Page 26 of The Runner
‘Thank you, darling. And what have you two been up to?’
They told her about the progress with the builders and they sat round the kitchen table as they drank tea and finished their slices of toast.
‘I went to see Sylvia,’ said Cara, after she pushed her plate aside. She laughed out loud at the attentive look on Eddie’s face. ‘I swear your ears just pricked up!’ she said.
‘Well, are you going to keep us in suspense much longer?’ he said, waving his hands about as he spoke.
‘No, and you’ll be pleased to hear that the cards pointed me clearly toward your wormhole experiment!’
Eddie grinned; his smile so wide it seemed in danger of splitting his face in two. ‘Bloody fantastic! Thank goodness for Sylvia.’
‘There was a definitive answer on the wormhole question, but it wasn’t clear about whether my dreams are me actually time travelling in an alternative way, or whether they are just karmic memories.’
George reached for Cara’s hand, and she flashed him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand.
Eddie stared at her. ‘Oh, is that what you wanted to know? I could have answered that if you’d asked.’
‘Go on,’ she said. ‘I’m listening!’
‘My research, as well as the findings of the great quantum brains before us, point to there being many versions of every possible timeline. So, the real question is, does it matter whether it’s your dreams, your thoughts, or you travelling in the vortex? All those experiences are equal. They are all versions of the timeline, and while you may have preferences, in quantum terms, none are either better or worse.’
Cara shook her head and looked from Eddie to George. ‘Well, I thought I understood it, but now I’m even more baffled! You?’
‘Me too. I suppose that’s what you get when you ask a quantum physics professor about time…’
Cara stood and stretched. ‘Pass your dishes and then let’s crack on. May as well get it over with.’
‘Get what over with?’ asked George.
‘During the reading with Sylvia, I realised I don’t have to make life harder by trying to decide what should happen. It’s hard enough without me sticking my fingers in the cosmic engine.’
George frowned. ‘And in this case the cosmic engine is…?’
‘She means she’s ready to go back into the wormhole,’ said Eddie, not managing to hide his jubilation.
‘He’s right,’ said Cara. ‘My dreams and finding the hole all point us towards me being called to Georgiana. There must be something I’m supposed to do, and I don’t want to let fear cloud my judgement so I ignore the warning signs. This could be our chance to help that version of ourselves.’
George ran his fingers through his hair and looked worried. ‘I’m afraid I still don’t understand what you two are hatching.’
‘Think about it,’ she said. ‘Falling in love and being together when they were from such different worlds in the eighteenth century is against everything Caroline and George would believe possible. The rewriting of the karmic warrior’s hypnotic suggestion seems to have worked or Caroline would have turned down the governess job like Ralph instructed, but we don’t know what happened afterwards, do we?’
George shook his head. ‘Can’t we just leave it unfold on its own as it was supposed to? I mean, it’s three hundred years ago.’
‘No, because Ralph is still bent on destroying us and with Willow Manor derelict in Victoriana, I think he may have succeeded.’
George looked at Eddie. ‘What do you make of all this?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know. Cara has a point, though. As I said, there are many possible versions of the same timelines. This could well be your chance to rewrite that one,’ he said, scratching his shadow of a beard. ‘Excuse me for a minute, I need to make a quick call. I’ll be back soon, and you can let me know what you’ve decided,’ he said, rising and crossing the room to exit the kitchen.
A few minutes later, they saw him pacing around the garden, phone pressed to his ear.
‘He’s a good sort—giving us space to decide together, even though he’s so keen for me to do it,’ said Cara.
‘Yes, I’m not quite so keen,’ said George, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. ‘You know I will back anything you want to do, but must you really do this?’
Cara stroked his cheek and kissed him. ‘I think this is me being called to heal the Georgiana timeline for our Twin Flame mission. Do you remember Sylvia once said that until our souls are healed in all our past lives, we won’t be left in peace?’
George sighed. He held her tight, and they stood like that in the comfort of each other’s arms for some time before Eddie returned and they heard a discreet cough.
