The Power and the Glory by William C. Hammond

time.”
    â€œThat’s wonderful. I am so happy for you, Agee. May God watch over you and your family.” She gave him an amused look. “And may God grant me my most ardent wish, that someday you will call me Anne-Marie, rather than ‘ma’am.’”

    â€œYes, ma’am,” Agreen replied, grinning.
    Just then a great roar of applause rose up from around the platform. They turned to see a rather short, stubby man of advancing years approaching the much taller and more robust Benjamin Lincoln. The shorter man was dressed in a plain suit of light brown cloth, a bottle-green waistcoat, and a white shirt and neck stock. His round head was bald on top, though sprouting out from its sides were thick mounds of gray hair and sideburns flecked with white. Nothing about him, however, suggested either frailty or aloofness as he waved out at a crowd pushing in from all sides.
    â€œWho is that, Richard?” Anne-Marie asked. “Why all the ado?”
    â€œThat’s our president,” Katherine Cutler answered. She had walked up alongside her husband and slipped her arm proprietarily through his. “Hello, Anne-Marie,” she said just a shade too sweetly. “How nice to see you. Richard didn’t tell me that you were coming today.”
    â€œHello, Katherine. It’s nice to see you too. You look lovely, as always. And don’t blame Richard for anything. I didn’t tell him we would be here. It was Jack’s idea. He so enjoys talking commerce and always appreciates an opportunity to pester Richard about it.”
    â€œI see. Will you be staying long?”
    â€œAlas, no. We must take our leave shortly. Jack needs to return to Boston.”
    â€œWhat a pity,” Katherine said, smiling graciously.
    The applause eased as Benjamin Lincoln offered an introduction that was hardly necessary. John Adams was a Braintree man, a South Shore man.
    â€œWe should move in closer,” Katherine said. “To hear what Mr. Adams has to say and to pay our respects to Mrs. Adams. Caleb and Pappy are there already,” she added, using the family nickname for Thomas Cutler.
    â€œI agree. Will you join us, Anne-Marie? Agee?”
    â€œYou three go ahead,” Anne-Marie said. “I’ll find Jack and then we’ll join you.” She bowed slightly to Katherine and sent Richard a mischievous twinkle before parting.
    Â 
    â€œRICHARD, YOU SHOULD HAVE WARNED me about Anne-Marie. You know how much I hate being caught unaware.”
    They were in their bedroom on the second floor of their home on South Street. Richard had taken off his waistcoat and neck stock and had cracked open the window to admit the cool autumn air. From outside
they could hear a dog bark, but other than that only the small nighttime sounds of the village broke the silence.
    â€œHow could I have told you when I didn’t know, Katherine? I haven’t seen Anne-Marie in weeks. She doesn’t inform me of her every intention.”
    â€œSurely you suspected she might be here.”
    â€œAs no doubt you did. Besides, you heard her. Coming here was Jack’s idea . . . and Adele’s.”
    â€œAdele? What does she have to do with this?”
    â€œApparently she has eyes for Will.”
    Katherine threw up her arms. “Oh, wonderful. That’s just perfect. That’s exactly what we need!”
    Richard lit a second candle from the one he had carried into the room and came over to where Katherine stood with her arms crossed firmly over her chest. He set the candle on the table next to the bed and gripped his wife gently by the shoulders.
    â€œCome now, Katherine. Why do you always get unhinged when Anne-Marie’s name is mentioned? She means you no harm. She has told me many times that she wants to be your friend.”
    â€œOh posh, Richard! Those are just words. They mean nothing. Even a dullard can see that she still has feelings for you. I heard people