"Yes, thank you." Stanton went and stood in front of a chair but did not sit down until she had poured the drinks, handed him a glass, and sat down herself. I can't fault his manners, Kate thought.

"I want to have a serious talk with you, Kate," Stanton said. "We're coming into this convention with me in the lead and you trailing everybody else."

"I watch the news, too, Marty," she said, keeping any reproof from her voice. "And what I'm hearing is that you're short of the votes you need for the nomination."

"I'm here to tell you-all that has changed," Marty said. "The California delegation is solid for me, and I've heard only this evening from nineteen delegates from other states who will switch their votes to me."

"On which ballot, Marty?" Kate asked, trying to sound really curious.

"Why, the first ballot, of course. I know you've been counting on a second ballot, with all the delegates free to change their votes to you, but that simply isn't going to happen."

"You may be right," Kate said, "but on the other hand-"

"There is no other hand, Kate. I now have the nomination in my pocket."

"Is that what you came to tell me?"

"Not entirely," Stanton said. "I've come to ask you to be my secretary of state."

"That's awfully generous of you, Marty."

"You're perfectly suited for it. I've always thought of director of Central Intelligence as a foreign policy post."

"So have I," she replied.

"There's nobody in the party who can lay a glove on you for qualifications."

"I appreciate the compliment. And what do you want, Marty?"

"Me?" As if the thought of a quid pro quo had never occurred to him.

"There must be something."

"Well, I think it would be very good for the party and the country if you nominated me tomorrow night. It would bring us together better than anything I can think of."

"And whom were you thinking of for your running mate?"

"I think the senior senator from Pennsylvania," Stanton said. "With Pete Otero, we'd have two westerners as running mates. I think an easterner would be better for the ticket."

That, Kate thought, is the worst possible ticket I can think of. "I'm sure your reasoning is sound, Marty."

"And with you in the wings, waiting to take over at State, well, that would be like having another running mate."

"You'd announce me for State before the general election?"

"I don't think that would be presumptuous, given your stature."

"Did you consider a woman as a running mate?" she asked coyly.

Stanton took a sip of his drink. "If you'll forgive my saying so, Kate," he said, "I think that perhaps since the country has had a Lee in office for eight years, it might be a bit of an overdose to have you as number two for another eight."

"Did it ever occur to you that they might not have had enough of the Lees?"

"They love you both, Kate, but they're not addicted. You have to be realistic."

Kate smiled but said nothing.

"What about it, Kate? Will you come with us?"

"Marty, I will make you a pledge right now."

"And what is that?"

"I will support the nominee of my party."

Stanton set his glass down on the little table next to his chair. "Well, I'm disappointed that you won't accept, Kate, but I'll give you until noon tomorrow to think about it. Talk it over with Will."

"Oh, I'll do that," Kate said. She waited for him to stand, then she did, too. She held out her hand. "Thank you for coming to see me, Marty," she said.

"Good night, Kate. I hope to hear from you tomorrow."

"You will, Marty." She watched him go, closing the door behind him. She heard the outside door close and a car door slam, then she switched off her pocket recorder, picked up the phone, and pressed a button. "Come on in," she said.

The door opened and Ann and Stone entered the room.

"Pull up another chair, Stone," she said, "and pour us all another cognac, will you, please?"

Stone carried out his instructions and sat down.

Nobody said anything for a moment.

"Well?" Ann asked, unable to contain herself.

"He offered me State," she said.

Ann laughed out loud. "The arrogant son of a bitch!"

"He says he wants 'the senior senator from Pennsylvania' for a running mate."

"The worst possible combination," Ann said.

"Funny, I thought exactly the same thing."

"Did he say anything else of import?"

"I believe he did," Kate said, "though it wasn't his intent to say it."

"What?"

Kate smiled. "He doesn't have the votes to win on the first ballot."

Stone and Ann walked back to his house together. "Kate takes my breath away," he said.

"Mine, too," Ann replied.

"Do you think she's right about Stanton not having the votes to win on the first ballot?"

"Kate doesn't make pronouncements that aren't hedged in some way-'in my opinion,' 'it's my guess that . . .' et cetera."

"But she just did."

"She did, didn't she?"

"She must feel very certain, then."

"She must, mustn't she?"

"But you aren't?"

"I honestly don't know. I've just rarely heard her make flat-footed statements like that."

"Does she know something you don't know?"

"Sam Meriwether is in charge of counting delegates," Ann said. "He hasn't shared anything like that with me."

"I'll tell you something," Stone said, "I've never had more fun in my life than watching all this happen."

"Maybe you should run for office, Stone."

"Ha! And give up life as I know it?"

Ann laughed. "Life as you know it is pretty good, isn't it?"

"It's spectacular! Being on the inside of the action and having you in my bed every night is almost more than I can stand."

Ann laughed again. "It's almost more than I can stand, too."

"What are you going to do if Kate wins?"

"Just between you and me?"

"Of course."

"I'm going to be the next White House chief of staff."

"Kate has offered you that?"

"She has, and I've accepted."

"What is that going to do to your life?"

"It will destroy my life as I know it," Ann said. "I'll be constantly on call-twenty-four/seven-I won't get much sleep. And I won't have a social life that doesn't involve a White House dinner."

"That doesn't sound very good for you and me," Stone said.

"No, it doesn't-you're going to have to give me up if Kate is president."

"Entirely?"

"Oh, we can have an occasional dinner and roll in the hay, in D.C. or New York. But for every four dates we make, I'll have to break three. Something will come up."

"I don't like the sound of that much."

"I don't like it much, either," Ann said, "but it's how it will be. I'll have a chance to make a difference for this country, and I'll give up everything else to do that."

"I can't blame you, Ann."

"Thank you."

"What will you do if Kate loses?" he asked.

"I'll move to New York, apply for a job with Woodman and Weld, and sleep with you every night. If you'll have me."

"No doubt about that."

"You're sweet."

"I'm greedy."

"It's one of the things I like best about you," she said. "Let's go be greedy right now."

And they did.

- HALF A MILE down Stone Canyon, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Grosvenor were undressing after dinner.

"How did you think our lunch went?" Charles asked his wife.

"I thought it went very well."

"Do you think Barrington recognized you?"

"I know he didn't," she said. "I've always been good at makeovers."

"You certainly have-and I love the gray hair."

"I thought of affecting a British accent, but that might have been a little much. After all, there are people in L.A. who know who Barbara Eagle Grosvenor is."

"What if Barrington mentions our lunch to Ed Eagle? He knows my name."