Pamela San Francisco — 1906 A Crack in the Foundation

“By 1906, Teresa has become one of the most popular madams in the city.” Ryan says. “Men of all professions and sentiments find release in unseen dens inside her warren. Preachers sneak in and out of hidden passages nightly to worship at the warm alters of Aphrodite. Politicians gather in the parlor, drinking champagne and whisky, trading bon mots before bed.

“A woman who wants to be the equal of a man, lacks vision and ambition,” she told her girls. “I’ve tried marriage and I’ve tried sin and believe me, marriage is just whoring yourself to one instead of many.”

“But in spite of silks, velvets and jewels, Joseph visits Teresa nightly. The twilight sky is the same dark blue his eyes had been. When she awakes, her sheets are damp with his fresh baby scent. The aroma envelops her.