James had been insatiable, loving her over and over, as if trying to prove to her that leaving him would be impossible. They were both exhausted. James fell into a deep sleep, but although her body felt like rubber and her eyes yearned to close, she knew that this was her opportunity to escape quietly without causing a scene of crying and recriminations.
She slipped out of bed without making a sound and looked at James as he slept, his long eyelashes sweeping down across his cheeks, his hair tousled on the pillow, his lips slightly parted. She wanted to reach out and touch his cheek one last time, slide her fingers through his hair, have him wake up and make love to her one more time.
But, she couldn’t think of that. She retrieved her clothes from the floor next to the bed and went out into the main room, where she quickly slipped them on, scooted her feet into her sandals and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. Buttons padded out to the kitchen and rubbed against her legs. She reached down and picked up the cat, cradling it in her arms.
“Oh, Buttons, I’m going to miss you,” she crooned into the cat’s ear. Buttons turned on her purr motor again, louder than ever.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said to the cat. “You come back to me in the future, and I’ll name you Checkers, how would that be?”
“Mrow, mrow,” responded Buttons.
Susan put another saucer of milk down for her on the kitchen floor.
As a last thought, she picked up her sketchpad off the kitchen table but didn’t take the time to pick up the pastels that were scattered all across the kitchen floor. She wasn’t worried about taking her suitcase or any of its contents.
She’d decided she was going to walk to Little Dippington and see when the next bus to Brighton left. She hoped it would be soon, and that she’d be on it before James even woke up. As soon as she got to Brighton, she planned on going to the hotel, where she knew Lynn was, and they could use Lynn’s iPhone to transport them back to the future.
It was close to 5:30 as she ran down the lane away from the cottage to the road leading into Little Dippington. She walked quickly and determinedly to the village and arrived just before 6:00. There was no sign of any bus station or bus stop. The village was small, with just one main street, and it looked like all the shops were getting ready to close for the day.
Then she noticed Emily’s Granny standing in the doorway of Emily’s shop, her eyes intent on Susan. A shiver passed down her spine. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it...then suddenly, something came into her head, and she shook it. No. It couldn’t be. Could it? She looked at Granny again, and Granny smiled, beckoning her over with a gnarled finger.
Could Granny be connected to Mika somehow? Had she been watching over her?
Slowly she walked over to the shop and went in. Granny followed her and closed the door behind them.
“So, she’s come then?” asked Emily from the back of the shop, startling Susan. “Yay, as I said her would,” replied Granny.
Surprise was written all over Susan’s face. “How did you know I was coming here?”
“We were waiting for you. Granny told me some things about you. She has the sight, you know.”
“And exactly what did she say about me?” asked Susan, setting her purse on the counter and looking back over her shoulder at the shop door, as if she expected James to burst in at any minute.
“Ye learned what ye needed to know,” muttered Granny. Emily ignored her.
“She just said she saw trouble between you and James, and that you’d be coming here. She said you’re from a different place and time and that you’ll break James’s heart terribly and horribly if you stay here. I’m not sure what to think about it,” said Emily.
“Well, what I need to do is get back to Brighton and back to my friend, Lynn. We’re supposed to leave tomorrow night for our history tour, but I think maybe we should leave earlier...”
“What happened between you and James then? Never seen two lovebirds more intent on each other, that’s for sure. And I don’t understand why Granny thinks you’d break his heart.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Plenty of time to tell me, dearie. The last bus for Brighton left a few minutes ago. You just missed it. Next one’s not until 6:00 tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, my God! What am I going to do until 6:00 tomorrow morning?! Can I rent a car or something?”
“No cars to rent here, plus not sure you’re licensed to drive one, are you?”
“Well, in America I am, but not here, no.”
“Doesn’t matter, dearie, you can stay here with us. We live upstairs, and I have a spare cot I can bring out.”
Susan’s mind was in a whirl again.
“I can help ye get back now, ye know,” said Granny.
Susan turned to her. “Oh! But, I can’t! Lynn would never forgive me. She would worry. I need to get back to Brighton first, then she can use her iPhone to send us back. We’re supposed to go back together.”
Emily looked confused. “I what?”
“Never mind,” said Susan. “I think Granny knows what I’m talking about.”
Granny nodded her head.
“Can we please go upstairs then?” asked Susan, glancing out the shop window again.
“Of course,” said Emily. “Then we can have a nice chat, and you can tell me all about things. By the way, what does Annabelle say about all this?
“Annabelle? ...oh, James’s auntie? ...actually...I’ve never met her...that is to say...she went to visit her sister in King’s Head last Friday...”
“Och! So that’s how it is then...” Emily said. Susan blushed.
“Don’t worry, dearie. I don’t make judgments on people, especially innocent-looking, young girls...”
“Well, that’s exactly what I was when James brought me out here on a picnic last Sunday...” Her voice trailed off.
“Up we go,” then,” said Emily, turning off the shop lights, locking the door, and leading Susan through the back of the shop and up a narrow set of stairs into a cozy parlor. Granny followed.
***
James didn’t wake up until the sun was about to set. When he looked over at the other side of the bed and saw it empty, he assumed Susan was out in the kitchen making some dinner with whatever she could scrounge up from the refrigerator, cabinets or garden. He wondered what it was going to be tonight. The zucchini pancakes were very good, but he didn’t think they’d ever be a favorite.
He sniffed the air. Nothing cooking yet. He got up and slipped on his trousers then went out into the lounge. No sign of Susan. Around the corner, in the kitchen, no sign of Susan, and the pastels were still scattered all over the floor. That wasn’t like her. She was a person always tidying things up. A finger of alarm went through him.
He ran and opened the back door, expecting to see her in the garden. No Susan. He ran upstairs, calling her name. No Susan. Maybe she’d gone back up under the big tree?
He ran out the front door and up the path to the big tree. No sign of her. The pond? No sign of her there either. He ran back to the cottage, out of breath by this time, alarm bells going off in his head. He saw her purse was missing from the end table in the lounge. Her sandals were gone off the floor by the couch. Where had she gone? Did she run away? Why would she run away?
Then, he remembered his words to her in the garden just before he’d carried her into the bedroom.
He was certain she’d run away. But where?
***
Emily made a pot of tea for herself, Susan and Granny, then settled herself in a rocking chair by the window. Susan sat in a comfortable over-stuffed chair across from her, and Granny sat on a stool. Susan figured that was her normal place, even though it didn’t look very comfortable.
Susan looked down at her hands in her lap, not knowing what to say or where to start.
“So, when did you get to England then?” asked Emily, giving her an opportunity to start somewhere.
“Friday night. Midnight.”
“She come from ta future...” Granny mumbled.
Emily and Susan both looked at her. Susan bit her lip. She just didn’t want to go into that unless she had to, even though it appeared Granny might have told Emily something about it.
She hedged a response. “America is a lot different from here,” Susan said. “It seems very futuristic compared to here, that’s true.”
Granny just smiled her near-toothless grin and shook her head. Before she could say anything else, Susan began, “I came here to join a group of other students to go on a history tour of England. We’re studying the important shipping ports and their histories. We were supposed to start in Brighton, which is why I’m here, but then the other students were delayed, and now they’re in London. I’m to join them tomorrow. Another student, a good friend of mine, Lynn, also came to Brighton. She got here on Monday, so both of us will be going to London together.”
“How did you meet up with James then?” Emily asked.
“Well, after I checked into my hotel on Friday, I thought I’d just go for a walk to see what was around, and a couple of blocks away, I heard music. The sign outside said it was The Dusky Club, so I went in and thought I’d listen to some music. I found a table near the front, right by the wall, and sat down. James looked over at me during one of the songs, then he came over to my table and offered me a cigarette during a break.”
“Noticed you right off, did he?”
“For sure...twas meant to be...” Granny muttered. Emily and Susan ignored her.
“Well, yes, it seemed like he did. There were some girls on the other side of the club who didn’t look happy about it. One of the waitresses, Sandra, who’d brought me a drink, said they were mad. I hadn’t done anything. I was just sitting there.”
“I’ve seen some of the girls James and his mates hang out with, dearie, and they’re all pretty tawdry. You likely looked like a breath of fresh air to him.”
She thought about how she must have looked wearing the June Cleaver dress. Breath of fresh air? More like a breath of fresh ridiculous.
“Well, I don’t know about that...but he came and talked to me again during another break, and asked me out for tea after they were done. I should have said, ‘no,’ but I didn’t. I guess I was taken in by his looks and the polite way he talked to me. But, it was pretty stupid to go out with somebody like that without knowing anything about him.”
“James has always been a good boy,” said Emily. “Never got in any trouble or anything, according to Annabelle.”
“Well, yes, I guess I thought he was okay, so we went out for tea and talked about a lot of things, mostly about our background and our families. I felt I got to know him pretty well, but I’m sure that sounds pretty dumb.”
“Not dumb at all; that’s how things start off between two people.”
“Okay, so he walked me back to my hotel, and asked to walk me up to my room, but I wouldn’t let him. He even wanted to kiss me, which I thought was pretty presumptuous just knowing him for a few hours...but I let him kiss my hand.”
Emily chuckled. “Kissed your hand, eh? I’ll bet that threw him a bit; I’ll wager it did.”
“Well, that’s it right there,” Susan said. “I didn’t know it, but he’d made a bet with the other boys in the band that he was going to...I mean that I would...rather than we’d...”
“Wagered on your virtue, now, did he?”
“Exactly! How tacky is that?! That’s just horrible! That’s just...ooooo...it makes me mad thinking about it again.”
“So how did you find out about the wager?”
“Sandra told me the next day. We went shopping. She showed me around, and we went to lunch. I was mad about it. And, I’d already agreed to go to James’s practice session later that afternoon. I was so mad, I told Sandra about the hand kissing, and she thought it was hilarious and served him right. But then, Sandra told some other people, so by the time I got to the practice, the other boys were making fun of James, and he was all mad at me.”
“Go on.”
“Well, he started singing this song with the words, ‘I’ll have you,’ and that made me even madder than him. I started yelling and told them all off for being so disgusting, betting like that, but when I tried to leave, James stopped me and ended up apologizing. He seemed so sincere that I said it was okay, so we made up.”
“Fireworks from the start, I see.”
“So I went back to the club that night, and James asked me out again. After it was over, he had to stop by his dad’s house to drop off his gear, he said. When we got there, he went upstairs to change, and I ended up meeting his dad.”
“So, you met Mel then? What did you think of him?”
“Oh, I just love Mel!” Susan exclaimed, a big smile spreading across her face. “He’s the best!”
Emily started rocking in her chair, her face pensive.
“So,” Susan continued. James and I went down to the wharf and listened to some music then went back to my hotel. James walked me up to my room, even though I tried to stop him, but he didn’t get past my door, I can tell you that! I know he wanted to come in, but I knew it would be wrong. I’m not that kind of girl.”
“As I thought,” murmured Emily. “What?” asked Susan.
“Nothing.”
“Well, here’s where I made my mistake. James asked me to go on a picnic in the countryside with him on Sunday, and I thought it sounded nice, so I said, ‘yes.’ He said he was taking me out to his Auntie Annabelle’s cottage. I assumed his Auntie would be there, making it all proper and safe enough. I have to admit that being around him was making me kind of weak in the knees if you know what I mean...”
Emily nodded.
“I mean...we’d talked about so many things, and the way he looked at me, and he held my hand...and then I let him kiss me at my hotel room door...left that out, didn’t I? Well, that, I think was the beginning of the end for me. I should have put a stop to everything then, but I didn’t...So, we got to Annabelle’s cottage, and when I found out she wasn’t there and wasn’t going to be there, I felt warning bells go off in my head. I should have asked James to take me back to Brighton, but I didn’t. It was like there was electricity between us. I could feel it, and I had all these butterflies in my stomach. It was very disconcerting, I can tell you.”
Granny cackled. Susan heard her and tried her best to ignore her.
“Well, then we had our picnic under this big tree on a hill overlooking the cottage, a very romantic spot. We each had a glass of wine, which is another thing I shouldn’t have done...and then he took me down another path to show me the pond where he and his brother used to swim. I took my shoes off to test the water and almost fell in. He caught me just in time...and then...” Her voice trailed off as she blushed again and stared down at her hands with a deep, brooding sigh.
Emily’s rocking stopped. “So, he seduced you then?”
“Well, not exactly,” whispered Susan. “I encouraged him...” She closed her eyes in embarrassment.
“Hmmmmm...” was all Emily said.
Susan looked up. “I’m no better than those other girls the boys hang out with, am I?” she said contritely, remembering she’d asked Mel the same question.
“I would never say that at all, dear. I don’t think you stood a chance against his winning ways. Maybe it was fate, as Granny seems to think.”
“Mel said just about the same thing.”
“Well, after that, I assume it only took a minute or two to fall in love. I could see the way you looked at each other when you came in to buy the teacup.”
“Yes. It didn’t take very much to fall in love...”
Susan’s eyes were moist as she thought back to Sunday and Monday, and after telling her story, she suddenly missed James so much, she felt like sobbing her eyes out. She missed his mischievous smile, his dreamy eyes, his soft hair, the way he laughed, the way he held her, sang to her, kissed her, made love to her. Oh, what had made her run away?
Emily broke into her thoughts. “So, what brought you here tonight then?” she asked.
Susan sighed. “He told me he didn’t want me to leave or go on the history tour. He started talking about doing the ‘right thing’ by me. Then, he said he wasn’t going to take me back to Brighton until he was sure I missed the bus to join the other students in London, so I wouldn’t be able to go on the history tour.”
Emily became serious. “He had no right to do that,” she said.
“That’s what I thought...so when I knew he was asleep after we...I mean, when I was sure he was asleep, I ran away...and here I am.”
Emily reached over to pat her hand. “As I said, there’s a bus for Brighton at 6:00 tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure you’re on it. In the meantime, would you like a bite to eat, dearie? You must be hungry. Me and Granny ate earlier, but I can heat something up for you.”
Susan shook her head. “I don’t think I could stomach anything right now,” she said. “But, thank you anyway. Would you mind showing me where the cot is? I think I’d just like to lay down. I don’t feel very well.”
Granny looked as if she were about to say something, but didn’t. Emily brought out the cot and placed it under the window with a blanket and a pillow. “Here you go, lovey. Try to get some rest then.”
Susan thanked her and laid down on the cot. She didn’t think she’d be able to rest, but was soon fast asleep, dreaming of James holding her in his arms.
***
James felt sick to his stomach, thinking of Susan gone somewhere, who knows where, all alone, lost, and probably frightened. It was almost dark outside. He didn’t know what to do or where to look for her. He could only assume she’d walked into Little Dippington and caught a bus to Brighton. She was a very sensible girl in many ways, certainly not dumb like some other girls he’d been out with. In fact, she was very resourceful. He was quite certain she’d gone back to Brighton.
He drove into Little Dippington, thinking to stop and ask Emily or Simon if either of them had seen her, but both Emily’s shop and Simon’s studio were closed for the night, so he drove on. It was close to 9:00.
When he got to Brighton, the first place he went was Susan’s hotel. Ian answered the door. James had woken him up, but Lynn was sound asleep. Susan wasn’t there. Then, he checked in at the club, where he was waylaid for a while by some acquaintances. After that, he went to Derek’s.
Derek was annoyed at being woken up, as it was now past 1:00 in the morning and it wasn’t a night they played at the club. James checked the pubs down by the docks and the tea shop where they’d gone the first night he’d met Susan. Finally, he went to his house, thinking maybe she’d gone there, but there was no one sitting on the porch steps, where he’d envisioned seeing her, and no one out back in the garden. It was getting close to dawn, and James was exhausted.
Mel had left that morning for King’s Head to visit Annabelle and his other sister, Ginny, and wasn’t home. James sat on the couch in the dark, trying to decide what he should do next.
He couldn’t think of anything. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to put his fist through the wall or break something. He went limp, fear for Susan overcoming all else. He put his face in his hands as sobs erupted from him.
“Oh please,” he pleaded, looking up at the ceiling. “Please, let her be okay!”