Page 34 of The Runner
Willow Manor, York - Present day
It waslovely to have Kate with them in the family home. She was suntanned from her months in the Spanish sunshine and looked relaxed and as beautiful as ever.
‘It’s so good to see you both… and this place, you guys! It’s unbelievable. I can see you’ve made significant progress since we stayed here for your wedding.’
Cara and George held their wedding at Willow Manor when it was still a hotel before they’d even thought that buying it was a possibility.
‘You’ve made some subtle changes, but you’ve nailed it.’ They were standing in the great hall, which retained its impressive Tudor décor, but would be a costly endeavour to maintain and update.
Cara beamed at Kate, and they walked arm in arm out the front door and onto the lawn, the easy camaraderie evident between them. ‘I can’t tell you how lovely it is to have you with us and to be able to show you everything. We’re really excited about what we’re doing here. I hope you can stay a while—we need your professional designer’s eye.’
‘Absolutely. I’ve just completed a couple of extensive projects in Seville and am ready for a much-needed break and a change of scene. I’ve been buzzing about coming, but the stars only recently aligned to make it possible for me to get away for more than a few days.’
What had begun as a brief trip to stay at Casa Cavendish in Seville, had morphed into a long-term stay when she’d attracted several high-net-worth, expat clients who wanted a designer of her calibre to create their dream homes in the sun.
‘I don’t know if you realise just what a legend this house has been in our family since we were kids. It’s surreal to see you actually living here. I still don’t know how you pulled off buying this place!’
Kate was even more enthusiastic than George, if such a thing was possible, and Cara loved her joie de vivre. Kate was also the most knowledgeable of the two siblings about their family history and Cara intended to discover anything that might help develop the Tudor Heritage Centre.
Cara smiled and changed the subject, carefully dodging Kate’s roundabout question about how they raised the millions they needed to buy the estate. She would have to tread carefully to avoid getting into detail, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. Cara planned to steer Kate into talking about the Georgian period and see what more she knew from her research about the family and the estate in the eighteenth century.
Previously, Kate told them that their ancestor, George Cavendish, from that period was a bit of a black sheep and had lost Willow Manor in a card game. And from George’s time travel sojourn in Victoriana, he learned that legend had it that Willow Manor was haunted, and the history of the house was shrouded in mystery surrounding a fire. No one seemed to know exactly what had happened and, as was so often the case with bygone tales, they became more convoluted and inaccurate as the centuries passed.
So far, they knew Caroline fell in love with George in 1729, and that the Twin Flames married in 1840 when they were prominent figures at Queen Victoria’s court. But what occurred in the one hundred and eleven years in-between?
After dinner,Kate retired to her room, saying she wanted to catch up with her husband, who was away on business, and pleading exhaustion from her trip and the early start.
Cara had been on edge all evening, not able to find a suitable moment to tell George about her earlier discovery. ‘I found another volume of the family history,’ she blurted out as soon as they wished Kate goodnight, and the door clicked, and they were alone in the snug, at last. ‘In fact, I’m off to retrieve it now.’
She leapt from her seat and tore out of the room before George had a chance to respond. He continued to leaf through the pages ofThe York Press, wondering how she could possibly have found it in the short time he’d been out. He shook his head and chuckled. She was like a tornado when she was onto something. Returning with the volume in her hands several minutes later, Cara heaved it onto the low coffee table and a cloud of dust billowed off the cover, irritating the delicate tissue of their noses and causing them both to sneeze.
‘Bless you,’ they said in unison.
‘I only found this. Guess which one it is.’
‘Um, the Georgiana volume?’ he said, stealthily deciphering the title on the cover, upside down.
‘Oh, how did you know?’
‘Let’s not forget I’m extremely gifted with rare old manuscripts,’ he said, his tone dry.
She rolled her eyes. ‘You saw the name!’
‘Okay, well, there is that… But more importantly, my goodness, you are quite the sleuth. Where on earth did you dig up this dusty old thing? I searched and searched the other day with absolutely nothing to show for my efforts. Which shelf did you find it on?’
‘That’s just it. It wasn’t on a shelf. I found it in those bottomless old cupboards in the kitchen where I’ve found so many unlikely things since we moved in. They are like a magical treasure trove. I had a feeling it might be there—I don’t know why, but the thought just came to me, so I hunted about when you went to get Kate. I’ve been itching to tell you all day but thought it best not to mention it until we’ve got our stories straight about what we know of Georgiana.’
Cara opened the book and pored over the contents page, moving her finger down and tracing the words as she scanned the page, looking for references to 1729. ‘It’s so clever how the past reveals to us only as much as we need at any given time. First, we found the reference to the priest hole just when we needed it, and now this specific volume which covers Georgiana.’
‘Let’s hope it helps us to put an end to all this. I really miss our uncomplicated, quiet life,’ said George.
Willow Manor,York - Georgiana
In the seemingly endlessweeks that followed, it was the knowledge that George had written her a letter that kept Caroline sane. Even though it contained nothing to harm their reputations, she guarded the letter closely, not showing it to anyone, and the thought of it nestled in the drawer, awaiting her in the bedchamber was her heart-warming secret. At night, when she climbed into the cold four-poster bed after a tiring day, the letter gave her solace and warmed her gloomy heart. Each time she picked up the piece of paper, she felt an instant connection to George. A connection she had never experienced before, and one that she sensed went far deeper than any piece of correspondence could. Then sleep would seduce her like an insistent lover, and the night’s dreaming would reunite her and George.
Caroline witnessed many scenes from their past and future lives of which she didn’t understand the significance. It was as though, each night, she watched another clip of a never-ending film. The only common denominator was George. He was in most of the clips and even when she didn’t see him directly, she sensed his presence in everything. She learned more about Cara and was convinced she was another version of herself. Caroline felt Cara’s feelings and thought Cara’s thoughts when she was sleeping. But when she awoke, all she could recall were snippets of the film. The intense dreams faded with each daybreak as she stirred in her chamber, and she awoke confused and bereft without George.
When would he return home?
