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are you reading?”
    He held up the book for her to see. “Churchill.”
    Elizabeth read the spine. “The Gathering Storm. That sounds ominous.”
    “It was. It is.” He closed the book and set it aside. “Are you sure about this?”
    Elizabeth thought about it. She owed him and herself that. “Yes. Are you having doubts?”
    Simon let out a sigh. “Plagues of them,” he said as he stood. “And yet, I think we’re doing the right thing. As insane as it is.”
    “Those are the best kind of things.” She took his hand. “Come back to bed. Churchill can wait.”
    They went to bed and managed a few hours of sleep before the day came. Simon finished his preparations, leaving Elizabeth in charge of packing. The smart time traveler travels light, but smashing everything two people would need for an entire week into one leather valise was easier said than done. Somehow, she managed it though. Her pocketbook, a simple shoulder bag, was crammed with money, coin purse, papers, handkerchief, small pad and pencil stub, lipstick, compact and a vintage Victorinox Swiss Army Knife.
    Elizabeth had never been one to wear much jewelry, but she did slip on a long silver necklace with a small key as the pendant. It had been a gift from Teddy, the watchmaker, and it just felt right to wear it when they traveled. Other than that, the only bit of jewelry needed was the wedding ring she was supposed to wear as part of their cover, which Simon had promised to take care of, but still hadn’t produced.
    The suitcase packed, Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror. A woman from the 1940’s looked back. Her hair came down just below her shoulders in large lazy waves. The clothing was simple. She wore a blue cotton floral print dress, sensible, clunky brown Mary Janes and a tweed overcoat. She’d meant to ask Simon to draw the seam of her nonexistent stockings down the back of her legs, but in the rush of the coming eclipse, she’d forgotten.
    She grabbed the suitcase and went to look for Simon. She found him in the living room going over their papers one last time. He looked every inch the part in his wool trousers, oxford cloth shirt, brown sweater vest, jacket and fedora.
    “You should wear more hats,” she said.
    Simon turned to her and smiled as he tugged on the brim. “I actually quite like it. Are you ready? If you have any doubts—”
    “I don’t.” She took his hand in hers. “It’ll be all right.”
    “One last thing.” Simon reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two simple gold rings.
    “Those look familiar,” she said. They looked remarkably like the bands they’d used in New York when they’d first traveled back in time, when they’d first fallen in love. Of course, those had been fake gold and these were definitely not fake.
    “Yes,” Simon said nervously. “Don’t they?”
    He slipped the ring onto her finger and her heart skipped a beat. Even knowing it wasn’t real, they weren’t really married, just the image of him putting the ring on her finger made her feel flushed. Simon quickly put on his own before busying himself with the watch and making sure the coordinates were properly set for the arrival. “It’s nearly time.”
    Elizabeth stared at the ring and felt a smile tug at her lips. It wasn’t just similar to the one from New York. It was the same ring. The big old softy. “Simon?”
    He held the watch in one hand and took hold of hers with the other. He studied the ring on her finger for a moment before looking at her with such a mixture of regret and longing it made her heart ache.
    Before either of them could say what was on their minds, the blue light came. It snaked up his arm and down hers and they were both frozen as time and the world shattered around them.
     
    ~~~
     
    It was dark, in the forest at night dark. They’d planned on arriving at night in a secluded section of St. James Park near Buckingham Palace. It was one of the few places in London that offered some cover