Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (24 page)

March 23, 2006

The Sinclairs’ library

Elsie could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “It was you. You were Geordie?”

“Yes.”

“And you would have left your family forever to stay with me?”

“Yes. Even though the only skill I had was as a minstrel, I would have stayed.”

She laughed. “I had decided that if you asked, I would go with you.”

“Although I’d initially intended to ask just that, I realized it would have been a mistake. You clearly loved learning to be a midwife. Not only was it a skill that would make you valuable to the clan, it gave you a sense of purpose. I understood that, and I didn’t want to take it away from you. I still would have stayed, even if it meant being a laborer. The morning you found me in the church, I was praying for guidance. You were so very sad. I wanted to offer you comfort. I wanted to be there for you always.”

“The baby was dying. It happens often enough, but it is always heart-rending.”

“I remember. You said her lips and fingers were blue and that it got worse when she cried. Even then, I knew she wasn’t getting enough oxygen in her blood.”

“Could you have helped her now?”

“I expect so. It could have been any number of things, all of which could be treated here. It made me think long and hard about my future. Even that didn’t change my mind. I planned to tell you who I was and that I intended to stay if you would marry me. But I knew you’d been up all night and needed rest first. I was heading to see you that afternoon when one of Laird Macrae’s guardsmen dragged you past me into the keep.”

“I was already gone then. The change happened while Drummond was hauling me through the village.”

“Oh, my God, the person I saw was Elizabeth?”

“Yes.”

“I tried to help, but the guard told me to mind my own business. I was worried, so I slipped inside to see what was going on. There were men waiting in the hall.”

“They must have been the MacKenzies.”

“That’s what one of the serving maids told me. I waited to see what was happening. After a little while, I heard people on the stairs and hid. The laird emerged from the stairs with you—or Elizabeth, it would seem—and the big guardsman. I couldn’t hear what was going on. She didn’t seem upset and went with them without a single farewell. Now I know why. At first, I was crushed. But then the laird told your aunt and the whole clan what had happened. He said the MacKenzies came seeking a midwife, but after he had sent them away, you lied to them about your skills in order to get them to take you along.”

“I would never have done that,” she said vehemently.

“I knew you wouldn’t have, and your aunt didn’t believe him, either. Except for the guardsmen, I may have been the only one to see you—or her—being dragged to the keep and handed over to them. I didn’t understand why Laird Macrae was lying, and I started asking questions, but I got nowhere. I even tried to talk my friends into going with me to the MacKenzie’s. I was worried about you. But Robin said haring after them in the dead of winter was foolhardy. He said if you hadn’t been returned by Easter, they’d go with me to the MacKenzie holding then. But, as you know, my time was limited—I just had a week left on the pocket watch. I intended to stay if you wanted to marry me, but if you didn’t… I had to find out.”

“So ye went after her?”

Gabe nodded. “I guess my asking questions hadn’t gone unnoticed. I was followed and attacked. The big guardsman who had dragged her to the keep was one of my attackers. He stabbed me in the gut. I whispered the return word just as I lost consciousness and woke seconds later in my own bed. I believed I had lost you forever.” Gabe’s voice sounded bereft. “I had hoped Gertrude would find me again. I wanted another chance. At the very least, I wanted to know what had happened to you. I wanted to know you were safe.”

She smiled and took his hand. “I’m sorry it has taken eleven years for you to find out, but I’m safe. And I do love you. That must be why my feelings for you were so strong. Elizabeth’s brain might have recognized Gabriel Soldani, but my heart recognized Geordie.”

“I’m certain you’re right. The way this feels is intense and different. You are the first woman I ever loved. It was you and not Elizabeth who loved me.”

“Elizabeth might have, too. I don’t know. But I’m certain my feelings are my own.”

“Elsie, this should be proof enough that we are meant to be together. We are soulmates. Like your parents, our souls have been pulled through time twice to ensure we are together.” Gabe got down on one knee. “Please, Elsie, marry me.”

“I want to marry you and spend the rest of my days here with you as my husband. My parents also desperately want me to stay.” Tears sprung to Elsie’s eyes. “But what about Elizabeth?”

“My darling, I can only believe that her soul is where it belongs as well.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“She hasn’t come back yet.”

“But she was meant to help Lady MacKenzie.”

“Yes, she was. But based on what you’ve told me, I suspect Lady MacKenzie has a condition known as an incompetent cervix that prevents her from carrying a child to term. Elizabeth would have been able to diagnose her and tell her what she needed to do immediately. After that, there’s nothing else that could be done, so she could have returned weeks ago. But she hasn’t. Something is holding her there as surely as our love holds you here.”

Could it be? Could she actually stay here forever? It was what she wanted more than anything. Somehow, she knew the first step was declaring her intention. “Yes, Gabe, I’ll marry you.”

He pulled the box from his pocket and slipped the ring on her finger.

“Gabe, this is beautiful. What is it for?”

He grinned. “In this time, when a woman agrees to marry a man, he gives her a ring. It’s called an engagement ring. She wears it as a sign of the promise to marry him. This ring is the one my grandfather gave to my grandmother when they were engaged.”

“It’s beautiful.”

He gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers. “I swear to you, I will always love you and care for you. Time will not part us.”

There was a tap at the library door a moment before it opened. Gertrude stepped into the room positively beaming. “I see you’ve sorted things out nicely.”

Fear coursed through Elsie, and she tightened her grip on Gabe. “Gertrude, please, I want to stay.”

“And that is just what ye were intended to do, lass. Souls are rearranged for a multitude of reasons. The two of ye were truly destined for each other, but Gabriel was equally destined to be a doctor. ”

“And Elizabeth wasn’t?” Elsie asked hesitantly.

“Aye, she was—just not here. Her skills were needed in another time and place—and her heart belonged there, too.” Gertrude grinned slyly. “She fell in love ages ago and made the decision to stay. You just needed a little extra time to discover your heart’s desire.”

“My parents will be excited. I suspect they were worried you’d come to tell me it was time to trade souls again.”

“Sweetling, they don’t know I’m here. You are well aware that I have a way of coming and going unnoticed. Still, I have no doubt they will be thrilled. Their greatest regret has always been leaving you. And yet, this is where your father belonged. He had a hunger for knowledge that was unmatched, and he could never have been satisfied in yer own time. But more than that, he has a compassionate heart. His businesses are not only sound and profitable, but his employees are treated well and compensated fairly. His wealth supports medical research, global clean water initiatives, famine relief, and charities intended to promote the safety and advancement of women around the world.” She winked at Gabe. “I even understand he is the major contributor to a new pediatric wing at NYUHC.”

Gabe smiled. “Funny, I heard the same thing.”

Gertrude caressed Elsie’s cheek with one hand. “I know your life until now has been difficult, made harder still by losing your parents when you were so very young. But I cannot apologize for that. Unlike your parents, I have no regrets. I provide the means for gifts to be used to their fullest advantage in the place where they will have the greatest benefit. Even so, each person makes their own choices. The fact is that Alder Macrae was born with tremendous potential and absolutely no way to achieve it. Aldous Sinclair was born completely blind to the advantages and potential with which he had been gifted. But young Aldous, with full knowledge of the risks he took—he had been injured before when climbing over the fence—made his choice. When presented with opportunity, Alder Macrae made his as well.”

“But Gabe wasn’t able to stay with me in the past.”

“That wasn’t where his gifts were needed, pet. His potential here was yet to be achieved. I gave him the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons from you first.”

“What could I teach him?”

Gabe smiled. “You helped me recognize the gift I had already been given—an opportunity for education. You embraced the ability to learn midwifery, a skill that would be infinitely valuable to your clan. You found a sense of purpose in that. I had the opportunity to become a doctor and had been willing to throw it away to live a musician’s life. When you told me about the baby who was dying, I was reminded of what I could achieve in the future, versus my complete lack of real skills in the past.”

“But you said you were prepared to stay with me anyway.”

“I was, but the man who murdered me took that decision from me. I suppose that was for the best. However, I had been wrestling with my career choice before I used the pocket watch. When I came back, the things I had learned from you and the love and respect I had for you made my choice clear.” He cocked his head and looked at Gertrude. “Of course, I fully believed that I had found my true love only to lose her forever.”

Gertrude smiled indulgently. “Once love is found, it is never truly lost. It may evolve. Loved ones may be separated for a while by time and space. But love exists forever. Thus, loving someone is a marathon—”

“—not a sprint. Yes, a wise woman once told me that.”

Gertrude chuckled. “Ye understand it now, do ye?”

“I think I do. But what would have happened if Elizabeth had returned?”

“We’ll never know for certain, but she actually did have strong feelings for ye. When Elsie recognized ye, part of it
was
Elizabeth’s memories at work. If Elizabeth had elected to return, ye two would have rediscovered the affection ye held for each other. Ye and Elizabeth are compatible and would have had a loving marriage. And a MacKenzie guardsman would have been Elsie’s solace after losing Geordie. Each of you would have loved your partner, but it would never have been as it is between the two of ye. It’s as ye said, Gabe, Elsie is your true soulmate.”

Gabe kissed the top of Elsie’s head. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Gertrude smiled indulgently for a moment. “Part of the job is done now, but ye’ve still got a few things to sort out.”

Elsie nodded, but Gabe’s brows drew together. “What still has to be sorted out?”

“Elizabeth’s parents,” said Elsie.

“But they’ve accepted the diagnosis of fugue.”

“That’s not the whole of it. Charlotte knows I’m not Elizabeth.”

“You told her and not me?”

“It was an accident when I told her. I slipped and referred to Elizabeth as another person. Charlotte was all over that and ready to have me committed. It took a visit from Gertrude to convince her. And I thought I was intended to help you fall in love with Elizabeth. Telling you would have ruined that.”

“But there is more to it than that,” said Gertrude. “A rift had formed between Elizabeth and her parents long before she took the pocket watch. That rift can be mended.”

“But Elsie isn’t their daughter Elizabeth, and now she never will be.”

Gertrude shook her head. “Of course she is their daughter. You’re a doctor. Do I need to explain biology to you?”

Gabe shook his head. “No, but that’s not what I meant. The Elizabeth they know is gone.”

“Not completely. Gabe, you know what it is like to be in another’s body. You have a bit of them with you. You were able to play medieval music on a lute, were you not?”

He nodded.

“So, they have lost part of the old Elizabeth—who they had nearly lost anyway. But it would be wrong to allow that rift to grow. Elsie is right—Elizabeth’s parents must be told.”

“I agree that we need to tell Charlotte,” said Elsie. “She has accepted things as they are because she believes Elizabeth is coming back. This will be a blow to her. But I haven’t spoken to Dr. Quinn since that day in the hospital. He hasn’t contacted me or even attempted a visit. There is nothing to tell him.”

“Tell me, Elsie, did you contact or visit him?”

As soon as Gertrude said it, Elsie felt like a prime idiot. She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

Gertrude patted her on the arm. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Simply becoming accustomed to life here was a monumental task. If Elizabeth were coming back, connecting with her mother in the short-term would have been sufficient. But now that you have elected to stay, you must reach out to him as well.”