Page 24 of Spellbinding Spirit

Catherine

There’s loud banging comingfrom the kitchen. I glance up from my laptop and stretch my legs out on the sofa as I take in the view beyond the window. Fellside is beautiful in spring, the hills alive with bursts of green and wildflowers. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here a year already.

“Tea or coffee?” Sebastian calls from the kitchen, his voice carrying over the clatter of mugs.

“Coffee,” I reply, closing the document on my screen. “And don’t forget the biscuits.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, appearing with a tray a moment later. He sets it down on the coffee table and slides a mug my way before settling beside me. His arm stretches across the back of the sofa, brushing my shoulder, and I lean into him. It’s second nature now.

“How’s it coming along?” he asks, nodding toward the laptop.

“Nearly finished,” I say, picking up my mug. “Mrs Harris already read the latest draft. She cried, but in a good way.”

He smiles, the kind of smile that still makes my chest tighten. “Sounds like success to me.”

I take a sip of coffee, warmth spreading through me as I look at the cover page of the document on my screen.Spellbinding Love: The Story of Sally and Georgeby Catherine Brennan. It feels strange to see my name attached to something so deeply personal, but it also feels right. It’s a far cry from scientific parapsychology papers but I couldn’t resist the call to tell their story.

Mrs Harris had given me her blessing months ago and I approached the project with the care it deserved. It wasn’t just about Sally and George anymore; it was about giving voice to their story that had been silenced, lives left in the shadows of history. It was about proving that love, even interrupted, leaves an indelible mark.

“She’d be proud of you,” Sebastian says softly, as if reading my thoughts.

I glance at him, my chest tightening with gratitude. “Sally? You think so?”

“I know so,” he says firmly. “You’ve done her justice. Both of them.”

I set the mug down, my fingers brushing the edges of the laptop. “It’s strange, isn’t it? How their story changed everything. Not just for them but for us.”

Sebastian chuckles, resting his hand lightly on my shoulder. “You mean it gave me the kick I needed to get my act together?”

“That, and it convinced me to move to Fellside,” I say, grinning. “Still can’t believe you talked me into it.”

“Oh come on,” he says, mock-offended. “You love it here. Admit it.”

I laugh lightly. “I do. It’s hard not to.”

It’s true. Moving to Fellside was a bigger adjustment than expected but it’s also been exactly what I needed. My work as a professor had shifted more and more to remote research, and the peace of the village has given me the focus I’d been craving. And then of course, there’s Sebastian.

He had planned to move down south but when we looked at it in reality it just didn’t make sense. In our twenties we probablywould have just gone for it—risked it all for love and ignored any consequences. But we aren’t twenty anymore, not even close. And so we looked at finances and the practicalities. He has a fantastic position up here. His income would have been significantly lower in Kent but our costs would have been much higher. I, on the other hand, can do my job from wherever. It was a no brainer.

Life with him is different than I’d imagined. It isn’t always perfect. He leaves the kitchen a mess when he cooks and I’m hopeless at keeping his plants alive—but it’s good. Steady. Real. And there’s plenty of passion.

“Do you ever think about them?” I ask, my voice quieter now. “Sally and George?”

“All the time,” he admits. “I think about how much they went through, and how they never stopped holding onto each other even when everything else fell apart.”

I nod, staring out at the hills. “It makes me wish we could’ve done more. For Sally.”

“We did what we could,” he says, his voice gentle. “We gave her the truth. That has to count for something.”

“It does,” I reply softly. “It has to.”

The wind picks up outside, rustling the trees and carrying the faintest scent of spring rain through the open window. I close my laptop and lean back against Sebastian as the moment settles around us.

“Do you think they’re at peace now?” I ask after a long silence.

He wraps an arm around my shoulders and brushes his thumb lightly against my arm. “I think they are. And I think they’d be happy to know their story brought people together.”

I smile, resting my head against his chest. “I hope so.”

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