A slow smile spread across Zina’s face. “Two more misplaced soulmates brought together. I wondered if that might happen. When I saw the way he looked at you, I knew he had fallen hopelessly. But you were all caught up in thinking this was research for your book.”
Sara chuckled. “You’re right. I wouldn’t let myself think of anything else. As soon as I got here, I worried that I might get caught up in the romance of it all and make a bad decision. I had a boyfriend in the twenty-first century and I really thought I loved him. But what I feel for Ben isn’t even remotely the same as my feelings for Mark had been. Last night I finally admitted it to myself.”
“Excellent. But why didn’t you just rush across the ballroom to gush this wonderful news to me when it happened?”
“Because of the man you were with. Tell me, is he one of your benefactors?”
“When he’s in Venice yes. He’s a merchant and travels quite a bit. But why would that have stopped you.”
Sara took in a deep breath letting it out slowly. “Um…when Gertrude gave you the watch, did she tell you about the possibility that some of the other person’s memories would leak through?”
“Yes. I have experienced it from time to time.”
“Well, so have I. From the instant I arrived, I felt her fear. I didn’t know who she was and I wasn’t quite sure what she was afraid of, but I had the sense that I should be hiding.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t know who she was? I thought she was a friend of Benedict’s.”
“No. He found me. You see, when my soul entered this body, I was in the sea, my heavy clothes becoming wet and pulling me under.”
A look of horror crossed Zina’s face.
“I was able to get them off and swim to the Lido, but I was exhausted and collapsed. Benedict found me the next morning.”
“Oh, dear God. You are Ceres Llewellyn.”
Sara nodded. “I think so. About a week after he found me, Ben heard about Llewellyn’s daughter having fallen overboard.”
“Why didn’t you tell the poor man? He has been sick with worry.”
“Ben wanted to, but I talked him out of it. I have felt a deep sense of fear, of needing to get away from something or someone and I’m fairly certain it’s Ceres’s father. But I also fully believed that I would be returning to my own time at the end of sixty days. It seemed cruel to let him think his daughter had been found, only to have her die within two months. Since Ceres would have died as a result of falling or jumping overboard, it seemed best to let everyone who knew her think she had.”
Zina shook her head slowly. “I understand. I guess in the same circumstances I might have done the same thing. But now you aren’t leaving.”
“I know, but I can’t get over the sense of foreboding. Do you know why Ceres might be afraid of her father?”
“Let me tell you a bit about Reese Llewellyn. He has been a benefactor of mine for several years. He is smart, handsome, and exceedingly wealthy. He treats me like a princess, but he is very demanding and expects to be obeyed. When he is in town, I see no one else.”
Sara frowned.
“Don’t get me wrong. He isn’t abusive, just authoritative.”
“Then why is Ceres afraid?”
“Over the years, Reese has shared very little about his private life. I only know a few bits of information about his wife. I believe he loved her deeply. I suspect she had a significant dowry that helped him build his business to what it is today. And, she died giving birth to their daughter. I know a bit more about Ceres. He doted on her and talked about her a lot. She had the best of everything including a bevy of tutors. As far as I can tell, she was given an education that most men would envy. Perhaps that’s why she longed to go on the Grand Tour.”
“Do women do that?”
“A few. Reese refused to allow it, but she was relentless. I don’t suppose it helps that until then, he had given her every little thing she desired. ‘No’ was a foreign concept. But she did scale back her request. She didn’t care about visiting Paris or Florence or any of the other major stops on the Grand Tour. All she really wanted was to come here to Venice.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, she was a rather talented artist and this would have been one of the finest places in the world for her to study. He still wouldn’t allow it. Part of me thinks that to have his daughter here would bring his two separate worlds together and he didn’t want that.”
“So she ran away to Venice with a maid. Benedict had learned that much.”
“Yes, she posed as a widow, wore all black, covered herself with heavy veils and simply booked passage on a ship. No one questioned her. She brought a maid and a sizable chunk of money with her. When he returned home and found her missing, he was furious. He boarded his fastest ship and even though it didn’t have its complete cargo yet, he left for Venice immediately. He was several days behind her, still his ship managed to catch up to hers just off shore. According to her maid, she believed if her father’s ship overtook them before she reached Venice, he would put her on a ship home immediately and she wouldn’t even see Venice from a distance, let alone study here.”
Sara frowned. “I knew about the other ship. When I finally was free of her clothes and could catch my breath, I saw it bearing down. That’s when I first felt the sense of dread. Later, we learned that it was her father’s ship. But, Zina, she jumped overboard completely unprepared for the consequences. Would her father really have done that?”
“I’m not certain, but I believe he probably would have. He does not like being defied and to allow her even a moment in Venice would mean her defiance paid off. Ceres was willful and as stubborn as her father. She wouldn’t have liked getting this close and being thwarted. But for what it’s worth, Reese is heartbroken.”
“I’m sorry. But since I am not Ceres, maybe the best thing is just to keep the secret.”
“And stay here in Venice? You would be playing with fire then, girl. Word would eventually get back to him about the pretty little dark-haired English girl who married the Scottish shipbuilder. He would become apoplectic with rage if he found you’d been here the whole time, alive and married without his permission. You don’t want that. Trust me on this, Reese Llewellyn is not a man to cross.”
“So, we should tell him?”
“I don’t know what the best course of action is. It is possible, if you went to him and told him about everything—I mean that you suffer from amnesia, not about the pocket watch—he would allow you to marry Ben. But you have no guarantee of that. If you want to be certain to marry Ben, it might be better for the two of you to leave Venice altogether. As we both know Ceres is lost to him forever now and you’re right, it might be better to leave it that way. But as I’ve said, you can’t stay here if you do. It could be disastrous.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am deadly serious. He could have you on a ship to England so fast it will make your head spin. Then you would be under his thumb forever. The chances that you could make it back here would be almost nil. Ceres managed once because he didn’t expect it. You can bet he won’t let it happen again. I wouldn’t even put it past him to have Ben killed.”
A cold chill passed over Sara. She knew Zina was right. Llewellyn did pose a serious threat. Perhaps not to Sara herself, but to Ben and she suspected possibly even to Zina.
Sara blinked back tears. “I’ll talk to Ben about it. He would have to leave everything. I wouldn’t want that. Maybe it’s best if I return to my time.”
Zina shook her head. “No Sara. Don’t do anything rash. If I’m not much mistaken, Ben would not think twice about leaving everything to be with you. You would both be miserable for the rest of your lives if you are separated by time. And no matter what, just as Gertrude says, the universe will unfold as it should.”
~ * ~
Ben’s morning had been frustrating. He learned there were two ways to be married legally. A priest could post banns for three cons
ecutive Sundays, or they could obtain a wedding license. It seemed simple enough, but the devil is in the details.
They could be married immediately with a wedding license. However, Sara Wells was twenty-seven years old, but Ceres Llewellyn was barely nineteen and she looked it. If a girl was under twenty-one, in order for her to get a marriage license, she had to have her parent or guardian’s consent. They could say her parents were deceased, but she still would have had a guardian of some sort. And no one would believe she was older than twenty-one. Furthermore, if they lied and the marriage was later challenged, it could be invalidated.
To be married after posting banns was easier in some respects. An underage bride did not have to prospectively have the consent of a parent or guardian. But, if a parent or guardian stepped forward to object while the banns were posted, there could be no marriage.
The problem with posting the banns was that their plans to marry wouldn’t remain clandestine. Which, in truth, was the reason for posting banns. But considering that Benedict was marrying a girl about which no one knew anything, it would doubtlessly raise curiosity about who she was. If talk reached Llewellyn’s ears that might be disastrous. Of course, Benedict could talk to the priest. He might be able to convince the man not to go strictly by the book and marry them anyway. That too was risky but Benedict decided it was the best option.
That was until he arrived at the shipyard. He had barely reached his office when his partner entered with a sheet of paper in his hand and shut the door. Emilio was more than just his partner, he was a dear friend. In fact, he’d been like a father to Benedict ever since his parents had left for Scotland. The solemn expression on his face had told Benedict something was seriously wrong.
“Sit down, Emilio. What’s the matter?”
“My young friend, I am worried.”
“About what?”
“About you.”
“Me? I’m fine. Things are great in fact.”
“I’ve noticed. Others have as well. That’s why I’m worried.”
“I don’t understand.”
“A month ago, you decided not to come to the shipyard for a week. You’ve never done that.”
“I know, but I finished the drawings we’d discussed during that time.”
“Yes, you did. And they are brilliant as usual, but that’s not the point. You were away from the shipyard for a week. Then when you did come in, you seemed different. Happier. You no longer took your dinner in the middle of the day, but rushed home in the evening. To what? I asked myself. My wife suggested that you might have finally found a nice girl. ‘No, Concetta,’ I said. ‘Benedict would tell me if he had.’ She said, ‘give him time.’ So, I did. Now three weeks have passed and not only are you still acting like a man in love, I am beginning to hear whispers. You have been seen on occasion with a young lady in your gondola. So, I asked myself, ‘why would he keep this a secret?’”
“Emilio, I…”
“Then this morning the answer hit me. Reese Llewellyn has posted notices offering a substantial reward to anyone who can give him information regarding his lost daughter.” Emilio read from the leaflet in his hand. “On July ninth my darling daughter, Ceres, fell overboard as the ship on which she traveled neared Venice. Articles of clothing belonging to her were found, but not her body. She has a small build, black hair, and blue eyes. Her devoted father still prays to find her alive and is offering ten ducats to anyone with reliable information as to her whereabouts and five hundred ducats to anyone who returns her to him alive and well.”
Emilio looked up from the leaflet. “It occurred to me that you stayed at home the week starting July tenth. It also occurred to me if that girl did survive, the nearest bit of land would be the Lido.”
Silence hung between them for a moment.
“Benedict, did you find this girl? Are you in love with her?”
Benedict swallowed hard. He couldn’t lie to Emilio. “Yes. But there’s a bit more to it. When I found her she didn’t remember who she was. She thought her name was Sara. I offered to see what I could find out, but she begged me not to. She said she was afraid. She believed something terrible would happen if I asked questions.”
“But when you returned to the office the following week, the news of Llewellyn’s daughter was everywhere. You had to know this Sara you found was actually Ceres Llewellyn.”
“I did. And I went home that evening and told her that her father was looking for her. Then she told me a story I could scarcely believe. But Emilio I do believe it.” He proceeded to tell his partner about Sara Wells and the pocket watch.
When he was through, Emilio asked, “You believe that story?”
“I do. When you meet her, you’ll understand why. She is unlike any girl I’ve ever met. And we didn’t tell her father because she believed it would be kinder. She isn’t Ceres and if she were returning to her own time, Ceres’s body will die here anyway.”
“If she were returning to her own time?”
“We are in love, Emilio. She wants to stay here with me. I’ve asked her to marry me.”
“This is all nearly impossible to believe. But you are a good man, a smart man who is not easily hoodwinked. I can only trust that your faith in her is well placed. But having said that, you can’t keep this secret any longer. If I put it all together, others might. Five hundred ducats is an immense amount of money. Hell, for that matter, ten ducats is as well. It would be better for you to go to Llewellyn and explain what happened. I don’t mean about the watch, but explain about her losing her memory and that you only just put the pieces together. Tell him you wish to marry her.”
“I’ve considered that. But I don’t know what I’d do if he rejected the proposal. Emilio, she is my soulmate. I cannot risk losing her. I thought there might be less chance of that if I married her first.”
“Ah, ask forgiveness instead of permission?”
Benedict nodded.
“I can’t believe that would be necessary. He’s a reasonable man. He couldn’t possibly find a better husband for her. You are a partner in an extremely successful shipbuilding business and a fine young man with no vices to speak of. Furthermore, he will get discounts on every ship he commissions from us for the rest of his life.”
“It seems I have very little choice anyway. She’s only nineteen so I can’t get a license without his permission. We don’t need permission to be married by a priest, but the banns will have to be posted. When news of this bounty spreads, it’s too much to hope that he wouldn’t hear something. If you’ll excuse me, I should go talk with Sara about this immediately.”
As Benedict left, Emilio put a hand on his shoulder. “As I said, you are fine young man. Her father would be a fool to refuse your offer of marriage. But you do have one other marriage option.”
“What’s that?”
“The captain of a vessel can legally marry a couple at sea. If you think the only way to have her as your wife is to flee, I will assist you in any way possible.”
“Thank you, Emilio.”
Benedict had collected her from Zina’s. It didn’t bode well that his normally cheerful Sara looked tense and upset.
“Were you able to get a license?” She asked, her tone strained.
“No. But we’ll talk about it at home.”
When they had reached the privacy of their kitchen, it became immediately clear that neither of them had good news.
Sara paced, wringing her hands. “Ben, what are we going to do? Zina says we should flee. She doesn’t believe Llewellyn will receive this well. But you’ve built a wonderful business here. I can’t ask you to leave it.”
He stood, wrapping his arms around her to stop her pacing. “Nothing is more important to me than you. However, Emilio believes Llewellyn is reasonable and will see the advantages this match will have for him.”
“The things Zina said about his temper are certainly consistent with the dread I feel from Ceres.”
“We can flee then. I will go into Venice
tomorrow and discuss the business with Emilio. He may be willing to buy me out. That would give us funds to start over somewhere else. I can also find out what options we have to leave Venice.”
Sara nodded, resting her head against his chest. “It’s just that I worry that I am lending too much weight to Ceres’s fears. Zina said something that concerns me. She said Llewellyn adored Ceres and gave her everything she ever desired. She said it wasn’t surprising that Ceres rebelled the first time he said no to her.”
“Why does that concern you?”
“Just that much of what we’ve done concerning Llewellyn has been based on what I believe Ceres feels, but that doesn’t mean she’s right. I worry that I’m putting too much faith in an overindulged teenager. What if she’s wrong? What if her father will rejoice in finding her and like Mr. Santi says, welcome a marriage proposal from you?”
“So putting Cere’s feelings aside, Zina too is concerned about him.”
“But Mr. Santi isn’t. He knows Llewellyn as a businessman. Zina knows him as someone who pays for her companionship. There is a power gradient there that could be driving her opinion.”
Benedict kissed the top of her head. He wanted Sara as his wife more than he wanted his next breath. The only way to ensure that would happen would be to flee with her and never look back. But she seemed so conflicted he didn’t know what the best path was. “Sara, what does your gut tell you?”
“That honesty is always best.”
He nodded. “Then I will go to see Llewellyn tomorrow.”
“Not alone. I’m going too.”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“He won’t believe I’ve lost all of my memories if he doesn’t see and talk to me.”
Benedict tried to dissuade her over the course of the evening but ultimately agreed that their best chance at the honest approach was to go together.
Chapter 17 - Nothing to Lose
The next morning, he and Sara crossed the lagoon to the Arsenale. He helped her alight from the gondola and took her up to the offices of Santi and MacIan. Just as he knew she would, Sara charmed Emilio.
The Choice: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Page 13