Page 74 of The Uprising
‘You told me.’
‘I think we must be getting better at this time travel business.’
‘It was weird, knowing you were going but you’re still here too.’
‘Yes, I bet, although it’s just as well I went. I hope I remember what you discovered about St. Mary’s, in time to find you and reverse the quantum time loop.’
Park Lane, London, 1848 - Victoriana
George was despondent, which was rare. He couldn’t get back to present day and didn’t know why. They had successfully placed the Turner painting in the Bank of England vault, but now he couldn’t retrieve it on the other side.
He worried about the future, and he grew more irritated each day. Had he and Cara tried to implement their plan to withdraw the painting from the bank? Had they succeeded, somehow? How would he ever know if he was stuck in the past indefinitely?
The questions whirled around his head, and he panicked at the prospect of being permanently cut off from his normal life. It was one thing time travelling to another era; there were incredible benefits such as meeting Queen Victoria, but after the attempted attack on her life, he’d had enough. The idea that it was all his fault, plagued him, and he suspected the plot only occurred because he had created a quantum time loop. He thought of Swifty, and how he had stumbled upon him at the palace. It had seemed like a significant coincidence, as though it was meant to be, but now he was wary of doing anything in case he unwittingly made matters worse.
Unable to talk to Cara about what was going on, he felt isolated, and decided to see if Edward had any ideas on how to speed up his return to the future.
That afternoon, George walked to Edward’s house, which was only a short distance from Grosvenor Square. As he approached the luxurious Park Lane residence, his spirits fizzed at the thought of seeing his dear friend. The maid showed him in and it wasn’t long before Edward bounced into the room in the adorable manner, particular to him.
‘I’ve been meaning to call in to check on you again,’ he said, patting George on the shoulder, beaming.
‘Sorry I missed you the other day. I was at the palace,’ replied George.
‘I heard about that nasty business and that you were badly injured. I had a brief conversation with Cara, and she assured me you’re recovering nicely.’
‘Yes, it was just a scrape really, but thank goodness the queen issafe.’
‘And how are other things?’ said Eddie, cryptically, casting a glance towards the door to check they were still alone.
‘Ah, yes,other things, unfortunately, are not going quite as well,’ he said with a wry smile, running his hand through his hair.
‘How is it you stay conscious of all your timelines simultaneously?’ George asked, keeping his voice low, not wanting to arouse suspicion among the staff. ‘I can’t seem to stay on top of things.’
‘I wish I knew, dear boy,’ said Edward. ‘Perhaps it’s more complex with you and Cara being Twin Flames, and I’m just a simple time traveller,’ he said.
‘I think we both know there’s absolutely nothing simple about you,’ said George.
Edward was the smartest man George knew, but he had an endearing habit of playing down his incredible intelligence. Tea was served and when they were alone again, Edward said, ‘So, what’s the problem? Last thing I recall, I was with you in present-day York and we talked about quantum time loops and how to move the Turner painting between timelines.’
George explained what he remembered. ‘The major problem now is that I seem to be stuck here. I can’t get back, or at least if I do go back, I have no memory of it. And of course, I can’t talk to Cara because she’s completely oblivious to the whole thing. I’m becoming quite despondent, Edward, so I must ask you; is there any way at all for us to speed up my return to the future?’
Edward’s mouth turned downwards, and he waved his hands in the air. ‘I’m afraid I’ve made no progress with the Time Travel System. It seems, we remain at the whim of the vortex. And I still don’t know for certain what triggers its appearance.’
‘It’s becoming more and more difficult to handle. Do you think our time travel is completely random?’ asked George.
‘Honestly, I don’t believe in random, but unfortunately I’m no closer to understanding how it works.’
They chatted and sipped their tea on the sunny window seat overlooking the leafy park. ‘I must ask you a favour,’ said George.
‘Anything at all. I’m at your service for whatever I can do to help,’ said Edward.
‘That’s so kind. I’d be eternally grateful if you would deliver a message to Cara in the present day. Tell her I’m stuck here and can’t get back. Please tell her that if they haven’t already, they should go to the Bank of England and try and retrieve the painting, or we’re going to miss the window of opportunity to buy Willow Manor.’
Edward nodded. ‘Okay, I will, just as soon as I can. Anything else?’
‘Yes, please allow me to pick your superior brain—we must figure out how to get the vault key to her. How can we do that, given we can’t take any possessions with us when we travel?’
‘That’s a tricky one,’ said Edward, running his thumb across his mouth.
