“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 consecutive Sundays, or they could obtain a wedding license. It seemed simple enough, but the devil was 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 whom 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.”
Sil
ence 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 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 over-indulged 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 Ceres’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
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.
With the pleasantries aside, Benedict told his partner their plan to talk to Llewellyn.
Emilio looked relieved. “I’m glad to hear it. I don’t want to lose you as a partner and this is really the only way to avoid that.”
“How shall I do it then?” Benedict asked.
Emilio considered it for a moment. “I think we should go to his home here in Venice.”
Benedict arched an eyebrow. “We?”
His old friend smiled. “Yes, Benedict. I have known Reese Llewellyn longer than you have. I will go with you, to vouch for your character.”
Benedict was touched. This might not go particularly well and Emilio had to know that. But he would stand with them anyway. “Thank you. I owe you so much.”
“Benedict, I’ve always thought of you as the son I never had. You owe me nothing. It’s what a father would do.”
Benedict didn’t know what to say. “Thank you.”
Emilio smiled. “Just make me godfather to your first child.”
They waited until a bit later in the morning before seeking Llewellyn out at his home. He didn’t live far from San Marco, but not on a canal. They moored the gondola near the Doge’s palace and walked the rest of the way.
A servant answered the door.
Emilio addressed him. “Good morning. I’m Emilio Santi and I would like to speak with Mr. Llewellyn.”
The servant looked past him at Benedict and Sara. His eyes went wide. “Yes, Signore. Please come in.”
He showed them to the receiving room and excused himself. “I’ll tell Signore Llewellyn you’re here.”
Benedict began t
o worry that this had been a mistake. As brave as Sara had been about this and as sure as she was that it was the right course, now she looked terrified. He took hold of her hand. “I love you Sara.”
She gripped his hand and turned her frightened eyes to his. “I love you too, Ben. With all my heart.”
Before Benedict told her he was sure everything would be all right, Reese Llewellyn entered the room.
“My God. Ceres, I can’t believe it. I had all but lost hope.” He pulled her into a hug, breaking Benedict’s connection to her.
“Santi, I don’t know how you did this, but thank you. Ceres, little one, where have you been.”
“She’s been with me, Mr. Llewellyn,” said Benedict.
“Why has it take you so long to return her to me?”
Sara extricated herself from Llewellyn’s grip. “Because, when he found me, I had no memories of my life before going overboard. I couldn’t tell him who I was because I didn’t remember. I still don’t.”
“What do you mean? Ceres, of course you remember who you are.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t. I thought my name was Sara. That’s what I told Benedict. He didn’t know I was your daughter.”
“You’ve been with Benedict MacIan this entire time?”
“Yes. He’s been very kind to me.”
“Then you have my thanks, MacIan. I thought my daughter was lost to me. I understand now why it’s taken so long. I’ll see that you’re given the reward money.”
Benedict bristled. “Sir, I don’t want the reward money.”
“Of course you do. You’ve done me a great service and I owe it to you.”
“Sir, I’ve become very fond of Sara—Ceres that is. The only thing I seek from you is her hand in marriage.”
“Her hand in marriage?”
Sara nodded her head. “And I want to marry him…Father.”
Llewellyn took her hand in his, patting the back of it. “My darling, you’re confused.”
Nothing to Lose: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Page 13