Florentyna answered every one of them but couldn’t help wondering if something might go wrong in 1984 as well. If it did, that would finish her political career completely.
Florentyna left the capital for New York, only to find herself getting in everyone’s way. The Baron Group and Lester’s were being competently run by Richard and Edward. The Group had changed considerably since Richard had implemented the many improvements suggested by McKinsey and Company. She was continually surprised by the new Baron of Beef restaurants that could now be found on every ground floor and thought she would never get used to the computer banks alongside the hairdresser’s in the hotel lobby. When Florentyna went to see Gianni to check on the progress of the shops, he assumed she had only come in for a new dress.
During those first few months away from Washington, Florentyna became more restless than she could remember. She traveled to Poland twice and could only feel despair for her countrymen as she looked around at the devastation, wondering where the Russians would strike next. Florentyna took advantage of these journeys to meet European leaders who continually referred to their fear that America was becoming more and more isolationist with each succeeding President.
When she returned to America, once again the question of whether she should run for the Senate loomed in front of her. Janet, who had remained on Florentyna’s staff, began to discuss tactics with Edward Winchester which included regular trips to Chicago for Florentyna, who accepted any speaking engagements in Illinois that came her way. Florentyna felt relieved when Senator Rodgers called her over the Easter recess to say that he hoped she would run for his seat the following year and added that she could count on his backing.
As Florentyna checked over the Chicago newspapers that were sent to her each week, she could not help noticing that Ralph Brooks was already making a name for himself in the Senate. He had somehow managed to get on the prestigious Foreign Relations Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee — so important to Illinois farmers. He was also the only freshman senator to be appointed to the Democratic Task Force on Regulatory Reform.
It made her more determined, not less.
William and Joanna’s wedding turned out to be one of the happiest days of Florentyna’s life. Her twenty-two-year-old son standing in tails next to his bride brought back to her memories of his father in San Francisco. The silver band hung loosely on his left wrist, and Florentyna smiled as she noticed the little scar on his right hand. Joanna, although she looked shy and demure by William’s side, had already rid her future husband of some of his more eccentric habits, among them several gaudy ties and the Fidel Castro mustache William had been so proud of before he had met her. Grandmother Kane, as everyone now referred to Kate, was looking more and more like a pale-blue battleship at full steam as she plowed through the guests, kissing some and allowing others — those few older than herself — to kiss her. At seventy-six she was still elegant, without a suggestion of a failing faculty. She was also the one member of the family who could remonstrate with Annabel and get away with it.
After a memorable reception at the home of Joanna’s parents on Beacon Hill — it included four hours of dancing to the ageless music of the Lester Lanin orchestra — William and his bride flew off to Europe for their honeymoon and Richard and Florentyna returned to New York. Florentyna knew that the time was fast approaching when she would have to make an announcement about the Senate seat, and she decided to phone the retiring senator and seek his advice on how he would like her to word any statement.
She called David Rodgers at his office in the Dirksen Building. As she dialed the number, it struck her how odd it was that they now saw so little of each other when only a few months earlier they had spent half of their lives within a two hundred yard radius. The senator wasn’t in, so she left a message to say that she had called. He did not return her call for several days and finally his secretary rang to explain that his schedule had been impossibly tight. Florentyna reflected on the fact that this wasn’t David Rodgers’s style. She hoped that she was just imagining the rebuff until she discussed with Edward what was going on.
‘There’s a rumor going around that he wants his wife to take over the seat,’ he told her.
‘Betty Rodgers? But she’s always claimed she couldn’t abide public life. I can’t believe she’d choose to continue his now that David’s retiring.’
‘Well, don’t forget that since her children left home she’s been on the Chicago City Council. That’s been three years. Perhaps it’s given her a taste for higher things.’
‘How serious do you think she is?’
‘I don’t know, but a couple of phone calls and I can find out.’
Florentyna found out even before Edward because she had a call from one of her ex-staffers in Chicago who said the Cook County party machine was talking about Mrs. Rodgers as if she were already the candidate.
Edward called her back later the same day to say that he had discovered that the state committee was holding a caucus to consider putting Betty Rodgers’s name forward as the candidate, although the polls indicated that over eighty percent of the registered Democrats supported Florentyna as David Rodgers’s successor. ‘It doesn’t help,’ added Edward, ‘that Senator Brooks is openly backing Betty Rodgers.’
‘Surprise, surprise,’ said Florentyna. ‘What do you think my next move ought to be?’
‘I don’t think you can do anything at the moment. You have strong support on the committee and the outcome is very much in the balance, so perhaps it might be wise not to become too closely involved. Just go on working in Chicago and appear to remain above it all.’
‘But what if she’s chosen?’
‘Then you will have to run as an independent candidate and beat her.’
‘It’s almost impossible to overcome the party machine, as you reminded me a few months back, Edward.’
‘Truman did.’
Florentyna heard a few minutes after the meeting was over that the committee had voted by a majority of 6 to 5 to put Betty Rodgers’s name forward as the official Democratic candidate for the Senate at a full caucus meeting later in the month. David Rodgers and Ralph Brooks had both voted against Florentyna.
She couldn’t believe that only six people could make such an important decision and during the following week she had two unpleasant phone conversations, one with Rodgers and the other with Brooks, who both pleaded with her to put party unity before personal ambition. ‘The sort of hypocrisy you’d expect from a Democrat,’ commented Richard.
Many of Florentyna’s supporters begged her to fight, but she was not convinced, especially when the state chairman called and asked her to announce formally, for the unity of the party, that she would not be a candidate on this occasion. After all, he pointed out, Betty would probably only do one six-year term.
That would be enough for Ralph Brooks, Florentyna thought.
She listened to much advice over the next few days, but on a trip to Washington it was Bob Buchanan who told her to reread Julius Caesar more carefully.
‘The whole play?’ asked Florentyna.
‘No, I would concentrate on Mark Antony if I were you, my dear.’
Florentyna called the Democratic Party chairman and told him she was willing to come to the caucus and state that she was not a candidate but she was unwilling to endorse Betty Rodgers.