Why had George Silbury just opened his eyes?
Rachael watched him rise from the couch and dive across the room to sweep a just-standing Susie into his arms. What the—?
He cradled Susie’s face in his hands and stared into her eyes. ‘I cannot believe you are here. It is you. It is you. Oh dear God, how I dreamed.’
His voice was ragged raw emotion. His words so heartfelt they were painful to hear. He covered every inch of Susie’s face and neck in the gentlest, most tender of butterfly kisses.
‘I’m never letting you go. Ever. Why did you lose faith in me, my love? I was true to you! How could I ever not be? Oh my angel, my dearest, darling angel.’
Rachael gulped, not one hundred per cent convinced this was happening. But her client was sat in what appeared to be a state of shock and her other client was currently with Susie! She couldn’t allow herself to panic here, she really couldn’t. She needed to be professional and take control. She wondered if she should say something to her client – the one sat staring in horror – not the one … George Silbury’s tongue was down Susie’s throat!
What was she supposed to do? She had never come across anything like this before, never even heard of it. She watched Susie wrap her arms around George Silbury’s neck and sink her hands into his hair. His hands were everywhere. There were moans and gasps. What the blazes was going on? She had to – Susie! Her hands were flaming well everywhere now, too and …
Rachael’s eyes lowered, following the couple. They were—
‘Hannah,’ George sighed.
‘Freddie,’ Susie gasped.
They hit the floor, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Cassie sat stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. Freddie and Hannah? This couldn’t be happening. Her brain could not be expected to comprehend this. George had been Freddie? And … and … and … Hannah! That meant she … she …This was her worst nightmare. She needed someone to rush through the open door and cart her away because this could not be real. This had to be her cracking up. Please let it be! The alternative was simply too terrible.
Rachael’s brain seemed to be on a loop. An incredulous loop. ‘Hannah and Freddie united again?’ It obviously needed to be repeated because even Rachael was having problems comprehending the fact. And George Silbury had been Freddie? Hannah’s Freddie? She’d known Susie had been Hannah and that she’d lost Freddie, but there was ring-a-ding-ding and … ring-a-ding-ding.
Crikey, she’d just reunited Susie with her Soul Mate! Because there was no question, in her twenty-first century Rachael Jones mind, that Freddie and Hannah had been Soul Mates. But George Silbury? And then she remembered sensible Susie’s insensible obsession with the man. This just got better and better. Had she sensed him for what he was?
This was amazing and … Rachael dropped into her chair as she reached an ecstatic realisation. Oh. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! How incredible was this? How long had she hoped to find a way?
She could redeem herself! Finally she could put things right. Not just all the angst she had caused Susie following that night ten years ago, because, as awful as that was, it was just the tip of the iceberg. She could actually make amends for the role she’d played in the past. When Susie had been Hannah, George had been Freddie. And she’d been Tessa. She could help put right what she’d help destroy then! This was incredible. This was Fate at his best. This was—
‘They aren’t moving!’ Cassie cried out.
Rachael watched Cassie run to the two bodies, lying entwined upon the floor, as if in slow motion.
‘I can’t have killed them again. I can’t,’ Cassie babbled, sinking to the floor beside them.
Rachael barely absorbed Cassie’s words. It was as if she were observing events from a long way away. Susie and George lay motionless upon the floor. Half wrapped around each other.
Completely still.
Cassie knelt at their side shaking George, her attempts getting increasingly desperate … But he was just lying there.
Rachael somehow made her way across the room because she found herself knelt on the floor at their side. Susie? Oh God, Suse … She’d lured her here and – Mother of Mary. What had she done? She wanted to put it right, not destroy them all over—
‘He’s breathing, he’s definitely breathing,’ Cassie cried. ‘And so is—’
‘So is Susie,’ Rachael gasped, seeing her chest move. She let the relief soak through her and took a moment to breathe again.
‘What’s the matter with them?’ Cassie asked desperately. ‘Is George still regressed? No. He ran across the room, so he can’t be.’
‘I don’t know … He might be. I can’t think properly.’ Rachael clenched her eyes tightly shut and forced herself to take more deep, calming breaths. What the blazes was wrong with them? ‘Umm. I haven’t brought him around. Opening his eyes though and not bringing himself out of it – and the other – is … unusual.’ What an understatement. ‘But that doesn’t explain Susie. We’re going to have to call for an ambulance.’ Rachael jumped up to grab her mobile from the desk.
‘She could have passed out,’ Cassie mumbled, as Rachael waited impatiently for her phone to fire up. ‘George didn’t give her much opportunity to catch her breath and she wouldn’t be the first woman to do that around him. And George might simply …’ Cassie’s words died away to be replaced by a horrified, accusatory cry, ‘Unless you’ve done something catastrophic to his head!’
Rachael, startled, turned in response to Cassie’s cry and released one of her own. She was immediately back at Susie’s side. She’d just seen her hand move. Taking it between her own hands, she started patting it. ‘Suse. Suse, can you hear me? Did you see that? I think she’s going to be okay.’
‘What about George? What if you’ve done permanent damage?’
‘I’ve not done anything to George other than hypnotise him.’ She didn’t see how she could have. She had to focus. One thing at a time. ‘I’ll try and bring him around in a moment. Suse? Suse?’
‘Did he bump his head? Is that why he’s—?’
‘He’s lying face down on top of Susie. I don’t see how he could have done.’ Releasing Susie’s hand, Rachael said, ‘We’re going to have to shift him to give her some air.’
‘Rach?’ Susie’s voice sounded.
Thank you! Oh, thank you!
Susie’s eyes fluttered open.
Rachael stared down at her, anxiously. ‘Suse? Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.’
Susie’s forehead creased into a frown. ‘God my head is killing me. But … You’re okay! Jeez I was so worried. What happened?’ She let out a loud groan. ‘That run!’ Looking confused, she seemed to now take in that she was lying on the floor, and had managed to move the left side of her body, but was struggling with the right.
‘Everything’s fine. We’re about to move him so—’
Susie screamed. She screamed again and again.
‘It’s all right. Don’t panic,’ Rachael reassured repeatedly, as she and Cassie rolled George off Susie and on to his back. He was like a deadweight. Rachael swallowed hard, rapidly dismissing that thought, but nevertheless her own breathing only resumed as she observed his chest move afresh.
As soon as Susie was freed, she scuttled top speed, backwards across the floor on her bottom. There she sat struggling for breath. ‘What happened? Who is he?’ she gasped out. ‘Is he dead? Oh God! What happened?’
Susie didn’t remember? Rachael wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or … It was her turn to groan now. ‘He’s not dead, he’ll be fine,’ Rachael said quickly, as she watched Susie edge closer on her hands and knees. There was a frown upon her face. ‘I’d stay over there, Suse. You’ve had a shock.’ But it was no good. Using Rachael’s shoulders as leverage, Susie got herself to her feet. Her head cocked from side to side a
s she looked at the man lying on the floor. She now turned her horrified gaze to Rachael.
And no matter how hard Rachael tried to magic up the perfect words to say in this situation, she completely lost her train of thought as Rob ran in through the wide open door, armed with a baseball bat. He’d obviously heard Susie’s screams from his flat next to theirs, upstairs.
Rachael closed her eyes while thanking the heavens it was Rob. She found the presence of a friendly face more than a little reassuring right now. She was definitely going to have to rethink her business plan though. She’d been hoping to branch out, to specialise in a new area of business she liked to refer to as ‘Soul Mate Recovery’. She’d been convinced that past life regression offered an invaluable source of information that could aid in the search and recovery of a Soul Mate. Well, it appeared she’d been right … kind of. But she really wasn’t sure how much of this sort of happening she could take.
Susie’s voice sounded, securing Rachael’s full attention. She opened her eyes.
‘That’s …’ Susie looked at Rob, while waving her arm vaguely in George’s direction. Now turning to Rachael, she said, ‘That’s George Silbury. I did die. So did you. You must have been choking. I’m sorry I didn’t save you Rach. I tried. If only I’d kept those New Year resolutions it could have all ended so differently. Didn’t expect to see you here, Rob. How odd.’
Susie crumpled and Rob, ditching the baseball bat en route, crossed the room in a couple of bounds, catching her under her arms before she hit the floor.
Rachael screwed up her face and rubbed her eyes. When she removed her hand, she met Rob’s confounded gaze.
‘Rach. What precisely is going on here?’ He looked down at Susie, currently propped against his crouching form, across to Cassie, bent over George, before returning his intent, piercing blue-eyed focus to her.
It was a fair question, but not one Rachael could answer quickly, or necessarily, believably. And just how distracting were those eyes of his, even in this flaming situation? She started to crawl around George, positioning herself beside his head, opposite Cassie.
‘I’ll try and explain. Just not right now. But thank you for being here to catch Susie. Can you make yourself even more useful and get her out of here? She’ll only keel over again if she sees him. I just need to bring him back around. I’m hoping all I need to do is count—’
‘He’s regressed?’ Rob sounded horrified.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘You’re not sure?’ Rob sounded even more horrified. She had to admit, it didn’t sound good.
‘I’m hoping that’s all it is. I’m about to find out. But can you please get Susie up to the flat and make sure she’s okay? I’ll attempt to explain later, I promise!’ She now spoke to Cassie. ‘I’m going to go through the usual process for bringing him back around. We’ll see if that works and—’
‘If it doesn’t, I’ll make it my life’s work to destroy you!’ Cassie vowed.
She sounded less traumatised now … and … definitely familiar. ‘Right. Ummm. Well … if it doesn’t … we call for help.’
Rachael spared a glance back to Rob, who’d managed to hoist Susie over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Being a fireman, he’d no doubt call it a fireman’s lift. His T-shirt had crept up to reveal the bare skin of his toned stomach and a line of dark hair. She looked away quickly, but not before she’d experienced a snapshot to another time. No cravat. Top two buttons undone, bare skin at his throat and the top of his chest. There may have been dark hairs there and then too, although she couldn’t be sure because of the physical distance that had been between them. She shook her head rapidly to clear it.
Their eyes met. ‘I’ll see to Suse,’ he said softly. He glanced anxiously at George on the floor. ‘But if he doesn’t come around, call 999 and shout for me, too. I’m trained in resuscitation.’ With that, Rob turned and walked out of the room.
Chapter Six
‘Five, four, three, two, one. And now you’re awake, George.’
George slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times. He felt disorientated. Then he remembered.
Turning his head, he found Cassie. Grinning, he said, ‘See I told you they couldn’t get me under. I’m sorry, Cas. But I’ll hang around to hold your hand. Your turn!’
Raising himself into a seated position, he looked around … confused. He was on the floor. He looked to the couch and then back, but … He refocused on Cassie who had yet to talk and who, he now realised, was kneeling at his side. She wasn’t looking at him though, but at the regressionist, Rachael something-or-other, kneeling on his other side. They stared at each other, motionless. ‘Would someone mind telling me what’s going on?’
They turned in unison to look at him, their expressions not at all easy to read.
But George now had other things on his mind. He was more than a little distracted. He patted his clothes down, and looked at the floor around him. He had the distinct impression that he’d lost something, but couldn’t pinpoint what. He didn’t like the sensation one little bit. He didn’t have his wallet with him, he’d left that back at the film set, and his phone was there in his coat pocket, but …
He saw Cassie make a slight movement with her head in the direction of the door. Rachael cleared her throat before saying, ‘We’ll be back in a jiffy. Make yourself at home. We’re going to … get another appointment in the diary!’
George looked at Cassie, surprised. ‘You’re not doing it now? Come on! It’s a doddle, nothing to it. I’m here so what could possibly go wrong?’
Cassie seemed to pale before his eyes. She muttered, ‘Not today, thank you,’ before clambering to her feet and fleeing from the room in the regressionist’s wake.
Looking around him, George patted his clothes again. They felt damp and actually looked … was that mud? He cursed, rubbing at the offending areas on his thighs, wondering if he’d brushed against the outside of the taxi. Wardrobe were not going to be happy.
He was definitely damp. Had he been sweating? Actually, thinking about it, he was feeling physically very … He glanced down at himself and cursed lengthily and repeatedly. How was he supposed to cover that up in this costume? He was going to have to sit here for several moments longer. He blushed furiously at the thought he may have embarrassed himself in front of Cassie and that regressionist woman.
Drawing his knees up before him and resting his elbows upon them, his attention was drawn to his hands. He raised them before his face. They were tingling and he had the strangest sensation that they had been in contact with something … precious.
‘He doesn’t remember?’ Cassie spluttered, as she and Rachael reached the reception area and collapsed against the desk. She had just been through probably the most harrowing time of her life and her brother had woken up oblivious … and grinned! ‘Just how is that possible?’
‘Susie doesn’t remember either,’ Rachael said thoughtfully. ‘And I’m not sure why. It could be shock I suppose; coming face-to-face like that. The circumstances … I need to think about it when I’m not so—’
‘Traumatised?’ Cassie suggested. Although traumatised didn’t quite do it if Rachael Jones was feeling anything like she was right now. ‘I’m going to need to see a shrink!’ she suddenly shrieked at the realisation. ‘And it’s all your fault. I hold you and your whole damned rotten profession responsible for this!’
Rachael raised her eyebrows, frowning. ‘I’m trying to work out who you are. I get it with your brother now, but you? We’ve met before. And I don’t mean having seen you on the pages of OK! magazine. You could have chosen something a bit more imaginative than Smith, don’t you think? Couldn’t you have been Seymour, Ballentine or Carrington, or even Smythe? I used to choose different names for myself as a child. My favourite was Rachael Fairbairn-Wyrd.’ She paused before saying, ‘Yes, we’ve definitely met bef
ore.’
Cassie didn’t know what to say. Her plan had clearly failed on so many levels. She looked at Rachael through narrowed eyes. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. ‘Believe me when I say I’d remember you if we’d met.’ She was feeling even more disconcerted, if that were at all possible. And she didn’t like it.
‘You sound more yourself now than when you were babbling away about having killed them again. Would you care to explain?’
No. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t let herself think about any of this. She didn’t have a hope of getting her head around it. It was highly likely she was going to end up in one of those padded rooms she’d imagined Rachael bloody Jones in. She needed a rewind button. Then she could go back and never have started any of this. She’d had a nice life, was fantastically good at her job, had won countless awards. Everything had been as it should be. But now?
‘You’re doing a story. But that stuff about killing them … You’ve been regressed, haven’t you?’
Cassie couldn’t deal with this. She needed … vodka! That would do it. Perhaps being a lush was the answer? Permanently intoxicated she would never have to face any of this unbelievable madness that was now her life. And to think, before she’d started this damned story, she’d hardly ever touched the stuff. It was only in the cupboard to soften up her editor when he turned up to rant.
She was a calm, sensible, logical human being, she counselled, so how the hell was she supposed to give any credence to past lives? Because of what just happened, her brain snapped at her. And if she did, how could she ever live with what she’d done to George? No, Freddie! ‘Arrrgggghhh! I don’t want any of this!’ she cried.
‘Well, I’m afraid you’ve got it. Pretty incredible, really. Your brother and Susie: Soul Mates reunited! And I think it’s safe to say they recognised each other. Not that I’d have expected anything else.’
Romancing the Soul Page 4
