Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (26 page)

Elsie was thrilled when, after recovering from her initial shock, Charlotte reached out to her that evening.

“I’m sorry I hurt you this afternoon, darling. It was hard news to hear. But she is living a life she chose with a man she loves. I could not wish more for her than that.” Charlotte sighed. “Is living? I guess I should say lived. Her life ended centuries ago.”

“I don’t think of it that way,” said Elsie. “If I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that time is not linear. After all, Gertrude can pop back and forth between us. Maybe it’s easier to think of her as just being somewhere else.”

She and Gabe had dinner with Charlotte the next evening to discuss the best way to handle Elizabeth’s father.

“Maybe we should all go to Baltimore this weekend,” said Charlotte.

Gabe’s brows drew together. “We could, but I think if we hope to have him accept that Elizabeth may never recover her memories, perhaps he should come here. That way, we can set up a meeting with Dr. Rose and perhaps Mrs. Sinclair.”

“A meeting with Jo Sinclair? Why?”

While Aldous Sinclair preferred that no one ever knew he had used the pocket watch, they agreed that if necessary, Elsie could tell Charlotte that Jo had. The fact that Jo was Elsie’s mother would remain a secret—at least for now.

“Were you aware that Mrs. Sinclair once suffered profound retrograde amnesia?”

Charlotte nodded absently. “Vaguely. But that was from a head injury not a fugue. I understand that fugues generally resolve. I think James would see these as two entirely different situations.”

Elsie looked at her pointedly.

“You don’t mean…are you saying Jo Sinclair…?”

Her point made, Elsie smiled. “I’m saying she once suffered profound retrograde amnesia
from which she never recovered
.”

Gabe nodded. “If the goal is to help Dr. Quinn accept that Elizabeth’s memories will not return, we may have an easier time of it with both Dr. Rose and Mrs. Sinclair available. I fear the harder part will be telling him Elsie and I are engaged.”

Charlotte nodded. “You’re right on both counts, but it must be done. I’ll call him this evening.”

Elsie took a deep breath. “I think I should call him.”

“Are you sure, darling?”

“I’m sure…Mom.” Elsie had avoided ever calling Charlotte
Mom
, but she and Gabe had discussed it and agreed that had to change. In private, the Sinclairs were Mama and Da. Elsie needed to begin thinking of Charlotte and James Quinn as Mom and Dad.

Charlotte took her hand and simply said, “Thank you.”

When Elsie and Gabe returned to the apartment, Elsie sat at the table staring at the phone trying to gather her courage.

“Elsie, you can’t just sit there. The phone isn’t going to dial itself.”

“I know.” Still, she didn’t reach for it.

“Charlotte said she would call him.”

“I know, but it’s better if I do.”

“Then you have to put on your big girl panties and do it.”

“My
big girl panties
?”

“It means to find your courage and do the mature, adult thing. Call your dad.”

“Okay,” Elsie said resolutely.

“Good,” he said, before leaning down to her ear and whispering, “And when you’re done, I’ll take off your panties and do another mature, adult thing.”

“That’s certainly incentive.”

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.

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.