Page 50 of The Runner
Sylvia shuffled her cards, and Cara waited, heart drumming and nerves fluttering wildly, causing her to feel nauseous.
‘You know the drill,’ said Sylvia, raising her gold-flecked eyes toCara’s. ‘Are you okay? Sure you want to do this?’
‘I’m not okay—but yes, I’m sure! We need all the help we can get to figure out what the hell went on in those critical years. It occurred to me that just because Willow Manor reappeared after we reset the timeline following the hypnotic curse, it doesn’t guarantee we lived happily ever after, does it?’
‘No—good point. As I recall, all we know is that the estate reappeared after we rewrote the timeline and instructed Caroline to fall in love with George, and not marry Ralph. On reflection, I don’t think I told you to marry George because I was concerned about the potential repercussions. So, as it is, you may or may not have married him,’ said Sylvia, still holding the cards.
‘Yes, and I tried finding out who George married via the records office, but they couldn’t find any documents. The whole thing just keeps getting more and more mysterious.’
‘Okay, well, this is as good a time as any to ask the cards for help. Have your question top of mind and be ready to tell me when to stop,’ said Sylvia, accustomed to instructing her clients step-by-step, even though Cara knew what to do.
Several seconds passed as Sylvia dealt the assorted cards onto the table, and Cara signalled for her to stop.
Sylvia flipped the card over. ‘Ah…’ she said.
‘What?’ Cara moved her head closer to study the card. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen that one before: The Hierophant. He looks like some kind of priest.’
Sylvia nodded. ‘It’s a major arcana card from the Tarot, and is the masculine counterpart to the High Priestess, sometimes known as the pope or the teacher.This looks like the perfect card for you on numerous levels.’
‘In what way?’ said Cara.
‘What’s your question for this card and let’s see.’
‘I don’t have a specific question—I just wanted to show you the family history book and ask for guidance on what to do.’
Sylvia’s eyes narrowed as she studied Cara’s. ‘And the card you get is that of a high priest!’
Cara nodded but remained silent, waiting for Sylvia to elaborate.
‘I would normally say that’s an obvious sign for you to enter the priest hole again, but as you already access Georgiana through your dreams, it may only be symbolic of the timeline. Let’s not jump to conclusions because there are many facets to this card.’
‘Thank you,’ said Cara, her chest tight as she tried to calm herself by breathing steadily as she waited to see her fate.
Sylvia pointed to the two figures who knelt in front of the priest. ‘This card is about tradition, and when the card is upright like this, it symbolises marriage. More accurately, it could indicate some type of arranged marriage. Now if it was reversed, that would mean the rejection of family values, but in this case, it would indicate a compliance with duty and tradition.’
Cara nodded again. ‘George is expected to marry a woman of his class, not a governess… obviously. The servants were talking about how they think he’s soon going to marry this woman he knows from court, called Charlotte.’
‘I see,’ said Sylvia, her eyes narrowed, and she twirled her spectacles between her fingers.
‘Sometimes my dreams are fuzzy, and I don’t remember much in the morning, but others, it’s incredibly vivid, and I remember detailed conversations. The last one I recall is that Caroline is dreading a house party arriving from London because she can’t bear to witness George falling in love and marrying another woman. She’s in a terrible bind!’
‘Do you see the karmic pattern repeating itself from when you met in the present day? George is with another woman but is in love with you. It’s classic Twin Flames; they fall into the same trap of running from their heart’s desire, over and over until they truly learn the karmic lesson and heal, by not allowing their need for approval to determine their actions,’ said Sylvia.
‘I just don’t know what to do.’
‘Your dreams sound fascinating. You talk as though that other life is unfolding for you now—is it really that tangible?’
Cara took a sip of water. ‘It’s the weirdest thing; in some ways it’s even more disconcerting than when I time travel in the vortex because then I am awake and more or less understand what’s going on. But now… it’s like I have another whole life playing out in my subconscious at night, but I’m merely an observer. I can’t influence what happens like I used to. I just have to watch it happen, which is a hell all of its own. And to confuse things even more, Caroline dreams about this life, which is her future life.’
‘That must be confusing,’ said Sylvia. ‘So, the significance of this reading could be that George and Charlotte are currently destined to marry, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change.’
Cara pulled a face. ‘I know we’re together in this life, so maybe it’s greedy and selfish to expect to be with him in every timeline—maybe I should just let it go however it wants to go, but it’s so painful to watch him with someone else.’
Sylvia covered Cara’s hand with her warm one, and her green and gold cat-like eyes radiated empathy. ‘It’s not greedy and selfish to want to be with your ultimate soul mate. And besides, there’s an even bigger problem if you ignore your heart in your attempt not to be selfish,’ she said.
Cara’s expression brightened at the thought of not having to suffer through George marrying Charlotte and witnessing Caroline broken hearted and cast aside. ‘Is there?’
‘You two are Twin Flames, and it is your destiny to be in union. Without that, terrible things happen. I know this only too well from my own journey, as do you.’
