Woman King

CHAPTER 29

I turned my car onto University Avenue, but found that every parking space around the campaign office was already taken. I circled the block, finally finding a space around the corner and walked slowly toward the office. I was in no hurry to jump into the circus. I knew it would be tense until we got through the speeches. I stepped through the mob of reporters, promising we would begin promptly at 3, which was in less than an hour. As I walked past the press corps, I noticed JP standing off to the side looking at me. I raised my hand to wave; I didn’t see any reason to ignore him. He saw my gesture, but did not wave back. As I turned to walk away, it struck me as ludicrous that I had ever contemplated a romance with someone capable of such pettiness.

I made my way to the conference room at the back of the suite of offices we’d rented. There inside, wearing tense expressions, were Levi, Gabriel, Maggie, Patrick, but no William, whom I assumed would show up when things got started. We took the few remaining minutes we had to get organized and then walked toward the front of our headquarters, where a table was set up to face the press.

“Bonne chance,” Gabriel said to me as we walked toward the media throng. “You have done a good job of taking control.”

“Do you blame me for this mess?” I asked, knowing the walk was too short for such a conversation.

“No, no, not at all,” he said quickly. “The fault of this lies with the man who let his tongue slip, and no one else.”

I took comfort in his words as Levi and I took a seat at the table, which was now covered with microphones from radio and television stations.

“OK, folks,” I said, greeting the assembled group. “I think we’ll get started, but first I want to give you a brief description of the format for today’s conference. At this moment, Maggie and Patrick from the campaign are handing out a statement from Richard Lyon, in which he issues an apology for his outburst two nights ago. As you know, Richard made his remarks at a private party, where he was videotaped. Then, his remarks were distributed over the Internet, unbeknownst to him. This statement will be his only comment regarding the other night. He will not be giving interviews, and is not here today at the conference. In a few moments, Levi Barnes will make a statement, and when he is finished, we will take your questions.”

I was relieved to see William slip into the back of the room, just as Levi prepared to address the crowd. Levi waited until everyone appeared to have a copy of Richard’s statement in his hands, and then he rose from his chair. “I’d prefer to stand if you don’t mind,” he said to the assembled group of reporters.

“Let me begin by apologizing to the voters of congressional District 15 for this unnecessary detour from discussing the issues I know they want to talk about. I also want to apologize for Richard Lyon’s remarks. He is one of my oldest friends, and yet here today, in this very public way, I must say that I strongly disagree with his statements, and I wish I had said so more forcefully the other evening. Of course, I didn’t know the conversation was being recorded. But I want to make it clear today that I do not share Richard’s sentiments. I believe they have no place in politics—certainly not as a part of the kind of campaign I am committed to running.”

Levi looked up at the reporters for a moment before continuing. “The fact is that I do believe in the power of people to change their lives, to change careers, to reinvent themselves, because I did, and I know that many others in their lifetime will, too. I think that is the fundamental promise of our country, but that promise is predicated on a few things that I think are worth mentioning: hard work, honesty and civility. Without those things, there is very little that can be accomplished, which is why I have asked Richard to step down as chairman of my campaign’s fundraising operation. His presence would distract from the real issues of this campaign, but also more fundamentally, I think that his views require me to sever my ties for the time being. I have an obligation to lead by example, and as much as it pains me, I have asked Richard to withdraw from campaigning and to refrain from speaking publicly again until the campaign is concluded. He is now out of the country on business and I do not expect him to return until the New Year.”

Levi shifted the pages of his speech, bringing the few remaining words to the front of his pile.

“As I mentioned earlier, I do believe in the power of people to change their lives, and to ensure that everyone in Silicon Valley has that opportunity, today I am announcing my family’s pledge of $5 million to the Vocational Service Corps, a leading job-training non-profit in the Valley. I was a member of VSC’s board of directors for many years and I admire them tremendously for the work they still perform every day. The donation is intended to establish a drop-in center where clients can walk in and immediately begin to find the information and tools they need to find new employment, or transition to a new career. I hope that this will help to demonstrate my belief that all of us have the power to change our lives, even in adversity. I hope as well that this gesture will end discussion of the events of two nights ago and allow us to focus on the real issues of this campaign. And now, if any of you have questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

A row of hands shot up immediately.

“Can you confirm that you had no idea you were being recorded?”

I looked at Levi to signal I would answer the question. “Yes, I can,” I said addressing a reporter from a local TV station. “We only knew of the existence of the video after it had been uploaded to YouTube. We were not asked to comment prior to its publication.”

“Did you know a member of the press was present at the party?”

Again, I indicated that I would reply. “Yes, we were aware that Mr. Lyon had invited a reporter to interview guests, but the conversations were supposed to be obvious, on the record interviews, not a private discussion between two old friends at the end of the evening when they believed they were alone. It’s an unfortunate part of journalism today, but we acknowledge the comments were made and as you can see, we were prepared to respond.”

“Did you make the $5 million gift out of guilt for your friend’s remarks?” asked JP, clearly determined to draw blood before this campaign was through.

Levi looked over at me to let me know he was OK to respond.

“If you check with the Service Corps,” he began, “you will find that I had been discussing some kind of gift with them for several weeks. It’s unfortunate to have to do something like this under a cloud, but my donation is one that I intended to make all along. So, yes and no. I do take responsibility for Richard, and I want to make amends for his thoughtlessness, because I can.”

“You said you want to get back to the campaign,” JP said, asking a second question. “Do you have any comment on Lacy Smith’s demand that you withdraw from this campaign?”

“I’m sure Ms. Smith would love to spend the next six weeks talking to herself,” I said, generating laughter from the reporters. “But the fact is that Levi Barnes has done nothing wrong, and there is no reason for him to end his candidacy. In fact, our research indicates that voters continue to remain focused on the real issues, such as how unemployment, education and job creation will be managed by Congress. At this moment, the approval rating of the federal government has never been lower. The voters want to see new leaders and they want to see this debate continue, and that is exactly what we intend to do until the election.”

After that, the press seemed to calm down and the remaining questions from reporters all related to actual government policies—not the video. When the last cameraman had packed up his gear and left, we all breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as the door was locked, we returned to the back conference room. The moment we were away from prying eyes, Levi locked me in a forceful embrace that lifted me up off the floor.

“You were brilliant,” he said. “We were brilliant. That could not have gone better.”

“Oh, no! Please don’t jinx us again,” I said. “I do think we turned a corner, but let’s not tempt the gods. We’ll watch the news tonight and see what happens tomorrow.”

No sooner than I finished my sentence, Gabriel burst through the door carrying a bottle of sparkling wine and a stack of plastic glasses. “Très bien, excellent,” he said. “I knew we were going to be fine, so as soon as I could, I went out to find something to celebrate with. They call this Champagne…but we will see,” he said, waggling his eyebrows to indicate his skepticism.

We had beaten the devil, for the moment at least, at his own game. As the evening wound down, however, I began to have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew that either Stoner or JP would be waiting for me outside. It didn’t seem possible to escape without one more confrontation. William, sensing my anxiety, was quickly by my side.

“Are you expecting trouble outside?” he asked.

I nodded. “It feels inevitable.”

“We’ll go together,” he said. “Whatever is there, we’ll meet it together.”

I suggested Levi and Gabriel use the back door of the offices to leave. It didn’t seem necessary for either of them to deal with any more trouble tonight. But before Gabriel walked out, I asked for a minute of his time.

“Now that we’re finished with this mess, I want to see that recording,” I said.

“Merde, you are stubborn,” he said, but without a trace of irritation. “Bien sûr, I will ask Aidan to have them ready tomorrow night.”

Feeling victorious, I grabbed my bags, ready to walk outside with William to my car. Time was a marvelous thing, I mused, in its ability to speed up and slow down depending on your adrenaline. Two days had passed with almost no sensation of their conclusion. I wondered if time felt that quick for William, too.

“Sadly, no,” he said, hearing my thoughts. “Not when it’s centuries, instead of days.”

“Does it make you weary?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “I have learned to pass the time gracefully. Come on, let’s go home.”

Unfortunately, as anticipated, both JP and Stoner Halbert were waiting for me outside. I studied the two of them, noting their body language, and got the distinct impression that they had known each other prior to the campaign. They were standing too close to one another to be strangers. Men normally don’t give their personal space away that easily, but these two were standing as close as brothers would. A light bulb went off in my head. Was Halbert so determined to humiliate me that he would ask his friend the reporter to play seducer? Perhaps that’s where the video came in. JP had needed something for Halbert, having come up short in his quest to compromise me. William’s trip to Hearst Castle, it seemed, had saved me on several levels.

“Gentlemen,” William drawled, as he held my hand tightly. “Is there something we can help you with?”

Both men regarded William warily, now unsure of themselves.

“What you do want?” I asked. “The press conference is over.”

“I have it on good authority that you were not even in the house when Lyon made those comments to Levi,” purred Halbert. “My sources tell me you walked out of the fundraiser, and off the job, early for a tryst with your lover. How professional do you think that would look to the world if it were broadcast?”

William started forward, but I put out my arm to stop him.

“I’ve got one better,” I said. “How about I tell the press about your longstanding friendship with JP, a preeminent Silicon Valley reporter, and how you two conspired to have him lure me into his bed to gain confidential information, and when that failed, violated the privacy of two men by secretly videotaping them. What do you think the press will make of that? Shall we have a race to see who can pick up the phone faster? My instincts tell me my story will prove far more damaging to your boss, especially when I tell the press I am engaged to be married—that it had been a surprise proposal that caused me to leave early.”

Two pairs of eyes stared back at me, unmoving. This they hadn’t expected.

“Shall we get started? I’ll start data mining and see if I can turn up any compromising photos of the two of you together on Facebook. You know, you can never really delete things from the Web.”

“Bitch,” Halbert said, taking a step towards us. “You think you can—”

“Shut up,” JP said, pulling Halbert’s arm. “For once, just shut up.”

“I suggest you two leave here, now,” William said, leaving little doubt about what would happen if they refused. Both men glared, but turned and walked away.

“Are you going to turn JP in to his editors?” William asked, opening my car door for me.

“No,” I said, sinking into the seat with relish, my body finally realizing it was exhausted. “JP will live in fear that I will call his editors and that is punishment enough for him. As for Halbert, he’s got one hell of a boss, how pleasant can that be? I am satisfied just to get on with my work.”

“You surprise me,” William said, as he turned the key in the ignition. “Most people would be ready for revenge by now.”

“Oh, I do want revenge,” I said, yawning. “But the best revenge will be for Levi to win the race. So I would rather focus on that. Besides, I feel foolish, having almost fallen into their trap. If you hadn’t come for me, I might have done something far worse to harm Levi’s campaign. I hope you don’t mind that I lied and told them we were engaged. It seemed like the one thing that would take the wind out of their sails.”

“I don’t mind one bit,” he said, giving me a provocative look that spelled hours of fun later. “I say we go back to my place and make it official.”