by C J M Naylor
Elisabeth was finding it difficult to process what Henry was asking of her. It felt wrong. She didn't know this woman. She didn't know if Henry was being honest. Yes, she had seen bits and pieces in his memories, but she couldn't be sure.
"That seems like quite a terrible thing to do," she said. "I don't even know Bessie. I don't even know if what you're telling me is true."
"Forget about her," Henry said. "Remove her from the equation. You were entranced by him, not her. Were you really going to let something like that stop you?"
He seemed enraged now, as if he wasn't thinking sensibly about what he was saying.
"And you don't need to know what she looks like," he continued, "in fact, you should try to stay away from her as much as possible. I told you about her temper. The less she knows about you, the better. We can work out the details later. I can get her to meet with me, and while I am doing that, you can court Mathias."
She shook her head at that and laughed. "This is ridiculous. Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds?" Is this what her mother had seen? Had her mother wanted her to get involved in a relationship with Mathias? Elisabeth wouldn't put it past her mother to want her to carry through some scheme to get a man to end his relationship with another woman. Lucinda would find a great pleasure in such an act.
"Please," Henry begged her. "I know this sounds ludicrous, but please. Please help me."
Elisabeth looked away for a moment, out through the window watching as people walked to their various destinations. Leave it up to her mother to get involved in all of this. She was sure Lucinda probably found some kind of humor in it all. Elisabeth still had the strong, yearning desire to please her mother, and that man, Mathias—she wanted to know him. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she turned back to Henry.
"Very well.”
Henry's face lit up in a smile. "Thank you."
He held out his hand. Elisabeth hesitated to shake it, not knowing what she might see, but she took it. She saw flashes again. This time she saw this man marrying Bessie, Bessie who was a Timekeeper. She saw this man being initiated as a Timekeeper. And in it all, she saw Mathias. He had gone to San Francisco to train under Bessie's father, and he had fallen for the girl, even though she was married. But the strange thing was, she couldn't make out Bessie's face. She knew it was Bessie, but she couldn't see her.
Elisabeth pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap. Everything made sense now. Of course her mother would want her to find a Timekeeper to marry. But why couldn't she see this man's wife?
"So," she said, looking Henry in the eye, "where do we begin?"
"I've found that Mathias is a bit reclusive."
Henry and Elisabeth were sitting in Henry's flat. It had been a few days since they first met at the Old Bailey. Elisabeth had agreed to meet Henry to hash out their plan. A part of her felt guilty about what she was doing, but at the time same time, she remembered what her mother had said about Bessie and felt somewhat justified.
"Won't that make things difficult?" Elisabeth asked.
"Possibly," Henry responded, "but I think I can persuade him to meet me under the guise that it will be the final time and you can be there. That will probably be our best opportunity. Otherwise, you may never get the chance."
"Why is he reclusive?" Elisabeth asked.
Henry took a sip from the teacup in front of him.
"From what I've gathered, his mother was murdered when he was young. It happened out in the streets, so Mathias' father instilled in him this idea that the world would always be dangerous. He never let his son go explore it."
Elisabeth nodded in understanding. "When did you want to meet him?"
"I asked him to meet me at St. Patrick's Church in Soho Square."
"You want to meet him at a church?" Elisabeth asked, puzzled by the strange choice of location.
Henry shrugged. "I figured it would be the least likely place for a commotion to break out. Plus, it's just down the street from me."
Elisabeth smiled. "It seems you are just being indolent."
Henry shrugged again. "Perhaps, but it is also Sunday and I need to go to church. My plan is to attend mass, which is in half an hour, and he'll be there after that. There are some nice boutiques around that area, so I thought you could look around and wait for mass to let out. Not that anything is open, however, so I hope you enjoy window shopping."
"We're meeting him today?" Elisabeth asked, surprised at Henry's quick planning.
"Sooner the better," Henry said. "Is that okay with you?"
She remembered what her mother had said about Bessie. And how she had mentioned to take care of this quickly. As much as she wasn't ready to break up a relationship today, she knew it had to be done. She nodded.
CHAPTER NINE
“I’ve found that Mathias is a bit reclusive.”
Henry and Elisabeth were sitting in Henry’s flat. It had been a few days since they first met at the Old Bailey. Elisabeth had agreed to meet Henry to hash out their plan. A part of her felt guilty about what she was doing, but at the time same time, she remembered what her mother had said about Bessie and felt somewhat justified.
“Won’t that make things difficult?” Elisabeth asked.
“Possibly,” Henry responded, “but I think I can persuade him to meet me under the guise that it will be the final time and you can be there. That will probably be our best opportunity, otherwise, you may never get the chance.”
“Why is he reclusive?” Elisabeth asked.
Henry took a sip from the teacup in front of him as he considered this question.
“From what I’ve gathered, his mother was murdered when he was young. It happened out in the streets, so Mathias’ father instilled in him this idea that the world would always be this dangerous and he never let his son go explore it.”
Elisabeth nodded in understanding. From what she had seen when she had shook Henry’s hand the other day, she knew that Mathias had gone to San Francisco to train, so he at least had gotten away. But that was a requirement of all Timekeepers in training, so his father couldn’t necessarily prevent it. And by then, Mathias was most likely reclusive enough that he didn’t go out in San Francisco either.
She looked back at Henry. “When did you want to meet him?”
“I asked him to meet me at St. Patrick’s Church in Soho Square.”
“You want to meet him at a church?” Elisabeth asked, clearly puzzled by the strange choice of location.
Henry shrugged. “I figured it would be the least likely place that a commotion would break out. Hopefully everyone would be neutral. Plus it’s just down the street from me.”
Elisabeth smiled at him. “It seems you are just being indolent.”
Henry shrugged again. “Perhaps, but it is also Sunday and I need to go to church. My plan is to attend mass, which is in half an hour, and then he’ll be there after that. There are some nice boutiques around that area, so I thought you could look around and wait for mass to let out. Not that anything is open, however, so I hope you enjoy window shopping.”
“We’re meeting him today?” Elisabeth asked, clearly surprised at Henry’s quick planning.
“Sooner the better,” Henry said. “Is that okay with you?”
She remembered what her mother had said about Bessie. And how she had mentioned to take care of this quickly. As much as she wasn’t ready to break up a relationship today, she knew it had to be done. She nodded.
The tower of St. Patrick's Church in Soho Square loomed in the distance. It was smaller than some of the other churches in London, but Elisabeth was still drawn to its presence. It was majestic in a way.
Mass was just letting out, so throngs of people were exiting the church. Henry was already inside. As instructed, Elisabeth had spent the last hour in the area, browsing. And as Henry had told her, since it was Sunday, not much was open. She stood off in the distance, her hands in her pockets as she gazed at the church. And then she saw him. He was walking across the squar
e, rather quickly, and he looked nervous at being caught in the crowd of people leaving the church. Her instructions from Henry were to follow him in and then take her place at a pew and pretend to be praying. She couldn't believe she was working on breaking up a relationship in a church and thought she might burn up as soon as she entered. But then she remembered she was also trying to save a marriage. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
She shook the thoughts out of her head and began the short walk across the square to the church. As she walked, a group of nuns were also leaving the church and she accidentally brushed up against one of them. She turned, an apologetic smile on her face.
"My apologies," she said, looking into the eyes of her sister.
Eleanor stood in front of her, wearing a habit, and looking just as shocked as Elisabeth probably looked.
"Lis," Eleanor whispered softly. Eleanor threw her arms around her sister and held her tightly. Elisabeth attempted to return the gesture, still puzzled and surprised at the reunion.
"Sister Bernadette?"
Eleanor pulled away and looked to another nun approaching.
"Who is this?" the nun asked, also smiling and looking at Elisabeth. "I'm going to guess it's your sister, considering you look almost exactly alike, but I'll let you tell me."
Eleanor nodded. "It is. Sister Margaret, this is my twin sister Elisabeth."
Sister Margaret held out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
Elisabeth nodded and shook Sister Margaret's hand. For the first time in a long time, the images that flashed before her mind were tranquil. Sister Margaret came from a good family. Her parents had loved her and cared for her. They had supported her vocation in becoming a nun. Elisabeth pulled her hand away.
"Sister Margaret," Eleanor said, "would you give us a minute to catch up? I'll meet up with you and the other sisters."
Sister Margaret nodded, placing a comforting hand on Eleanor's shoulder and smiling as she walked away.
"Bernadette?" Elisabeth asked.
"Nuns take on a different name," Eleanor responded.
Elisabeth nodded and Eleanor waited for Sister Margaret to be out of earshot before she spoke again. "Why are you doing this?"
Elisabeth sighed. She should have known that her sister had embraced her earlier not as a reunion but to touch her and understand what she was doing in London.
"Honor thy father and mother," Elisabeth said.
Eleanor stepped back as if Elisabeth had struck her across the face.
"Thou shalt not kill, Elisabeth," Eleanor spat. "And our mother has done plenty of that."
Elisabeth turned away. She needed to go.
"What you are doing is not right," Eleanor said behind her.
Elisabeth turned back to her. "Who made you the judge? Isn't that the whole idea, Ellie? Let God be the judge. Not you. I've made my choices. And you've made yours. Go live your life. You've clearly been doing just fine without Elijah and I."
Elisabeth turned and walked away, tears pouring down her face. She knew she couldn’t do this now. She didn't want to let Henry down, but she couldn't go in that church. Instead, she made her way to a bench in the Soho Square garden and sat down. The tears were coming fast now, and she couldn't do anything except put her face in her hands and let them come.
Mathias Benedict had had enough. He stood in St. Patrick's Church, looking at Henry Jane, who kept looking around as if he was waiting for something.
"I'm sorry, Henry," he said, "I really am. But Bessie made her choice. I didn't pursue her. She pursued me. And I know that doesn't make it right, but we're too far in now."
"She has a child, Mathias," Henry cried. "Does that mean anything to you? No, I might not be able to repair what I had with Bessie, but she needs to be there for her child."
"Perhaps, you could bring the child here then?" Mathias suggested. "We could work out some sort of arrangement."
Henry looked as if he had been slapped. "Are you serious? This isn't our home. Bessie isn't from here. Our family is in San Francisco and that is where my son will be staying."
Mathias sighed. "I don't know what you want me to do. I will tell Bessie that the child will be staying in San Francisco and let her decide what to do. But Henry, I can't keep meeting you. This has to stop."
Henry looked around impatiently again.
"Are you looking for something, Henry?"
Henry looked back at Mathias and shook his head. "No, and if we weren't in a church Benedict, I'd say some things to you."
Mathias put his hand up. "I'm done." He turned and began to walk away.
"No, wait!"
Mathias turned around and looked at Henry, waiting to hear why he should wait. Henry simply looked around again, confusion and impatience on his face, and then he sighed as if giving up.
Mathias sighed as well, rolled his eyes, and walked out of the church.
Mathias strolled quickly out of the church and across the street through the Soho Square garden. He felt horrible. Guilty. He had destroyed a marriage and taken a child from his mother. All for what? Sex? Mathias had given Bessie his virginity. He had given her everything. He didn't have the heart to tell Henry that even here in London Bessie wasn't being faithful. He knew she was going around and being intimate with men throughout the city. She had told him. They didn't even sleep in the same room or make love anymore. The only reason he hadn't told her to leave was because of his father. His father always had high expectations for him and for some reason, he had taken a liking to Bessie. Maybe she'd slept with him too. He laughed aloud at that.
The sounds of a woman crying broke him from his train of thought. He looked to his left and saw a woman, about his age, with beautiful blonde hair that fell down her back. She was sitting forward on the bench, her face in her hands, making no attempt to hide her sobs. Something about her drew him near. He felt a strong urge to comfort her and make her feel safe. It was something he had never felt with anyone, not even Bessie. He sat down on the bench next to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
The woman looked up in confusion and then in surprise. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly wiped away her tears.
"I—it's nothing."
"It didn't seem like nothing," Mathias said. "I honestly can't believe I'm over here, but I just felt drawn to you. And that sounded pretty odd. My apologies. I'm Mathias Benedict."
He held out his hand and the woman took it. For a moment, it seemed like she went into a sort of hazy, dreamlike state, but then she was fine again.
"Elisabeth Callaghan," the woman responded, pulling her hand away. It was the one rule her mother had given her—not to use their last name. But she suddenly didn’t care.
"Pleasure to meet you, Elisabeth," Mathias said. "Well, I need to get going. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
Mathias stood up to leave, smiled, and began to walk away.
"Wait," Elisabeth said.
Mathias turned around and looked at her.
"This might sound odd, but will you sit with me?"
Mathias tensed. He'd already been out long enough that day and the world felt like it was closing in on him. He longed for the emptiness of his bedroom back at the London Headquarters.
"I really must be going," he said.
The woman had a pained, almost pleading look on her face. "Please."
Mathias looked away for a moment, thinking it over, and decided for once he needed to do something for someone else.
"Very well," he said, walking back to the bench and taking his seat next to Elisabeth.
The two of them sat there awkwardly for a few minutes before Elisabeth finally spoke up.
"I'm just going to be honest with you," she said. "I saw you the other day at the Old Bailey with your father, and I was drawn to you. And then I met Henry Jane and he told me about your relationship with his wife, and we concocted a plan for you to fall for me and leave her. And I'm telling you because I really do feel something for you and if that turns into someth
ing, I don't want it to start with a lie."
Mathias just sat there, listening, as this woman poured everything out to him. He couldn't believe Henry had done this, but he realized he didn't care. He had felt drawn to this woman too, and if they both felt this way, then surely that meant something.
"Please say something," Elisabeth said. "I can't stand this silence."
"I feel the same way," he said. And then he found himself revealing everything to this woman he had only just met. He told her about the murder of his mother, his relationship with his father, and how he didn't feel anything for Bessie but simply wanted to make his father happy. And in that moment, something new started.
That evening, Elisabeth laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the events that had transpired that day. Mathias and Elisabeth had made plans to meet again, and immediately afterward, they went back to the church together and found Henry. Needless to say, he was surprised, but agreed to allow Mathias to find the time to call it off with Bessie. In the meantime, he would return to San Francisco in hopes Bessie would follow soon after.
Elisabeth kept thinking about how she felt she had done the right thing for once. But she also thought about her mother. She knew that she had to come to the realization that her mother was not a good person. And she also had to come to terms that there was something much more sinister going on than she had previously believed. And she knew the only person who would have the answers was Eleanor. She left all those years ago because she found something out. Elisabeth remembered her mentioning an evil prophecy their mother was trying to fulfill. At the time, Elisabeth had put the idea out of her mind. However, very recently, she had begun to think Eleanor was telling the truth. Her mother had suddenly wanted her to come to London to find a husband, and she had had very specific instructions about where to go and where to be. She knew it was time to cut ties with her mother, but she had to know from Eleanor what the prophecy was.
And so, for the first time in years, she tried to speak to her sister telepathically.