The Hands of Time (28 page)

Chapter
5
3

Present Day

Louisa kissed Doug as he dropped her off at JFK International Airport.  He was still confused about why she was going back to England, but she had to follow her hunch.  She would never be able to rest if she had the chance to find out the truth and didn’t.  She would fly into London
,
then take a train to Plymouth and a car to Newton Ferrers.  Mrs. Bradford was
already
saving a room for her, glad to have her back for a few days.  Business wasn’t what it used to be
,
and having a paying guest was always a boon. 

Luisa
boarded the plane
,
and watched Long Island disappear from view as the plane soared into the aquamarine sky.  She didn’t know what the clock meant
,
or what the numbers represented, but she knew that it was a clue
,
and she had to follow it to the shop.  At best, she would find something out and at
worst
,
spend a few days in England, reliving Valerie’s disappearance exactly a year after it happened.  At this time last year, they were flying to England together, Valerie heartbroken and quiet.  If the paintings could be believed, she didn’t stay heartbroken for long
,
and was able to conceive with that traitor she married. 

Louisa thought of Michael
,
and couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.  Kimberly had given birth to a baby girl six months after the wedding
,
and Michael
had been
overjoyed until he saw the baby.  The baby’s skin was several shades darker than either him or Kimberly
,
and Michael began to grow suspicious.  After many arguments and tears
,
a paternity test had been ordered
,
and the results proved Michael correct.  The baby was not his.  Kimberly had been seeing a co-worker from Algiers when she began an affair with Michael
,
and the baby proved to be his. 

Michael filed for divorce
,
and Kimberly was now playing house with the baby’s father
.  He
was head over heels in love with his daughter
,
and willing to overlook the fact that Kimberly never mentioned her pregnancy to him, hoping to snag Michael instead. 
Serves them all right
, thought Louisa.  She felt no pity for Michael, who deserted Valerie for Kimberly, who was a piece of work to begin with.  She refused the meal offered by the flight attendant and tried to sleep.  It would take her a while to get to her destination and she meant to be alert when she got there. 

Chapter
5
4

July 1606

I pulled what felt like a millionth weed from Finlay’s grave and threw it aside
,
looking down at my progress.  There were still a few more to go, but it was definitely looking better.  Alec sat on a blanket a few feet away holding little Finn, trying to rock him to sleep.  He wanted to bring Finn to his father’s grave
,
although the baby was too young to understand any of it.  We
’
d been talking about going to America for a few weeks, but no decision had been made.  There were days when it seemed like a good solution
,
and other days when leaving England seemed like a mistake.  To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted.  I
’
d been born and grew up in the States, but the America of the
seventeenth century
was a wild and harsh place.  England
was modern
and civilized by comparison.  On the other hand, things had only gotten worse over the past few weeks
,
the cargo that came in on the Misty Dawn
still
sitting in the warehouse on the wharf
--
unsold and undesired.  Deep down
,
I knew what we had to do, but it still scared me. 

I wondered what would happen to the castle.  I knew that it had become a sad old ruin
,
and Mrs. Bradford had mentioned that no one had lived there since the
seventeenth century
.  Were we the last inhabitants of the castle?  Mr. and Mrs. Dobbs would live in their cottage
,
and the
Higgins
’
would remain at their farm.  The only person who would be left
without
a home if we left would be Bridget.  We hadn’t said anything to her, but she could sense that something was brewing
.  S
he seemed to be singing sadder songs
,
and spending more time in the kitchen with Mrs. Dobbs
,
no doubt seeking comfort. 

Betty came by from time to time.  She was nearing her time
,
and asked Bridget if she would deliver the baby.  Toby could not afford Dr. Marsh, not that the pompous, old ass would come to the birth of a peasant. 
I worried about Bridget.  Her earnings had enabled her to help her family
,
and she had blossomed since
coming
to the castle.  What would happen to her if we left?  She was friendly with Betty, but Betty couldn
’
t afford to hire help. 

Alec finally got the baby to sleep and came over to help me.  He
crouched by the grave
and pulled a few weeds out, looking at my face. 

“Who will pull the weeds after we’ve gone?” I asked
,
throwing another weed away furiously.  “He will be left all alone.”

“Finn would want us to do what
is
best for us and his son.  He would understand.”

“I know,” I said
sadly
. “He would.”  It seemed as if a decision had been made.

Chapter
5
5

Present Day

Louisa sat on her bed feeling strangely nervous.  The trip to Newton Ferrers had been uneventful
,
and she arrived last evening
;
checking into the inn and having a meal with Mrs. Bradford.  She couldn’t bear the thought of returning to the Dolphin Inn, haunted by memories of the day Valerie disappeared.  It was now time to do what she came to do
,
and she was terrified.  She didn’t even know what to say to the man, but sitting in her room was not going to get her anywhere
, so
she got up
,
forcing herself to leave the room.

The walk to Main Street took no more than ten minutes
,
and Louisa stopped in front of the shop, bracing herself for the confrontation.  She pushed open the door, hearing the bell ring as she walked into the deserted shop.  The man she remembered from before emerged from the back, his smile of welcome fading as he saw her. 

“Welcome back, Ms. Jamison.  What brings you back to our village?”  He seemed anxious and Louisa knew that her hunch to come back had been correct. 

“I
’
m doing some more work at the manor
,
and thought I’d stop in to see if you got
in
anything interesting.”  She pretended to walk around the shop
,
until she spotted the clock sitting on the top
shelf
above the same chipped shepherdess.  Louisa reached up and took down the clock
,
carrying it back to the front.  She stood directly in front of Mr. Taylor and raised the clock high above her head.

“I will smash this clock to pieces if you don’t tell me what happened to my sister.  I know it has something to do with you
,
and I
’
m not leaving until I find out what I came for.”  Mr. Taylor’s eyes grew large behind his horn-rimmed glasses, but he seemed in no rush to stop Louisa from
smashing
the clock
on
the floor.

“Mrs. Jamison, put down the clock.  It’s quite heavy.  I don’t know what you
’
re talking about.”

“Yes you do
,
and you
’
re going to tell me.  I
’
m not leaving here until I find out what happened to
Valerie
.  Was she the first person to travel to the past
,
or were there others before her, like Erzsebet?”  She saw that she hit
a
nerve
,
and continued.

“I came across a portrait of my sister from 1608.  How did she get there?  How does this clock work?”

“All right, Louisa.  Put the clock down and I
’
ll tell you.  I see you already know most of it, so I might as well fill in the blanks.  Sit down, it’s a long story.”  He motioned Louisa to an antique armchair
,
and sat across from her after locking the shop door. 

Chapter
5
6

August 1606

I stood on the deck of the
Morning Star
holding on for dear life.  Alec said that I would get my sea legs in a few days, but right now
,
the rolling of the deck beneath my feet left me feeling as if I was reeling drunk and unable to stay on my feet.  Bridget did not seem to have this problem.  She
’
d grown up around boats
,
and had no difficulty
maintaining
her balance and holding a squirming Finn at the same time
, his teething ring slimy with saliva
.  I was very surprised when she asked if she might accompany us to America.  After all, her young daughters were still in Ireland, missing their mother, but Bridget was adamant.  Finding work in England would be more difficult than ever after what happened with Finlay
,
and going back to Ireland was out of the question.  There was nothing for her there
,
and she could serve her children better by earning a steady income and sending the money home.  She dreamed of bringing her daughters to Virginia to live with her at some point.  I was glad to have her along, both for company
,
and for her practical knowledge.  For all my modern upbringing, I knew very little about babies
,
and Bridget was a
walking
encyclopedia on teething, diaper rash treatments
,
and causes of fevers and tummy aches.  I prayed that Finn would not get sick during the journey
,
as there was no doctor
aboard
the ship. 

As the ship left Plymouth behind and made for the open sea
,
I looked around, taking stock of my surroundings.  The rigging above my head moaned and creaked as the sails unfurled,
swelling to their maximum capacity with the breath of the wind that would carry us across the Atlantic.  Men climbed the masts like monkeys going about the business of sailing, which I knew nothing about.  I could hear Alec’s voice as he came up from the bowels of the ship accompanied by the
c
aptain.  They were deep in discussion about the course
,
and I turned back looking out over the blue-gr
a
y waters of the Celtic Sea.  

The
Lady Violet
was directly behind us, followed by
Misty Dawn
.  I could see the figurehead of the ship, meant to resemble Violet, her face fierce and her bare breasts pointing forward like twin peaks. 
If Violet had really looked like that
,
I seriously doubted that Alec would have ever found the courage to go near her, much less love her. 
The wooden effigy was downright frightening
,
and I turned away feeling a little melancholy.

  It had taken nearly two months to make all the arrangements for our departure
,
and it was almost
September
.  Alec cleared out the warehouse in Plymouth, disposing of the stores at a loss
,
and selling the premises.  The three ships would all sail together, loaded with their last British cargo
,
and not meant to return.  Some members of the crew would stay with Alec and sail the ships to the West Indies, but the ones who wanted to return home, would find work on vessels bound for the shores of England.  It all felt strangely final. 

Leaving the castle had been hard, especially for Alec who was born there
,
and had never lived anywhere else.  Mr. and Mrs. Dobbs would retire to their cottage and act as caretakers to the estate.  The castle itself would be locked up after losing its occupants.   Alec had made arrangements with the Higgins
’
to take on Robbie as a farm hand and Betty, who had recently given birth to Martha, was happy to have her only surviving family nearby.