Rescuing the Heiress

by Valerie Hansen

  Seeking to find a landmark and get her bearings again she stood on tiptoe. All she could see in the distance was the same surging, jostling, pushing, determined kind of horde that surrounded her.

  Outside the park boundaries a steady procession of erstwhile evacuees rushed by, headed for the docks or to the railway station although Tess couldn’t imagine that those tracks were in any better shape than the buckled remains of the trolley routes that had been thrust out of the ground like so many twisted jackstraws.

  As she turned back to scan the park grounds, the head of a familiar-looking gray horse rose above the hats of men and women in the distance. Tess’s jaw gaped. She stared. Someone was driving her buggy toward her, against the main flow of pedestrian traffic. No one had permission to take her rig. Therefore, a thief must be making off with their only means of transportation!

  Hiking her skirt to her shoe tops, she began to elbow, shoulder and zigzag her way through the crowd as best she could. “Excuse me. Let me through. Please, move aside. I must get past.”

  Time slowed. She felt as if she were taking one step back for every two she took forward. People pushed her. Blocked her without seeming to even notice. Impeded her progress until she was ready to scream.

  She refused to give up. Surrounded closely by the swarm of people, she could no longer actually see the horse’s approach but she remembered that it had been headed for the gateway she had finally reached. Praise God.

  Panting to catch her breath and coughing from the smoky air, she waited while trying again to peek over the heads and hats that kept interfering with her view.

  The horse suddenly burst through as the crowd parted and gave ground. Tess lunged for its bridle and grabbed a fistful of reins below its bit, shouting, “Stop! Thief!”

  Startled, the animal tossed its head, nearly lifting her off the ground. She held tight. Her sharp cry of, “Stop this buggy this instant,” seemed to have the desired effect because the command was obeyed.

  Ready to shout for a policeman or at least appeal to passersby to assist her in exacting justice, Tess gritted her teeth, stepped to one side of the heavily muscled horse’s chest and looked up, ready to give the driver a good scolding.

  Her jaw dropped. Michael?

  The fight went out of her as quickly as her breath had and she sagged against the animal’s neck, overcome with gratitude to her heavenly Father for bringing them together again in spite of the turmoil.

  Michael was beside her in a heartbeat, taking her in his arms and consoling her. “Calm down. It’s just me. You’re all right.”

  All right? Oh, yes. She was more than all right. She was superb.

  Her own arms slipped around his waist. She knew she should say something, do something, but for those few precious moments all she wanted was to stay precisely where she was. With him. With her Michael. As long as he was willing to hold her close and comfort her, she was more than delighted to let him do so.

  “I have to borrow the horse and buggy,” he said, lightly kissing the top of her head and noting how satiny her lovely hair felt in spite of its tangles. “I knew you wouldn’t mind. Most of the buildings in the city aren’t safe. I’m going to be bringing in the folks who want to come here and can’t make it on their own.” His grip tightened for a moment before he released her. “Can you get back to Annie and Mrs. Dugan by yourself?”

  He could tell Tess wanted to say no, but she nodded affirmatively instead. That was like her. She might be barely able to drag one foot after the other, yet she’d insist she was fine.

  “I’ll make sure I come by to check on you as often as I can,” he said. “I promise.”

  She gazed up at him. “What about the fires? They must be bad. We can see a lot of smoke from here. Look at this air. I hurts to take a deep breath.”

  “I know.” Michael wasn’t sure how much to tell her, then decided that knowing the truth was better than believing the wild rumors that were undoubtedly circulating.

  “Chief Dennis Sullivan, the man I was counting on to manage this battle, was mortally injured in the quake,” he said, watching her reaction and seeing the empathy he knew she’d express.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “We all are. It’s my understanding that some of the alarms are being repaired but so far there’s no real organization. Fires are burning around Market and Kearney, and of course on Geary Street where the Dugans’ house was.”

  “There must be more than that,” Tess said, gripping his forearm and blinking back tears. “I know I see signs in other places.”

  He noted the passage of the bright silk robes of a group of Chinese: men, women and children as well as two-wheeled carts of trade goods and personal possessions. “Aye. I expect Chinatown to be leveled, if it isn’t already. Those shacks are like a tinderbox just waiting for the strike of a match.”

  Michael knew it was wrong to delay any longer when he was sorely needed for the rescue efforts. Tearing himself away from Tess was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

  “I have to go,” he said tenderly as he pried her fingers from his arm. “I have work to do.”

  “I know.” Wide-eyed, she stared up at him. “I can’t just sit here and bide my time when I may be able to help, too. Take me with you.”

  “That’s out of the question.” He was about to turn away when she grabbed his shoulder.

  “No! Wait. I have a wonderful idea. There are more horses and buggies in our stables. If we head that direction I can hitch up a much bigger rig and we can either each drive one or I can ride with you. What do you say?”

  His initial reaction was denial. Then he gave her idea more thought and had to agree that portions of it had merit, though it was also fraught with danger.

  “How do you propose to get a larger buggy like the cabriolet through these streets?” he asked. “Chances are good it will break down before we’ve gone a block. What then?”

  Facing him, Tess fisted her hands on her hips. “That rig you’re driving is the most fragile of them all and you know it. Papa has an old freight wagon at home. It’s sturdy oak, with wire-rimmed wheels. If we hitch a four horse team and put your sensible, strong one in the wheel position for stopping power on the hills, we should be fine. And we’ll be able to haul a lot more, too.”

  “That makes sense,” Michael finally said. “Give me a note so your grooms know I have permission and I’ll do it.” He could tell before he’d finished speaking that his alteration of her proposal was not going to meet with her approval. Not even slightly.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Tess said with a lopsided smile. “I’m not going to make it easy for you to get away from me this time. If you get orders to go fight fires I won’t argue, but until that time I’m going to become your shadow.”

  “You are a stubborn, willful woman, Miss Clark. Do you know that?”

  “I certainly do,” Tess replied. Her grin spread. “Now, are you going to stand there and debate or are you going to drive me back to see Annie so I can tell her where I’m going?”

  Without ceremony he hustled her to the buggy, spanned her small waist with his hands and lifted her high enough to place her feet inside while she shrieked the way she used to when they had played and teased as children.

  Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flaming when she plopped down onto the seat, slid over and watched him climb aboard.

  Michael took up the reins. So far, he’d had no problem with anyone trying to usurp their transportation but he knew that was probably only because those fleeing the city were not yet desperate enough to begin acting like an unruly mob. That kind of behavior would start soon, he feared. Which was another reason why he’d have preferred that Tess stay with the Dugans and that everyone remain inside the park. There they’d be safe from possible aftershocks, spreading fires and anticipated threats of violence.

  He cast her a sidelong glance and found himself admiring her fortitude immensely. She was an extraordinary person, one he was privileged t
o know. That she was a comely woman, even with her long hair hanging loose and her cheeks smudged, did not escape him either. Nor would it escape the notice of the city’s criminals when the usual rule of law was overturned due to a lack of ready enforcers.

  Once they reached the Clark estate, Michael vowed, he was going to do more than change wagons. He was going to arm himself so he could defend Tess’s honor. That was an added reason to keep her close by, he rationalized. As long as she was with him she’d be even safer than if he’d left her alone with the others in the park.

  His justification wasn’t really logical. He knew that. He also knew he considered it providential that he had encountered Tess at all. If it hadn’t been for the tall, stalwart fire horse standing out above most of the crowd he’d have had a terrible time locating Annie and Rose in the first place. His disappointment when Tess had not been with them had been palpable.

  That was when he’d begun praying to see her again. And soon after that she’d run up to him and accused him of theft. Given the slim chances of that meeting amidst all this chaos, he had to assume that his fervent prayers had been answered.

  Transferring both driving lines to his left, he took her hand in his right and held it gently. “It will be worse out there every time you go. People are hurt and dying. So are animals. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  When she threaded her slim fingers between his, smiled and said, “I can do anything if I’m with you,” Michael was immediately so filled with joy he felt shamefaced. It seemed wrong to experience happiness when so many were suffering. Yet when Tess was by his side, how could he possibly feel otherwise?

  Chapter Fourteen

  During the tortuous drive back to Nob Hill, Tess tried to focus on how she’d help others rather than dwell on the dire situations she couldn’t hope to alleviate. So much misery. So much loss. If she opened her mind to the vast hopelessness all around her she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to function at all, let alone make herself useful.

  Michael guided the buggy past the impressive Crocker and Huntington estates, then turned up the drive of the house she had called home for her entire life. It was good to see how little damage the stone-clad mansion had sustained, although it did show thin cracks radiating out from the corners of a few of the tallest windows gracing the drawing room and her father’s library.

  Mary was waiting on the stoop next to the kitchen door, wiping her hands on her apron, when Tess climbed down and embraced her.

  “You brought her back.” Mary looked lovingly at her son. “Bless you.”

  “We’re not staying,” Michael said. “Tess will explain. I’m going to the stables to water this horse and change rigs. While I do that, you two start packing up more bandages and supplies.”

  “Of course.”

  Tess could see unshed tears brimming in the older woman’s eyes and she realized there was moisture in hers, too. She normally wasn’t one to weep so easily. Apparently, the sight of so much suffering had brought many people to the edge of their endurance, including her.

  She whisked the telltale dampness off her cheeks as she led the way into the kitchen. Mary had managed to lay out a grand spread of food on the table as if expecting guests.

  “Have many people stopped by to eat?” Tess asked.

  “Only your father and a few of the servants, so far. Mister Gerald said he left some of the men watching his bank and was going to drive around in his motorcar looking for more to hire as guards.”

  “You did tell him where I’d gone, didn’t you?”

  The look of pity on the cook’s face told Tess what had happened. Regardless, she chose to ask, “He didn’t even miss me, did he?”

  “He was just preoccupied with other things,” Mary alibied. “I’m sure he figured you were right here with me, like you are now.”

  “Well, I’m not staying,” Tess said firmly. “I’m going back down the hill with Michael.”

  “Mercy, no!” Mary’s hands worried the apron into a knot. “You can’t be doin’ that. Not with everybody in such a tizzy. ’Tis safer here.”

  “Nevertheless, I intend to help all I can. Michael needs me. I’m going to be there for him.”

  “Is he daft?” She grasped Tess’s shoulders. “Think, girl. What if you’re attacked? There’s always a bad element by those docks. No tellin’ what they’ll get up to once they see there’s no law.”

  “I’ve thought of that. So has Michael. I promised to fetch Father’s pistols and a box of bullets. We won’t be going back unarmed.”

  Mary began to wring her hands and weep. “You can’t do that. I’ve heard shooting. And terrible explosions.”

  “That’s just the authorities clearing a path so the fire can’t progress. Michael heard that Mayor Schmitz and General Funston decided to use dynamite to make a firebreak around the mint.”

  “What about all the gunshots? How can you hope to hold your own if there’s so much lawlessness?”

  “Most of that firing was probably from the army,” Tess said. “The mayor himself told the soldiers to shoot looters on sight.” She patted the cook’s hands. “Don’t worry on our account. Michael knows all the firemen and most of the police by sight, if not by name. We’ll be fine.”

  Squaring her shoulders and wiping her eyes with the corner of her apron, Mary regained control. “Well, then, don’t just stand there, girl. Go fetch those pistols while I pack you some more food.”

  Tess paused just long enough to plant a kiss on the older woman’s damp cheek, then turned and raced up the stairs to her boudoir. She grabbed a carpet bag from the armoire and quickly stuffed it with extra articles of clothing and toiletries she thought she might need.

  Pausing to scan her room and think, she was about to head down to the library to raid her father’s gun cabinet when she remembered her mother’s journal.

  Before she could change her mind, she slid a hand beneath her bed pillows and retrieved the slim, ribbon-tied volume. It went into the carpetbag with her clothes. Then, she wheeled and ran.

  With no handy helpers left at the Clark estate, it took Michael nearly fifteen minutes to find suitable harnessing for the rest of the team he was assembling. He was finishing preparing the fourth horse when Tess joined him.

  “Good choices,” she said, tossing her bag and some bedding into the wagon bed while Mary added sacks of food before returning to the kitchen for more.

  “Put big Jake, the roan, in the other wheel position,” Tess said, “and I’ll hitch my mare in front of him.”

  “I couldn’t find any tack here that would begin to span the girth of the gray,” Michael replied. “It’s a good thing he already had most of his fire department rig on when I found him running loose.”

  “Father prefers lighter, faster teams, as you can tell.”

  “Where is he?” Michael asked, dreading the possibility that Gerald Clark might venture outside and accost them.

  Tess’s sharp “Ha!” told him otherwise. “Papa is off tending his money, as usual,” she said. “He’s so concerned about me he didn’t even remember to ask after my welfare when he came home to get his automobile.”

  “Just as well.” Michael chanced a grin in the hopes it would lift her spirits. “I’d hate to have to explain why I was making off with his horses, his wagon and his daughter.” To his relief, Tess smiled.

  “Plus the brace of ivory-handled pistols in my carpetbag,” she said. “I think he’d be more concerned about getting those guns and his rig back, especially if we were taking the cabriolet. I seriously doubt he’ll miss this wagon. Or me.”

  “That’s another good reason to stay with me. I missed you so badly this morning I almost gave up my job just to come looking for you.”

  “I know you’d never really do that,” she said, gazing at him so sweetly his heart nearly melted. “But I do thank you for the kind thought.”

  Quickly convincing himself that he needed to double-check the traces on her side, Michael ducked under the chins of
the two leading horses to bring himself closer to Tess before he spoke from the heart. “What you said when I saw you after the opera was right. We do need to have a private talk. When this is all over there are some important things to discuss.” Emboldened by the tender look in her eyes he grasped both her hands.

  Without any comment other than a slight smile, Tess tilted up her face, closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss across his lips.

  It was barely a breath, like the warm summer breezes that sometimes drifted over the hills toward the sea, yet it touched him so deeply he could hardly think, let alone find the rest of the words he wanted to speak.

  He knew this was not the right time to confess his love for Tess, no matter how badly he wanted to. Delaying their return to the city for any reason could cost innocent lives. Thinking only of themselves was not the proper way for good Christians—or anyone else, for that matter—to behave.

  Michael bent to return her kiss and lingered mere moments before he steeled himself to face his duty and whispered, “We need to go.”

  It seemed to Tess that the more needy people they stopped and picked up, the more they encountered waiting by the side of the road and begging for a lift. The wagon bed was already filled to overflowing, plus there were able-bodied men walking alongside while their women and children rode.

  Tess was thankful that Michael’s temporary assignment was to rescue and gather the living because they had passed many other wagons, and even a few automobiles, that were being used to haul away the dead. Those sights were so ghastly and shocking they turned her stomach.

  He halted the team when they came upon another fireman in uniform. The man was bending over his buggy. Judging by the way its body was canted, the axel had snapped.

  Michael called to him. “Chief Walters? Is that you?”

  The man straightened. “Aye. Mahoney?”

  “Yes, sir.” Michael saluted. “I’ve been looking for you. Any orders?”