Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (11 page)

“—is an obstetrician. Brilliant!” Mr. Sinclair laughed.

Elsie smiled. “There is a certain elegance to it.”

“That there is.”

“You said you used the watch? Did you go backward in time?”

“No, I came forward.”

“Like me? But you stayed?”

“Yes, I did.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Nearly my whole life. In my time, I was a young man, just twenty-one, but I landed in the body of seven-year-old Aldous Sinclair in the year 1948.”

“A little boy?”

“Yes. It seems he was a bit of a handful—a brat. The Sinclairs were wealthy and lived on a beautiful, waterfront estate in Newport, Rhode Island. Wealthy people are often targets for criminals, so spiked, wrought iron fencing enclosed the entire property. Aldous wasn’t supposed to leave the grounds alone, ever. Being the defiant little monster he was, he disobeyed that rule and snuck away often.”

“If the grounds were fenced, how did he accomplish that?”

“There were plenty of trees on the property, some with branches that reached over the fence. He was in the habit of climbing one, crawling out on a limb, and dropping down outside the fence. The soul exchange occurred when he was climbing the tree on one of these excursions. I lost my grip and fell. It wasn’t terribly far, but I bumped my head and funnily enough, broke my left arm.”

She smiled at his reference to her broken left arm. “What would have happened had you not exchanged souls?”

“Gertrude was never specific about that. She said he might have slipped and impaled himself on the fence. She was there when I hit the ground.”

Elsie was appalled. “Impaled? How horrible.”

“Yes, and as it turns out, he had been injured many times doing the same thing. But had he made it to the other side that day, Gertrude implied something even worse might have happened. It didn’t really matter which terrible fate would have been Aldous’s. I was scared enough to never try that again. She told me what I needed to do and walked with me until we were in sight of the mansion. My memory loss was attributed to the head injury.” He smiled. “It never returned.”

“But Aldous was only seven.”

“That’s right. I have no memories of early childhood—at least of Aldous’s early childhood. Most people’s earliest episodic memories are from about the age of three, so while I am missing these actual memories, over the years I have been told enough that there is really no gap for me. Of course, I have my own memories, but they have faded some over the years.”

“Why did you decide to stay? You were a grown man, thrust into the body of a child. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“I was a grown man, but I was a peasant, a commoner. I had no power, no voice, no opportunity to advance. Regardless of how bright I was, unless I had chosen the religious life, there was no future for me other than a life of physical labor that could be cut short in any number of ways. I was in the body of a child who had absolutely every advantage life could offer and had essentially thrown it away. He had never been mistreated in any way. He had any toy or book he could possibly want. He was adored by his parents and had servants who took care of his every need. He had very few limits on his behavior, but he wanted none. His only reason for leaving the estate was for sport—because it was a challenge. One simple rule and he couldn’t follow it. His life was over and limitless opportunity stretched before me. I couldn’t go back.”

“Did you have a family?”

“I did. I had a wife and a child.”

“Do you know what became of them?”

He nodded slowly. “Leaving them was my only regret. As soon as I learned to read, I searched every history book I could find to try to learn their fate. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that finding any surviving record of the lives of two inconsequential peasants was futile. Gertrude occasionally popped into my life. She always she assured me that they were well, but she would never give me details. Each time I begged her to bring them forward. Her standard answer was, ‘That isn’t the way the pocket watch works.’”

“And that is all you learned?”

“No, Elizabeth. If I gave up that easily, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“So what did you do?”

“I started researching memory loss. I learned everything I could about it. I looked for news reports of people with amnesia and kept records. In almost every case I read about, the person’s memory eventually returned. I hoped to find someone, who, like me, appeared to have lost all memories permanently because that person might be a time traveler. But up until college, I had never found a report of that happening. Then I met Gerald Rose.”

“Dr. Rose?”

“The same.”

“He said you were old friends.”

“We were assigned as roommates during our first year, and we instantly became close friends. He was amused by my fascination with amnesia and repeatedly tried to find out why. One Saturday night early in our second year, I told him.”

“About the pocket watch?”

“Yes. Funnily enough, it turned out that he had been offered the watch once.”

“Really? He didn’t tell me. Where did he come from?”

“He went back in time and returned. It happened just before he came to college.”

“It’s amazing that of all people, the two of you ended up as roommates.”

“Not really. I suspect Gertrude had something to do with it. She nearly always has a hand in coincidences like that. The January after I told Gerald about my experience with the watch, something truly amazing happened. He and I were at a party. Judith Olivia Carson, a young woman we both knew casually, was there. She’d had a very loud fight with her boyfriend and stormed out of the party, intending to drive home. Although the public shouting match should have been a dead giveaway, no one knew she had been drinking heavily and was in no condition to drive. Evidently, she wasn’t really in any shape to walk. High-heeled shoes and ice only made it worse. She fell, knocking herself out before she reached the car. When she came to, she made her way back to the party, but she wasn’t Judith anymore. Gerald and I were the first people she ran into. Her head was bleeding and she had no memory. We took her to the hospital, but recognizing the signs—specifically, semantic memory loss—we asked her about the pocket watch before we got there.”

“She was a time traveler?”

“Yes, she was. As it turns out, after regaining consciousness, Judith would have gone on to the car. Had she driven off in the state she was in, drunk and with a head injury, she would have wrecked and been killed in the accident. She might have killed someone else, too.”

“My goodness.”

“As I suspect you are becoming aware, Gertrude doesn’t just give the pocket watch to someone for a lark. There are always reasons.”

“So where was the woman from?”

“My village. She was my wife.”

Elsie was amazed. “Gertrude gave her the watch after all? That’s wonderful, but what about your child?”

“That was the heartache of it all. There had been a terrible sickness passing through the village that winter. Jo was dreadfully ill and dying when Gertrude gave her the watch. Accepting the watch meant she could have sixty days with me and, under normal circumstances, could return sixty seconds later to be with our child. But in this case, even if she had done that, the outcome would have been the same. She would have died within hours of her return.”

“So she stayed here?”

“Yes. But our child has weighed heavily in our hearts all of our lives.”

“You’ve never learned what happened?”

“No. As I mentioned, when Gerald encounters someone who has used the watch to travel through time, he puts them in touch with me. I keep hoping to meet someone who travelled to or from my era who might know something.”

“How do they find him?”

Mr. Sinclair smiled. “Gertrude, of course. As you can imagine, traveling with the watch can result in having to make some heart-rending decisions. It helps to have someone who understands and can assist a returning traveler in coming to terms with their decisions. So, when needed, Gertrude sends them to Dr. Rose.”

“Have you ever met anyone who knew what happened to your child?”

“No, but that’s why I’m here. Would you tell me your story? Maybe you are the link I have searched for. Where did you come from?”

“The Scottish Highlands, in the year 1279.”

“Jo and I came from the Highlands, too. You are the first person who I’ve ever encountered from that far back. I left in 1260 and my wife in 1268. What clan do you belong to?”

“I’m a Macrae.”

Aldous Sinclair went white. “We were Macraes. Maybe you knew our daughter, surely you did. How old are you? In your own time, I mean.”

“Twenty-one.”

Aldous frowned as if concentrating for a moment. “That means you would be about her age.”

“What was her name?”

“Elsie.”

Could this be possible? Could this man really be her father? Elsie didn’t want to get her hopes up. “Did you have a cousin named Dolina?”

“Yes, I did. Do you know her? Do you know Elsie?”

“Sir, I am Elsie, the daughter of Dolina’s cousin Alder, but my mother’s name was Jocelyn, not Jo. Not only that, my father died only nineteen years ago and my mother eleven years ago. You can’t be my parents.”

“Oh, my sweet girl, time travel doesn’t work that way. Things aren’t equal. Your mother joined me eight years after I left, but I had been here for thirteen years. Time isn’t linear, and it only seems to connect at certain points. Nineteen years have passed for you since I left, but I have been here for fifty-eight years. I was Alder, and Jo was my nickname for your mother, Jocelyn.”

Tears filled her eyes. “You’re really my father?”

His eyes were bright as well. “I really am.” He stood and opened his arms.

Completely bewildered, Elsie stepped into the embrace, returning it. She could no longer suppress her tears.

“Oh, my darling girl, please don’t cry. I am so very sorry I abandoned you. I was young and the opportunities this world offered…but I never should have stayed.”

“You’re wrong. Mama was able to come here because you stayed. Illness would have taken her from both of us had she not accepted the watch. Not to mention all the other lives who would have been affected.”

“But you were left alone.”

“I wasn’t alone. I had Dolina. I can understand your choice. Things here are truly wonderful. You said it a moment ago. In our time, commoners have no power, no voice, and no opportunity to advance. You have used your gift to do great things. If Elizabeth hadn’t changed souls with me, I would have been beaten to death by my Laird simply because I wouldn’t perpetuate a cruel lie. Da, I understand your choice.”

His arms tightened around her and she felt him tremble, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Your mother and I have always loved you, Elsie.”

After a moment, he released her. They sat back down, but he took one of her hands in his. “To honor you, we started a charity here to provide college tuition to young women in need. For years, your mother attended the college graduation of every girl who received the scholarship. There are simply too many now.”

“Mama is still here? I thought maybe since you came alone…”

“No, your mother is very much alive. However, I’ve never told her of my attempts to find out what happened to you. She doesn’t know I have met so many time travelers. I never wanted to raise her hopes only to dash them—it has been hard enough for me.”

“Can I see her? Will you take me to her?”

“Of course you can see her, my darling. I would take you to her now, but I wouldn’t want to take you away without Dr. Soldani knowing where you were. I imagine he calls to check on you when he can, and he would worry if you weren’t here. Does he know? Can you call and tell him?”

“No, I haven’t told him about the pocket watch, and you’re right, he does call often.”

“So it would be nearly impossible to explain to him why you were going anywhere with me.”

“I suppose it would be, but I may not have much time here. I want to spend as much as I can with you both.”

Her father’s face fell. “I had just assumed you would want to stay.”

She smiled sadly. “It’s not my sole decision to make.”

“Ah, that’s right. I’d forgotten about Elizabeth.”

Elsie’s heart ached. “I doubt she will want to stay in the past. You know what it’s like there. She is a modern woman and a doctor. She belongs here. Besides, I think my mission is to repair the relationship between Gabe and Elizabeth. The feelings I have…well, I’m certain we, or rather they, belong together. There is also someone in my time who is important to me.”

Her father nodded. “I understand. The blessing your mother and I have been given by your presence here is priceless. We will accept what we have and rejoice in it rather than mourn what we cannot have.”

She squeezed his hand. Elizabeth’s parents had been such a disappointment; Elsie had felt sorry for her. She had lived most of her life without parents, but somehow having parents who were so detached seemed worse. Being given valuable time with her parents now, no matter how brief, was a gift beyond anything she could have ever hoped for. But it also hardened her resolve to help repair the relationship with Elizabeth’s parents. She had the opportunity to give the same gift she had been given.

“I agree with all my heart.” She smiled broadly. “So when can I see my mama?”

“I understand Gabe is working twelve-hour days this week. Is that correct?”

“How do you know that?”

He cocked his head and smiled. “I am a very wealthy man. I have contacts.”

“Well then, you know it’s correct.”

“Cheeky lass.”

She laughed. “It is one of the wonderful things about the twenty-first century. I don’t always need to hold my tongue.”

“Then enjoy it while you’re here. God knows you’ll have to mind it well when you return. I know Gabe will be at the hospital every day until late in the evening, so I will tell Jo about you this evening. I expect she’ll be here at the crack of dawn to see you, and I won’t be able to get a word in edgewise. So, unless you have other plans, I’d like to spend the rest of the afternoon getting to know you.”

“I’d like nothing more.”

Aldous did indeed spend hours with her. She learned that since he had been here for so many years, he had long since stopped thinking of himself as Alder. On the other hand, Jocelyn found it harder to think of herself as
Judith
. Since
Jo
was a pet name anyway, and Judith’s first and middle initials were J.O., she started going by that name and it stuck.

She also learned that they had four children. Caroline was their oldest daughter. She was thirty-eight, married, and had three children. Three years younger than Caroline was Jennifer, who also was married and had two children. Xavier, their oldest son, was thirty-two, and David was their youngest at thirty.

As Aldous told her about his other children, he became thoughtful. “I want you to meet them, but we need to think about how best to handle this. Biologically, they are the children of Aldous and Judith Sinclair, and thus certainly not Elizabeth Quinn’s siblings. But from a spiritual, philosophical standpoint, all five of you are the children of Alder and Jocelyn.”

“I assume none of them know?”

Aldous shook his head. “No one knows that I traveled here from the past except Dr. Rose and the other travelers I’ve met. Dr. Rose alone knows about Jocelyn. As advanced as things are in this century, there is no room for mysticism. Modern people believe in science. Every phenomenon must have a sound, logical explanation. Very few people are willing to accept anything on faith. Thus, if the story of our experiences with the pocket watch were to get out, your mother and I might be written off as lunatics.”

“David is a friend of Elizabeth’s, maybe you can use the accident as an excuse. After all, both you and Mama have experienced amnesia.”

“Actually, no one knows that about me. My parents kept it very quiet to avoid any sensationalism. I was young, and it was easy enough. It would have been impossible to keep Jo’s accident a secret. Although it was so many years ago, much of the buzz died down before our children were born. It isn’t a secret, but we never really discussed it with them. You’re right though, that may be just the thing. But first, let’s deal with Gabe. You can tell him that David informed me about your amnesia and I thought it might be helpful for you to speak with Jo but being cautious about my family, I wanted to meet you first. That will give you and excuse to spend time with your mother.”

“That a good plan and it makes me feel better. I wasn’t sure what I was going to tell him, but I didn’t want to hide it from him, either.”

“Then you can come to our home to visit. That way I wouldn’t have to leave members of my security team standing in the hall for ages.”

“Oh, good heavens, I forgot. Dixon has been out there for hours.”

“No, he hasn’t. I’m certain when it became clear that I was going to be a while, he sent for backup and they have been switching out. But it is getting late, and I should be going. Has Gabe taught you how to read numbers and use a telephone?”

“Yes, and I’m learning letters, too.” She couldn’t keep the note of pride out of her voice. Only a commoner from her own time could appreciate the wonder of that.

He smiled warmly. “Excellent.” He took out a small card and wrote a number on the back. “This is my business card. If you call any of the numbers on the front, someone will answer, but it will not be me. In most cases, they can find me or take a message. However, if it is urgent, call this number on the back. It is my private cell phone number. Only a handful of people have this, and I always answer it personally.”

“Why would I need to call you urgently?”

He smiled sadly. “We don’t know when Gertrude will come and tell you it’s time to exchange souls again. I don’t want you to leave without telling me. I want to be able to hug you one last time and say goodbye, and I know your mother will as well. Promise me.”

Again, the idea of her time here ending caused her heart to ache, but she nodded. “I promise.”

He hugged her. “And if you just want to talk to your da, call. That’s urgent enough for me.” He kissed the top of her head.

She sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Da.”

He smiled and kissed her cheek. “Yes, my sweet girl, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When she shut the door behind him, she leaned against it for a moment, swallowing at the lump in her throat. She had been given a tremendous blessing: time with a parent who she had thought was dead. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but now the thought of saying goodbye forever in a few weeks was almost too much to bear. Thoughts of Geordie and the family they would have together were the only things that kept her from breaking down.