James Luke owned a tuxedo with a big bowtie, which he only wore when he was forced to. He hated the annual event. The mayor was vying for his third four-year term. James Luke had plans to grow his business into a more respectable real estate venture on both sides of the Mississippi, investing in property acceptable to genteel Natchez elite rather than continuing his slumlording north of downtown in the black quarters. He would need the mayor’s office to acquire easy permits for his real estate investments, and the mayor needed his contribution to the campaign. The party took place at the Rosalie Hotel ballroom, a great hall adorned with red, white, and blue. The couple spoke very little on the way over in part because neither of them wanted to go to the event. The Cates lived in a prominent part of town, a somewhat modest but adequate historic home that Heloise had inherited from her maternal grandparents. James Luke married her for the money, and the fine cottage was just one advantage to marrying up in the world.
