The Awakenings by Sarah Maine

Author:Sarah Maine [Maine, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 2022-01-10T17:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

Olwen followed Gussie into the sitting room of the little house in Knaresborough, finding it hard to reconcile the giddy Lady Sarah with the stylish young woman now wearing a broad leather belt cinching in a neat waist and a skirt, of mid-calf length, which swished as she walked. She was intrigued by Celia’s friend who had been so kind to her last night, and then so angry on her behalf. How confident she was, and Celia too, how redoubtable and how wonderfully comforting they both were. It must be delightful, she thought as she looked around the untidy sitting room, living here together, just the two of them, pleasing themselves entirely. Last night in York she had woken in the night, and listened to the gentle rhythm of their breathing and had sat up in her truckle bed and looked at them, sleeping in each other’s arms, an abandoned chaos of limbs and linen and unpinned hair.

But there had been an air of tension this morning as they waited at York station. Dr Osbourne’s eyes were constantly skimming the crowds and he had frowned when it was announced that their train was running late. ‘Sunday trains never keep to schedule,’ she heard Gussie say. ‘But don’t fret, Doctor John, the vicar’ll be too busy saving souls today to search for lost lambs.’ Celia too had sought to reassure him. ‘And no one will be looking for three women and a man, travelling together.’ Olwen had felt a moment of alarm at the thought of being hunted, and shared in the general relief when, at last, their train pulled out of the station. No one said much during the journey and she had fixed her gaze out of the window. The dream she had had in the smith’s pasture had not been forgotten during the frenzied day, nor had that moment on the bridge when she had seen the vanished river and called out. Dr Osbourne had seemed stunned, and had been altered in his manner ever since. She sensed a new tension in him, and occasionally, reflected in the glass of the railway compartment window, she had caught him watching her, and found it impossible now not to see, on his features, the imprint of another.

He had left them at the station to go to the hotel where he was staying in order to arrange a room for Dr Brandt, who would arrive later in the evening. ‘But you’ll come back and eat with us, won’t you?’ Gussie had called after him and he had raised a hand in acknowledgement.

Arriving at Celia’s house and hearing the front door click behind them had been such a profound relief. Celia had hugged her in the hall, holding her close. ‘How delightful to have you here,’ she said. ‘Go with Gussie, my love, while I pop into the kitchen.’

‘Come on, chick.’ And Gussie had brought her upstairs and shown her the spare bedroom, which had a dormer window looking out over the garden, and was small, and quite perfect.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.