The Golden Bride
Page 22
“Oh Olivia. Are you all right? We’ve got to get you away from the building.”
As she opened her eyes, the most beautiful sight was before her—Joseph.
“You’re alive!” She gripped the sides of his face as he lifted her to her feet.
“Yes, I am. Thanks to your brother and our little friend and a guard that had a change of heart at the last minute.” He pulled her away from the building.
She couldn’t wait any longer. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him with all the love she’d held in her heart. “I love you, Joseph Sawyer.”
A tap on her shoulder interrupted her moment with the man she loved. Daniel was there holding the two boxes she’d risked her life to save, a mischievous grin on his face. “You didn’t have to save the money box, Livvy. It’s just money. You’re far more valuable than that.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Don’t mind me. Carry on.” He blinked at her, an innocent expression on his face.
Reaching over to swat at his arm, she stopped and put a hand to her backside. “Ow.”
“Are you all right?”
“Are you all right?” The two most important people in her life asked at the same time.
Lifting her arm again, this time Olivia followed through with the playful smack to her brother’s shoulder. “I’m fine, you stinker.” Even though he’d interrupted her moment with Joseph, she was so thankful to be alive and with both of them. “It’s just too bad you didn’t get here a few minutes sooner. You could have cushioned my fall.”
Joseph walked down the street holding Olivia’s hand in his own. The devastation was more than he could have ever imagined. So much loss. The rumors had stated that it was over a million dollars in damage. The amount was staggering and beyond his comprehension. Could it all have been prevented if he’d pushed harder to get fire safety measures in place? It was something that burdened him, but he’d never know the answer to that question. Hopefully, now the council would make it their top priority.
As they reached the square, a crowd had gathered. George Banister stood on the little platform. He held up a hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, our city has suffered a great loss. … ” He continued his little speech while Joseph scanned the crowd for Captain Fallon. After Joseph had made sure that Olivia, Julia, and the boy were safe and all right, he’d gone straight to find the captain with Daniel. They’d laid out all the evidence before the police chief and had three witnesses who testified that one Mr. Horace VanCleeve was behind the slavery ring. As the morning dawned, Captain Fallon had found more than five hundred people who had been held in chains and forced to work as slave labor. One of VanCleeve’s employees—a man named Randy—had been caught trying to hide evidence, and once he was confronted with the possible consequences of his actions, it didn’t take long for the scoundrel to turn on his employer. He provided more evidence and even confessed to writing the threatening notes posted on Joseph’s door.
It had taken Joseph another hour to find Dewei’s brothers, but he’d done it. His foreman had cried and wrapped his arms around his family. Joseph told him to take them to his home and feed them, clean them up, and for everyone to get rest.
Weak as he was, Joseph felt renewed by the fact that people had come together. It was a good start for them to turn their city around.
George was still on the stage blathering when his employer joined him. As soon as the man opened his mouth, a circle of men surrounded the platform.
Captain Fallon moved forward, one of his own deputies tied up at his side. “Mr. VanCleeve, as captain of police in this fine city, I’m here to tell you that you are under arrest for a whole slew of crimes. You too, Mr. Banister.”
VanCleeve sputtered. “You are gravely mistaken, Captain Fallon. I am this city’s benefactor—”
“We have witnesses and all the proof we need, Mr. VanCleeve.”
Banister and VanCleeve tried to argue, but the sergeants took care of the men on the stage in quick order. Fallon handed off the deputy who had been VanCleeve’s informant to a couple other deputies and stepped up. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to tell you such grievous news, but there’s been some downright evil practices going on in our town. We won’t allow this to continue. This is our city. Our home. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to clean up this city.”
The alcalde, John Geary, stepped up beside the captain. “Thanks to our hardworking police chief, we’ve dissolved the slavery ring that had infested San Francisco. There’s still much work to do on so many fronts, but we’re committed to the job. And even though our city has been devastated by fire, we’re here to tell you today, that together we will rise from these ashes and make our city great—a golden light for thousands of people who seek a better life.”
Their small group of wedding guests gathered in the church that had miraculously survived the fire with only a few burn scars on the outside. Olivia looked around with a full heart. She’d married Joseph Sawyer today, and she couldn’t have been happier.
Luke, the boy she’d rescued in the alley, came up to her and placed his hand in hers. “Will you be my family now?”
Crouching down beside him, she wrapped him in a hug. “I would love to be your family. Always and forever.”
“Me too.” Joseph rested a hand on the boy’s head.
Love for this man rushed through every vein in her body. How had she been so blessed?
Looking back to Luke, she stood up. “Did you know that there is a long line of Lukes in my family?”
“Really?”
“Yep. I’ll have to tell you about their stories one day, because they’re your family now too.”
The grin that spread over his face melted her heart.
Julia came over and took Luke’s hand. “This sweet little guy and I are going to have so much fun while you two take your wedding trip.”
“Hey, what about Uncle Daniel?” Her brother tousled the boy’s hair. “I thought we were going to have all kinds of adventures together.”
Julia giggled. “As long as you behave yourself, Mr. Livingston, we might allow you to join us.”
As the trio walked away, Luke beamed a smile back at her over his shoulder.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Mrs. Sawyer.” Joseph’s strong arms wrapped around her waist.
“Oh, have you now? What moment is that?”
“The moment I can have you to myself and do this.” He lowered his head and kissed her.
Heat filled her face at the passion he ignited within her. When he pulled away, she couldn’t help but fan herself with her hand. “Mr. Sawyer, you have my permission to do that as often as you like.”
“I like the way you think.” He took her hand and tucked it into the crook in his arm and pulled her close to his side as he walked toward the door. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, sweetheart.”
“Of course.”
“What do you think of opening a store of our own here?”
“What about the mine? And what kind of store?”
“Any kind of store you’d like. I’m actually thinking of opening several. As to the mine, I’ve already sold it. I’ve made plenty of money and would like to help Dewei and his brothers bring the rest of their families over one day and work for us or Daniel. They are hard workers and deserve the chance and opportunity of freedom in America.” He pulled her closer and kissed the tip of her nose. “Besides, the gold I was searching for was not in a mine. I found it in you, my bride.”
His words made every nerve ending in her come alive. This man was hers. He loved her. Found her more valuable than gold. And he loved God. Was there anything more precious?
Standing on her toes, she kissed him again with all the desire and love she held for this wonderful man.
He wrapped his arms around her as he deepened the kiss, and a pleasant moan escaped his lips. “I love you, Olivia Sawyer.”
Olivia Sawyer looked out the window at her children pl
aying in the yard. The Lord had blessed them with eight beautiful precious lives, and she thanked Him every day. God was indeed the God of second chances. She’d never forget how He’d changed her life from negativity to joy.
The clock in the hall chimed. Daniel and Julia and their family would be arriving in about an hour. She had just enough time before dinner to write in her journal. The beautiful box from her mother sat next to her chair where she embroidered, read her Bible, and cuddled with her children. Opening it up, she pulled out the stack of journals. Running her hands over each cover, Olivia prayed that she could pass on a legacy of faith to their future generations. Just like Mary Elizabeth Lytton and Faith Weber. She pressed the priceless, fragile books against her chest.
“What are those, Mama?” Emma—their thirteen-year-old daughter—stood by her chair and placed her hand on Olivia’s shoulder.
She’d always kept the books buried deep in the chest so sticky little hands couldn’t get to them, and the children knew never to open the prized box. But it was time. Time for her to pass on her heritage. “These are journals of my great-grandmother and my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.”
Emma’s love of books and writing had joined with her sweet and quiet spirit. The look of awe on her face made Olivia smile. “How old are they?”
“This one is from 1620.” She reverently held the cracked leather volume. “And this one”—she held up the other—”is from later in the 1700s.”
“That’s a long time ago.”
“Yes, my sweet Emma, it is. But when I was going through one of the hardest times of my life, these two journals—written by women in our family all those generations ago—they encouraged me and helped me to fall in love with your father.”
“Really?” A smile spread across her daughter’s face.
Olivia nodded.
The front door swung open, and Joseph stepped in. “Well, there’s two of my beautiful ladies.”
Olivia stood and went over to hug the man she’d loved for close to twenty years. “You’re home early. What a lovely surprise!” She kissed him full on the mouth, and Emma giggled.
“Mama was just telling me about how she fell in love with you.” Their daughter’s syrupy voice teased.
“Oh, she was now?” He pulled Olivia closer and kissed her forehead. “Did she tell you that I fell in love with her a long time before she fell in love with me?”
Raising one of her eyebrows, Olivia gave him what she hoped was a fierce look. “Now, now. It wasn’t that much time before I fell in love with you.”
“Oh, it was torture, I assure you.” Joseph sat on the sofa, and Emma cuddled up next to him, all ears, waiting for what he would say. Olivia placed the books back in the trunk as he told his tall tale of romance. It made her smile that this man loved her so unconditionally. Even with all her flaws.
The life they’d built together in San Francisco was beautiful. After he’d sold the mine, Joseph had built several stores throughout the city, which had grown in number over the years. Just as he’d promised, the first one had been hers—a millinery shop. With lots of blue hats. Known for quality merchandise and fair prices—even when the competition was charging outlandish prices—the Sawyer businesses had thrived. The Lord had blessed them abundantly. More than she’d ever imagined.
As he finished telling Emma his tale, Olivia thought back to that tumultuous time at the birth of their city. Her husband would always be her hero—not only for loving her and coming to rescue her when he’d almost died himself—but for saving hundreds of lives by putting his own life on the line. She’d regaled their children with the story of his spying, capture, and survival many times, hoping that they would pass it on to future generations because their family—and the world—needed more examples of faith and strength. It needed more men willing to sacrifice everything for the good of those around them. It needed more men who followed God with their whole hearts. The world needed more men like Joseph Sawyer.
Her heart swelled with pride. The legacy they would leave behind was beautiful because God—in His infinite wisdom—had joined the two of them together.
“What are you thinking, my love?”
She gazed up into his eyes and wrapped her arms around him. “About how I have loved being your bride all these years and how that love continues to grow each and every day.”
“The feeling is mutual.” He closed the distance between them and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
As the sound of Emma’s giggles floated over her, the rhythm of little feet running toward them made Olivia grab onto her husband even tighter. “Brace yourself,” she whispered against his mouth. “We’re about to be overtaken by our brood.”
“Oh, I think we can handle it.” He pulled her tighter against him and picked up where he had left off.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
The Gold Rush of 1849 is something that most of us have heard a lot about, but perhaps we don’t know many of the actual facts. Over time, there’s a tendency to glamorize certain aspects of history while ignoring the truth of what really happened. I found that to be the case about so much of what I thought I knew of 1849 San Francisco.
So it’s a good thing I love research. While I was researching for The Golden Bride, I discovered so much more than I’d ever anticipated. And just like all my other historical novels, I love to give you a note at the end with the chance to look up some of the interesting things for yourself should you wish to further explore our great country’s history.
Many things about this point in history are pretty dark. So to keep the story from depressing or disgusting you, I only touched on some of these aspects briefly. But like all our history, it’s important that we know the truth of what happened. I know how enlightening it has been for me to understand so much more of what went on during this time period.
If you’d like to know more for yourself, a lot of wonderful resources are online and of course there are many books. One of the books that I found fascinating was Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide by Rand Richards. A wonderful map from the time period can be seen here: www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~1934~190050:Official-Map-of-San-Francisco-Comp.
I always try to include a little bit about what was real and what was not. The schoolhouse on Portsmouth Square was indeed the police’s first office. Built in 1847, the one-room schoolhouse was at Clay Street. Because all the students—and the teacher—had headed off to find their fortunes as soon as gold was discovered, it was the logical solution given that population growth overwhelmed the city structure so rapidly. There’s a ton of information at sanfranciscopolice.org/sfpd-history that helps to give an even greater glimpse into what they dealt with to get things under control in the exploding city.
The mention in The Golden Bride of the fire that burned down the Shades Hotel was the first of many fires to plague the city. It indeed happened in January of 1849. When the Philadelphia burned in June of that same year, it was only another reminder that if they didn’t do something about it, their city could be gone in a flash. In fact, there were six fires in addition to this that were called great fires in the first two-three years. The next fire would be the first great fire. It was a horrifically destructive fire—which was the fear of many—and is just like the one in the story on Christmas Eve. More than a million dollars of property was destroyed in just a few hours. And all three of these fires were in the crazy year of 1849 in the midst of the crime, filth, and population boom. The more I researched about the history of San Francisco and what we now call the Gold Rush, the more I realized that I needed to include one of the city’s greatest nemeses: fire.
Real people included in the story: Military Governor General Bennet C. Riley (California was a territory at the time); the first alcalde and then mayor (in 1850 once California became a state) of San Francisco, John Geary; and San Francisco’s first police captain, Malachi Fallon. Please note that I created their personalities for the story.
The crime, filth, shacks, tents—it was all real. And probably so much worse than we can imagine. All in all, the original San Francisco is nothing like the prestigious and world-renowned city of San Francisco of today.
John Geary’s speech in chapter eighteen is taken from sources that quote his speech. I was impressed by his words and his heart to tackle the massive duty before him. You can see parts of it here at this link: www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Mayors_1850–1897
A lot of readers ask about my favorite snippet of history that I learn while doing research. Most of the time, it’s something that I used in the novel—for instance in The Patriot Bride, I used Benjamin Franklin’s love of air baths—but this time, I didn’t use my favorite fact in the story but want to pass it on to you.
Did you know that San Francisco expanded its shoreline out into the sea and some areas of the city are built upon landfill? And not just landfill, but sunken ships! Somewhere in my memory, I recalled hearing that notion. But I had no idea how much or where until I started my research. Since it was fascinating to me, I thought I’d include a little peek for you into this interesting piece of history. Check out the map at the link listed to see for yourself news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/map-ships-buried-san-francisco/.
It has been a pleasure to share with you another story in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. Thank you for traveling with me.
I couldn’t do this without you.
Enjoy the journey,
Kimberley
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It takes so many people to put a book like this into your hands. Each time, I’m amazed and grateful.
But this time, I feel like I need to pour out my gratefulness in truckloads full because life just threw some crazy punches. I had a cross-country move and a horrible five-week-knock-me-flat illness that threw the schedule topsy-turvy.