It had worked then. She sent up a silent prayer that it would work now. Just one more time. Then they would be free.
Her hand closed on the strap of her bag as the stab of longing went through her, iced with fear. Nothing could go wrong. Not now. She’d moved like a ghost in her own life for a year – fading into the background, colourless, causing no ripples. No suspicion.
Shaking off the cold breath of trepidation down her spine she stood, gathering her things. It was time.
The express train from Paddington wasn’t crowded. Madison sat in the quiet carriage trying to read, wondering if she was being observed by a CCTV camera. There was nothing to see. She didn’t feel as if she was being watched. She crossed her fingers, and hoped. Craig had told her how to minimise the risk, if there were any cameras, but it was impossible to completely avoid all chance of surveillance. Amanda Jayne snoozed in her lap, unconcerned. They spent the night at a hotel near Cardiff station. The second train was smaller and slower, pottering through the countryside, stopping at small villages and halts, with unfamiliar names. Madison fed and changed her daughter and watched the scenery.
The SUV was parked a short distance from the cottage, nose towards the track. Madison breathed a sigh of relief. There had been a moment of panic when she alighted at the station and a tide of fear had inexplicably washed over her. She’d come to a dead stop on the platform, limbs turning to ice, before realisation dawned. Not her, but a woman walking just ahead of her, journeying back from hospital and a terminal prognosis. Madison sent out what comfort she could, and saw the woman’s step lighten a fraction.
Hugging Amanda Jayne, she’d hurried to the bus stop.
Madison took a deep gulp of sea air. Gulls were circling overhead. From below she could hear the sound of the waves. She took the key from the envelope out of her pocket and aimed it at the lock, face lighting up as the vehicle responded. There were tickets and maps in the glove compartment. Madison leafed through them, before tackling the baby carrier that she’d bought in Cardiff. Amanda Jayne, safe on the back seat, in a nest made from a rug, looked on, with what might have been a puzzled expression, as her mother dealt efficiently with the fastenings and fittings for the car seat.
‘It’s a good thing I thought of a seat for you,’ Madison told her. ‘You know your daddy is going to flip when he sees you.’
She’d made Craig swear that he wouldn’t tell. She’d been too afraid that Jay would try to come back. She grinned at her daughter. ‘I’m quite good at keeping secrets. And you’re the biggest secret of all. The most wonderful secret,’ she assured her daughter, as she lifted her off the back seat.
The ferry from Fishguard sailed on dark water, into a moonless night. By morning they were docking in Ireland. Madison drove the vehicle carefully down the ramp and threaded her way through the dock buildings, heading west. They stopped for lunch in a small town, then meandered on, always moving westwards, along unfrequented roads.
She missed the turning twice, and had to double back. When she finally made it, she understood. She’d been expecting a disused aerodrome. It was actually just a flat field, with a tumble of derelict barns at one end. The small plane waiting in the lee of the largest one was sturdy and freshly painted. The pilot showed no surprise at having a baby unexpectedly added to his unofficial passenger list, simply directing them to the best place to sit in the small hold, amongst towering piles of cardboard boxes.
‘Is his dad going to get a shock when he sees him?’ he asked, grinning, as he showed her how to fasten the seat belts.
‘Um … yes. You could say that.’ Madison tilted her head, frowning. ‘Do you know … er … Dad?’
The pilot put his finger to his lips. ‘No names, no pack drill.’ His eyes glittered with amusement. ‘Make yourselves comfortable and hang on tight. Take off might be a bit bumpy.’
Madison stood in the stern, watching the silver line of the ship’s wake, trailing out behind them. Around her the darkness of the ocean melded into the darkness of the sky – black-on-black. On the port side distant lights showed the presence of another vessel, but otherwise they were alone on the inky sea. She leaned on the rail, savouring the warm breeze in her face. When she tipped her head back, the stars were huge and bright above her. Engines beat rhythmically under her feet as the small cargo vessel ploughed onwards, into the night. Everything she’d ever known was thousands of miles behind her. In front of her … a new life. She shivered at the leap her heart gave. It was time.
Closing her hands on the smooth wood of the rail, staring down into the water, she turned her thoughts inwards.
Waves. Gulls. A beach. A picture forming – colours etched on glass. The beach below the cottage, that last day. The hardness of rock at her back. The softness of sand under her fingers …
Their plans were made. Now Jay was staring out to sea.
‘Penny for them?’
He turned towards her, shaking his head slowly. ‘It’s just … here, today … knowing that this will be the end,’ he said quietly. ‘Once we’ve done what we have to do.’
Madison nodded. ‘And you’re taking your farewell,’ she confirmed softly. ‘Prospero, promising to drown his books?’
Jay tilted his head, to slant a glance up at her. ‘I hadn’t thought … but I suppose it’s apt – the magician renouncing his power, once he’s used it for the last time.’ He reached out to take her hand. The smile was as sad as the fingers were warm. ‘When this is over, if we make it that far,’ he gave a small, wry grimace, ‘we can never attempt anything like that again. It has to be buried, and stay buried.’
Madison let out a measured sigh. ‘Was it hard, last time – giving up your work?’
‘Yes. No – I was so full of self-disgust, hate – guilt. Especially guilt. It felt like a suitable penance. I got by – but I was only living half a life.’
‘You know there is more to you than just the ability to read minds.’
‘I hope so. If we survive we’ll find out.’ He raised her hand to his lips. ‘If we do, will you marry me?’
Madison swallowed over her stuttering heart. ‘Well, I didn’t see that one coming.’ Suddenly she laughed, leaning closer to rest her forehead against his cheek. ‘If we survive – and what are the odds – that would be a whole different world.’ She twined their fingers together, interlocking. ‘If we get through this, ask me again. Two halves together might just make a whole.’
Madison came back to the present slowly, as the images in her mind faded. She was standing on deck again, looking out to sea and preparing, as far as possible, to consign her own powers to the deep. Idly she followed the star-lit wake of the ship. Left unattended, would the power dwindle to a shadow of itself? To small, personal manifestations, like this ability to make living, breathing mental pictures of the past, that she had been refining for the last twelve months? Would her power be used in the future only to record small hopes and joys – milestones of the baby now asleep in the cabin behind her, lulled by the throb of the engines?
There are worst things that can happen. Much worse.
Involuntarily she shuddered – dragging her mind away from a derelict warehouse and the smell of burning. Pictures of the past had consoled her over the long, empty months of waiting. If she never read another mind – what then?
Emotions swirled around her in the sultry night – poignancy, regret and – a measure of relief. She smiled. It wouldn’t be simple to turn her back, but it would grow easier, with time.
There were other ways to use the power of the mind. Standing straight, she leaned against the rail. Summoning her concentration, she flung her energy out into the darkness, letting it travel and build. Create. Eyes closed, she focused on the empty air beside her. Slowly, painstakingly, the sensation of a form grew beside her. Joy bubbled in her chest. They were so much closer now, as the ship sped on into the night. Now it
was possible. Now she could feel him, like a warm breath on her skin.
When at last she opened her eyes golden trails of light popped and fizzed in a form that was almost real. Laughing, she turned fully to face him, putting out her hand as his came up in response ‘The answer is yes, and I love you,’ she whispered.
‘… love you.’ It might have been the echo of her own voice as the trails glowed bright, then faded into the dark. The whole thing might just have been a trick of the light.
‘Not long now, my love. Not long,’ she promised the night and the stars, before turning back to her sleeping child.
The sun was coming up over the valley. The early morning air was cool. Madison shivered slightly as she studied the vivid green of the vegetation in the field at the base of the mountain. They’d spent last night at a small B and B in the nearest town. Amanda Jayne had been fractious and grisly and Madison had been glad to stop and rest before the final stage of the journey. She hadn’t wanted to arrive late at night, tired and travel stained, with a wailing baby. We girls have to have some pride.
And she’d needed that time. To … gather herself. New world, new life.
Now the morning was getting into its stride, glittering with promise. She stopped the hire car at the viewpoint, just before the descent, shading her eyes. Her heart was jittering under her ribs.
The track was visible, snaking down in a gentle incline. The farm was nestled at the bottom – the sprawling main house, and a jumble of outbuildings and barns.
There was a man standing in the field closest to the road. He looked as if he’d been standing there for some time. He seemed to be waiting for something.
Madison got back into the hire car and pointed it down. She was almost at the bottom when the light of the sun caught the windshield. She saw the man in the field react to the flash. Even at this distance she could see dark hair flopping over a tanned face. Madison’s heart gave a gigantic leap. Her hand went out, to find her daughter’s.
‘Nearly there, poppet.’
She put both hands back on the wheel to steer the car for the last few hundred yards, to the farm gate.
In the field, Jay began to run.
About the Author
Evonne Wareham was born in South Wales and spent her childhood there. After university she migrated to London, where she worked in local government, scribbled novels in her spare time, and went to the theatre a lot. Now she’s back in Wales, writing and studying history and living by the sea. Her membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association lets her enjoy the company of other authors and gives her an excuse to sneak back to London from time to time for essential stuff, like attending parties. She still loves the theatre, likes staying in hotels and enjoys walking on the beach, where she daydreams about her characters. She hopes that all those things come through in her books – drama, glamorous locations, engaging heroines and dangerous heroes.
Evonne’s debut novel, Never Coming Home, won the 2012 Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Award. Out of Sight Out of Mind is her second novel.
For more information visit www.evonnewareham.com and Evonne’s blog at www.evonneonwednesday.blogspot.com
Follow Evonne: Facebook – www.facebook.com/evonnewareham
Twitter – @evonnewareham
More Choc Lit
From Evonne Wareham
Never Coming Home
Winner of the Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Award
All she has left is hope.
When Kaz Elmore is told her five-year-old daughter Jamie has died in a car crash, she struggles to accept that she’ll never see her little girl again. Then a stranger comes into her life offering the most dangerous substance in the world: hope.
Devlin, a security consultant and witness to the terrible accident scene, inadvertently reveals that Kaz’s daughter might not have been the girl in the car after all.
What if Jamie is still alive? With no evidence, the police aren’t interested, so Devlin and Kaz have little choice but to investigate themselves.
Devlin never gets involved with a client. Never. But the more time he spends with Kaz, the more he desires her – and the more his carefully constructed ice-man persona starts to unravel.
The desperate search for Jamie leads down dangerous paths – to a murderous acquaintance from Devlin’s dark past, and all across Europe, to Italy, where deadly secrets await. But as long as Kaz has hope, she can’t stop looking …
Visit www.choc-lit.com for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Coming-Home-Choc-ebook/dp/B007FU93TM)
More from Choc Lit
If you loved Evonne’s story, you’ll enjoy the rest of our selection. Here’s a sample:
Up Close
Henriette Gyland
Too close for comfort …
When Dr Lia Thompson’s grandmother dies unexpectedly, Lia is horrified to have to leave her life in America and return to a cold and creaky house in Norfolk. But as events unfold, she can’t help feeling that there is more to her grandmother’s death than meets the eye.
Aidan Morrell is surprised to see Lia, his teenage crush, back in town. But Aidan’s accident when serving in the navy has scarred him in more ways than one, and he has other secrets which must stay hidden at all costs, even from Lia.
As Lia comes closer to uncovering the truth, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew. In a world of increasing danger, is Aidan someone she can trust?
Visit www.choc-lit.com for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Close-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B00A3KYSPU)
No Such Thing as Immortality
Sarah Tranter
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.
But you see, ‘There is no such thing as … immortality.’
This is Nate’s story …
Visit www.choc-lit.com for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Such-Thing-Immortality-Choc-ebook/dp/B00A7092FC)
Please don’t stop the music
Jane Lovering
Winner of the 2012 Best Romantic Comedy Novel of the year
Winner of the 2012 Romantic Novel of the year
How much can you hide?
Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail – until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts.
But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?
And the curiosity is mutual – which means that her own secret is no longer safe …
Visit www.choc-lit.com for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Please-Dont-Stop-Music-ebook/dp/B004LROOFK)
The UnTied Kingdom
Kate Johnson
Shortlisted for the 2012 RoNA Contem
porary Romantic Novel Category Award
The portal to an alternate world was the start of all her troubles – or was it?
When Eve Carpenter lands with a splash in the Thames, it’s not the London or England she’s used to. No one has a telephone or knows what a computer is. England’s a third-world country and Princess Di is still alive. But worst of all, everyone thinks Eve’s a spy.
Including Major Harker who has his own problems. His sworn enemy is looking for a promotion. The General wants him to undertake some ridiculous mission to capture a computer, which Harker vaguely envisions running wild somewhere in Yorkshire. Turns out the best person to help him is Eve.
She claims to be a popstar. Harker doesn’t know what a popstar is, although he suspects it’s a fancy foreign word for ‘spy’. Eve knows all about computers, and electricity. Eve is dangerous. There’s every possibility she’s mad.
And Harker is falling in love with her.
Visit www.choc-lit.com for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.
Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-UnTied-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B004URV5SA)
Love & Freedom
Sue Moorcroft
Winner of the Festival of Romance Best Romantic Read Award 2011
New start, new love.
That’s what Honor Sontag needs after her life falls apart, leaving her reputation in tatters and her head all over the place. So she flees her native America and heads for Brighton, England.
Honor’s hoping for a much-deserved break and the chance to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby. What she gets is an entanglement with a mysterious male whose family seems to have a finger in every pot in town.
Martyn Mayfair has sworn off women with strings attached, but is irresistibly drawn to Honor, the American who keeps popping up in his life. All he wants is an uncomplicated relationship built on honesty, but Honor’s past threatens to undermine everything. Then secrets about her mother start to spill out …
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