Page 68 of Twin Flames
‘You can’t beat good old-fashioned pen and paper. I love the feel of the ink pen between my fingers as the nib scratches the paper. Let me see…’
He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his tweed waistcoat to check the calendar and then referred to his sheet.
‘Okay, you’ve been gone forty-four hours and twenty-two minutes precisely.’
‘I have no sense of time whatsoever when I come and go.’
He reached over and patted her hand. ‘Can you tell me what went on? I can barely wait to hear!’
Cara didn’t know if it was the hot tea or being in Eddie’s soothing presence, but she already felt better. The sense of dread had lessened its grip; she was steady enough to reveal what had happened. She filled him in on the details of how she’d arrived in Tudorville instead of in 2100 as they’d planned.
‘I’ve already explained this to the 1536 version of you. We were arrested together in the carriage on the road to Berwick-upon-Tweed.’
‘Oh, how frustrating, it will catch up with me soon, no doubt. It seems to take a little while for me to update; the memory transfer is wildly unpredictable. I’ll probably need to travel again to be able to get it all. I recall some things about the past in great detail, and others seem to elude me altogether. I can’t get the measure of it; it’s most annoying for a scientist.’
They sat on wooden university chairs, a quiet camaraderie connecting them as they sipped their tea and pondered the situation.
‘I’m not sure what the best thing to do is, so when that’s the case I usually come to the conclusion that when we don’t know what to do, it’s a good idea to do absolutely nothing. Let’s wait until an idea comes to us,’ he said.
‘Yes, I think you’re right. I’m dying to dash back to try and fix things, but I think I’d better hold on or I may make it worse. I’ve done enough damage. My impulsive behaviour doesn’t help matters.’
Eddie chuckled.
‘I must rectify things with George. I will find him today and apologise for disappearing like that. I had this dreadful premonition in Tudorville that I’ve messed everything up.’
‘Try not to worry. He’ll be waiting for you.’ He shook his head. ‘Who would choose to fall in love? Not me, I can tell you.’
‘Have you never been in love, Eddie? I can’t remember a lady in your life, but then I only meet you in the same period when you’re tutoring Thomas and May at Willow Manor.’
Eddie sighed. ‘I’ve been in love, all right. But I shan’t be doing it again if I have any say in the matter. Horrible, painful ordeal it was. Would rather have a tooth extracted with a pair of pliers than go through that again! At least you know toothache will stop with a dose of medication.’
Cara laughed and almost spat out a mouthful of tea. ‘Oh, you are a delight, Eddie. It certainly feels like hell on earth sometimes. But when it’s good, there’s no other feeling like it in all the world. That’s why we love to be in love. Although I don’t think we choose it. It just comes at us out of nowhere.’
‘You and the earl are two sides of the same coin. I haven’t found my soul mate. I thought I had, but it wasn’t to be. I’d rather be alone than suffer like that. Not everyone has the good fortune to meet their one true love. Most of us fumble about for several lifetimes, trying to talk ourselves into believing that the wrong person is the right one.’
‘That’s sad, but I do think perhaps you’re right. I’d never experienced a connection like this until George, even though I believed myself to be madly in love when I was younger. Then—with my fiancé, Daniel, I was pretending we were right for each other because it was convenient and I didn’t want to risk being hurt again.’
Eddie could feel Cara’s pain. If only he could do something to make things better between her and George. Not for the firsttime he wished he had a magic wand. He blamed himself for sending her off on the mission.
‘Sylvia says when you meet your counterpart, they are your Twin Flame; the missing half of your soul that Plato refers to in Greek mythology,’ said Cara.
‘Maybe in my next life, I’ll meet my Twin Flame. I’m gay, Cara. One man, in particular, caused me a lot of heartache.’
Cara hugged him. ‘Thanks for telling me, Eddie. Even these days it must be tough. I’m sorry. I should have known.’
‘Oh, you do know. You don’t remember yet, that’s all. It can be tough but not as tough as it was in Tudorville.’
‘Speaking of Twin Flames, I’m such a fool. I let my pride hijack my intuition. If I hadn’t run away in a rage, we wouldn’t have been arrested. I can only hope Swifty made it to the border to warn George. By the way, did you manage to get my letter to him?’
‘Yes, I popped it through the workshop door, just as you instructed.’
‘You didn’t see him?’
‘No. I rang the bell and peered through the window, hoping to see how he was doing, but there was no one there. The place looked different, but I’m not sure why.’
‘I wonder where he was. Thank you. What would I do without you? I’ll head back to York to find him shortly, and I’ll call you tomorrow.’
‘Okay, my dear. Try and get a good night’s sleep. A flash of inspiration will come to us soon. It always does.’
