Page 31 of The Uprising
George kissed her and said, ‘Let’s drive to town and grab a coffee and have a think about what I should do in 1848.’
George parked on the outskirts and they weaved hand in hand through the city toward their favourite coffee shop.
There was a free table in the corner and Cara said, ‘Sit down and I’ll get the coffee.’
As she waited to be served, she stared out of the window into the high street at a row of banks. An armoured security truck rolled up outside and a guard, dressed in black from head-to-toe, jumped out and disappeared into one of the banks. The queue was sluggish as she waited for their coffees to be served. She turned back to look out the window once more and saw the same guard exiting the bank, this time carrying a heavy-looking steel case, which he shoved into the back of the truck and then closed the metal door with a firm click.
‘I’ve got it,’ Cara said to George as she arrived at the table holding two steaming cups of coffee.
‘A cake, by any chance?’
‘No, no cake. Come on, we agreed we’re going to lay off the cakes for a while.’
‘Spoilsport,’ he said.
‘I mean, I think I know where we can store the Turner painting, so we can easily access it.’
‘Are you going to tell me, or am I to guess?’
‘How about you stash the painting in a vault at the Bank of England?’ she said.
George paused mid coffee-sip. ‘Now that is pure genius. The Bank of England is a dead-cert.’
‘I think it could work,’ she said.
‘There are a few potential niggles,’ he replied, after he’d run the idea through his mind for a few minutes.
‘Right...’
‘Firstly, what the hell will I do with the key, or whatever they give me to access the vault? And secondly, what if I forget what to do with it?’
‘Do you think that’s likely?’ she asked, raising one eyebrow as she sipped her coffee.
‘No, I suppose not. Our memories seem pretty reliable when we’re the one who travels. It’s the one who’s already there who isn’t aware of what’s going on,’ he said.
‘Yes, I was thinking about that the other day. It appears I haven’t yet travelled to Victoriana this time around, or I would remember something. It must be the same for you in Tudorville.’
George nodded and continued. ‘I don’t know what kind of code or access key they’d have had hundreds of years ago. What if it’s not transferable?’
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ she said.
‘The internet?’
She shook her head, amused. ‘No, I mean we will only know for sure when you try. You’re going to have quite the time of it.’
‘I hope I can manage it. Not only must I make sure Queen V is safe from the Chartists and I haven’t screwed things up somehow with Swifty’s intervention, I must also track down Turner and source a painting worth at least twenty million pounds. If we can raise more it would be even better because Willow Manor is sure to be a money pit.’ George stared out of the window and thought about what was ahead of him.
‘I wish I could come with you,’ she said, looking wistful.
‘Oh, my darling, I wish you could too.’
‘Eddie and I travelled together once when I first met him, but I’m too scared to try and do it with you, in case it screws things up for us, somehow. Sylvia said we must reach Twin Flame ascension, which is a kind of harmony in every timeline, but based on my recent performance in Tudorville, I don’t think we’re quite there yet.’
George smiled. ‘It’s not possible to escape human emotions. If I thought you were with another man, I would go ballistic too.’
Cara loved how he did his best to make her feel better even in the most difficult situations.
‘How will I know where to find the amazing Mr Turner?’ he said, taking one final slug of coffee, and resting the empty cup back down on the table.
