He’d been shocked and delighted when she’d responded to his telegram and agreed to come.
He walked up behind her. “Kathy?”
Startled, she wheeled and turned. She recognized him and her smile became radiant.
They embraced discreetly, timidly. She pulled apart. “Did you find us a place?”
Tim grinned. “I did and it overlooks Puget Sound.”
Kathy picked up her bag and handed it to him. “Then let’s go see it.”
“What do you think?” Marcus Tovey asked. The end of the fighting had brought an end to the need for volunteer units like his and he too had been discharged. He had no plans to go back to being a Texas Ranger. He’d had enough of guns to last a lifetime.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything flatter,” Martina said with a hint of a smile. The land north of San Antonio seemed to go on forever with only slight undulations to the ground. It was certainly nothing like the mountains of her home that formed the spine of Mexico.
“How much of it do you own?” she asked.
“Several thousand acres with options to buy more. And I’ll raise cattle on them. Beef cattle for the people out east and for the growing population of California. I’ve heard from an engineer that there might also be oil underneath the land, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, California supplies all the oil we need.”
“That will change, Marcus. Just think of all the automobiles that are being built.”
Tovey grunted and concurred. He decided to make sure he owned the mineral rights to his property.
Martina urged her horse forward. “Do you call that a house?”
The one-story building looked dilapidated, but at least it was built of stone. “I’ll admit it needs work.”
“A lot of work if you expect me to live there, Marcus Tovey. And I will require something more than an outhouse.”
“Of course. But is it a place where you can learn to forget the past?”
She reached over and took his hand. “No. It’s a place to begin a future.”
Postscript
While some of the names of the participants in 1920 are very familiar to those with knowledge of twentieth-century history, some are not. In order to satisfy the curious, here is a summary of the real people and what they actually did in real history during and after the period covered by the novel.
Of the Germans, von Trotha, Scheer, the Crown Prince, Mackensen, and Hutier were real and were major players in World War I. The diplomats, Bernsdorff and Eckhardt were also real. After the defeat of Germany in 1918, they largely disappeared from the public eye. The crown prince followed his father into exile and was no longer a factor in Germany. Von Seekt gained some notoriety by helping rebuild the German Army through a secret accord with the Soviet Union. To my knowledge and with the exception of Rommel, he is the only one who had any significant Nazi connections.
The genially corrupt Italian diplomat, Golitti, continued in Italian politics until he and his cronies were pushed out by the rise of the even more corrupt Benito Mussolini.
The governors of Texas and California, as well as the mayor of San Francisco were also real people, although I used my imagination regarding their behavior, etc.
Some of the American military: Sims, Pershing, Liggett, Nolan, Connor, and Harbord, played major roles in our World War I and after.
Robert Lansing resigned as Secretary of State in 1919 and went into private law practice.
Charles Evans Hughes was named Secretary of State in 1921 and later served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Carranza was overthrown by his numerous enemies and murdered in 1920.
A number of American military personnel are recognized as major players in World War II, including Patton, Nimitz, MacArthur, and Marshall. Herbert Hoover and Eisenhower both served as presidents of the United States, with Hoover unfairly getting much of the blame for the Great Depression. John Lejeune became the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Dr. Grayson was Woodrow Wilson’s personal physician.
D.W. Griffith continued to make movies, but none were as successful, or as controversial, as Birth of a Nation.
Amelia Earhart disappeared in 1937 while flying over the Pacific.
Most of the other characters: Luke Martel, Kirsten Biel, Elise Thompson, Josh Cornell, Marcus Tovey, Mrs. Tuttle, the Dubbins boys, Steiner and Olson, and others were all figments of my imagination.
If I’ve missed anyone and you’re still curious, do what I did and look it up.
Review
“Conroy extrapolates a new and militarily plausible direction for WWII… A thrilling adventure.”
“[Conroy] adds a personal touch to alternate history by describing events through the eyes of fictional characters serving on the front lines. VERDICT: Historical accuracy in the midst of creative speculation makes this piece of alternate history believable.”
“An ensemble cast of fictional characters… and historical figures powers the meticulously researched story line with diverse accounts of the horrors of war, making this an appealing read for fans of history and alternate history alike.”
“[E]ngrossing and grimly plausible…the suspense holds up literally to the last page.”
“…moving and thought-provoking…”
“Realistic…”
“…fans of Tom Clancy and Agent Jack Bauer should find a lot to like here.”
“A significant writer of alternate history turns here to the popular topic of Pearl Harbor, producing… this rousing historical action tale.”
“A high-explosive what-if, with full-blooded characters.”
“…cleverly conceived…Conroy tells a solid what-if historical.”
“… likely to please both military history and alternative history buffs.”
BAEN BOOKS by ROBERT CONROY
Himmler’s War
Rising Sun
1920: America’s Great War
Liberty 1784 (upcoming)
Copyright
1920: America’s Great War