Becoming Madam Secretary

Content Warning: This section discusses mental illness, suicide, miscarriage and death of an infant, and death of a loved one.

By July 1913, Frances and Paul are deeply in love. At lunch with Sinclair, he tells her that he’s also in love with someone else but acts annoyed that Frances doesn’t seem more jealous.

Frances encounters Franklin D. Roosevelt in Albany and congratulates him on his success backing Woodrow Wilson for president. Though Frances still dislikes Franklin, she is becoming more respectful of his political instincts.

Paul and Frances spend the fall and winter together in New York City. One day, they attend a modern art installation, and afterward, Paul drops to one knee to propose to Frances. Though she loves him, she’s also terrified of being trapped by marriage, and she doesn’t want it to affect her work. However, Paul promises a “modern marriage” (140), allowing Frances to continue her work. Frances tells Paul that she’ll contemplate his offer.

As she contemplates Paul’s proposal, Frances takes him to meet her family up in Maine. Frances takes him to various spots around the property, telling him stories about her childhood. When Frances drops off Paul at the station, her mother sees her giving Paul a kiss and becomes scandalized, calling her daughter a “harlot.