Page 40 of Twin Flames
‘Please don’t tell my parents. For all concerned they shouldn’t know. I trust you to follow my instructions regarding the children.’
George had signed the letter with a rich flourish and the ink was slightly smudged.
Our peaceful life is about to change.
He hurried out of the schoolroom and up the backstairs to his quarters, to prepare for the journey ahead. His pulse quickened at the thought of the dangers involved in smuggling the children to their parents, who were now on the run from the king’s army.
Twenty minutes later, Edward led the children quietly down the servant’s stairs. They looked like a couple of ragamuffins with their frayed clothes and blackened faces. ‘You did a great job. Now we just need to get you to your parents, and all will be well.’
‘What will you do, Sir?’ asked Thomas.
‘I’ll do the bidding of your parents whatever that may be. I’m their loyal servant. I’ll do my best to provide whatever they need of me.’
‘I hope you can stay with us,’ said Thomas.
‘Yes, me too,’ whispered May. ‘Please don’t leave us, Sir.’
Edward squeezed one shoulder of each of his wards, to comfort them. ‘I hope I can stay with you, but whatever happens, you’ll be with your parents, so there’s no need to fret.’
They arrived at the stables and Edward jumped into the shabby carriage used by the household’s staff for errands. He signalled to the children to follow, giving them a hand up. He’d sent word earlier to Swifty’s brother, Bertie, as per George’s request, asking him to prepare the carriage, explaining the need for urgency and secrecy.
He nodded to Bertie, to indicate they were ready to depart and the horses’ hooves clicked immediately into action. The less they lingered, the safer for all concerned. Edward planned to exit the grounds of the manor quickly as if he was going about his regular routine. There was nothing out of the ordinary in having two servant boys in the carriage to assist him.
Purchasing school supplies was heavy, tiresome work.
He planned their potential alibi, in case soldiers stopped them as they crossed the city.
London, present day
Cara sat nursing the remains of a latte in a coffee shop on the Royal Holloway site in Bloomsbury.
What’s going on?
She’d time travelled back to Tudorville with the amazing professor, but here she was already back in present-day London as if it had never happened. There was one significant difference to previous trips; this time, she could recall more of the details. Eddie had assured her that her recollection of the previous timeline would be readily accessible the more she travelled. He had discovered his ability to time travel ten years ago and was intimate with the process. He had been travelling back and forth between present day and Tudorville ever since. He explained that the information from her past life must have been stored in her memory since the moment her gift was activated when she met George in the bookshop.
Thanks to her fortuitous introduction to Eddie, she was beginning to understand how time travel worked. She’d just witnessed several days of her previous life in 1536, but in this timeline, it was as if nothing had changed. She found it disconcerting. It reminded her of when she’d travelled abroadfor a gap year. Upon her return to York, everything seemed oddly different but also much the same, as though she’d never been away.
It’s the most incredible thing. How will I ever tell George about our past life?
Cara ran through what she’d recently witnessed in Tudorville, trying to piece together how events had unfolded.She and George had made it into the heart of York, undetected, fooling the soldiers with George’s foppery and her Parisian finery. George’s childhood friend, Sir John Locke, suggested they hide in his basement. He was sympathetic to their plight and shuffled them into the safe haven upon arrival. Understanding the need for discretion after seeing the posters in the city, he didn’t ask questions. The Yorkists stuck together so although soldiers were searching for them, being in the heart of York was the safest place they could hide.
Cara played back the scenes as if watching a technicolour movie.
Sir John Locke’s Basement, York, 1536
‘Do you think Edward will be able to get the children to us?’ Cara asked George. She was tormented by the possibility of the children being captured since they despatched their letter to Willow Manor.
‘I have a good feeling about it. Edward is smart and trustworthy. We’ve counted on him for years. He’ll do his best, and if anyone can get them to us, it’s him.’
After a torturous couple of hours, they heard horses’ hooves and the sound of wheels hurtling into the circular driveway. Cara rushed in the direction of the tiny window, leapt onto a stool and craned her neck to try to peer out.
‘It’s no good. By our lady, I can’t see a thing,’ she cried and stepped down, throwing her hands up in despair. ‘George, pray come over here, and see if it’s the children. I can’t wait another second, or I will explode.’
George balanced on the stool and peered out with ease through the grille of the high basement window. ‘Good news, my love. Here they are! Edward has arrived, and if my eyes don’t play dastard tricks on me, he brings with him two children whom I believe to be our very own. They look more like grimy chimney sweeps, but I suspect Thomas and May will be revealed beneath those filthy faces.’
‘Thank the good lord,’ said Cara. She rushed into George’s arms when he jumped down, and he held her tight.
A few moments later they heard high pitched, chattering voices on the stairs, followed by admonishments from Sir John to keep the noise down. The children burst into the basement, and May ran to Cara, wrapping her thin arms around her mother’s waist. Thomas was more restrained when he greeted his father, but he couldn’t hold the tears back for long, and he clung to George. Then they all hugged, and Cara was overcome with emotion. The basement conditions were dark and damp, but their love was palpable. They settled onto a blanket on the hard floor and feasted on a supper of bread, cheese and ale. Despite the rudimentary nature of the food, none of them had enjoyed a meal so much in ages. They were together again, and that was all that mattered. A chill ran through Cara as she wondered how long it would be before she was swept back to her complicated life in the present day.
