A Time to Tell
Page 28
He rubbed his arms to get the circulation going. His clothes were soaked right through so that they clung to his skin. It must be worse for Cara, he thought. She’d looked so fragile, like a lifeless doll. The fall took so much out of her. He willed the ambulance to arrive quickly, at the same time keeping an eye on the distant sight of Cara lying on the beach. At least she had someone with her—wasn’t alone.
Finally, he saw the ambulance approaching. Flagging down the driver, he called out, ‘Over there!’ pointing to the two lone figures on the beach.
He watched as the ambulance drove towards them. The lights of the vehicle cast a spotlight on Cara and the young man by her side.
Frederick kept his distance. Part of him wished he could accompany her to the hospital, but his mind told him it would be wrong. He’d led her on enough already.
His watch, full of water, had stopped working. He would have to go home.
By the time he reached the top of the cliffs where his car was parked, the ambulance had already left. The dark, treacherous sea struck an imposing sight. Frederick knew he would never have jumped if he’d thought about what he was doing before he leapt, but he’d felt an urgency to save Cara. He had jumped to follow her, not thinking of the consequences.
It made him dizzy staring down at the sea below, aware of what could have happened. They could both have died. He took a few steps back.
As he gazed out over the cliff edge, he could not deny that when he’d jumped in after her, nothing else had mattered but Cara.
Cara’s heart began to beat faster. Frederick had jumped into the sea after her and risked his life to save her.
‘All my life, I thought it was Billy who saved me.’
‘I’m sorry, Cara.’
She stared into his eyes.
He took her hand.
Just then, the front door opened and closed. Penelope ran into the living room with Andrew and Carl to see Cara and Frederick seated side by side on the sofa.
‘Nan?’ Her raised eyebrows indicated her surprise.
‘Hello, dear,’ said Cara, stunned by the events of the past few minutes. She drew her hand away from Frederick’s, feeling embarrassed.
Penelope acknowledged Frederick with a polite nod of her head. ‘Hi, Nan. Where’s Jemima?’
‘I’m not sure, dear; she might have gone into the kitchen.’
‘Right. Come on boys, let’s go and meet your aunty and get some tea.’
‘Is this Granddad?’ asked Andrew.
‘No,’ said Penelope, her cheeks reddening slightly. ‘Come on, let’s go into the kitchen, Nan wants to be alone with her friend.’
‘But I wanted to see Granddad,’ said Carl.
‘You said he was here,’ said Andrew, sulking.
‘Don’t worry, boys,’ said Cara. ‘I’m sure you’ll see him soon.’ She smiled at Penelope who nodded awkwardly and quickly left the room, pulling the two boys behind her.
Cara was still smiling when she looked back at Frederick. She averted her eyes self-consciously. They were alone again.
His hand touched the locket resting against her chest. ‘I can’t believe you still wear this,’ he said. ‘Do you remember what you said to me when I gave you this locket?’
She held her breath and shook her head.
‘You said because there was a lock of my hair inside, we’d always be together.’
‘Did I? I can’t remember,’ she lied.
Taking the pendant between his fingers, he opened the clasp. His joyful expression changed to one of disappointment. ‘It’s empty.’
She wished his hair was still inside but then felt annoyed at herself for being so enrapt with him.
He sat on the armchair opposite her.
She noticed how the years had not taken away his looks, and he was still tall and strong. He wore a brown suit. She wondered if he’d dressed smartly especially for her.
‘Did you ever think about me, Cara?’ he asked.
‘Now and then,’ she said, wary of meeting his gaze.
‘I often thought about what it would have been like if we’d married and had children,’ he said. ‘It’s quite ironic really, finding out Benjamin is my son. He seems like a good lad. We should all keep in touch.’
He stood up and her heart reached out to him. She didn’t want to say goodbye yet.
‘Do you have a pair of scissors, Cara?’ he asked.
‘Scissors?’ Her brow creased into a frown. ‘I think they’re in the top drawer of the unit over there,’ she said, pointing.
He walked over to the unit and rummaged around in the drawer, then she saw him take out the scissors.
‘Close your eyes,’ he said.
‘Why?’
‘Trust me,’ he said, winking.
She half-closed her eyes so she could still see him, and watched as he cut off a bit of his hair and placed the scissors back into the drawer.
‘Okay, you can open your eyes.’ He approached her and knelt down in front of her. Opening the locket, he placed the hair inside. When he’d closed it, he looked into her eyes. ‘I hope this will mean that we’ll never be apart, Cara,’ he said, smiling.
Once again, she lost herself in his dark dreamy eyes, feeling as though she was back in the late summer of 1952.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maria Savva lives and works in London. She's a lawyer, although not currently practising law. She writes novels and short stories in various genres, including drama, psychological thriller, and family saga. Maria is also a music blogger for the UK Arts Directory. You can find out more about her work on her website: mariasavva.com
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