Page 83 of Right Place, Right Time
‘It does sound a little strange, Orla,’ I say almost apologetically.
Orla nods. ‘That’s because it is strange. It’s a phenomenon few get to experience.’
‘So where do we all come into thisphenomenon? And Ben too?’
Orla looks to Ben. ‘Would you like to come in here, Ben?’
‘I think I’d better. You’ve done a great job at explaining it so far though, Orla, thank you.’
Orla smiles serenely.
Ben looks around at us all. ‘My name is actually Benjamin Johnson, and I was born in 1894 during the reign of Queen Victoria.’ He pauses to get our reaction to this.
Poor Ben, I think immediately.Is he getting a bit confused? Maybe Orla should have carried on for him for a while longer.But something about Ben’s face suggests he knows exactly what he’s saying and I feel the hairs on my arms begin to prickle.
‘I know you’re old, Ben,’ Adam says, his eyes shining. ‘But you look damn good for …’ He quickly does the maths. ‘One hundred and thirty years old!’
Ben just nods calmly. ‘Like I said, I was born in Cambridge in the Victorian era.’
‘I’m sure you told me once you were just a boy after the Second World War ended …’ I think about this for a moment. ‘Yes, you did! You said you could remember queuing up outside Fitzbillies for Chelsea buns when you were young.’
‘That is correct; I did do that,’ Ben says without hesitation.
‘But you just said you were born in 1894. If that’s true, then you’d have been fifty-one at the end of the Second World War.’
‘Why don’t you let Ben tell you his story, Eve,’ Orla says gently. ‘All will become clear in time.’
‘Sure.’ I sit back in my chair with Adam. I feel Adam’s arm go protectively around me and I’m really glad he’s here.
‘I came to Clockmaker Court in 1944 when I was just ten years old. Where I met my soon-to-be best friend, George, who wasyourgrandfather, Adam. I also met Archie and Dotty too.’ He turns to me. ‘You remind me so much of her, Eve. Not only your looks – you both have the same kind yet determined spirit and you’re fiercely protective of what is important to you.’
‘Thank you,’ I reply, a little taken aback by this.Ben knew Dotty too? All this time and he’s never said anything to me before. But why?
‘Archie and his wife, Violet, kindly took me in when I arrived and I grew up alongside George, who was a little older than me at the time, but still a young boy. As I’ve told you before, George and I used to spend a lot of time here in Clockmaker Court when we were young. At first we’d come to Archie’s shop to read the comic books when he was working with Dotty. And then when Archie disappeared, and Violet, his wife, continued to care for us both, we would still visit, and Ozzie, who you remember I told you about before, would look after us. Both George and I loved our comic books.’
He pauses to remember.
‘Hang on a minute,’ Adam says, interrupting his memories. ‘Those dates just don’t add up.’
‘Please, Adam,’ Orla says. ‘It’s important you all listen and understand. Ben will explain everything to you if you’re patient.’
Adam sighs with frustration, so I put my hand on his leg and give it a squeeze. In turn he rubs my shoulder to show he’s understood. I’m desperate too to find out more about Dotty and what Ben knows. But we must all be patient with him while he tells us in his own way, and in his own time.
‘When I became old enough,’ Ben continues, ‘I too took a shop here in Clockmaker Court. It had become clear by now that it was simply a waiting game and I wanted to be close by when it happened.’
Adam opens his mouth again, but Orla silently puts her finger to her lips.
‘George by then had his career at the bank – he wasn’t interested in being in Clockmaker Court. I think after what happened to his father, he wanted to get away from it, to be honest, and I can’t say I blame him. His family still owned the bookshop, of course, but, by now, Gerald, who you knew, Eve, had taken it over from his father. Sarah, Eve’s grandmother, came shortly afterwards, opening her antiques shop. We were the only ones who knew the secret and as we all grew older, we knew we had to put in place plans in case we all passed away before the time came. Your parents had sadly passed by then, Eve. So your grandmother was the only one in your family that knew, and your mother had also left us by then, Adam.’
Adam and I glance empathetically at each other, while Ben pauses to take a sip of the whisky Adam poured for him earlier.
‘So,’ Ben continues, ‘we set about planning a series of clues and guides that would, we hoped, lead you to uncovering the secret when the time came. We had to be secretive – no one else could uncover this accidentally. It would be catastrophic if they did. I’m the only one leftnow of the four of us and it’s wonderful to see that everything George, Sarah, Gerald and I put into place has led you both here to this moment – the books, the letters, the grandfather clock, and the painting. George did that, you know. He was quite talented artistically, but he loved his numbers more.’ He stops to remember again.
Adam holds up his hand. ‘Can I please ask a question now?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Orla says. ‘I’m surprised you only have the one, though, at this stage?’
‘I don’t,’ Adam says. ‘I have many, because I’m not really following exactly what Ben is saying. But my main question is, what have Eve and I to do with all of this? You haven’t explained that yet?’
