The Reluctant First Lady (8 page)

Richard had suggested his wife stand in for the First Lady. While Michael appreciated the offer, he knew Catherine had a full schedule at Georgetown University, where she taught master classes in molecular and cellular biology. He wasn’t comfortable with that idea or any of the other suggestions that included using other politicians’ wives. He didn’t want to feel obligated to or to be perceived as being influenced by anyone who might step into the role.

As the discussion continued throughout the afternoon, Michael had become increasingly convinced that the best course of action was to create a new position, a White House director of protocol, a social director, so to speak. Once that decision was made, he and his team began hammering out the parameters and advantages of the new position. The director of protocol would assume the responsibility of being the official White House hostess. Other duties would be added to the job description as needs became known.

While Michael hated having officially to exclude Ashley from the role that was rightfully hers, it was necessary. Expediency was paramount in order to prove to the American people that regardless of his wife’s decision, his administration would go forth unencumbered and with confidence. The new director of protocol would simply be another job in his administration, nothing more. His job would be to sell the press and the public on the merits of his decision.

His staff was working on the job description to include language allowing for unanticipated responsibilities. They were aware of the need to coordinate with other positions in Michael’s administration where there might be some overlap of responsibilities. The next step would be to find the right candidate. Michael had someone in mind who might be perfect for the job, but he had been too tired to continue the discussion.

Michael headed back to the hotel suite, dreading any further confrontations with Ashley. When he closed the door, he was enveloped in silence. There was no sign to indicate the presence of his wife. He did a quick check around the suite and found it empty of her belongings. She’d obviously meant what she said about returning to New York. It was just as well. He’d hit a wall. Any additional battles with Ashley held the potential for disaster.

His need to unwind superseded every other thought. After taking off his jacket and tie and opening a cold beer, he fell into the cushions of the sofa. He didn’t want to compromise with or accommodate anyone, especially his wife. Then he noticed an envelope on the coffee table. His name was written on the outside in Ashley’s calligraphic handwriting. Just picking up the envelope put a knot in his stomach. He read the note, twice. What did he feel? Angry? Wounded? Indignant? Relieved? Honestly he was too tired to feel much of anything. She was right. There wasn’t anything left to be said between the two of them, at least for now. He was furious with her and was glad she wasn’t there.

He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been this exhausted. What he’d been told by past presidents was true. After the surge of euphoria and adrenaline rush on election night, there came a tremendous emotional crash. He simply hadn’t anticipated it being so dramatic, but then he’d never factored Ashley’s untimely declaration to the world into the equation either.

Surely tomorrow would bring more optimism back into his life. He wasn’t prone to moodiness. This blip on the wavelength of his emotions was strictly an anomaly. He fell asleep on the sofa, acknowledging somewhere in his brain he should get up, pack, and check out of the hotel.

He awoke with a start. He jumped up and banged his shin on the coffee table, causing him to fall as he grabbed his leg. The next thing he knew his Secret Service agents, who had heard the crash, were standing over him, some guarding him, others swinging their flashlights and guns around the darkened room to assess the situation.

“Are you okay, sir?” One of the agents asked, switching on a table lamp.

“I’m fine. I fell asleep on the sofa, woke up with a start, and bumped into the coffee table. About the only thing hurt is my pride. I don’t usually get so disoriented coming out of a deep sleep. Thanks for checking, but it’s definitely a false alarm.”

“No problem, sir. Is there anything we can get for you?”

“No, but thanks.”

“Then we’ll be right outside if you need us.”

Michael checked his watch; it was 5:00 a.m. He couldn’t believe he’d slept straight through the night on the sofa. It was a little earlier than he normally started his day, but he might as well get to work.

He knew Ed would be up and eager to show him the latest headlines and any feedback from yesterday’s press conference. He hoped today’s news would be more encouraging, but he didn’t harbor any unrealistic expectations. Ashley was completely misguided in her belief that she could step away from the spotlight. She would be more famous, more sought-after now than ever, but her attitude was always the same: “Maybe, but at least I’ll be working at something I love.”

Some of the traits that had attracted Michael to Ashley were her wit and humor and how tenacious and strong-willed she was. Now some of those same characteristics were causing him immeasurable harm. He’d never cared for clinging-vine females. Too much upkeep. No, he preferred someone who could carry her own weight. However, this time, Ashley had carried things too far. Despite the trouble and controversy her decision was causing him, he didn’t want her with him if she didn’t want to be there. He wanted her to want to share the White House experience with him. But if this is the way she wanted it, then fine. He’d manage without her, once he got past all of the fallout and put the director of protocol position in place.

Michael glanced at his watch as he called Ed’s cell. “Good morning. Sorry for the early call. I got up earlier than normal. I’m still at the hotel; I didn’t make it to my apartment. I fell asleep where I dropped last night. I need to check out, and then I’d like to meet with you and Jack around nine at the office. I’d like to hear the feedback from yesterday’s press conference, and I want to get moving on the director of protocol position.”

“Great. I’ll get in touch with Jack, and we’ll see you there.” Ed hung up.

At nine o’clock, Jack handed a copy to both Michael and Ed of the synopsis he’d put together of the media’s reaction to yesterday’s press conference.

“As you might expect, everyone is still in shock over Ashley’s position. There’s a lot of division among the various factions. Most of the newspaper editorials are pretty predictable. The older, more established conservative publications are outraged. They’re crucifying Ashley for walking away from her responsibilities. The more liberal publications are debating the merits of the First Lady role and are giving Ashley a lot of leeway. Have you seen any television coverage?”

“I saw a little bit of
Morning Joe
. Joe and Mika were arguing about Ashley’s decision. Other than that, I haven’t seen any other broadcasts.”

“You probably know enough to realize Ashley is the top story, if not the only story, being covered today. As one might expect, the more conservative stations and broadcasters are ready to string her up and are casting serious aspersions on you, your judgment, and your ability to lead.

“The more liberal broadcasters are asking if the First Lady position really does matter. Rachel Maddow is doing a good job of representing the heart of the issue. She sees the role of the First Lady as representing tradition, which in her opinion is an important one. And, she sees Ashley’s particular choice as something she has a right to make.

“Fox News is showing Ashley no mercy. They equate her decision to being a traitor She’s being asked to serve her country, and she’s turning her back on her civic duty.

“The opposition party is taking full advantage of the situation, which we expected. They’re saying Ashley should be ashamed of herself for discrediting the role of the First Lady. They haven’t come out in so many words and said a woman’s place is in the home—they’d lose too many women voters if they did that—but short of that, they’re saying Ashley’s place is to stand beside you. Naturally, they’re pointing out this indicates your inability to make good decisions, influence the opinion of others, portray the correct family values, and anything else they can throw into the mix.”

Michael nodded. “Anything else?”

Jack knew he couldn’t keep anything from Michael. “There have been a couple death threats against Ashley. We’ve contacted all the appropriate organizations, and they’re checking into them. The Secret Service agents assigned to Ashley have been notified, so they’re all over this. You know, we take every threat seriously, regardless of who the intended target is, but likely it’s nothing more than someone venting.”

Michael frowned. “I want additional security assigned to her, and I want to know immediately about any additional threats.”

“Absolutely. Switching gears, I think the sooner we tell the public about the director of protocol position, the better it will be. Hopefully, things may begin to settle down somewhat after that,” Ed said.

“I agree, but we need to be careful about how we play this thing out. We don’t want to seem as though we had someone waiting in the wings. On the other hand, we want to make sure the public understands that Ashley’s decision isn’t going to cripple my administration. It’s a high-wire act. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the kind of person who would be a good fit for the director position. Do you remember Paula Foulon from California?”

Ed and Jack nodded.

“She’s been active in all of my campaigns as far back as I can remember. As I’m sure you remember, she’s from an old, established blue-chip family with a lot of political clout. She’s hosted numerous fund-raising events for me throughout the years. What do you think about her for the job?”

“She’s always impressed me as very charming, capable, a gifted organizer, and an extremely gracious hostess,” Ed said.

“Precisely. She’s someone who stays calm and gracious under fire. I once saw her defuse a fight between two contributors who’d had too much to drink, and they were like putty in her hands. I think she may just fit the bill. I’d want to have a serious discussion with her to make it very clear how I’d like to see this position shaped. It’s such an unusual situation, and whoever takes the job must understand completely and exactly what the parameters are. Everyone will be watching and judging how this arrangement works.”

“Obviously we’ll need to vet her,” Jack pointed out. “We need to know all about her background. Is there anything that could be embarrassing to us or be used to compromise her? Any arrests, any protesting for a wrong cause? We need to know everything. I don’t need to tell you how important it is that we get this appointment right. We don’t need a member of the administration going sideways on us. I’ll start the process right away.”

“I’d like to announce the decision to establish a director of protocol position at our next press conference. Let’s schedule it for one week from today. That’ll give us time to get started and make some inroads on the transition process. Also I’ll be publicly naming you, Ed, as my chief of staff, and you, Jack, as my White House press secretary, even though everyone already knows you’re in those roles. We’ll make an official announcement at the conference. Plus, I could use the time to get in touch with Paula about the job, and I’ll want to talk to Ashley about it before she hears it on the news.

“Let’s adjourn for now and meet again this afternoon with the whole advisory team.” Michael stood.

Jack and Ed headed for the door, ready to put the plans they’d discussed into motion. Ed turned to Michael before he left. “I know how hard this has been on you, particularly where Ashley’s concerned. But, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve made a very wise decision.”

“I appreciate that, Ed. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

11

Commercial flights were a thing of the past for Ashley, at least for now. This was yet another adjustment she’d have to make now that Michael had been elected president. She understood from a security point of view why it was necessary, but she wished it weren’t so. It felt like an unnecessary luxury to have a plane at her disposal, and at a great cost to the government. However, of all the things she had to worry about right now, this one, for the time being, could be put on hold.

The flight between Washington, DC, and New York was a little over an hour. Usually she used her travel time to shift gears from one aspect of her life to another. Unfortunately the shift didn’t occur during this flight. She kept replaying in her head conversations she had with Michael or wished she’d had. Her brain was tired from working the problem, trying to come up with some sort of a compromise that would work for both of them.

Regardless of their differences, she hated leaving Michael without saying goodbye in person and, worse, leaving with so much animosity between them. They’d fought before; what couple hadn’t? But this was the first time they’d been unable to find some sort of halfway solution on which they could both agree.

Ashley laid her head back on the headrest of the black SUV that was transporting her from the airport to her apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This, too, was something she resented. How in the hell could she live her life and conduct her business with the Secret Service always in the way? She barely tolerated their presence during the campaign, and now they were going to be a permanent fixture in her life. Swell, just swell.

Thinking about her lack of freedom made her want to scream. She was used to coming and going as she pleased, but the Secret Service made clear that she no longer had that option. She was expected to give them a daily itinerary listing where she would be going and with whom she’d be meeting so they could secure the areas where she’d appear. Ashley felt depressed thinking about the impact the Secret Service was going to have on her life.

She obviously needed to have a serious talk with the agents assigned to her. She knew they were under orders, that their job was to protect her, and that most likely they weren’t any more fond of being assigned to her than she was of having them around. Maybe a compromise could be made. She would not live like a prisoner.