Katie quickly, but carefully leafed through the pages, trying to see if she could find the picture. It was wonderfully illustrated with sketches and hand painted scenes. She found images of Bella Rose Manor, the stunningly handsome James and Reid Walsh, and the beautiful Irish countryside of Westport from back in the mid 19th Century. If her memory served her correctly, she also saw a bracelet that James gave to his beloved from the future, Isabelle.
That’s your name, mum. Maybe he’ll come to find you and whisk you away to a faraway land back in time.
Katie blinked back fresh tears.
Low and behold, just as she was about to give up, there in the last chapter of the book was a picture of a jeweled bracelet. Katie read the entire page, scouring for an explanation. It said that the bracelet originally belonged to James Walsh’s great grandmother, and that it was one of two identical bracelets.
The more Katie stared at the bracelet in the book and the bracelet on her wrist, the more they seemed the same. A shiver snaked up her spine. She read on avidly, looking for more information about this mysterious bracelet.
It must be a replica, she thought to herself as she reread the details of the bracelet’s history. It has to be.
All of a sudden, Katie’s heart rate accelerated. Under the picture in the second paragraph, she read the words that nearly convinced her she was dreaming.
Though James knew that he could not be with his one true love permanently across time, he gave her something to keep with her always when they were not together. It was our great grandmother’s antique bracelet that had been handed down through the generations to our mother who had given it to him. This bracelet allowed anyone who wore it to pass through time. Inscribed on the inside of the bracelet were the words ’Entwined Together Forever’.
The book fell from her hands, having lost her grip in her disbelief.
“Ouch!” Katie whined after it hit her big toe. She cursed under her breath. Katie slid the bracelet off her wrist, picked the book back up, and compared the real thing to its doppelganger picture once more. She had heard of people finding amazing treasures within old antiques. It was not completely impossible.
Maybe her mother had it made special? Like a keepsake?
Katie stared at the inscription on the inside of the bracelet. It was too small for her to read, so she ran into her bedroom to fetch her magnifying glass. She held the magnifying glass over the words, adjusting its distance until they became clear.
Her heart stopped as ‘entwined together forever’ appeared through the lens, sure as Sunday.
Wow, she mused. Whoever created this replica did a damn good job.
She was about to put the magnifying glass down when another bunch of scribbles caught her eye. She discovered a set of numbers, slightly smaller than the text, and hidden from her until then. As she brought the magnifying glass closer, Katie gasped. At the end of the words where the numbers 1756, exactly 100 years before the book was even published.
It was our great grandmother’s antique bracelet that had been handed down through the generations to our mother who had given it to him.
Katie slowly shook her head, surfacing from the sluggish muck of her wonderment. “No way. This can’t be true. It couldn’t be the real thing… could it?” Katie was simultaneously scared and excited. She knew that she had to tell Chloe as soon as she could.
Perhaps, Katie thought to herself, I’ll find the answers within the pages of James Walsh’s story.
Katie crawled into bed with the bracelet and the book. She opened the cover, turning to the first page.
It’s going to be a long night, she realized as she started reading the story of James Walsh, the Timeless Love Affair, from beginning to end. She had to know why her mum had such an obsession with this book. She had to understand how she came to own this antique bracelet that had been hidden in a secret drawer for all these years. Less and less was making sense these days. Katie was beginning to think she was losing her mind.
She eventually dozed off, plunged into a deep sleep, catching visions that looked and felt too real to be dreams.
In one of them, she was standing in a field of grass – a wide rippling lawn yawning out in front of an old Victorian mansion. James Walsh was there and so was her mother Isabelle, resplendent in a gown of midnight purple and crimson silk, her hair pinned up in a mess of spirals, some of which cascaded down her back. They were sitting down by a brook, laughing. Isabelle’s smile was vibrant against the color in her cheeks. She didn’t look sick at all.
James handed her what appeared to be a gift box, wrapped in green. Looking stunned, her mother opened the package. Inside, she found a jewelry box. It was the same as the jewelry box Isabelle had given Katie for her 18 birthday.
And that wasn’t all.
When Isabelle opened the box, there was a bracelet inside – the same bracelet that Katie had discovered in the secret drawer. As James Walsh bent over to place the bracelet onto her mother’s arm, Katie could clearly see the same rose gold band encrusted with jewels on his own wrist. They were identical.
“Entwined together forever, my beloved Isabelle,” James said with a smile, bringing her mother’s hand to his lips and bestowing a kiss on her snowy knuckles.
Isabelle laughed. She gazed deeply and adoringly into his eyes. “Yes, my darling James. Entwined together forever.”
The scene fogged over until the fuzz obscured the picture. Katie slept like the dead, and did not dream again.
~*~
Chapter 6: The History of the Bracelet
~*~
Katie awoke with a fright to the sound of her telephone blaring beside her ear.
“Hello?” Katie yawned into the phone.
“Katie? It’s Chloe.” The sound of her voice stirred a nagging at the back of Katie’s head. Hadn’t she forgotten something? “Did I wake you up? Sorry, I thought we were meeting for breakfast this morning.”
Katie snatched up the digital clock on her bedside. “Gah! Dammit. Oh Chloe, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot. I had such a late night.” She kicked off the sheets. “You are not going to believe it when I tell you what I found out about the bracelet!” She jumped out of bed, feeling dreadful for nearly standing Chloe up.
“Are you okay?” Chloe asked, sounding concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Stay where you are and order me a coffee and something hot. I will jump in the shower and be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Chloe replied, sounding much happier. “See you soon!”
Katie rushed into shower, got ready, grabbed the book and put the bracelet on her wrist. She ran out the door and dashed down the street towards the café. She had to tell Chloe what she’d found out the previous night. Perhaps she would be able to make sense of it all.
When she got to their favorite café at the other end of the lane overlooking the river, Chloe was there waiting with a hot brew of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs. The smell of food made Katie’s mouth water. She hadn’t realized she was famished, her growling stomach suddenly a loud testament to it.
With all the excitement from the previous night, she had forgotten to eat dinner.
“Thank you! I’m starving,” Katie said as she plopped down to join Chloe at the table putting the book down next to her. She set upon the fluffy golden eggs with gusto.
“What’s that?” Chloe asked with an inquisitive look at the old book. Katie was too busy wolfing down her breakfast to reply. Chloe fidgeted impatiently. “Are you going to tell me what happened before I burst?! Spill already!”
Katie looked at her dear friend excitedly as she swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “Chloe,” she said with the most serious face Chloe had seen since her mother’s disappearance. “What I am going to tell you is going to sound totally absurd.”
“… Okay,” Chloe replied, leaning away from her just a hair.
“We’ve been friends a very long time, right?”
“Yes.” Chloe nodded.
“Right. So
please be open to this, because I’m going to need your help to figure out the history behind this bracelet. I think it’s connected in some way to my mother’s disappearance,” Katie continued. “You have to believe me.”
Chloe seemed intrigued. “Are you nuts or something? Of course I’ll believe you Katie. You’re my best friend. Now tell me what happened!”
Katie told Chloe all about the book and her mother’s obsession with it. She explained the story of the two bracelets, James Walsh, and his true love from the future called Isabelle. By the time she was through, Chloe’s eyes were the size of saucers. She gave Katie a skeptical once-over.
“You’re not seriously thinking what I think you’re thinking are you?” Chloe asked.
Katie huffed in consternation. “I don’t know what I am thinking Chloe. All I know is the following facts…” She counted them on her fingers. “One. My mother got sick and became obsessed with this book about James Walsh; Two. I kept finding her downstairs talking to herself, but she always denied it when I asked about it; Three. She disappeared without a trace; Four. She left me a note, talking about how wherever she was going, I couldn’t follow her; Five. I found this bracelet which is the exact same bracelet from the book; Six. James Walsh one true love’s name is Isabelle.” She opened her arms, exasperated. “What do you expect me to think Chloe? Freak coincidences?”
“I know, I know,” Chloe assured her. “But this is a bit out there… even for you, Katie.” Chloe pulled the book towards her and started flipping through the pages.
“I knew I was going crazy,” Katie muttered, slouching back in her chair. “Thanks for verifying that for me, Chloe.”
Chloe fixed her with a wry smile. “Let’s go down to the antique shop after breakfast and see if Mr. Wallis can tell us more about the bracelet. At least we’ll know if it is the real thing or a fake.”
Katie brightened. “That’s a good idea!”
They quickly finished their breakfast. Katie packed the book away and put the bracelet back on her wrist. She felt the same surge of sensations tingle up her arm. She ignored it as they hastened down to the Antique Store around the corner. Katie and Chloe loved the Antique Store. It had been there for years and the Wallis family had own it for generations.
“Hello there, girls,” Mr. Wallis said as Chloe and Katie strolled inside. “I’ve not seen you in here for a long time. I am so sorry to hear about your mother, Katie,” he added sadly.
“Thank you, Mr. Wallis,” Katie stopped to pick up a beautiful hand painted vase that caught her eye.
“How can I help you today, ladies?” Mr. Wallis asked kindly.
Chloe gave Katie’s arm a gentle nudge. Katie put the fascinating vase down. “Well, Mr. Wallis, do you remember when my father bought that bedside table from your store – gosh, over 20 years ago now?”
“Yes I do, Katie. I remember it well. The darn thing sat in this store, right over there, for nearly twenty five years before that. No one wanted it for some reason. But the moment your mum laid eyes on it, she wanted it straight away. Nothing to be done. Took a real fancy to it, she did. I remember the day your father came into the store to buy it for her. It was supposed to be an anniversary present. He came to thank me a few days later. Said she was overjoyed,” Mr. Walsh explained to the girls as they listened intently. “What about it? Did you want to sell it back?” he asked the girls inquisitively.
“Oh no, Mr. Wallis,” Katie corrected quickly. “I absolutely love it. It’s a keepsake in mum’s memory. The reason we ask is that yesterday, we were packing up her things and we found a secret drawer inside. When we opened it, we found this bracelet.” Katie held her wrist up. “We wanted to know if you could tell us if it was the real thing or just a piece of costume jewelry.”
“Sure can!” he beamed. Katie handed the bracelet to Mr. Wallis and he looked at it very closely. “Just one moment, let me get my eye glass so I can take a better look at its authenticity,” he said as he walked towards the back of the store. He took the bracelet with him and then came back into the room, a picture of astonishment. “Where did you say you found it, Katie?” he whispered.
“In the secret drawer in the nightstand my dad bought from you. It’s just some replica isn’t it?”
“On the contrary,” Mr. Wallis replied. “This antique bracelet is very, very rare and valuable. It is one of a pair from the 19th Century.” He looked closely at the bracelet from his foldable spyglass. “I never thought I’d actually see one, let alone hold it.”
“Really?” Katie questioned with a triumphant smile as she looked over at Chloe and then back at Mr. Walsh. Chloe looked flabbergasted.
“Were you looking to sell it? I could find a buyer for you in a heartbeat for this one. There are so many people following the James Walsh story who have been looking for the two bracelets for a very long time. Until today, I thought the whole thing was a farce,” Mr. Walsh explained.
“What would it be worth, just out of curiosity?” Chloe asked the antique owner.
He shrugged his shoulders, mulling it over as his head swayed to and fro. “Hard to say, but at a minimum I would estimate about five million in today’s markets because it is so rare. Probably twenty million, if you had both bracelets. Legend stipulates they have magic abilities that enable people to travel through time. Personally, I think that’s just folklore but… it adds to the value of the pieces.”
“F- five million?” she stammered. Chloe, slackjawed, looked at Katie and then back at Mr. Wallis. “No way!”
Katie immediately chimed in. “It’s not for sale, Mr. Wallis. I would appreciate it if you kept this just between us. It’s something that my mum treasured and one of the only things that I have left of her.”
Mr. Wallis nodded graciously. “I totally understand, Katie. Your secret is safe with me.” He gingerly handed the bracelet back to Katie.
Mr. Wallis wished the girls well as he went back to dusting the antique furniture in the store. The girls thanked him as they left to go back to Katie’s house where they would decide what to do with this new information.
~*~
Chapter 7: The Secret Dressing Room
~*~
When the girls reached the shop, Katie marched straight over to the locked dressing room.
“I don’t know why, but I feel this room is somehow connected to this bracelet and my mum’s disappearance. Tomorrow I am going to see if I can find the key. Once and for all, I am going to find out what she’s hiding behind that locked door that she did not want anyone to see.”
Chloe left an hour later and told Katie to give her a call if she needed anymore help.
The next day, Katie called a locksmith to open the dressing room door and fit it with a new lock. Chloe was busy with errands, but promised to pop over later to see what was behind the door. She gave Katie a phone call in the morning, telling her that if the prince charming from their childhood adventures was in there to make sure he had a handsome, rich brother and be sure to give him her number.
Katie giggled and promised Chloe she would keep an eye out.
It was half past ten when Katie finally heard the shop’s bell chime. She had been unpacking more stock, preparing for an influx of customers formally invited to the annual council ball. It was a big event to celebrate the coming of spring. The theme this year was the mid 19th Century. She wanted to make sure she had enough stock to cater to the demand. The theme was actually Katie’s idea. After reading her mother’s book, she thought it was a great historical theme for the community to celebrate this year and the committee loved the idea.
As Katie looked up, a short stocky red haired man came into the store. “Are you Katie Mackenzie by any chance?”
“The one and only,” Katie replied with a smile.
“Top of the morning to you!”
“And to you, sir. You must be the locksmith?” she asked politely.
“Yes indeed ma’am,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “My name is Sean Flannery. How can I be of
assistance?”
“Well Mr. Flannery, if you could assist me in changing the lock on this old dressing room door so that I can see what junk is in there and clean it out, that would be greatly appreciated,” Katie instructed as she led him towards the room in question. She put her hands on her hips. “This door has been locked for over twenty years. My mother lost the key and never bothered to get it fixed. I’m hoping to expand the store, so I’ll need more fitting rooms. I really want to use this one, but I can’t seem to open it. Do you think you can help?” Katie said looking back at Sean the locksmith.
“Piece of cake, lassie. I will have it opened in a jiffy. I can cut you a new key to replace the one that you lost,” Sean replied as he grabbed his toolbox and walked towards the door lock.
“Is there any chance of keeping the same shape key? I love old door keys. It helps maintain the ambience of the store and its history,” Katie inquired hopefully.
“Sure, I have lots of people with old locks who want to do the same thing. I always keep some in the van.”
Katie got out of the way to let the locksmith work his magic. She had butterflies in her stomach. This would be the first time the dressing room had been opened since she was born. And for some reason she had a feeling that the bracelet, her mother’s disappearance and the book had something to do with what was hidden behind that door. She was determined to figure it out. Not knowing what happened to her mother was always at the back of her mind and if this room could somehow put the pieces of the puzzle together, then she was ready to become a detective and solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance once and for all.
A little while later, Katie was roused from her day dreaming by Sean. The locksmith handed her an invoice and the new key. “Here is the key, Miss Mackenzie. Is there anything else you will be needing today?”
Enchanted - The Dressing Room Affair [Time Travel Historical Romance Novella] (Entwined Together Forever) Page 4
