A Rather Charming Invitation Read Online Free PDF Page B

turn was topped by an even smaller one representing the days of the week, until finally, the littlest one of all, for the hours.
    Atop this stack of discs was a small but stunning sculpted silver figure of Apollo in his chariot, holding the reins of his winged horse. They seemed captured in midflight at their daily task of hauling the rising sun across the sky and plunging it into the sea to bring the day to a close. When the clock struck the hour, as it was doing now, the figure of the sun god and his horse rotated, to point to the hour, day, month, and season, displayed on the outer rims of the stacked discs, which simultaneously, incrementally moved into place beneath the figures; and the clock’s chime gave out a mellow, golden sound. There was something very appealing and dear about the way the Apollo figure moved, as if it were trying to engage us, to tell us that our time, and so our lives, were as fleet as a winged horse.
    “Beautiful,” I breathed. Guy waited expectantly for my professional assessment. “I’d say it’s early to mid-1700s, maybe French?” I asked. “Although there seems a German influence, too . . .”
    “Augsburg,” Guy nodded. “But, made by a French clock maker and his astronomer wife.”
    I was captivated by its traditional images and mysterious mechanisms, and Guy was delighted to answer all my questions. “And what does it say here?” I asked, peering at an engraving in Latin. “ Tempus est circulus grandis sine finibus, ” I read aloud.
    “It says ‘Time is a great circle without end’,” Guy translated. “The Latin proverb also gives you the exact year the clock was made—” He broke off when Jeremy accidentally knocked into a table clock; but as it wobbled, Jeremy moved swiftly to catch it, just in time.
    Aunt Sheila said playfully, “Well, come on, Guy, tell them!”
    “Anyway,” Guy said with a bit of a flourish, “I am pleased to say that this is the very clock which Sheila and I have chosen as our wedding gift for you two.” I saw Jeremy’s jaw muscle twitch.
    “Oh, no, that’s too much,” I protested. “I didn’t realize what you were up to!”
    Aunt Sheila said firmly, “It is our gift to you both. So, you cannot refuse. We hope it keeps track of many good times, and many years of happiness for you both.”
    Jeremy bore up manfully, overriding his misgivings about Guy, and thanking them with true appreciation. Guy beamed, and said he’d deliver it to us as soon as he cleaned and polished it up. We went back out onto the street, where Guy had a parked car waiting. “Give you a lift?” he inquired.
    “No, thanks,” Jeremy said decisively. “It’s a nice night, and a walk will do us good.”
    “Right, then. Have a great time in Moo-gans!” Guy called out, as he and Aunt Sheila drove off.
    Jeremy stood watching their car disappear, a look of disbelief on his face. “Bloody hell,” he said. “Everyone’s gone barmy. Can you believe that jerk?”
    “I think Guy is really sweet and genuine, under all his bluster,” I offered. “And he clearly adores your mom.”
    Jeremy glanced at me, slightly accusingly. “Do you really like that Trojan Horse of his?” he said.
    “I do,” I replied. But I knew he meant that I was helping this stranger muscle into the family. “Look,” I said, “I realize the last thing you need right now is even the suggestion of another step-dad. But think of it—you’re getting married, and no matter how close we are to your mom, it’s as if she’s losing the only man she cares about—you. So, don’t you think she’s entitled to good companionship?”
    “I don’t deny it,” Jeremy said stiffly. “I merely suggest she could have done better.”
    “On the other hand, she could have done a lot worse,” I warned.
    Jeremy shook his head, then gazed upward and broke into a sudden smile, saying, “Look.”
    We’d reached an old, curving, narrow street of cobblestone, lined with fascinating hobby and antiques