Page 56 of The Runner
The truth was, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to ask for Charlotte’s hand in marriage. His mother had been dropping the most unsubtle hints ever since she’d arrived, and she clearly approved of the match. And yet, as perfect as their union would be on paper, he couldn’t tie himself to Charlotte while his heart was so clearly Caroline’s.
He sighed at the impossible dilemma in which he found himself, folded the letter and tucked it back into the drawer beneath his monogrammed silk handkerchiefs, and away from prying eyes.
George rose from the bed and pulled the curtain aside to reveal the first signs of a glorious dawn spreading across the Yorkshire valley. The sky held a hint of gold, with a splash of vibrant pink sprayed across the horizon like a painter’s watercolour. The sun would soon be up, and sleep was no friend of his, so he dressed briskly in his riding breeches and jacket, splashed cold water on his face, and left the room, shutting the door quietly, careful not to wake anyone.
He craved some time alone and would go for a long ride before breakfast when the house party would buzz into life, and Charlotte would seek him out, no doubt expecting a proposal on the last day of her visit. He sighed again and walked down to the basement level to find his leather riding boots, which he left outside the kitchen door, ready for a quick exit to the stables. As he bent to ease his foot into one of the boots, he heard a faint noise coming from the kitchen, and raised his head to listen. There it was again.
He thought it must be one of the servants but decided he had better check no thief had found their way into the kitchen under cover of night. George left his boots where he’d found them and crossed towards the kitchen door, turning the handle slowly, and pushing the door open a crack before peering into the still room. He cast his eyes about and saw no one. As he had thought, not even Cook was in the kitchen at this hour, and the fire hadn’t been rebuilt yet for the day but glowed gently with the remains of the night’s embers. Just as he was about to back away and close the door, thinking he had mistaken the wind for someone in the kitchen, he noticed a hunched figure in the chair in the far corner. His eyes adjusted to the early morning meagre light, and he realised who it was. His heart flipped wildly, and he knew not what to say, and so he hesitated, trying to gather his words, and as he did, she raised her head, saw him, and jumped to her feet.
‘Oh, my lord,’ she cried, her misty grey eyes widening as they studied his face. ‘I did not mean to disturb you… It’s only that I couldn’t sleep, and I thought this would be a quiet place to sit before the house awakens.’
On closer inspection, he saw her eyes were puffy and swollen. ‘I did not mean to disturb you, either. I too could not sleep and meant to go for a ride, but I heard a noise and thought I had better check all was well.’
She was distressed by him seeing her upset, and she hastily wiped her eyes.
‘I do not wish to pry, but are you all right, Caroline? It pains me to see you in such distress.’
She busied herself patting her messy hair and straightening her petticoat, hoping to distract him from the state of her face. George moved a step closer, and he saw her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes shone with the residue of tears. That’s what the sound was. He longed to comfort her but held himself tightly in check.
She raised her innocent tear-stained face to his and his resolve crumbled as they stumbled towards each other like an unstoppable hurricane. As he pulled her into his arms, his lips found hers, and they kissed, first tentatively, then harder as she returned the force of his kiss. Moments passed as she stood locked in his embrace, and they clung to each other.
Then he released her suddenly, and she almost lost her balance. He reached to steady her so she would not fall, and muttered in a hoarse voice, ‘Please forgive me. I know not what came over me.’ He gazed upon her face once more, before turning sharply and exiting the kitchen.
And then all she was left with was the sound of the back door closing and a storm of emotion swirling through her as she tried to make sense of what just happened.
CHAPTER24
Willow Manor, York - Present Day
When Cara had enteredthe priest hole and raised her hand to touch the wall, the vortex appeared on demand.
She’d been grateful to see George waiting for her when she groped her way back through the passage and emerged, squinting into the daylight.
‘Thank goodness,’ he said. ‘There you are—let me help you down.’
Cara lowered herself into his arms.
He held her tight and stroked her hair. After a few minutes, he asked, ‘Did it work?’
‘It worked… all right. The vortex came for me, and I don’t think I blacked out afterwards. How long was I in there, roughly?’
‘Only about five minutes. I was just about to come in and check what was going on, but thought I’d better give it a chance and not risk messing anything up.’
‘Let’s go for a walk,’ she said.
They strolled through the estate, the afternoon sunshine bathing their faces and soothing Cara’s restless thoughts.
Kate was busy in the barn, which was now transformed into the major portion of the Tudor Heritage Centre. ‘I can’t believe how amazing it all looks,’ said Cara. ‘You’ve done an incredible job in the few weeks you’ve been here. Thank goodness you came on board.’
Kate led them to the Tudor Kings’ Manuscript, and memories of George first kissing her in his workshop in The Rambles, proudly showing her the manuscript, whizzed through Cara’s mind.
Throughout the rest of the day, she experienced flashbacks of Georgiana. She saw Caroline at a lavish house party dinner, and then she was in the kitchen and George kissed her unexpectedly. It was a sweet, forbidden kiss, and the memory of it brought tears to her eyes. After that, it all went a bit hazy.
That evening, Eddie called to see whether she’d ventured back into the priest hole and was thrilled to hear she had succeeded to time travel on demand.
‘This is such a tremendous breakthrough,’ he said, his voice booming through the phone as if he were in the room with them.
‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Hopefully my memory will update again soon, and I’ll know what’s going on.’
