Page 38 of The Uprising
Cara sat down next to him and kissed him on the cheek. ‘You really are marvellous, even when you’re a tiny bit cross.’
‘I’ve been told that many times.’ He pulled a comical face.
‘It’s just as well, because modesty certainly isn’t one of your virtues.’
They laughed and drank their tea.
‘Okay, marvellous man, enough of the George fan club, shall we have some toast?’
They sat side by side in the warm kitchen, munching on toast and jam, sipping tea, and listening to the rain strumming on the window.
‘Feeling better?’ asked George?
‘Yes, thank you. I wish we could stay here like this, forever. You always know how to get me out of a funk.’ She squeezed his arm and thought how lucky they were to have found each other, no matter how many obstacles they must overcome.
Cara shivered as they completed the newspaper quiz. ‘Is it just me or has it suddenly got really chilly in here?’
They looked at each other and both said, ‘The vortex.’
‘Be careful, darling!’ called Cara, her face clouded with apprehension.
‘We’ll meet back here, soon. I love you,’ he said.
I love you too.
But then they were gone; her words were lost in the ethers. George arrived in Victoriana and Cara in Tudorville. To their knowledge this was the first time they had entered the vortex simultaneously. Were they destined to always be separated by centuries?
Anyone entering the kitchen would find them doing the quiz like any ordinary couple passing the time on a rainy summer morning.
Things would stay just as they were in the present day—as long as neither of them made a fatal error in their past.
Buckingham Palace, London, 1848 - Victoriana
George had requested an audience with Queen Victoria, and as he entered the drawing room, he saw Prince Albert was present just like the old days.
‘Your Majesty,’ George said, bowing to the queen, and then inclining his head towards the prince, ‘Your Royal Highness.’ They were a dashing pair, and George thought how incredible it was to witness this historic couple in action.
‘Lord Cavendish, my wife tells me you have been quietly investigating the Chartists, to gauge the level of danger to our family.’
‘Yes, and I’m afraid I have rather unsettling news.’
George felt two sets of eyes bore into him, and he composed himself in an attempt to convey his message in the calmest, most effective way possible.
‘In what now seems like a hasty decision, I commissioned one of your footmen to gather whatever information he could about the Chartists. I thought he would blend in with the men on the street much better than I, and it would be the best way to ascertain what they are planning.’
‘Why was I not aware of this?’ asked Victoria.
‘Your butler gave his permission, ma’am, and it didn’t seem like something to bother you with.’
‘I see,’ said Victoria, pursing her lips. ‘And, what is the unsettling news?’
George remained standing and moved the brunt of his weight onto his other foot. ‘This morning I received a note threatening the boy’s life if I don’t deliver one thousand pounds.’
‘But that’s out-and-out kidnapping,’ said the prince.
‘Yes, I’m afraid it is, and I must ask for your support in rescuing him.’
‘What do you mean to do?’ asked the queen.
