Elsie picked up the phone and dialed.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Dad.”
“Elizabeth. Is something wrong, darling?”
“No. I just wanted to talk to you.”
There was a brief pause. “I…I’m sorry I upset you when you were in the hospital. I…I would have been happier if you’d agreed to come here, but I handled it badly.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I was so confused that day. The only thing that felt real to me was Gabe. I needed him. I probably needed you too, but he was my lifeline and I thought you wanted rid of him.”
“I did.”
“Dad, I love him. I did years ago, I did that day, and I do now.”
“I know, darling. Your mom has been keeping me updated.”
“So you’re okay with it?”
There was another longer pause.
“Dad?”
“Elizabeth, I’m not sure any father immediately believes the man his daughter loves is worthy of her. But I cannot deny he stepped up to the plate and chose to take care of you when I turned my back.”
“So you’re okay with it?”
“No…but I expect I will be someday.”
Elsie smiled. “Would you come up to New York this weekend?”
“You don’t want to come home and see if it jogs any memories?”
“Nothing has jogged any memories, Dad. That’s one reason I want you to come up here, so we can talk to Dr. Rose.”
“Dr. Rose. I did a little research on him.”
Elsie was worried about what was coming next, but she didn’t interrupt.
“It turns out that he is one of the world’s leading experts on non-traumatic memory loss.”
“I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me. He has been really helpful.”
“Okay. I’ll come up in the morning. See if Dr. Rose is available sometime after noon.”
She smiled at the curt order. “Sure.”
“If I’m flying up there tomorrow, I have things I need to do. Goodnight, Elizabeth.”
“Goodnight, Dad.”
She hung up the phone.
Gabe smiled at her. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“No. However, you should know, he doesn’t think you’re worthy of me.”
Gabe shrugged. “I’m probably not, so I suppose it’s fair.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, my dad adores you, and he has from the moment he met you. But Italian mothers rarely believe any woman is worthy of their son. My mom will take more convincing.”
She nodded sagely. “I expect I should start on that right away.”
“That’s a good idea. We should go down sometime this week anyway to tell them about the engagement.”
“We should, but we don’t have to wait until then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mom would be much happier if we don’t sleep together until we are married.”
He laughed. “No, I don’t think we want her that happy.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then I guess we can get to the taking-my-panties-off part of the evening.
“With pleasure.” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Epilogue
Somewhere over the Atlantic
June 25, 2006
Elsie had trouble taking her eyes off the window even though there was nothing to see. “I can’t believe I’m actually flying.”
Gabe chuckled. “So you’ve said. Many times.”
Elsie blushed. “I know. I’m sorry. It is just so hard to believe.”
Gabe kissed her. “Sweetheart, you can say it as many times as you wish. One of the things that has delighted me from the moment we reconnected is the unbridled enthusiasm you show for things you enjoy.”
She grinned slyly. “You mean like this?” Putting a hand behind his neck, she pulled him down to her lips for a deep, passionate kiss. He ran a hand over the delicate fabric of her blouse, stopping to caress one breast and tease it to a firm peak even under her bra. She arched into his hand, reveling in his touch.
When she broke the kiss, he smiled and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Just like that. But I should probably warn you, engaging in this sort of behavior on an airplane would normally be frowned upon.”
“Will you admit that letting my da give us the use of his private jet for our honeymoon was a good idea?”
“Yes, I’ll admit that. I know you are not like either set of your parents where money is concerned, but it does make me a little uncomfortable from time to time.”
“A little uncomfortable?” When they first started discussing wedding plans, Gabe balked at the lavish affair Charlotte and James wanted to hold at the Engineer’s Club in Baltimore. Elsie feared all-out war would ensue between Gabe and her dad. Jo Sinclair, Elsie’s matron of honor, provided gentle support, convincing the Quinns to hold the reception at an equally wonderful, but perhaps less ostentatious, venue near Gabe’s parents’ home. The sculpture garden was perfect.
“We understand your concerns,” Jo had assured them privately.
“You don’t want to appear to be showing off or creating a situation that might make your friends and family feel uncomfortable,” added Aldous.
“I hate to sound shallow or ungrateful, but you’re right,” said Gabe.
Aldous nodded. “I’ve learned that subtlety is often a wiser approach. The natural setting of the sculpture garden feels simpler and isn’t an obvious show of wealth.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
Elsie smiled at this memory. What neither of them knew at the time—and Gabe still didn’t know—was that the sculpture garden had been booked by another couple ages in advance. The Sinclairs bought out the wedding party by completely paying for their weddings at another fabulous venue after all parties signed non-disclosure agreements, of course. The other bride simply couldn’t contain herself, broke the agreement, contacted Elsie, and gushed about how wonderful the Sinclairs were. Elsie thought it better to pretend she didn’t know.
Once Gabe had been confident that the Sinclairs understood his position, he said, “It isn’t that I don’t appreciate their desire to give us a wonderful wedding.”
“Of course not,” agreed Jo.
“And yet you want Elsie to have a memorable wedding. This solution gives you that,” said Aldous.
“Exactly,” said Gabe.
With a confident smile, Aldous had moved in for the kill. “That’s exactly why Jo and I are keeping things very low-key. Our wedding gift to you is the use of our private jet to fly to your honeymoon.”
Gabe had been flabbergasted. “You can’t be serious. You think a private jet is low-key?”
“Of course it is. Your friends and family won’t have any idea how you are getting to Italy. For all they know, you’ll be flying coach on a commercial airline.”
“I’m sorry, sir, that’s just…no, we can’t accept it, but thank you.”
“Gabe, you just agreed you wanted the experience to be memorable without appearing too grandiose.”
“Yes, sir, I did, but—”
“There is no but. A private jet is both memorable and, as the name suggests, private.” Before Gabe could offer another argument, Aldous added. “Don’t forget, this isn’t about you and your wants. It’s about our desire to have a hand in the wedding of a daughter who we can’t publically acknowledge. Do you realize how my heart will ache when James Quinn escorts my daughter down the aisle? Would you deny me this small opportunity to do something wonderful for her because of your pride?”
“No, sir.”
“Then to ensure a spectacular honeymoon for the woman you love, you’ll accept our private gifts with grace.”
“I…yes. Thank you.”
Her da was very good at this. Elsie was fully cognizant of the “s” at the end of the word gifts, but was certain Gabe had missed it
at the time. She had no idea what else her parents might have done, but she was certain it didn’t stop with the use of the jet. At the moment, she was simply glad Gabe had given in.
“Okay, I was more than a little uncomfortable at first.”
Elsie became serious. “I know that. But you must know, neither set of my parents do what they do because they think less of you. Dad finally came around after he spent time with you. He loves that you are a doctor,” she gave him a sidelong glance, “even if you’re not a surgeon. The Sinclairs will always be grateful because you convinced me to stay.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. All you have to do to keep both sets of my parents happy is to allow them to indulge me once in a while. I have a much harder road ahead of me with your mom.”
“You’re kidding, right? My mom adores you.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Yeah, she does. You became Catholic.”
“I was already Catholic.”
“But not on paper.”
“God doesn’t care about paper.”
“But my mother does. We’ve been through this.”
“Yes we have, and all I can say is that it’s a good thing Joe is a priest and he believed us when we told him about the pocket watch. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten the paperwork until next Easter. Still, my becoming Catholic on paper didn’t suddenly make her love me.”
“It started the ball rolling. Asking her to teach you how to cook went a long way, too.”
“Who wouldn’t want to learn to cook like that?”
Gabe chuckled. “How could my mother not love an attitude like that?”
“Well, she seems awfully critical for someone who you think likes me.”
“She criticizes all of us. Do you not pay any attention? That’s her way of saying I love you. If she didn’t love you, she’d treat you like a guest.”
He shifted into an imitation of his mother’s voice. “Joseph, how many times do I have to tell you, get a haircut? Luke, you’re a slob. At least get your clothes near the hamper. Tony, what, you can’t come home once in a while for Sunday dinner? Angela, you want a good man like your father, you’ve gotta be able to feed him. Elizabeth is already a much better cook than you and she’s not even Italian. Dominic, when are you gonna stop dating every floozy with a tight skirt and fake boobs that crosses your path and settle down with a nice girl like Elizabeth? You better treat her like a princess Gabriel, or I’ll have to knock some sense into you.”
Elsie stared at him for a moment. “She said those things?”
“Yeah, she did. You have a big heart, and you’re hard not to like.”
Elsie smiled.
“So, principessa, were you happy with the way the wedding turned out?”
“I loved it.” She chuckled, remembering how one of the altar servers, a thirteen-year-old neighbor of the Soldanis, absolutely gushed. “Didn’t you hear? It was perfect, absolutely perfect. Perfect in every way: the weather was perfect, the flowers were perfect, the blue dresses were perfect. It was just perfect.”
Gabe chuckled too. “Yeah, Maggie Mitchell mentioned that to me once or twice or fifteen times.”
“I have to agree. It was perfect in every way.” Elsie sighed and turned to look out the window again. “I still can’t believe I’m flying. How high in the air are we?”
“I understand private jets cruise at 41,000 feet or higher.”
“How far is that?”
“It’s over seven miles, close to eight.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not kidding. But that does remind me of something. We have the perfect opportunity to join the mile-high club.”
“What’s that?”
“Oh, my innocent little wife, one joins the mile-high club by having sex in an airplane.”
She grinned. “I think I definitely want to be a member of that club.”
~ * ~
The Grand Canal, Venice
July 9, 2006
Their honeymoon was supposed to be a quick trip to Italy, but about a month before the wedding, Gabe had been offered a position in a suburban pediatric practice. He negotiated a late August start date so that he and Elsie could have time to find a place to live, move, get married, and take an extended holiday. They flew to Rome and spent two weeks touring Italy, winding up in Venice. They would soon be boarding a ship for a fourteen-day cruise of the Adriatic. When they returned, the Sinclairs’ private jet would take them to Scotland for another eight days before they flew home.
At every planned stop, their hotel rooms had been upgraded to the best available, and he suspected it would be no different on the cruise ship. These upgrades had Aldous Sinclair’s hand all over them, but Gabe didn’t complain. Beside the fact that it would do no good, his medieval wife, who, before she awoke in NYUHC, had never ventured farther than the village in which she was born, was having a marvelous time, which meant he was having marvelous time. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
As they rode the water-taxi to the cruise terminal, her joyful face watched the sights of the Grand Canal go by. Enthralled with his beautiful wife, Gabe took in fewer of the sights around him. He noticed instantly when her brows drew together as they neared the Rialto Bridge.
“Elsie, what is it?” he asked as his head turned in the direction she was looking.
“There on the bridge. Is that…it can’t be.”
“What, sweetheart?”
“That looks like Gertrude, there on the steps.”
He caught a brief glimpse of a sharply dressed older woman who could have been Gertrude, but a group of people stepped in front of her, blocking his view. He craned his head to try to get a better look at the woman before the taxi went under the bridge. At the last minute, the people moved and he saw her.
“It is Gertrude,” Elsie exclaimed.
She looked directly at them, waved, blew them a kiss, and in true Gertrude style, simply disappeared.
About the Author
Ceci started her career as an oncology nurse at a leading research hospital, and eventually became a successful medical writer. In 1991 she married a young Irish carpenter who she met when his brother married her dear friend. They raised their family in central New Jersey but now live with their dogs and birds in paradise, also known as southwest Florida. While she loves spending time writing “happily ever afters” she still works fulltime in the pharmaceutical industry.
Her bestselling, Duncurra series, Highland Solution, Highland Courage, and Highland Intrigue are available as e-books, audiobooks, and paperbacks. There are also inspirational versions of each of these which close the bedroom door. Ceci will be continuing this series in the near future.
The Fated Hearts series begins with Ceci’s novella Highland Revenge (originally appearing in Highland Winds, The Scrolls of Cridhe – Volume 1) and continues with Highland Echoes and Highland Angels.
If you enjoyed Once Found, read Elizabeth’s side of the story in:
The Midwife: The Pocket Watch Chronicles
Can a twenty-first century independent woman find her true destiny, in thirteenth century Scotland?
At his father’s bidding, Cade MacKenzie begs a favor from Laird Macrae—Lady MacKenzie desperately needs the renowned Macrae midwife. Laird Macrae has no intention of sending his clan’s best, instead he passes off Elsie, a young woman with little experience, as the midwife they seek.
But fate—in the form of a mysterious older woman and an extraordinary pocket watch—steps in.
Elizabeth Quinn, a disillusioned obstetrician, is transported to the thirteenth century. She switched souls with Elsie as the old woman said she would but other things don’t go quite as expected. Perhaps most unexpected was falling in love.
.
You also might enjoy:
The Pocket Watch: The Pocket Watch Chronicles
When Maggie Mitchell, is transported to the thirteenth century Highlands will Laird Logan Carr help mend her broken
heart or put it in more danger than before?
Generous, kind, and loving, Maggie nearly always puts the needs of others first. So when a mysterious elderly woman gives her an extraordinary pocket watch, telling her it’s a conduit to the past, Maggie agrees to give the watch a try, if only to disprove the woman’s delusion.
But it works.
Maggie finds herself in the thirteenth century Scottish Highlands, with a handsome warrior who clearly despises her. Her tender soul is caught between her own desire and the disaster she could cause for others. Will she find a way to resolve the trouble and return home within the allotted sixty days? Or will someone worthy earn her heart forever?
The Pocket Watch is available as an e-book, audiobook and paperback
Other Books by Ceci Giltenan
The Fated Hearts Series
Highland Revenge
Does he hate her clan enough to visit his vengeance on her? Or will he listen to her secret and his own heart’s yearning?
Hatred lives and breathes between medieval clans who often don’t remember why feuds began in the shadowed past.
But Eoin MacKay remembers.
He will never forget how he was treated by Bhaltair MacNicol—the acting head of Clan MacNicol. He was lucky to escape alive, and vows to have revenge.
Years later, as laird of Clan MacKay, he gets his chance when he captures Lady Fiona MacNicol. His desire for revenge is strong but he is beguiled by his captive.
Can he forget his stubborn hatred long enough to listen to the secret she has kept for so long? And once he knows the truth, can he show her she is not alone and forsaken? In the end, is he strong enough to fight the combined hostilities and age-old grudges that demand he give her up?
Highland Revenge is available as an e-book, audio book and paperback.
Highland Echoes
Love echoes.
Grace Breive is strong and independent because she has to be. She has a wee daughter to care for and, having lost her parents and husband, has no one else on whom she can rely. Driven from the only home she has ever known, she travels to Castle Sutherland to find a grandmother she never knew she had.
Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Page 26