His eyes … His incredible eyes. It was as if they were connecting … As if invisible strands were winging their way through her instinctively finding their home.
Before slotting into place.
‘You,’ she whispered.
Epilogue
Rachael slowly lowered the newspaper to the kitchen table.
‘Well?’ Cassie asked, returning with Rachael’s coffee and her mug of tea, before curling up in the seat opposite her.
‘The picture’s good,’ Rachael said.
‘You can’t be talking about the one of me on the byline?’
‘No.’ Rachael picked up the paper again. ‘Although that one’s good, too. Sophisticated, sexy and learned all at the same time. I’m talking about my newspaper ad. I’m really proud of those little Casper-like ghosts. It took me an age to get them perfect. It does look good, don’t you think? And it’s most definitely effective.’
Cassie had no intention of answering the question Rachael had posed. She took a long sip of tea instead, before raising her brow and saying, ‘Bearing in mind I found myself unable to use a single one of your quotes without it having an adverse impact on all I was trying to say, or indeed having it reflect detrimentally on your whole profession, I thought including the picture—’
‘You flatter me, Cassie!’ Rachael said, with a huge grin before refocusing on the article before her. She pondered, ‘I get why you didn’t use the names of those involved, but there’s also no mention of history repeating itself or Soul Mates, other than in my ad, of course – which I thank you for big time. In fact, while it’s a departure from your normal exposés, it reads like a morality tale! I mean this here: “While practitioners talk up the healing benefits of regression, if you have nothing to heal and you value your sanity, it comes with risks. There is merit to learning from the past. Many a psychologist will tell you that. But some of our past can be buried for a reason. It deserves to be buried. Deep. Forgotten. And its resurrection can wreak untold havoc on the present …”
‘Actually, on reflection, this is a cop out!’ Rachael declared. ‘You don’t even confirm the existence of past lives. This talk of our past could relate to what we did three months ago! Although it raises definite questions, it’s what you aren’t saying; that you’ve not dissed “Past Life Regression” in your trademark fashion, which is the giveaway. I don’t get it. You can prove the existence of past lives. Soul Mates, too I’m reckoning. Then there’s history repeating itself for want of a better name for what seemed to be happening and—’
‘I’m not ready yet,’ Cassie murmured, twiddling with the handle of her mug. ‘As I told my editor after he read this and his jaw dropped. I gave more away than I intended … I’m totally off form … and, of course, he wants more. But I’m taking some time out. A holiday, a sabbatical, I’m not sure yet. I need some recovery time. It’s all been …’ She shook her head and raised her eyes to meet Rachael’s. She asked so quietly, ‘It has stopped … hasn’t it?’
‘Well it’s a week on and I’m still here. Susie, too – if you can call being shagged witless by George in Peru, here.’ At the expression that had evidently appeared on Cassie’s face, Rachael dropped her flippancy and said softly, ‘We’ve discussed this Cassie. It has stopped. I’m sure of it. The cycle stopped that night and fates clearly weren’t mixed up. It’s over.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me that Tessa died that night too? If Rob hadn’t had that premonition—’
‘It wasn’t a premonition apparently. More … a really powerful sense that he needed to be there and he couldn’t budge it. He’s been experiencing some serious déjà vu, too. It’s all rather fascinating—’
‘If he hadn’t turned up when he did you could be dead! Don’t you think you could have mentioned it? Kathryn had no idea. She just thought you’d run off, leaving her in the lurch. She had no idea you’d drowned that night, too!’
‘It didn’t seem relevant. How were we to know it was repeating for us, as well?’
‘We were still manipulating,’ Cassie said, shaking her head slowly. ‘Plotting where George and Susie were concerned. For a different end, but we were still doing it, just as we had in the past with Freddie and Hannah.’
‘I know. I was even finding out what Susie was flaming well up to so we knew her every move! And just as Tessa was so near yet so far to her Soul Mate, circumstances got in the way for me and Rob. While history was repeating itself, we couldn’t get our act together and recognise each other for who we were. Because Tessa and Richard never did. The fact we have now is why I know it’s stopped.’
Cassie couldn’t help but look and sound flabbergasted. ‘Tell me that’s not the get out clause for the Soul Mate queen not spotting her own Soul Mate when he was right there in front of her!’
Rachael shrugged her shoulders. ‘It’s true though. While I may have been a little … confused to begin with – and had incidentally been reading my Little Book of Buddhism beforehand – once history started repeating itself, we didn’t have a hope. It was an impossible situation. Just as in the past, circumstances had to get in the way. Bless him. Rob apparently experienced that wow moment just as I did. Only mine got focused on Matey as he jumped into my arms. If I’d only looked up and seen Rob standing in the doorway, rather than focusing on Matey, I would have known that what I was feeling was towards him and not his cat. But then that’s where Fate comes in. History couldn’t have repeated itself then you see. And it was meant to do that.’
‘Meant to do that? We were all meant to go through hell for what reason? Actually, you know what, I really don’t think I want to know.’
‘You are sounding more and more like Susie every day. It’s a compliment. The fact we can talk like this to each other is good.’
Cassie shook her head. ‘You are so not normal. And I know by saying that, I’m not insulting you. Quite the contrary… I’m on to you by the way. I’ve got you sussed. You hide behind all your flippancy. You use it as a defence mechanism.’
‘Don’t a lot of people? But nope, I’m not normal. Never have been.’ Rachael shrugged her shoulders as she took a prolonged sip of coffee. ‘Perhaps it is a defence mechanism. I’ve never really thought of it before. With what I know, always have done, even as a child … it’s perhaps best that people don’t always think I’m serious? I could have gone one of two ways, I suppose. Silent and brooding and keeping my mouth shut, which I think my father would have preferred or— Well, I didn’t go that way! Lives are too short … Even when history has stopped repeating!’
Cassie met Rachael’s grin with a snort and a shake of her head. Life would have indeed been short for all of them, bar Rob, had history still been repeating. Hannah, Freddie and evidently Tessa had been followed into their early graves by Kathryn only a matter of months later.
Cassie sighed. ‘It may have stopped repeating, but I doubt George is going to re-emerge from Peru until he’s identified where Michael is.’
‘I know. And Susie is determined to get back for the start of term. It will be interesting to see whether she persuades him or not. Michael won’t be a problem now though. George is a lost cause as far as he’s concerned and there’s no reason why he’d have another shot at Susie. Porsche might still have a go in the press, of course, but I doubt she’ll be so bad. And she’s no danger anymore.’
‘When Michael does re-emerge, he’s going to have to stay the hell away from George. George would honestly kill him given half a chance. Let’s just hope he doesn’t reappear with a foreign heiress on his arm.’
‘Foreign heiress?’
‘Matthew ended up with one. If Michael did that I’d have to start asking myself if it was all repeating again and—’
‘There’s bound to be similarities, Cassie.’
She made an incredulous noise. ‘Don’t start on that again!’
Rachael laugh
ed.
‘Why though?’ Cassie now asked. ‘Why did it all happen? Why, what, how? I still don’t have the answers! Perhaps it’s because of that I don’t feel ready to write about it and—’
‘Not everything in life can be explained.’
‘Oh shut up! You just don’t know the answers either!’
Rachael smirked. ‘No. Not yet. But I really want to find out. Are you game?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Well, as I see it, all I need to do is to introduce another pair of Soul Mates to each other during a regression and—’
Cassie choked on her tea before staring at Rachael in horror.
‘I was joking! Flaming Nora, Cassie – I’m left of centre, remember?’
‘Don’t ever think about doing that! I mean it. Never, ever do that again!’
Rachael shrugged. ‘It’s not as if I knew I was doing it. Although I did have an incredible ring-a-ding-ding feeling beforehand, I must say. Do you know though? Rob categorically refuses to be regressed, despite all I’ve told him about Richard and—’
‘Can you blame him?’ Cassie cried. ‘After what we’ve just been through? And why would he ever want to remember his life as Richard Barratt? He never married. He lived to a ripe old age, but all alone. And according to what Susie recalls from her time as Hannah, Richard was obsessed with Tessa and tortured by the sense of obligation he had towards his sisters and the fact that he couldn’t act on what he felt towards her. Clearly it wasn’t just Tessa feeling the attraction.’
‘It’s so sad that we didn’t get our act together back then,’ Rachael said. ‘Not that circumstances would have been in our favour. We clearly weren’t meant to be. Rob has never believed in happy endings, you know? It’s understandable why now. All those years alone and …’ She shook her head and said determinedly, ‘I’m totally going to obliterate that one! Anyway …’ She refocused on Cassie. ‘No I don’t have the answers as to why it all happened. Although I can say for sure that the number of us around from that one lifetime was not good. Not good at all. We were all impacting on each other. Add into that some similar motivations and personal characteristics … I don’t know how the hell that was allowed to happen. I reckon we are back to Fate. Everything happens for a reason.’
‘You know, I can’t possibly let you use Fate or history repeating itself as a get out clause for not sussing Rob. How the hell didn’t you spot who he was? You were spot on with George and Susie, yet got that so beyond wrong!’
‘It’s so hard to explain,’ Rachael said. ‘When Matey was around it was always with Rob in tow. What I was feeling was down to Rob’s presence, not Matey’s, not that I had a clue as to that of course. And like I always said, it never felt right anyway. It all felt so frustrating, and no wonder. It was particularly frustrating when it was the case of just me and Rob, with no Matey around … That’s when things got really tricky. I couldn’t help but feel the physical side of things then. I’ve always felt good around Rob. More than good, secure – the lot. But I only allowed myself to feel so much. I didn’t want to betray Matey, so I allowed myself to feel what a really good friend might because that would be acceptable. But when it came to the physical side of things … Well, I was flaming well losing the battle, no matter how hard I tried! I had to try and stop myself feeling it though because it wasn’t right! Or at least I didn’t think it was right!’
‘You got it so wrong,’ Cassie chuckled.
‘Yes! I got it wrong! Happy now? But history repeating itself and Fate played a major part, too! Honestly, we weren’t allowed to get our act together! And the Dalai Lama himself didn’t help. His little book … And I didn’t realise the importance of touch then either. We hadn’t touched until that night when he got me out of the water. Rob says he didn’t trust himself to … touch me.’ A stupid grin had appeared on Rachael’s face. ‘But, anyway …’ She was blushing now too and shook her head as if to get focus. ‘Right! Well, obviously Tessa didn’t identify who Richard was either. Not that I’m surprised there. There was the attraction, big time. And jealousy. She couldn’t stand his friendship with Hannah. But she wouldn’t have been able to label what she felt. And she and Richard didn’t even talk let alone … touch …’
Cassie had heard enough. And the sounds coming from Rachael’s bedroom indicated Rob was getting himself up. Cassie had seen the two of them together in recent days and didn’t think she could stomach that again for a very long while. ‘I need to get going,’ she said.
‘No. Stay!’ Rachael cried. ‘We’ve still got things to talk about and I’ve a proposition to put your way.’
She was most definitely going. And quickly. ‘Another time,’ Cassie said, gathering her handbag from the table.
‘Seriously, Cassie, we need to talk. I’ve had this fantastic idea …’
Cassie was already walking to the door. She sped up.
‘You’re taking a sabbatical or whatever you want to call it and thanks to your article, business has never been so good. We’d make a great team. You would be phenomenal at all the research for the “Soul Mate Recovery” business, which I just absolutely have to go ahead with now. I would of course do the—’
Cassie stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at Rachael who was now looking at her eagerly. ‘I’m sorry?’ Cassie asked.
‘You could do the research,’ Rachael clarified. ‘I haven’t thought the details through yet, but I’m reckoning there’s got to be some. You could use the opportunity to find out everything there is to know about Soul Mates in the process, in preparation for your pending knock-out article and—’
Cassie shook her head rapidly. ‘No, not to the research bit which is incidentally ridiculous, but to the bit about going ahead with the “Soul Mate Recovery” business because of my article and it being good for—’
‘It’s incredible, Cassie. My phone hasn’t stopped since about seven this morning when the paper must have hit the stands. There are so many messages from people wanting my services and—’
‘How?’ Cassie demanded, walking back to the table. ‘How? I don’t—’
‘My ad. In your article. Everyone wants me to help them find their Soul Mate and—’
Cassie was beyond confused. ‘But how did they find you? How would they know where to call? How—?’
‘My details. My number. The ad?’ Rachael said as if she couldn’t believe she was having to explain it.
‘No,’ Cassie said adamantly, having closed the final distance to the kitchen table, and snatched up the paper. ‘No. The telephone number and name are blanked out. I made very, very sure of—’ Nooo!
‘It’s not blanked out,’ Rachael said smugly. ‘Oh I am so meant to do this. This is Fate at his best! Thanks to the article I now have a mass of potential subjects for Soul Mate Recovery. I reckon that’s what this has all been about, other than Suse and George, and me and Rob getting together, of course. I reckon I’m meant to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of Soul Mates and match them up along the way. Then when I know it all, I can recover and match up even more! Without all this happening, I’d have thought I knew it all and I may never have got my arse in gear with the business. Me and you wouldn’t have become friends. The article would have never appeared like this … I’m reckoning one of those people that has left a message is going to be lucky enough—’
‘You can’t do this!’ Cassie cried, her horror most evident. ‘You can’t! And why the hell are people responding to your ad? They are broadsheet readers! They’re meant to be intelligent. And I warned! They’re not meant to—’
Rachael was shaking her head and grinning. ‘Come on, Cassie. Admit it. My ad was not only incredible, but incredibly effective, too! So … the partnership? Are you game? Think of what you could learn. We might even find the answers you’re still seeking. And you never know … and how wonderful would this be? … I might be a
ble to lead you to your very own Soul Mate!’
Cassie felt sick. She’d been rendered speechless and found she couldn’t get a word past her lips. And she needed to let go of the top of the chair she was presently clutching and make her way out of the room. But she suspected that clutch was presently holding her up.
‘It’s Fate, Cassie. Don’t you see? Everything has been leading to this. Two life times – at least – have been leading to this. We are meant to do this! I have the king of all ring-a-ding-ding feelings right now.’
About the Author
Sarah Tranter
Sarah lives in Wiltshire, England with her very supportive husband and her two boys. The family includes Rufus the dog, two cats, five chickens, countless pet spiders and an assortment of bugs (courtesy of her youngest).
Sarah has been a Constituency Researcher for a Labour Member of Parliament, a Political Lobbyist and a London Publicist, before turning her career to writing. Romancing the Soul is her second novel with Choc Lit. Her debut novel, No Such Thing as Immortality, was published in 2012 and is the first part in a trilogy.
For more information visit
www.sarahtranter.com
www.facebook.com/sarah.tranter.73
You can also follow Sarah on Twitter @sarah_tranter
More Choc Lit
Sarah Tranter
No Such Thing as Immortality
I will protect you until the day I die … forever!
A vampire does not have to feel any emotion not of his choosing. And Nathaniel Gray has spent two hundred years choosing not to feel. But when he accidentally runs Rowan Locke off the road, he is inexplicably flooded with everything she’s feeling, and that’s rage, and lots of it.
He is consumed with the need to protect Rowan at all costs including from himself. To Nate, what is happening is unthinkable and is pretty much as unbelievable as the existence of faeries.
Romancing the Soul Page 36
