Knowing the Alcott family gave me a personal connection toLittle Women. It would help as I portrayed Jo’s character, but ithad also been part of the reason Father became destitute, and I had concocted this plan to come to California before my twenty-fifth birthday, in case I didn’t stay here.
I put Hazel down once we reached Montgomery Street, which was level, and it would be easier for her to walk. With each step toward Bess’s Place, my apprehension grew. I would need to stay awake tonight for as long as possible to be on guard. I prayed the fire wouldn’t touch Bess’s Place, because I wasn’t sure how I would get HazelandFather to safety.
When we finally arrived, men were lined up near the front door to be let in for supper. Bess cleared the dining room after each meal so she could do her other chores, but she said that the men started to line up about an hour before each meal and lazed around outside the building until it was time to come in.
As I passed by, several of them called out, and I received another marriage proposal. Hazel’s hand was sweaty, but she still didn’t look scared or uncertain. Her youthful innocence was one of the things I wanted to preserve in this fearsome place.
The front room was empty as we entered the building, though voices from the kitchen told me Bess was there. After Hazel and I checked on Father and I left her to keep him company, I walked into the kitchen to offer my help.
“Stop, Cole.”
I paused in the doorway as a man cornered Bess.
“Come on, Bess. You know you want me this close. I see it in your eyes every time you look at me.”
His hands were pressed to the walls on either side of her as she held a wooden spoon. A large pot boiled on the stove, and the smell of beef stew filled the air. Several loaves of bread rested on the worktable—and Johnnie sat on a chair, his face downcast.
“Sam won’t know,” Cole continued as he leaned forward. “And the kid won’t tell him.”
Bess turned her face away from his attempted kiss, and that’s when she saw me. “Ally.” I couldn’t tell if she was relieved or scared that I’d caught them. “Y-you’re back sooner than expected.”
Cole moved away from Bess and turned to me. He was a handsome young man, though he seemed aware of his charms. He moved with the ease and grace of someone confident in their power over the fairer sex. “We haven’t met yet, Miss Adams, but your beauty precedes you. It’s all anyone’s been talking about today.”
“How do you do?” I took an apron off the hook near the door. Though he didn’t look like Spencer Hayes, they had some of the same mannerisms and charm. What would Cole think if he knew that his experiences would be turned into a movie one day—something that hadn’t even been invented in this path yet?
He studied me for a moment as Bess ran her hand over her hair and straightened the folds of her skirt.
Something about the way he looked at me made a shiver run up my spine, but I wasn’t sure why. From all accounts, Cole Goodman was a respectable and honest man. At least, that’s what he portrayed in his book.
“Go on, Cole,” Bess said. “You know Sam doesn’t like when you come around.”
Cole scoffed and ruffled Johnnie’s hair as he walked toward the door, allowing his arm to brush against mine as he passed. “I’ll see you tonight, Bess,” he said with a wink, then left the kitchen.
“Don’t mind him.” Bess stood as if she wasn’t certain which way she should turn, then went to the stove to stir the stew. “Start slicing the bread. The men will be wanting their supper soon.” She nodded at Johnnie. “Fetch the water, son. I need to get the coffee started.”
Johnnie left the kitchen without a word.
Why didn’t the boy speak? I wanted to ask her, though it wasn’t my business. Who knew what atrocities the boy had seen with Sam Kendal as his father?
“Please don’t tell Sam that Cole was here.” Bess spoke softly. “He’d hurt Cole if he caught him with me.”
I had no intention of telling Sam anything.
Bess was quiet for a moment, and then she set down the spoon and joined me at the worktable. “I know you don’t want to stayin Sydney Town, and I don’t blame you. But I could use the extra help around here, and Johnnie needs another child’s influence in his life.” She wrapped her fingers in her apron, looking down at the table. “At least until your father is better. He can keep the bunk he’s in, and all of you can eat and sleep here for free. I can even give you a little extra money to save up on the side.” When I didn’t respond, she added, “Sam owns a lot on Portsmouth Square, and he’s building a respectable hotel and restaurant there. He wants to get Johnnie out of Sydney Town. We both do. If you’re still here when he finishes it, you can keep working for him there.”
“For him?” I frowned as I stopped slicing the bread. “Isn’t this your place?”
“It has my name, but it’s Sam’s business. When we got to San Francisco in April, we didn’t have a penny to our name. One of Sam’s old friends from Austra—” She paused and smoothed out her apron. “His friend gave us this lot, and I started cooking under a makeshift tent with stumps for chairs and five chipped plates to serve on. People started to refer to my ramshackle restaurant as Bess’s Place, so when Sam had this building erected a couple weeks later, the name stuck. He’s been saving every penny he can to build us a proper place up on the hill.”
Of course this was Sam’s business. But after tonight he’d be hanged, and then where would I—
My thoughts paused.
Not only would Sam get hanged for trying to trap Cole in a building, but also for his wife’s death. Which meant that Johnnie would have no mother or father after today.
My heart broke for the little boy who was already facing a difficult life without the ability to speak. What would become of him? Who would take him? Was there a home for orphans in San Francisco? Even if there was, I couldn’t imagine what kind of life he’d have there.
Johnnie shouldn’t have to suffer, not if I could do something about it. I would need to take care of him after the fire until other arrangements could be made. If I could, I would change historyand make sure Bess wasn’t anywhere near the fire tonight so she could stay with her son, but if I knowingly changed it, I would forfeit this path. And I couldn’t leave Father and Hazel to fend for themselves, especially now.
