He also knew that no case would ever be strong enough to stop Kelley and his crooked ways. No single lawyer could do that, but as attorney general he’d have the full scope of the law behind him. That was the only way to stop the corruption.
“I’m honestly not sure why Elwood was in the bushes,” he answered. “I just know that I don’t like it, nor do I trust him.”
“Neither do I,” she said, “and I understand why you don’t want to be seen with me.”
“I never said I don’t want to be seen with you.”
“You said that we should no longer be seen together.”
He had said that, but it wasn’t what he meant. Or was it? He’d been thinking about her safety, and how being around him could be dangerous, but it could be more dangerous for her to not to be nearby. He wanted to stop Elwood’s pursuit of her, not encourage it. They had to continue their ploy. He had to wait until after Audrey’s wedding before he could do anything. “I did say that,” he admitted. “But it’s not what I meant.”
Victoria watched as Lincoln dropped his hand off hers, then walked away from the desk. He was usually very self-assured, but didn’t appear to be so now. That confused her, but also concerned her. “What did you mean to say?” she asked.
He shook his head as he sat down in an armchair near the fireplace. “I’m not sure. I left my office convinced that I was ready to throw my hat in the ring for attorney general. Now I realize this isn’t the time.”
She walked over and sat in the adjacent chair. “Why not?”
“For the same reason that we made our agreement,” he said. “Audrey’s wedding. I can’t make an announcement like that right before her wedding. I’ll have to wait until after that.”
Leaning forward, looking directly at his face, she went with a deep sense inside her. “The fire you mentioned is what has you worried, isn’t it?” Outside of the city, they were called shantytowns, because of the tar paper shanties that people lived in, but she was aware that within the boroughs, many of those factories had apartments built nearby to house the workers.
“Yes.” He let out a long sigh. “It doesn’t take much for a fire to get started in one of those places, nor to burn the entire structure to the ground.” Shaking his head, he continued, “The fire departments are instructed to water down the factories, to prevent them from burning rather than putting out the apartment houses. It’s sickening.”
He wouldn’t lie about something like that, which made her want to know: “How do you know that? About the fire departments?”
“Because I’ve seen it. I went to more than one of those fires with Jake, when he was a reporter on the beat. The firemen don’t like it, but they take their orders from the higher-ups, and the higher-ups take their orders from Alderman Kelley.” Lincoln’s expression turned hard and cynical. “Kelley swoops in the next day, handing out bottles of milk to the children and blankets to the women, claiming he’ll have a new building erected posthaste, a better one, built to code.”
“But that never happens, does it?” she asked.
“No, it doesn’t. Workmen cobble up a building within a few weeks or so, mainly using reclaimed wood. It’s barely livable, but the city signs off on it, and the tenants are so tired of living in makeshifts tents that they move in, happy to have a roof over their heads. It’s a recurring cycle. One that will never end, unless it’s forced to.”
A feeling that was growing familiar when she was near him increased with a powerful intensity. It was within her heart. She wouldn’t call it love, because she wouldn’t let herself love someone. Couldn’t let herself, not even with him. She’d confirmed all of that to herself when sleep had avoided her until the wee hours of the morning.
Lying in bed last night, she had admitted to herself that if she ever were to marry, she wanted a life where she could support her husband in his business, work at his side, build it into something they both could be proud of. However, that had also been when she’d realized that she didn’t want everything else that came with that. When a person loved someone else like that, so deeply that nothing else mattered, it consumed them. Every part of them. And when that love was lost, when that person was gone, it continued to consume them. Love and loss went hand in hand. She’d seen that with her mother, how the loss of her father had stolen the life from her, and wouldn’t put herself in that position.
Couldn’t put herself in that position.
Nor would she ever wish that upon someone else. Especially Lincoln. Not that she would ever expect him to fall in love with her. That wasn’t what he wanted. He hadn’t wanted a distraction either, and she wouldn’t ever want to stand in his way.
At the same time, she did care for him, deeply, and it was obvious how strongly he felt about helping people. Those who were being oppressed to the point that they couldn’t help themselves. Once someone started working for one those factories, they never got out of there, she’d heard that several times. She saw the shantytowns outside the train window every trip into the city, and often wished there was something she could do to help them.
On that, Lincoln was right, it would take changes in leadership, but until then, there had to be something else that could be done. “The wedding is less than three weeks away, then you’ll be able to throw your hat in the ring, as you said.” She drew in a deep breath, stood up and held out a hand to him. “Until then, let’s go see what we can do.”
He looked at her hand, and then at her face. “Go see what we can do where?”
“Wherever this latest fire was,” she replied. “We’ll see what the people need and figure out how we can get it for them.”
He shook his head. “You can’t go down there.”
“Why?”
He stood, and took a hold of her hand. “I know you mean well, but I’ve seen those places after a fire. It’s a shambles, a terrible sight.”
“I imagine it is, but it’s also a place where people live. Women with children, trying to do all they can while their husbands are off working all day and night.” A flash of her former life became a vision. When Mr. Hanson’s barn had been struck by lightning and the entire countryside had come together to help him rebuild it, including her father and grandfather. They’d shut down the mine for the day, so all the miners could help. She hadn’t thought about it in years, but had to wonder why, in a city with so many people, help like that didn’t happen here.
Lincoln squeezed her hand. “I can’t let you go down there.”
She laughed and shook her head. “It’s not a matter of letting me, Lincoln, it’s a matter of either joining me or not. Those people may need Alderman Kelley’s bottles of milk and blankets, but they don’t need his empty promises. My grandfather says that’s all a politician is made up of, empty promises.”
Lincoln looked at her with a slight frown.
She shrugged. “He doesn’t say it quite that kindly.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t allow you to go—”
“He wouldn’t stop me,” she interrupted. “He would say I’m stubborn, but he wouldn’t stop me. Now, are you going to go with me, or do I ask Audrey to go with me?”
“My mother would never allow Audrey to go.”
Determination grew within her. This was something she could do, and it didn’t involve loving anyone, simply helping those who needed it. “All right then, I’ll go tell her that I can’t go shopping this afternoon, that you and I have some errands to see to.”
He still had a hold of her hand, and wrapped his fingers tighter around hers. “Victoria—”
“You aren’t going to change my mind on this, Lincoln, so please don’t try. It’ll just be a waste of breath and of time.”
An hour later, Victoria fully accepted that she hadn’t been prepared for the sights or the stories that she heard, but she didn’t regret coming. The number of women, with children of varying ages, yet still very young—because the older ones were working in the factory, along with their fathers—were a wearied, wary bunch. Wary of strangers and weary from scraping together whatever they could to create makeshift homes for their families. Ropes were stretched between anything they could be tied to, with blankets draped over them to fashion tents. An assortment of furniture, some charred black, was used to hold the ends of the blankets down, and cookstoves were set near the tents, with their cast-iron legs sinking into the ground that was still soft with mud due to the water that had been sprayed on the factory, to keep it from burning.
The noise of the machines inside the factory—this one was a textile plant—reminded her of the stamp mill back in Colorado. Nothing else at the scene did. She’d told Lincoln about Mr. Hanson’s barn, and other such events that she remembered, while they’d traveled through the traffic. He’d appreciated the story, but had also warned her that things were different here in the city.
She’d been aware of that before today, but refused to let it change her mind.
Her light green dress would never be the same, nor would Lincoln’s white shirt, but that didn’t stop either one of them from lending a hand wherever they could. It hadn’t been easy at first, since none of the women were comfortable enough talking to them, until Lincoln asked a woman if he could help her move a trunk that she was struggling to carry through the mud.
Then, a set of strong arms seemed to be welcomed. Victoria felt a sense of pride that she’d never experienced. Lincoln was a kind and good man, and seeing him in action like that not only confirmed it, it cemented something deeper inside her. She refused to contemplate what it was, even as it filled her heart. He would be easy to love. Too easy, and that reinforced her determination to not let it happen. To never be the one standing in his way from reaching his goals. If she allowed herself the time to focus on that, she would admit that it saddened her to know she could never be an integral part of his life. There was already enough sadness surrounding them and no reason for her to add more, so she ignored all those thoughts, and focused on helping in whatever way she could.
Hours passed as they helped the women scrounge items from the burnt-out structure, pots and pans, dishes, and other necessities, including boards for their tents to have some sort of floors to keep the children off the ground.
The apartment structure had been small, only two stories tall, yet twenty families had lived in it, and thankfully, no one had lost their life in the fire. The tenants were so prepared for such a tragedy that at the first scent of smoke, they’d all run from the building. There were theories and suspicions, but no one knew exactly how the fire had started. Only that the entire building was ablaze within minutes.
The area didn’t look all that different when she and Lincoln walked to their carriage, mainly because the sun was setting, but it was a different place than when they’d arrived. Families were still living outside, in makeshift tents, with hardly any provisions or supplies, yet there were smiles on their faces, and heartfelt expressions of gratefulness for the help that had been provided.
Lincoln rested a hand on the small of her back. “Tired?” he asked.
“Yes, and no,” she replied. “It was a lot of work, but don’t you just feel good inside? Feel good that we helped them.”
His hand slipped around to her waist and tugged her up against his side. “Yes, I do.”
She leaned her head against the side of his shoulder. “Me, too.” Then, looking up at him, she added, “I also sincerely hope it doesn’t rain.”
He grinned and nodded. “Me, too.”
“How long will it take until their apartment is rebuilt?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Weeks, months.” He stopped next to the carriage, and assisted her onto the seat, before he walked over to where he’d tied the horse in a small grassy area while they’d worked.
Once the horse was hitched to the carriage, he climbed onto the seat beside her.
Victoria’s mind had been busy all day, and still hadn’t slowed down. “Couldn’t we gather a bunch of people and help rebuild it faster?”
“Well, that’s one of the things I meant about it being different in the city. It’s not like in the country where you’d be helping individuals, or families. That property is owned by the factory, so is anything built on it. They charge the tenants to live there, and while it sounds like a charitable thing to do, it’s the factory owner who would benefit, financially, if that were to happen. Yes, the people would have a place to live, but the company wouldn’t have been held accountable to provide it. It’s confusing, I know, but that’s how it is.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” she admitted. However, her mind was still turning. “If the factory charges them for a place to live, don’t they have to provide it? Isn’t it illegal not to? To charge for something they aren’t providing?”
“Yes, but a fire is a calamity, and as long as they are working on replacing it, there’s no law being broken. It’s considered a hardship. I know it doesn’t sound fair, and it’s not, especially when no one forces the company to rebuild as quickly as possible.”
“What would you change about that if you were elected attorney general?”
“The first thing I’d do would be to create a housing committee. As attorney general, I would oversee the legalities of that committee, and have them lobby legislatures to pass laws and rules to ensure all building codes were followed, making the homes safer and healthier, and include protection for tenants in the event of fires.”
His immediate response made it clear that this had been something he’d put a lot of thought into already. “What else would you want to change?”
“Child labor laws. There are far too many children working in these factories and elsewhere, and...”
She listened intently as he talked, not just about the children working, but several other topics that he’d like to see changed for the benefit of the people, and society as a whole. Once again, it was clear as to how much thought he’d put behind his idea and his compassion to help others. She had to believe that even her grandfather would change his mind about politicians if he knew Lincoln the way she did.
Their arrival home didn’t go smoothly. Roseanne was irritated that they’d been gone so long, because they were supposed to join Audrey and Jake at the home of Jake’s uncle for dinner and card games—something neither of them had remembered.
“We will go change and be on our way,” Lincoln said.
“Change!” Roseanne shook her head. “You both need a bath! You’re covered in soot. You look like chimney sweeps.”
“We were helping some families whose home burned down the other night,” Victoria said, more than willing to take the blame. “It was a devastating sight and help was so greatly needed. Time simply got away from us. Please forgive me, for it was all my idea and Lincoln was kind enough to accompany me.”
Roseanne covered a gasp with one hand. “A home burned? Whose? I had no idea. Is there something I can do to help?”
“There are some things that are needed,” Victoria replied. “But you’re right, we both need baths.”
“Oh, by all means, go, both of you,” Roseanne said. “The three of us can discuss it over dinner. I’ll be happy to not eat alone tonight.”
Lincoln hooked a hand around her elbow and escorted her to the stairway. “You amaze me,” he whispered.
“How so?”
He chuckled. “You put a lid on her steam before it had a chance to start puffing.”
Victoria giggled at that description. “She was just upset because she wants everything to be perfect for Audrey’s wedding. I truly had forgotten about dinner and card playing. All of the other people in the wedding are there.”
“Good, then we won’t be missed,” he said.
She giggled again. “That’s one way to see it.”
“The best way,” he said, and stopped in the hallway, near the door to her room. “I’ll see you downstairs later.”
“Yes, you will,” Victoria replied, and entered her room. This time, she wasn’t thinking about a soaking bath to get her mind off things. She was looking forward to a good scrubbing, and then a conversation with Roseanne about some supplies that they could collect to take to the families tomorrow.
Lincoln was also on her mind. Because of him, she’d found a way to help people whom she’d wished she could help for years.