Clockwork Heart

By Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

Until the end of time...and then beyond...

Would it be a crime against nature to help those in need by the use of unusual and possibly illegal medical procedures? Victoria begs her father, a brilliant physician, to commit such a crime for the man who she has forever fallen in love with. Trevor was critically injured by enemy artillery while fighting on the Western Front. Victoria hopes that through the restoration of his damaged body, their love will flourish once he is well again.

Unforeseeable revelations and unimaginable confrontations create havoc for the lovers. Will Victoria and Trevor find a place where their love will last for eternity...or has time run out?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luminosity Publishing LLP
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370024247

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

I was born on November 9, 1967 in Warren, Ohio and grew up in a country trailer park in Southington Ohio with my two brothers and parents.I currently live in Girard, Ohio with my wife and sons. After graduating from Chalker High School in 1986, I went on to attend Kent State University.Originally, I sought to pursue a degree in education, but changed degrees after a few years in school. After working my way through college for eight years, I graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.Aside from writing, I also draw and paint. My other passion is soccer. I have proudly been a coach of a soccer team for autistic and special needs players.

Book preview

CLOCKWORK HEART

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

Until the end of time...and then beyond...

Would it be a crime against nature to help those in need by the use of unusual and possibly illegal medical procedures? Victoria begs her father, a brilliant physician, to commit such a crime for the man who she has forever fallen in love with. Trevor was critically injured by enemy artillery while fighting on the Western Front. Victoria hopes that through the restoration of his damaged body, their love will flourish once he is well again.

Unforeseeable revelations and unimaginable confrontations create havoc for the lovers. Will Victoria and Trevor find a place where their love will last for eternity…or has time run out?

CLOCKWORK HEART

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

CLOCKWORK HEART

Copyright © October 2014 Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

ISBN: 978-1-910397-27-5

Cover Art by Poppy Designs

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

PUBLISHER

WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

Dedication

For my greatest cast of characters, my wife, Julie, and our sons Dylan, Owen, and Ethan.

Dream Big and then dream bigger.

For my brother, John

Thank you for your love and support

Chapter One

10:05pm, October 15, 1904

Ophelia, come back, Victoria happily called out as she ran in pursuit of her friend. Through one darkened room after the next the sound of her shoes echoed off the hardwood floors. Only the drone-like ticking from the grandfather clock’s pendulum and the tapping of bare tree branches striking against the windowpanes offered any other sounds within the grand old house.

Victoria entered a formal sitting room where she stopped before the fireplace. For a moment she gazed at the embers which seemed as if they were fireflies that had found escape from the small inferno. Hung above the mantle was a portrait of her late mother. How regal her image looked there upon the canvas. The artist had truly captured the beautiful expression upon her face and the subtle highlights in her long brown hair. The red of her lips matched the red of her gown to perfection. Victoria blew a kiss to her mother’s image before returning to her pursuit.

She quietly eased around the twin velvety blue sofas and sitting chairs as her pursuit altered to hide-and-go-seek. Behind blue floral-patterned curtains she searched yet found no traces of Ophelia. She continued her search through the dining room and then into the kitchen before making her way to her father’s study.

Through the partially open door Victoria tiptoed inside. Always noticeable were the fragrances of tobacco with a hint of cherry essence and leather when she would enter this room. Victoria was not surprised to see that her father was not sitting at his desk. Most of his time was spent within his laboratory. At times he would attempt to explain to her the importance of the endless hours of medical writings and design work which he immersed himself with. She always found him consumed with this or that at his desk. Yet he always would immediately stop working whenever she found the need for his attention—his devotion to her triumphed over all else.

After one final search for Ophelia, Victoria then walked over to a closed door at the opposite side of her father’s study. A draft of cool air greeted her as she made her way through a dark hallway and then down a much darker staircase. Without knocking, Victoria entered her father’s laboratory and began to explore this wondrous chamber.

The room, with its stone walls and massive fireplace, was well lit despite having no windows. A subtle fragrance of formaldehyde lingered within the sterile air that was slightly tainted with the aroma of hickory wood from the fireplace. Medical and scientific journals littered a large mahogany table at the room’s center. An anatomy textbook was open to a page showing a detailed illustration of the human heart. Within one of the room’s corners hung a model of the human skeleton. Sitting at a desk in the opposite corner was her father. His wavy dark brown hair was corrupted by a tinge of grey. Tall and slender, he was hunched over as he looked through a magnifying glass as if daring to hide a secret. Within his hand he held a special tool of his own design. Curiosity pulled her to his side.

Hello, my darling, he said as he drew his attention away from his work. A laugh escaped from her as his magnifying spectacles, perched low upon his nose, offered absurdity through his smiling expression. What brings you to my side?

Oh…I was just chasing my imaginary friend, Ophelia.

A chuckle burst from her father before he asked, "And did you capture your