Page 91 of Twin Flames
‘Yes, agreed. Although we still have the sixty-seven to thirty-three percent ratio to consider. If we don’t rescue him, we have no way of knowing what the ultimate compound effect will be. Just because George is alive now, as someone else, doesn’t mean he would be if we hadn’t rescued him.’
‘The whole thing makes my head throb. I’ve thought about nothing else. I go back and forth on the pros and cons and can’t decide whether it’s best to rescue him or not. I think given the possibility of a pardon, combined with Angel Gabriel’s warning,and your prediction of a thirty-three per cent chance of a bigger mess, we’d better wait.’
‘If in doubt, do nowt,’ said Edward.
‘Yes, absolutely. It’s the best way. When we know, we’ll know, and we won’t take action to break him out until then, no matter how tempting it may be. It’s a gamble, but we’ll take it until we have reason to do otherwise.’
‘Yes, my lady.’
‘Edward?’
‘Yes, my lady.’
‘Please stop yes my ladying me!’
‘Yes, my lady.’
She raised an eyebrow. They giggled. The humour touched Cara’s sore heart as they made their way to the London lodgings.
‘You know the king well. Holding off makes sense, but I also think if we haven’t heard anything positive about a pardon in a couple of days, we should reevaluate. We need to get George out of the Tower,’ said Edward.
‘Yes, of course. I can’t wait to get away from the city but is there something you’ve not told me?’
‘Only that Henry’s council is hunting down all who could be suspected of any remote sign of allegiance to the pope. It’s like a reverse inquisition. Meanwhile, the priests inform me that all hell is breaking out on the continent.’
‘Oh, my God. Of course. How dense of me to not have thought of the trouble brewing. Sometimes I forget we’re witnessing history and we already know how it turns out. It’s May 1536. The Spanish inquisition is about to hit Portugal. Pope Paul authorises the inquisition to root out the thousands of Jews who settled there, following their expulsion from Spain when they refused to convert to Christianity in 1492,’ said Cara.
‘Yes. And the people here are resentful,’ Edward nodded.
‘They don’t know who or what to believe in anymore. They’ve lost two queens in such a short period, the monasteries are being dissolved, and they can no longer pray to their effigies. There’s a sickness at the heart of the nation, and his name is Henry. He’s more power-hungry each day that passes without a newborn son in the nursery,’ said Cara.
‘I want to see us safely away from the city before the unrest kicks off. London is like a powder keg waiting to be lit, and I don’t want us still here when it explodes.’ Edward spoke his treasonous words in a whisper, looking about him as he talked. ‘Don’t you have Jewish blood?’
‘Yes, my mother was Jewish, which makes me officially Jewish, but we kept it quiet. I was raised a Catholic, and in Henry’s new England, we became Protestant like everyone else. What he and Anne did was a scandal, and all just to arrange an annulment so they could marry and remove queen Katherine. Mind you, Katherine of Aragon was the fruit of evil parents, Isabella and Ferdinand. They instigated the Spanish Inquisition and have thousands of innocents’ blood on their hands. What goes around comes around. But still, the king tossed Katherine aside like an old shoe, and poor Anne fared even worse,’ Cara said.
‘What happens to Jane Seymour? I know I should remember, but I’m afraid I don’t, and as I haven’t any internet access right now, I can’t pretend otherwise just to impress you. He still has three more wives to get through, so I do know it’s not a happy ending,’ said Edward.
‘Poor Jane Seymour dies next year, after giving birth to a son: Edward.’
‘It’s coming back to me now. But as I say, I want to get us away as quickly as possible. When there’s unrest, the Jews are the first to be targeted. I’m surprised they didn’t dredge that up to add to the list of charges against you.’
‘I expect they know that charges of treason and witchcraft are enough to warrant burning me at the stake, should they so desire. Don’t worry Edward. We’ll be safe in the city for a while longer.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘For the same reason, you knew how to calculate the sixty-seven to thirty-three percent odds. I’m a historian and a bloody good one.’
Seville, 1840
‘Isn’t the Cathedral breathtaking?’ said George, as they wandered hand in hand through the nave. The afternoon sunshine infused the beautiful old building with light, and a sense of peace washed over Cara.
‘I’m relieved we were able to leave Madrid so quickly. I didn’t like it there at all,’ she said.
‘If someone was watching our movements since we arrived, there’s nothing to arouse suspicion. I made it known that the purpose of our visit was primarily to research the whereabouts of a British manuscript, so it’s fortunate indeed that Carlos was able to get us a lead so quickly,’ said George.
‘Yes, I wonder how he managed that.’
‘Turns out he has a close friend who specialises in that kind of thing so as soon as he mentioned it, the friend knew exactly who to ask.’
