Read Online The Pocket Watch by Ceci Giltenan - Free Book Online Page A

twenty-first century part of her found it insulting that even as a grown woman, she was not responsible for her own actions. Still there was no point in arguing.
    Unfortunately this left her in a bad spot. It seemed no matter what Maggie did, Margaret had set events in motion that would have severe consequences for the Carrs unless Maggie could figure out how to change them. She tried another tack, “Could I go home, just for a little while? Maybe the familiar surroundings would help my memories return.”
    Again, Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard for ye, but I can’t send ye home. Ye were meant to spend time here getting to know us—getting to know me—before the wedding. If ye went home now, for any reason, it could also be seen as an insult.”
    “Surely my mother would understand, even if my father didn’t immediately.”
    A look of pain crossed Logan’s face. “Ye truly have forgotten everything. Margaret, yer mother died bringing ye into this world.”
    “Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. Somehow learning that Margaret had never had a mother caused her heart to ache a little.
    He leaned across the table, taking one of her hands in his. “I’m sorry Margaret. It has to be this way, but everything will be all right. We will be wed soon enough. Yer da and other clan members will come then, and afterwards we can discuss a visit to yer home.”
    “Exactly when is the wedding?” If it was to occur very soon, maybe she could stay a few days and stage Margaret’s death to occur in the presence of her father, so no suspicion would fall on the Carrs.
    “We are to be married three days after the Feast of the Assumption.”
    Because she had planned to go home immediately, she hadn’t calculated when the sixty days would run out. The Feast of the Assumption was weeks away, in August. She couldn’t stay that long and even if she did stay, it might not work. With dawning clarity, Maggie realized if she had not chosen to accept the pocket watch from Gertrude and exchange souls with Margaret, a clan war would have resulted. If she simply went back now, the same thing would happen. It seemed inevitable regardless of what she did. She sighed.
    Logan misinterpreted her sigh. “I know ye didn’t want this wedding. Neither of us did. I suspect yer unpleasantness was a pretense intended to push me into breaking the betrothal. But I can assure ye that will not happen under any circumstances.” He looked intently at her for a moment before saying, “Margaret refused to accept that, making herself and everyone around her miserable in the process. After all this, can ye accept it?”
    If Margaret’s horrible behavior and subsequent memory loss had not changed Logan’s mind about breaking the betrothal, nothing would. Accept what ye can’t change, Maggie . She couldn’t change this. After he left, she would lie down for a rest and say the word. Her death would be blamed on her head injury…and thus on the Carrs, but it couldn’t be helped. Events had already been set in motion that were beyond her control.
    He pushed. “Can ye?”
    She looked into his eyes. They were so full of hope. What on earth had made her think someone else’s troubles might be a relief for a while? She sighed again. “Aye, Logan, I accept it.”
    He smiled at her. It was the first time she had seen him smile. It was warm and genuine and left her breathless.
    “I am terribly sorry about yer accident. Still, in losing yer memory, ye have forgotten how set against our betrothal ye were. Perhaps we can start again and spend the next few weeks getting to know each other as yer father had hoped.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “Perhaps ye will decide ye like me before ye remember that ye didn’t want to.”
    She couldn’t help but laugh. “Perhaps.”
    Relief flooded his features. “Good. Now, I promised mother and grandmother I wouldn’t overtax ye. I’ll leave ye so ye can have a rest.”
    She walked with him