Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles

by Ceci Giltenan

  “But you know about Elizabeth.”

  “Yes, of course I know that.”

  “Then you know I’ve spent the last five weeks falling in love with someone I can’t have. Again.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The girl, the soul that is in Elizabeth’s body. I think I love her.”

  “Well, that’s very nice indeed.”

  “No, Gertrude, it isn’t nice. It isn’t nice at all. She’s only here until Elizabeth returns. She’ll leave, and my heart will be broken once again.”

  “Now that’s the second time you’ve said that. What do you mean?”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “Years ago, when I went back, I fell in love with a girl there.” He put his head in his hands. “Dear God, Gertrude, nothing has ever hurt so much as that.”

  “Falling in love?”

  “Having to leave her.”

  “Ye could have stayed.”

  “Believe me, I considered it. I considered leaving my family and my education, everything, just to be with her.”

  “Why didn’t ye?”

  “My only skill there was as a musician, which meant traveling as a minstrel. And yet, I had every intention of asking her to go with me.”

  “What changed?”

  “Several things. I would have been taking her away from her life and the things she loved. I also realized how very fragile life was and what a gift I had been given. In the future, I would have the ability to go to medical school and learn how to keep people well and save lives. In the past, I had no such opportunity. Suddenly, the musician’s life didn’t look so good to me.” He cast her a sidelong glance. “Which is what I suspected you intended for me to learn from the start.”

  Gertrude smiled. “I’ve said before, ye’re a good lad. But ye could have stayed anyway. The choice was always yers.”

  “I could have, and I had almost decided to, but…”

  “But what?”

  “She disappeared. I tried to find her, but before I could, someone killed me. I whispered the return word just as I lost consciousness and then woke in my own bed. I’d hoped to see you again, to return the watch. I wanted to find out what happened to her. I wanted to know she was safe.”

  “And we haven’t had a chance to chat.”

  He nearly rolled his eyes. We haven’t had a chance to chat? It had been over eleven years, but he wouldn’t point that out. “No, we haven’t.”

  “Do ye remember what I told ye when ye arrived in the thirteenth century?”

  “You said a lot of things.”

  She chuckled. “I might have. But ye asked me if there was anything else ye needed to know.”

  “And you said, Love is a marathon, not a sprint.”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’m not sure I understand how that applies here.”

  “Do ye not? Well that’s a shame.”

  “Not terribly comforting when I am on the verge of losing yet another woman I love.”

  “Well, now, let’s think about that. Why do ye think ye’re on the verge of losing her?”

  “Because she has to trade places again with Elizabeth.”

  “But ye love Elizabeth.”

  “I do. At least I thought I did. I’m confused. I think I might love the girl who’s here.”

  “It seems to me ye ought to figure that out. If it’s Elizabeth ye love, ‘tis Elizabeth who’ll return to ye.”

  He shook his head. “I might have loved Elizabeth, but I’m fairly certain what I feel now is for the girl who’s here.”

  “The answer seems clear. If ye love her and she loves ye, perhaps she should stay.”

  “You mean that the girl, whoever she is, might want to stay?”

  “Have ye asked her?”

  “No.”

  “Did ye tell her ye wanted her to stay?”

  “No.”

  “Then how on earth would she know, lad? It seems to me the sorts of things one would find out when learning who she really was and what led her here.”

  “What about Elizabeth?”

  “Elizabeth has decisions of her own to make.”

  “But why would she choose to stay in the thirteenth century?”

  “I imagine for the same reason that ye would have.”

  “She’s fallen in love?”

  “It’s possible. Perhaps ye shouldn’t worry about Elizabeth’s choices until ye know yer own heart and that of the lass who ye think ye love. Fix today, lad.”

  “Gertrude, I…Jesus, I have to get back to her. I was upset. I didn’t ask her any of those things. I left to try to get my head around what I was feeling.”

  “Then ye’re definitely in the wrong place.”

  Gabe stood to leave, but Gertrude stopped him. “Will ye accept a bit of advice from someone who has been around a while?”

  He smiled. “Love is a marathon, not a sprint?”

  She chuckled. “While that is true, I was thinking of something a bit more concrete this time.”

  “I’ve clearly fouled this up, so I’ll take any advice you have to offer.”

  “Don’t hold back. If ye love this lass, tell her. Tell here ye’re sure it is her and not Elizabeth that ye love.”

  “But what if she doesn’t love me? What if she’s married or has a family?”

  “Ye have to take that risk. But I suspect she believes ye love Elizabeth, not her, and that it would be wrong to steal ye away. She has a decision to make, and even if she is married or has a family, she deserves to know all of the facts before making it.”

  “Everything? Even about falling in love before?”

  “Everything, Gabe. Tell her about your experience with the watch and that you were willing to leave everything else you held dear behind for the lass you loved, but the decision was taken from ye. Tell her how it caused yer heart to ache. Tell her that ye’ve fallen in love again, but now ye’re certain it isn’t with Elizabeth but her, and you fear losing her will be worse than the first time. Ask her to stay.”

  “I will. I’ll go tell her now. Thanks, Gertrude.” He kissed the old woman’s cheek before leaving.

  Gabe practically ran the few blocks back to his building. When he entered the apartment, it was dark. He slipped silently into the bedroom. If she was asleep, he wouldn’t wake her. He stopped short and flipped on the light when he saw the empty bed.

  “Elizabeth?” he called, knowing there would be no answer. He would have seen if she were in the bathroom or kitchen. He opened the closet door. His heart fell. Everything but Elizabeth’s laptop bag was missing. Where would she go?

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket, not sure who he intended to call, but saw that he had a voicemail message. He dialed and listened.

  “Gabe…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you so angry. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t want to put you out any longer. I’m going to stay with the Sinclairs until…well…it shouldn’t be much longer until…uh…until I’m my old self again. Goodbye. I’ll never forget all you’ve done.”

  “No. I can’t lose you.” He heard the despair in his voice as it pierced the stillness of the deserted apartment.

  The only Sinclair whose number he had was David’s. He glanced at his watch; it was nearly eleven. He only hesitated a moment before calling.

  “Hello?”

  “David, it’s Gabe Soldani.”

  “What’s wrong? Has something happened to Elizabeth?”

  “No, not exactly.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we had a misunderstanding. I went out for a little while. I needed to think.” Gabe felt smaller than a cockroach. “I just got back, and she’s not here.”

  “God damn it. How the hell could you let this happen? She’s alone in New York somewhere? How long has she been gone?”

  “She isn’t alone in New York. The message she left was that she was going to stay with your parents.”

  “How did she get there? Or did she
even get there?”

  “I don’t know, David, that’s why I’m calling you. I don’t know how to contact your parents.”

  “I’ll call you back.” David hung up on him.

  It was less than fifteen minutes before David called, but it felt like an eternity.

  “She’s safe. My dad sent Dixon and a driver for her. Soldani, I don’t know what you did, but you’ve fucked this up royally.”

  “I don’t need you to tell me that. I think I can fix it, but I need to talk to her.”

  “Well, that’s not happening. Not tonight anyway, and frankly, tomorrow isn’t looking good either. My dad couldn’t be angrier if Elizabeth were one of my sisters.”

  “Christ, David, you don’t understand. No one understands. Please, I just need a few minutes.”

  “You heard me. Not tonight. You work days tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Dad said he’d call you tomorrow evening after he’s had a chance to cool down.”

  “Damn it, David, this won’t wait until tomorrow.”

  “It’s going to have to.”

  “Then can you at least give her a message?”

  “I’m not promising anything, but what’s the message?”

  “I was not angry. I was confused, but I’m not now. I love her, and more than anything, I want her to stay.”

  Gabe hoped she would understand what he meant by that.

  Chapter 24

  Just as David had said he would, Aldous Sinclair called Gabe on Tuesday night.

  “I’m sorry, sir. Please, may I speak with Elizabeth?”

  “You are out of your mind, young man, if you think I’ll let you do that before we’ve had a serious discussion. And that cannot happen over the phone. I will meet you at your apartment tomorrow after you are off work. Call this number when you are leaving the hospital.”

  Gabe agreed. He called Mr. Sinclair and then hailed a cab. He had barely reached his apartment when the buzzer from the main doors sounded.

  When the knock came, Gabe checked the peephole. Aldous Sinclair—a very angry Aldous Sinclair—stood at his door with his bodyguard, Dixon, behind him.

  He opened the door. “Good evening, sir. Thank you for seeing me. There has been a terrible misunderstanding.”

  “I don’t want to hear anything from you until we are in your apartment.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Gabe stepped back to let them in. Mr. Sinclair nodded to Dixon, who took up a post in the hall. Mr. Sinclair strode past Gabe into the apartment.

  “Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “This isn’t a social call.”

  “I know. Like I said, there has been a terrible misunderstanding.”

  “Maybe, but you have a lot of explaining to do before I’ll be convinced of that.”

  “I’m sorry—really I am—but there are some things, lots of things that I can’t explain to you. I need to speak to Elizabeth.”

  “Perhaps you don’t understand what’s happening here. The girl you crushed is my daughter. You will make things right with me before you ever come within a mile of her.”

  Gabe nodded. “David said you feel very protective of her.”

  “Dr. Soldani, David has no idea what the real truth is. He doesn’t know about the pocket watch. But I do, so you can, in fact, explain everything to me. And you are going to. Now.”

  Gabe was beyond shocked. “You know about the pocket watch?”

  “I just told you I did. Stop stalling.”

  Gabe sighed and nodded. “Then you understand how it works. I went back years ago. I was twenty. I thought it was a lark, only I fell in love.” Gabe looked down. “I fell so desperately in love. I was willing to leave everything I knew. Everything, sir. My family, my education, my future.”

  “Then why didn’t you stay?”

  “I was killed. I whispered my return word as the young man’s body I had entered lay there dying. She was lost to me forever.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” Mr. Sinclair’s expression softened ever so slightly.

  “Ironically, going to the past helped me see my destiny. I returned with a broken heart, but completely committed to becoming a doctor. I always believed that was what Gertrude had intended, but it came at a steep price.”

  Sinclair sighed. “It often does, son.”

  “I didn’t risk my heart again for years. Initially, it was self-protection, but eventually I realized it was more than that. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to love again, I simply never met anyone else with whom I had that kind of spark. Elizabeth was the first woman I ever dated seriously and that was almost five years later. It wasn’t exactly the same with her, but I guess I saw things in her that reminded me of my lost love.”

  “And yet, you let her go.”

  “Yes, sir, I did. I found out on the day we graduated that I didn’t really know her. Although I’d asked her about her family numerous times, she always evaded the question. I found out that she was the daughter of Charlotte Matheson and James Quinn when the medical school faculty and the entire graduating class did. I didn’t understand why she had hidden this from me. When she told me why later that night, I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t believe her. How could anyone want to distance themselves from family? Dear God, I know now. Her parents…well, you know.”

  “Matheson & Matheson have represented me for years. Charlotte and her father are brilliant attorneys. They’ve always been available for whatever any of my companies needed. But I understand better why now. So you found love and lost it again.”

  “Yes, sir. Then suddenly, the night of the blizzard, Elizabeth was back in my life, and I was the only person she remembered. I guess I might have wondered about the pocket watch if it hadn’t been for that.”

  “But you knew how it worked. Some memories push through.”

  “I’d forgotten. I also thought souls only went backwards. So, I believed Elizabeth was mine again, and I suspect I didn’t want to see the inconsistencies for what they were.”

  “Odd. It was obvious to the rest of us.”

  “It was obvious to the rest of you?”

  “Gabriel, I was offered the pocket watch years ago.”

  “You went back in time, too? When you said you knew about it, I just thought you meant Elizabeth told you.”

  “No, I have first-hand knowledge, but I didn’t go back. I came forward—and stayed. Gerald Rose went back and returned.”

  “Dr. Rose? Wait, Elizabeth said your wife suffered a permanent memory loss. Is she from the past, too?”

  Sinclair nodded.

  “And I’m the only idiot who didn’t see it?”

  “To be fair, Gertrude sends travelers to see Gerald from time to time. As you can understand, sometimes a traveler returns who needs a little help dealing with the difficult choices they may have been forced to make. After he sees them, he often sends them to me, so we have encountered many more time travelers over the years than you. Maybe the signs are more obvious to us.”

  “Why does he send them to you?”

  “I was a very young man when I came, and I landed in the body of a foolish boy who had every possible advantage at his fingertips, but valued none of it. The opportunity for education was more of a temptation than I could resist. I stayed. But I left a wife and child in the past.”

  Gabe couldn’t hide his shock.

  “I know. It was the selfish choice a young man with no future.”

  “Sir, it’s not my place…”

  “To judge? You couldn’t possibly be harder on me than I’ve been on myself over the years.”

  “And your wife? Did she leave a family behind?”

  “She left a child. Our child. She was my wife in the past. She would never have stayed, but Gertrude gave her the watch on her deathbed. Jo would have died within hours of returning, leaving our child an orphan anyway. Even so, our greatest regret was not knowing what became of the child we loved. That’s why Gerald has sent travel
ers to me. I had always hoped to meet someone who’d been to my time, to my clan. I hoped to learn what happened to our daughter, but I never did. At least not until Elizabeth.”

  “She knew what happened to your daughter?”

  “Gabriel, I’ve already told you. She is my daughter.”

  “You mean…I thought you meant she was like a daughter. You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. So it should be absolutely obvious that the very last thing in the world that I want is for her to return to her own time. I thought she was falling in love with you. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but I had hoped she would love you enough to want to stay.” Sinclair’s voice hardened. “But you’ve made a complete mess of this. She won’t stay because she thinks you love Elizabeth.”

  “But I don’t. I mean I do…or I did, but that isn’t why I was upset. I realized it was her I’d fallen in love with. I’ve finally found the kind of love I had only experienced once before, and the thought of losing her…” Gabe swallowed hard, trying to hold back tears. “I can’t lose her, sir. I can’t. I want her to stay more than I want my next breath. And if she truly can’t stay, if Elizabeth must return, I will beg Gertrude to let me go with the girl who holds my heart.”

  Aldous Sinclair stared at him as if considering him for a few moments. “I want her to stay, and if you can convince her to, I will be eternally grateful. But I know Elizabeth’s choice may be what drives everything. I don’t want my little one to go back alone. I was prepared to ask Gertrude the same thing.”

  “I saw Gertrude the night I figured it out. She said to fix today and that Elizabeth has her own decisions to make.”

  “Then maybe there’s a chance she’ll choose to stay in the past?”

  “It is my fervent prayer. Please, sir, may I see your daughter now?”

  “I’ll allow you to speak with her and explain all of this, but not tonight. This is not a conversation to have when you are exhausted and have to return to work in mere hours.”

  “Mr. Sinclair, it’s Wednesday. I have two more days to work. This can’t wait. There isn’t much time.”

  “I know that. Twenty three days at the most. So I am going to interfere. I have money and pull. Go to work tomorrow, and I will see that you are sent home and given Friday off too.”