Page 63 of The Runner
Cara whispered, ‘It was you Eddie, you saved him.’
‘To friends old and new,’ he said, raising his glass, and Cara, George and Sylvia all chinked their prosecco.
Kate appeared at Cara’s shoulder. ‘There you are…’
‘You remember Eddie and Sylvia—you met at the wedding?’
‘Of course,’ she said, her animated features aglow.
They chatted for a while and then it was time for George and Cara to say a few words to commemorate the opening. Reporters snapped and flashed their cameras, and the audience clapped enthusiastically when the couple officially declared the centre open. The occasion was recorded for posterity and would appear inThe York Press.
Cara wondered whether a future version of herself would look back at the article, trying to piece together what had happened in this life.
‘I’m glad that’s over,’ said Cara. ‘It’s been such a long time coming. I was a bundle of nerves, but now we can relax and enjoy it.’
‘We pulled it off,’ said George. ‘We’ve been working towards this day for so long, I confess; I can hardly believe it’s done.’
Cara reached for his hand and assured him he’d done an amazing job and the fruits of his labour would pay off for them long term, not just at the opening. ‘This is where the fun begins. We have brought our own heritage centre to life and have the perfect base to live and work, not to mention a way to fund the estate.’
Later that evening, after the last of their visitors left the grounds, George handed Cara and Kate a pre-dinner drink, and Kate said, ‘You know how I was telling you earlier about my strange dream?’
Cara tensed and prepared to handle more of Kate’s probing questions. She tried to stay calm and took a swig of wine to bolster her courage and buy herself a moment as she sat down on the sofa. George poured himself a glass and settled into a nearby armchair.
‘Well, I entered the priest hole again early this morning on my own,’ she continued.
‘Oh?’ said George. ‘You kept that quiet.’
‘I wanted to experience it as a visitor would—entering for the first time. But I had that deja-vu feeling again, like I’ve been there before.’
‘Goodness,’ said Cara. ‘Maybe Sylvia’s psychic powers are rubbing off on you.’
‘Well, you have been there before,’ said George, to distract his sister even though he knew she wouldn’t be put off so easily.
‘You can both make fun of me, but I had this really clear vision of myself in another time—the one I told you about in the dream where you were my governess. And my name was Olivia… I don’t know how exactly, but that priest hole is connected somehow.’
George and Cara exchanged a look.
‘What is it? What do you two know that I don’t? I’ve had a feeling you’re keeping something from me, ever since I arrived,’ she said.
CHAPTER27
Willow Manor, York - Present day
Cara and Georgeenjoyed a precious couple of hours alone when Kate had gone into the city. She insisted on making an appointment with Sylvia to see what she could discover about her mysterious dream.
‘Sylvia promised not to reveal anything about us, but I imagine it’ll be tricky,’ said Cara.
‘Do you think psychics have a confidentiality agreement like lawyers?’ said George.
Cara laughed. ‘I have no idea if they have an unwritten code, but we can trust Sylvia not to reveal our secret intentionally. My concern is more about her revealing something unintentionally when she’s in one of her trances. You know how dogged Kate can be with her questioning!’
‘I do indeed!’ Now it was George’s turn to laugh at the vision of his sister interrogating Sylvia. ‘Do you think Kate could really be connected to Olivia?’
‘Well, they say that souls reincarnate with the same soul groups, so I don’t see why not. Let’s hope that’s what it is because the other possibility would be much more difficult to handle.’
George narrowed his eyes, trying to think what the other possibility could be, and then looked at Cara questioningly. ‘Which is?’
‘Well, she might be a time traveller too—a sleeper traveller like Swifty, but the priest hole is updating her memory.’
