Page 89 of Twin Flames
‘No. What?’ asked Cara.
‘Someone is waving the white cloth at the window as you instructed.’
Cara’s spirits dipped yet further. That was it then—it was over. She saw the flash of white material.
‘We must leave without them. Swifty, push us off from the wall to get us going. Let’s take it in turns to row; I’ll go first.’
She rowed as fast as she could, but at times it seemed as though they made barely any progress. Voices echoed from a distance around the eerie, dark river banks. It wouldn’t be long before the sun rose high in the sky and the place buzzed with morning activity.
Cara concentrated on moving the oars to block out her gloomy thoughts. She didn’t want to leave George and Edward behind, but if they too were caught, none of them would have any chance of escape.
May’s sweet face beseeched her to come home and spurred her on as exhaustion mounted until they had put a fair distance between themselves and King Henry VIII.
‘Swifty, you take over for a bit. I thought we’d be rowing out to meet the trawler, to head for France, but now we must remain in London. Look out for the next spot where we can moor the boat. We may still use it.’
Swifty nodded, eager to please. He would row around the world for his mistress.
Cara leaned against the side of the boat to recover her strength. Their only hope of freeing George was if the Tower guards suspected nothing. If that was the case, they might get a second chance.
She must learn what had become of Edward.
CHAPTER 27
London, 1536
The dreadful stench instantly alerted Cara to her arrival in Tudorville. Her years of study at the University of York hadn’t adequately prepared her for the reality of Tudor filth. The smell of acrid urine was rank. It was a normal part of the daily routine for Londoners to toss the contents of their chamber pots out of the windows. It was pure luck if a pedestrian escaped being doused in urine as they navigated the cobbled streets.
Ew. She wrinkled her nose in an attempt to block the odour. It took her sensitive nostrils a few minutes to adjust before her senses settled and the urge to heave, abated.
Cara spotted Edward waiting on the corner. As he turned and walked towards her, his smile lit up his pensive features, and he reached out to hold her in a warm embrace.
‘Thank goodness, here you are,’ he said. ‘I’ve been willing you to turn up. It’s difficult to make any progress with the other Cara. She hasn’t a clue what’s going on.’
‘How did you know it was me?’
‘I’m not sure. I had a feeling you would be back today. I just knew.’
‘Talking of which, where the heck were you the other day? What on earth happened when we were waiting on the river to rescue you and George from the Tower? I’ve been dying to find out. I was so agitated to have to travel and not know what was going on.’
‘We couldn’t get out. We were chaperoned from the second I was admitted.’
‘Were they suspicious?’
‘I don’t think so. They’re just accustomed to observing closely when a new visitor arrives, that’s all. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move. I wanted to talk it through with you, but of course, you’d disappeared.’
‘Sorry about that. I know it’s tricky as hell when you go off. What’s she like then? Is she very slow?’
‘Who, Cara?’ Edward laughed and shook his head.
‘Slow? No, of course she’s not slow. She’s you. But she has no idea of the implications of her past or future actions, so it’s of no use to discuss our plans beyond the immediate time. It only confuses the present. She’s got enough to deal with. I can’t unload our calculations and deliberations onto her; it would blow her sixteenth-century mind.’
‘I do envy her. How wonderful to be a simple wife, living a simple life,’ Cara sighed.
‘Well, I think you forget the reality of it. Life is not exactly simple. George is under threat of execution, remember?’
‘That’s true. How could I forget? How’s she coping with George being locked in the Tower, by the way?’
‘Not well. When I came out, I told her what I’ll tell you; he’s in a low state of mind. We can’t leave him there much longer. The Tower is a hellhole, as you know.’
