Chapter 22
Hollywood, California
Brilliant sunshine brushed my face as I slowly opened my eyes the next morning.
It was the first time in weeks in this path that I didn’t wake up before the sun to head to Bennett Studios.
I wanted to languish in the slow morning, but there was too much to tell my parents, and I was afraid Papa had already left for the day to work on postproduction.
His schedule wouldn’t ease up until the movie released.
As quickly as I could, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my silk kimono off the footboard, slipping it on as I ran out the door. The smell of coffee wafted up the back stairs as I made my way into the kitchen, tucking a wayward lock of hair under my sleeping cap.
Mama glanced up from the stove, where she set the coffeepot, a beautiful smile warming her face. “Good morning, Ally.”
“Good morning, Mama. Are you the only one awake?”
“Papa is in his study gathering his things to head to the studio, but everyone else is still in bed. I didn’t want to wake anyone, since we’ve all been working so hard.”
“Can we talk to Papa?” I asked quickly. “Before he leaves? I have a few things I need to tell both of you.”
“Of course.” She set her coffee cup down, frowning at my anxious words. “Grant?” she said as she moved out of the kitchen. “Are you still here?”
I followed her into the front hall and toward Papa’s study. He was standing behind his desk, putting papers into his briefcase. He glanced up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Mama said as she turned and motioned toward me. “Ally wants to talk to us before you leave.”
“Can it wait? I’m already late.”
“It’s kind of important.” I paused. “Actually, it’s very important.”
“Should we sit down?” Mama asked, her voice dipping with concern.
“I think so.” I took one of the chairs across from Papa’s desk, not able to keep myself standing for this discussion.
Papa frowned as he set aside his briefcase and took a seat.
Mama also sat, taking the chair next to me. She grabbed my hand and said, “What is it, Ally? What’s wrong?”
I took a deep breath. “First the good news.”
That seemed to brighten their expressions.
“We found gold. Sam and I brought back over one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, and it’s at the assayer’s office in 1849. Tomorrow, I’ll put it in the Wells Fargo Bank, and then the next day we should be able to go get it.”
Mama’s eyebrows came up as she shook her head in amazement. “That’s wonderful, Ally! I’ve been too afraid to ask how things were going because I wasn’t sure if you were successful.”
“I am going to keep half of it for Father and Hazel,” I told them, “but the other half is for you and Bennett Studios. Hopefully with the rate of inflation, it should be worth a lot more money now.”
“Ally.” Papa stood and came around the desk to give me a hug. “Thank you. I can’t begin to tell you how much that will help us. But are you sure you want us to have it?”
“It’s the only reason I went.” I nodded. “It’s all yours.”
“Thank you,” Mama echoed. “It really will help us get over this slump until the movie releases.”
“Good.” I took another deep breath, and this time I couldn’t meet their gazes.
“Now for the bad news?” Mama asked.
“It’s not bad, necessarily. It’s just—news.”
“You can tell us,” Papa assured me.
I lifted my chin and said, “Sam has asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted.” I added quickly, “But I want your blessing.”
My parents stared at me, neither one saying a word.
“I know it’s sudden,” I said, “but there are many factors that went into my decision.”
“Marry Sam?” Mama asked, blinking in confusion. “But I thought—”
“I’m confused, Ally,” Papa interrupted. “I thought you said that The Annals of San Francisco said you’d be married to him, but you weren’t going to marry him.”
“I did say that, but after we went to the Yuba River to get the gold, rumors started to circulate about us. Father is afraid that they will hurt the reputations of the school he wants to start and Sam’s business, and ultimately Hazel’s.
Father suggested we marry, and I want to honor him, but I also want to honor both of you.
And—” I played with the belt holding my kimono together. “I love Sam.”
“Ally,” Mama said my name on a breath, taking my hand in hers again. “You’re in love with him?”
“Despite my earlier reservations, I’ve discovered that he is nothing like I imagined.” Passion and love warmed my heart as I continued. “I do love him, and I would be honored to be his wife. I’ve never known anyone like him, Mama. Truly.”
“But isn’t he supposed to die in a fire the day after your birthday?” Papa asked.
“He is, and because of that, I know I can’t have a life with him.”
My parents frowned.
“You’re going to marry him, knowing you have to leave him in four weeks?” Mama asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d rather have four weeks with him than none at all. And because if I don’t, it could negatively affect all the people I love in 1849, even if I’m not there.”
Mama squeezed my hand. “Does Sam know you won’t be staying?”
“Yes. I told him I need to change history to ensure he doesn’t die, but I didn’t tell him when or how.”
“That’s a dangerous game to play,” Papa warned. “Sam shouldn’t know anything about that.”
“I couldn’t not tell him and abandon him like Bess did.”
Papa was silent for a moment, then said, “What if you can stay there?”
“What do you mean? I can’t stay there if I want to save him.”
“There might be a way.”
Mama frowned. “What are you talking about?”
I moved to the edge of my seat. “How?”
“I’ve only heard of time-crossers forfeiting one life,” Papa said. “I don’t know if they can forfeit both of them.”
Neither Mama nor I spoke for a moment as we tried to understand what he was saying.
“Do you mean,” I asked, “that if I forfeit 1929 and choose 1849 on my birthday, before I knowingly change history there, I might not forfeit that path, too?”
“I’ve never spoken to a time-crosser who has done that,” Mama said, her voice anxious. “Or anyone who knows someone who has done that. It’s too much of a risk, Grant.”
“But it could be a possibility?” I asked Papa.
“I don’t know. It’s just an idea. We would need to find out.”
A seedling of hope sprang to life in my heart. “How?”
“We can ask Grace if she knows,” Papa said, “and we can call Maggie in Washington, DC, and see if she has heard.”
“And there’s always Lydia,” I told them. “We can ask her to discuss it with Hope when she’s in 1709, and Hope can ask the Howletts. There are dozens of time-crossers in that family who might be able to help with an answer.”
Mama looked skeptical. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Ally.”
“It’s too late.” Sadness mingled with the anticipation that had already sprung to life inside my chest. “I must find a way. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try.” I looked from Mama to Papa as I said, “Do I have your blessing to marry Sam?”
“Is it what you truly want?” Papa asked, studying me closely. “You know what you’re getting yourself into?”
I wasn’t sure anyone knew what they were getting into when they married, but I nodded. “Yes.”
“Years ago,” Mama said, placing her other hand over mine, “when Julia told us that she was going to marry Peter, I told her something that I will repeat to you. Whoever is important to you is important to us, and whoever you love, we will love. It’s as simple as that.
If he is a godly man, and he loves you and will care for you as you care for him, that is all we ask. ”
“He is.”
“Then you have our blessing,” Papa said.
Overwhelming joy took hold of me, and I stood to hug them—but then reality crashed upon me, and I had to fight the grief that threatened to upend my happiness.
I prayed we could find the answer I needed.
October 10, 1929
San Francisco, California
I spent a day in 1849 planning and preparing for the wedding and depositing the gold into two accounts at Wells Fargo Bank.
One was for Father and Hazel in 1849, and the other was for Papa and me to withdraw in 1929.
Sam had been busy working on the hotel, but we had a few minutes alone, and I told him my parents had given their blessing.
I wanted to tell him what Papa had suggested, that there might be a way to stay and save his life, but I wasn’t sure if I should give him false hope.
And Papa was right. The less Sam knew about what would happen, the better.
Now, as Papa and I pulled into the San Francisco Bay area off Route 101, my heart started to pound.
The city had changed so much by 1929, it was almost as if it was a different place.
The hills and the bay were the same, but gone were the tents and canvas buildings, and in their place were brick, stucco, and wooden structures that had stood the test of time.
Many of them were influenced by the Victorian era.
The San Francisco trolleys ran up and down the streets, ringing their bells and dropping people off at various stops.
Trees, flowers, and shrubs filled the city, giving it a gentler feel.
“It’s hard to believe that so much has changed, but the Wells Fargo Bank is in the same place,” I said to Papa, who was driving Peter and Julia’s borrowed Ford.
“I’m sure you’ll recognize a few similarities,” he told me. “Though some of the bay has been filled in, and several of the ships that were left at anchor during the gold rush were buried right where they remained.”
“That’s incredible.” I shook my head. “One thing that hasn’t changed is the number of people.” We stopped to let a group cross Montgomery Street. “And the amazing diversity of races and cultures.”