Page 64 of Twin Flames
CHAPTER 19
The Great North Road, 1536
Edward scratched his head. He was angry at his lack of foresight.
‘I could kick myself,’ he whispered to Cara.
They were pitched from side to side as the carriage bumped over potholes on the Great North Road. The rain hammered relentlessly on the roof, and Cara peered out at the ominous rolling clouds in the dull, white sky.
The king’s soldiers were under orders to escort them to London. Cara had been arrested again; this time on charges of treason, witchcraft and breaking out of prison.
She squeezed Edward’s arm. ‘It’s not your fault. You weren’t to know this would happen.’
‘That’s true, I suppose. Time travel is unpredictable. My intentions were good, but I feel as though in my ambitious overreaching, I’ve managed to sign our death warrants instead of save the world.’
‘It’s not over yet. Let’s stay calm. We must keep our wits about us,’ she said.
Thomas and May leaned into her on either side as they slept. She stroked their heads and thought of George.
‘What are the chances of Swifty making it to Berwick-upon-Tweed, undetected, do you think?’
‘It’s hard to say. It’s a long shot, but he’s a wily young lad. If anyone can evade the army and travel unseen, he can. He’s been living on the streets for years. He knows how to blend in, and he’s certainly as speedy as his name.’
‘If we can alert George, he might at least escape to Scotland. That way there’d be a chance he could return later and save the children. I can’t bear the thought of him waiting for us, not knowing we’ve been caught. I can just imagine his face when he realises we left without getting the all-clear from him. He specifically warned me to wait and be patient.’
‘Don’t be hard on yourself, my dear. You weren’t impatient. He doesn’t know about your time travel, here or in the future, correct?’
‘I’ve wanted to tell him in present day, but it’s never been the right time. How do you tell the man you love that he was married to you, five hundred years earlier when you were both charged with treason by King Henry VIII? Oh; and incidentally you also had two children together. Far fetched doesn’t even begin to cover it.’
‘Quite! I do see your point,’ said Edward, with a wry smile. ‘I’ve not confided in anyone other than you about my own travel. One of the chaps on my research team suspects there’s more to my research than meets the eye, but that’s about it.’
‘It’s odd how Sylvia knew to connect us up, don’t you think?’ said Cara.
‘Yes, and no. There’s a glorious serendipity to all of this. As much as it feels wildly out of control, I do believe it’s unfolding just as it should.’
‘It’s good that you’re philosophical. I begin to panic when I think about what will happen to the children if I’m executed—and to George, of course. Which reminds me—goodness knows how poor little Princess Elizabeth is faring at court after losing her mother, Queen Anne.’
‘You won’t be executed. And the future version of you is alive, anyway.’
‘But is it not possible that could change? If I were to die now, wouldn’t that simply wipe out all trace of me in the future?’
‘I suppose it might.’ Eddie paused, trying to understand the implications. ‘Honestly, I don’t know. We don’t know enough about how it works in these specific situations. This is another reason why it’s so valuable for my research; to observe and document what happens when you travel. It’s possible that by arriving back here at the worst time, it could wipe out the future you. . .but it’s unlikely, I think. I doubt you would be alive in the present day if that were the case. The fact that the three of us are alive in the future, and what’s more, we’re connected, bodes well for us all.’
‘Except for Thomas and May. We don’t know what happens to them.’ Cara’s voice trembled. Her maternal instinct was rich in Tudorville, which was such a different experience to that of her future self.
‘King Henry is capricious, but I don’t think he’ll take it out on the children. We’ll get them to safety somehow,’ whispered Edward.
‘If you could get them back to Willow Manor that would be the best. At least that way they’d be in the custody of George’s parents.’
‘Yes, and the earl would most likely go to them at the first opportunity. No doubt, the tides of fortune will soon turn at court. They always do. If he’s able to stay out of sight for a while,he may be back in favour with the king again before too long,’ he said.
‘I have a horrible feeling that with my botched time travel, I’ve messed up the future. I mean, we were on the road to Berwick-upon-Tweed too early, weren’t we? We left before George said it was safe. If we’d waited, it seems likely we wouldn’t have been caught.’
‘You were supposed to be on your way to 2100. We couldn’t have known you’d arrive back here, en route to the border, so it’s out of our hands. There’s no point worrying about that now. Let’s hope Swifty alerts George, and they formulate a plan.’
She was grateful to have Eddie’s support. Goodness knows how she’d handle all of this without him at her side. Not for the first time, she silently thanked Sylvia.
‘You may be accused of treason, but you both have loyal connections in London and the north.’
