Сьюзен Виггз - The Lost and Found Bookshop

“Looks vintage,” said Peach. “And it’s in good condition. Think it’s collectible?”

“That would be an understatement. It’s not an Audubon book. I think this might be the Audubon book.”

“That’s a damn big book,” Peach said, nuzzling her neck.

The nuzzling sent a frisson of warmth through her, but she stayed focused on the large volume on the bench. “It’s printed on double elephant folio paper. That was the largest available at the time of printing. Audubon wanted the drawings to be life-size.”

She opened to the middle of the book. The hand-colored print of a pair of sage hens bore the artist’s signature precision and delicacy, the caption printed in ornate style. “It took him something like ten years to publish this in the 1830s. If this is what I think it is, it’s . . . God, I’m scared to say. The two most recent sales were for about ten million.” She nearly choked on the amount. “I need to call Tess.”

“There’s something we need to do first.” He started nuzzling again.

“Now? Seriously?” she said, wavering between desire, amusement, and urgency. She stood up and turned in his arms and he kissed her, deeply and tenderly.

“Seriously.” He sank to one knee, and she grabbed him, thinking he’d fallen. Then he looked up at her, and she nearly fell.

“Peach—”

“It would probably be smarter to wait, but when it comes to you, Natalie Inga Harper, I’m not smart.” He pressed his lips to her hand. “Listen. You might have just won the lottery—or not. Maybe it’s El Dorado. Or maybe it’s fool’s gold. So I’m asking you before we know the answer. That way you’ll know I’m asking because I love you and I want forever with you, no matter what.”

Again she said, “Peach—”

He stood up. “I want to marry you. I’m asking you to marry me.”

The ridiculous words shook her. Tears blurred her vision, and yet she laughed. He always made her laugh. And something inside her knew that he always, always would. “You’re crazy,” she said.

“Maybe. Yeah,” he agreed. “And you’re going to love that about me, I swear.”

She already did love that about him. “But, Peach—”

Reaching up, he touched a finger to her lips. “Pretty sure I started falling for you the first day I saw you crying on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore.”

Natalie would always remember that he had been kind and patient that day. She wanted to forget what a mess she’d been at that moment. She took his hand away. “You thought I was a homeless woman.”

“I thought you were sad and beautiful and someone I wanted to know. Every moment I spent with you made me feel alive again. I wrote songs about you . . .” He paused, and she was shocked to hear a quaver in his voice. “Say yes, Natalie. It’s not hard.”

It wouldn’t be easy, either. She was not so naïve as to think this would be a walk in the park. Peach would challenge her. He would also love her with his whole big giant soft heart. Last night, she’d told him she was about to lose everything, and it hadn’t mattered at all to him. Instead, he’d made it clear that she mattered.

She laughed with the madness of it all. He had already changed her heart, made her feel braver, bolder. “If this is what I think it is,” she said, gesturing at the folio, “can we honeymoon in Spain?”

“We can honeymoon on the moon if you want. But honestly, I’d go anywhere with you. A beach motel. A cave. Seriously, anywhere.”

Her laughter fluttered into wonder. And even though it was the biggest leap of faith she’d ever taken, she trusted that. Trusted him. Trusted whatever the future held.

Epilogue

Rare Audubon Masterpiece Sells at Auction for Record $11 Million

SAN FRANCISCO—John James Audubon’s four-volume masterwork, The Birds of America , sold in a fiercely competitive bidding war at Sheffield Auction House, to a bidder who requested anonymity. The buyer, a philanthropist and connoisseur of rare books, will gift it to the California Museum of History, Arts and Sciences. The work is the artist’s crowning achievement—a four-tome folio of 435 hand-colored prints depicting life-size birds in their natural habitats.

According to provenance expert Theresa Delaney Rossi, the recently found treasure was originally the property of William Randolph Hearst, who acquired it from his father, Senator George Hearst. During his post-Harvard years in San Francisco, Hearst gifted the set to a woman of his acquaintance, an Irish immigrant named Colleen O’Rourke, who was presumed killed in the earthquake and fire of 1906. Her son, Julius Harper, was one of hundreds of orphans who survived the disaster and was raised in the San Francisco Orphan Asylum.

As a young man and veteran of World War I, Julius Harper discovered that his childhood home, the Sunrose Building on Perdita Street, was still standing, but in a derelict state. He acquired the property and lived there for the rest of his life, always convinced that his mother had left a treasure behind, but it was never found.

The building now belongs to Andrew Harper, 79, owner of the Lost and Found Bookshop. The December earthquake caused significant damage to the building, and in the aftermath, the books were found behind a basement wall that had collapsed in the quake.

[ Caption: Pictured above: Andrew Harper and his granddaughter, bookstore owner Natalie Harper, in front of the Sunrose Building.]

Mr. Harper was inundated with offers from private collectors and institutions. “It’s a treasure in my possession, but it doesn’t belong to me,” he said in a statement. “It belongs to the world. Once I look after my own obligations and settle my debts, the proceeds will fund conservation.”

True to his word, Andrew Harper created a nonprofit sustaining fund to benefit the National Bird Conservation Society. He also founded the Perdita Street Memory Center, a residence providing compassionate care for patients living with dementia.

* * *

Local Playwright Wins Major Award

SAN FRANCISCO—Playwright Cleo Chan has won the Bay Area Critics’ Circle Prize for her drama, “The Lost and Found Bookshop: A Grand Adventure,” a beguiling play based on a speculative relationship between a scullery-maid-turned-artist in old San Francisco and William Randolph Hearst. Inspired by true events, the story traces the journey of a rare book and its impact on one local family.

The production opened at the Sutter Theatre and quickly gained acclaim for its imaginative historical content. The performance of dramatic actor Bertrand “Bertie” Loftis, whose compelling and unexpectedly vulnerable young Hearst has been lauded as his breakthrough role, earned him a citation for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role.

[ Caption: Pictured above: Playwright Cleo Chan, actor Bertie Loftis, with real-life owner of the Lost and Found Bookshop, Natalie Harper Gallagher, at Sutter Theatre.]

The ceremony was held at the Hilltop Marquis. Both Chan and Loftis dedicated their awards in memory of the late Andrew Harper, Bay Area philanthropist.

* * *

Births Deaths Marriages

MERCY HEIGHTS HOSPITAL—Peter “Peach” Gallagher and Natalie Gallagher announce the birth of their son, Andrew Julius Gallagher.

Andrew Julius arrived on Monday, March 23, at 4:47 a.m., weighing in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces, 20 3/4 inches in length.

His sister, Dorothy Gale Gallagher, is twelve and an honor student at Greenhill Academy.

Acknowledgments

This book started as a conversation with two of the best writers I know—John Saul and his partner, Michael Sack. Thank you, gentlemen, for the uproarious brainstorming that launched an idea. The story was further refined with advice from the brilliant story analyst and friend Michael Hauge.