He laughed. “That’s a fair question. Your salary will be sixty-five thousand dollars a year, plus a housing allowance.”
“When does that begin?”
“The moment you’re sworn in.”
“And until then?”
“You’ll be paid seventy-five dollars a day.”
Her heart sank. That would not even take care of her hotel bill, let alone all the other expenses.
“Will I be in Washington long?” Mary asked.
“About a month. We’ll do everything we can to expedite your move. The secretary of state has cabled the Romanian government for approval of your appointment. Just between us, there have already been private discussions between the two governments. There will be no problem with the Romanians, but you still have to pass the Senate.”
So the Romanian government is going to accept me, Mary thought wonderingly. Perhaps I’m better qualified than I realized.
“I’ve set up an informal consultation for you with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The next step after that will be an open hearing of the full committee. They’ll ask you questions about your background, your loyalty to this country, your perceptions of the job, and what you hope to accomplish.”
“What happens after that?”
“The committee votes, and when they turn in their report, the full Senate votes.”
Mary said slowly, “Nominations have been voted down in the past, haven’t they?”
“The President’s prestige is on the line with this one. You’ll have the full backing of the White House. The President is eager to push your appointment through as quickly as possible. Incidentally, I thought you and the children might like to do some sight-seeing in the next few days, so I’ve arranged for a car and driver for you, and a private tour of the White House.”
“Oh! Thank you so much.”
Stanton Rogers smiled. “My pleasure.”
The private tour of the White House was arranged for the following morning. A guide escorted them around. They were taken through the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden and the eighteenth-century-style American garden containing a pool, trees, and herbs for use in the White House kitchen.
“Just ahead,” the guide announced, “is the East Wing. It houses military offices, congressional liaisons to the President, a visitor’s office, and offices of the First Lady’s staff.”
They went through the West Wing and looked into the President’s Oval Office.
“How many rooms have they got in this place?” Tim asked.
“There are one hundred and thirty-two rooms, sixty-nine closets, twenty-eight fireplaces, and thirty-two bathrooms.”
“They sure must go to the bathroom a lot.”
“President Washington helped supervise much of the construction of the White House. He is the only President who never resided here.”
“I don’t blame him,” Tim muttered. “It’s too darned big.”
Mary nudged him, red-faced.
The tour took almost two hours, and by the end of it the Ashley family was exhausted and impressed.
This is where it all began, Mary thought. And now I’m going to be a part of it.
“Mom?”
“Yes, Beth?”
“You have a funny look on your face.”
The call from the President’s office came the following morning.
“Good morning, Mrs. Ashley. President Ellison wonders whether you could make yourself available this afternoon to meet with him?”
Mary swallowed. “Yes, I—of course.”
“Would three o’clock be convenient?”
“That would be fine.”
“A limousine will be downstairs for you at two forty-five.”
Paul Ellison rose as Mary was ushered into the Oval Office. He walked over to shake her hand, grinned, and said, “Gotcha!”
Mary laughed. “I’m glad you did, Mr. President. This is a great honor for me.”
“Sit down, Mrs. Ashley. May I call you Mary?”
“Please.”
They sat down on the couch.
President Ellison said, “You’re going to be my doppelganger. Do you know what that is?”
“It’s a kind of identical spirit of a living person.”
“Right. And that’s us. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I read your latest article, Mary. It was as though I were reading something I had written. There are a lot of people who don’t believe our people-to-people plan can work, but you and I are going to fool them.”
Our people-to-people plan. We’re going to fool them. He’s a charmer, Mary thought. Aloud, she said, “I want to do everything I can to help, Mr. President.”