Page 67 of Twin Flames
‘Hush, my love. By the grace of God, we won’t be here for long. Your father will come for us. You’ll see.’
CHAPTER 20
The Tower of London, 1536
Cara noticed the familiar signs. The air in the cell was freezing, but when she was about to time travel, there was a distinct edge to the cold. The atmosphere whirled with icy crispness. It was time again—the vortex beckoned.
This was the perfect way to escape. She would disappear into the ethers. If she could teach others to time travel, she’d be the most popular woman in prison. But her power was bittersweet. She wanted to stay in Tudorville. How could she leave Thomas and May? And she couldn’t bear to abandon George. She must know what happened to him. She felt the familiar wrench of loss. How would she be able to make sure they were all safe if she went now?
‘Edward?’
The tutor was trying to distract the children by tracing letters on the dusty floor. It was working. They threw themselves into the guessing game with gusto, oblivious to their dreadful surroundings.
‘Yes, my lady?’ He raised his head.
‘I’m sorry.’ She mouthed the words in a low tone, hoping the children wouldn’t hear. ‘I think I’m about to slip away. Please do whatever you can to petition the officials to send you all to Willow Manor. They have no interest in you; there’s no reason to hold you here after routine questioning. You know what to do. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
She was gone before she heard his reply.
When Thomas looked up a few minutes later, he smiled at the version of his mother who remained behind. She was unconscious of her ability to move between timelines.
London, present day
Eddie’s tall, lanky frame bobbed about with excitement, unable to stay still when Cara appeared.
‘Here you are! Back so soon. I didn’t know what to expect.’ He hugged her. ‘How did it go? Let’s have a cup of tea, and you can tell me all of your news.’
‘I’m afraid I’ve let you down, Eddie.’
‘That’s quite impossible. I was so worried about you; it’s such a relief to have you back in one piece; you could never let me down. I’ve been wondering whether the risks were too high and perhaps I shouldn’t have pressed you to go. Me and my lofty ambitions.’ He grimaced and shook his head.
Cara smiled. ‘How odd, you said something similar in Tudorville.’
‘Really? At least I’m consistent then, if nothing else. Five hundred years of dogged determination to get my own way. I do hope you’ll forgive me if I’ve caused you distress.’
He noticed her eyes welling up. She tried to hold back the tears, but they seeped from beneath her lashes as the emotion rumbled deep within her chest.
Cara was like a volcano about to erupt, but she was determined to keep it together. There was too much to do to allow herself to fall apart now.
‘What’s the matter, my dear. Whatever it is, remember we always get another chance. That’s the beauty of having the ability to live in quantum time.’
Eddie went through the comforting motions of making tea in the tiny kitchen which was more like a cupboard, in his office at Royal Holloway.
‘There, there, sit here and take a moment. There’s no rush. I’m sorry to push you so. I can be a real bully when it comes to my experiments.’
He put a steaming cup of tea on the table, and she embraced the hot, blue china with her cold hands.
‘Thank you. How are you?’
‘Um. I’m fine. . .had trouble sleeping though cause I was worried about you.’
‘Bless you. How long have I been gone?’
‘It’s been a couple of days, at least. Let me check my notes. I lose track of the days when I’m working.’
He rummaged in the desk; extracted a clipboard and a crumpled sheet of paper which was wedged onto it.
‘Don’t you keep your notes on your computer, Eddie? I would have thought a quantum physics professor would be more hi-tech than that.’ Laughter interrupted her misery. There was something about Eddie which always lifted her spirits. His goodness was palpable. She felt safe with him despite the chaos in her life.
