Page 29 of The Uprising
Cara looked at George and saw the concern etched on his face and reflected in his kind dark eyes. She nodded.
George sighed and his body visibly relaxed. ‘I’m pleased to have your word, or I would be frantic with worry when I’m away. But how is it you see the future so? It’s quite incredible.’
She stroked his hair and kissed him. ‘It’s safer for you if you don’t know. One day I promise I’ll tell you everything.’
‘If what you say proves true, the Pilgrimage of Grace will end in bloodshed and I am locked into a doomed, unholy mission, engineered by Cromwell, the king and Norfolk. How am I to keep my integrity without endangering us all and seeing Robert in an early grave?’
George had many questions, and Cara unfortunately couldn’t give him the answers he sought. She wasn’t about to trouble him with tales of karmic Twin Flames and five hundred years of time travel, on the eve of his potentially life-threatening mission to negotiate with the rebels.
She said, ‘You know I have had the seer’s gift since I was a child—I don’t speak of it for the very reasons you state. There’s no need to concern yourself—I will be cautious.’
They discussed how George might save Lord Darcy, who was also destined for the gallows.
‘I fear whatever you do would only endanger you and risk the king branding you a traitor. Please, my darling, don’t be a hero and do anything foolhardy.’ Cara was pale and clutched his hand as they talked through what might happen when he reached Pontefract Castle.
It was after midnight, and Cara lay in bed listening to the soothing rhythm of George’s breathing. He was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep moments after his head hit the pillow. Cara’s mind spun out a thought a second, and she couldn’t find solace in the same deep slumber her husband enjoyed. She envied his ability to sleep on demand.
Before George drifted off, he cuddled into her and reached for her hand. In moments like this it was obvious they were bound to each other through the centuries with a fierce love; they were the perfect match. She’d experienced nothing like the depth of this connection in her previous relationships, and here in Tudorville, George was the only man she’d ever loved. They were destined to be together, and in the dark, still hours of that fateful night before he left to confront the rebels, sleep eluded her. Her mind took flight and the thought occurred to her that they may also have been in love in yet another lifetime. Was George the reincarnation of his ancestor, the black sheep in the Cavendish bloodline?
An instant and overwhelming sense of loss ripped through her and engulfed her being; it gripped her entire body like a physical pain, and her heart throbbed and shook. She moved her head as if to free herself of the painful thoughts and feelings, but they lingered.
Cara knew instinctively there must be more to George’s ancestor’s story, and the intense feeling she’d just experienced made her think she had been involved with him then too.
She made a mental note to find out more from Kate, and to do some research into the mysterious black sheep, once she returned to the future.
Cara drifted off to sleep and dreamed of a different George. She was in a world where something wasn’t right between them; he had abandoned her, and she saw herself weeping alone in a beautiful drawing room. Cara awoke and her heart beat so fast, she was breathless. The terror was tangible, and she reached for George to check he was present, and it was only a dream.
But was it?
She tossed and turned, deep into the night, unable to get the strange images out of her mind, until finally she was transported into a blissful, dreamless slumber, her hand entwined in George’s.
As the first rays of the new day seeped through the windowpane, George stirred and pressed his warm body against hers. His hands caressed her skin and the thrill of his touch turned her on instantly, and her sleepiness dissolved. She reached beneath the sheets and his firm, throbbing cock awaited her fingers. She heard his sharp intake of breath and leaned across to kiss him tenderly on the mouth as he pulled her tighter against him.
‘This is Morning Glory at its finest,’ she said, and she continued to touch him and saw the dramatic effect that her hands evoked, as the ecstasy danced across the features she so adored.
‘You do come out with the strangest sayings, but I won’t deny that waking up to this is glorious indeed. Now, come here,’ he said, his deep voice husky. His fingers glided over her soft skin, touching her in the way only he knew drove her wild, until she groaned with pleasure and ached for him.
A while later, Cara pushed herself up in bed, covering her chest with the sheet to keep out the dawn chill as George washed and dressed in the pale morning light.
‘Please take care, my love,’ she said, trying not to show how anxious she was. When he was ready to leave, he sat on the bed and gathered her into his arms. They held each other for a long time; they were as one—no words were necessary.
Cara watched from the window and he looked up to wave and blow her a kiss before he cantered out the courtyard with Swifty at his side, and she was alone again.
Chapter 10
York - Present day
Cara stared at the newly pitched red and whiteFor Salesign emerging from a disturbed patch of grass at the entrance to Willow Manor.
‘How did you find out it’s for sale?’ said Cara turning to George, her glossy lips curved in a captivating smile.
‘I spotted an article in the paper. If we don’t take immediate action, we’ll miss our opportunity. Stately homes don’t appear on the market very often. I want Willow Manor back in our family, and this is our chance.’
‘How exciting...but there’s the small matter of funding. On reflection, I don’t fancy asking my dad to invest—he’s been trying to reduce his commitments since he retired.’
‘You don’t have to. We’ll figure out a way to do it ourselves,’ said George.
Cara asked, ‘How much do we need?’
