Betrayal (11 page)

             
Even after the storm was over, Lydia clutched the pillow close, as she tried to tame her raw nerves. She had always been afraid of thunderstorms. Slowly, she gained her feet, moving through the townhouse making sure everything was okay. Reaching the kitchen she discovered the electricity was off. She had to tell Dan, but where was he?

             
She moved back to the living room and sitting down on the sofa her mind cleared. She remembered their argument of the previous evening over the trip to Maine.  Dan had insisted that they go to Bar Harbor as planned, but she had refused, thinking Stokes was right and they should stick close to home.  Lydia had felt Dan was being unreasonable while he said the same of her.

             
Dan had threatened to sleep on the sofa. Lydia remembered saying ‘he was welcome to it,’ and had gone to bed, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

             
Lydia gritted her teeth as she dressed in the semi-darkened apartment.  Her jaw was aching as she left the bedroom.  “Coward,” she mumbled, “couldn’t stay to see the fight through.”  She paused wondering who she was referring to, Dan or herself.

***

             
Lydia wandered the apartment aimlessly, unable to settle down anywhere.  “You never appreciate electricity until the power goes off, and then you realize just how much you depend on it,” she said as she made her way down the dark hallway to the kitchen.  “I could kill for a cup of tea,” she mused wondering how long the power would be off.

             
The kitchen was the brightest room in the townhouse so she sat down at the table staring at her hands.  “Why is Dan so angry all the time?” she whispered, turning her fingers over. It was her nightmare, not his, but he seemed unable to handle it. She frowned, wishing she could have some tea.   She noticed her breathing was more regular now that the storm had moved away, and felt childish for her immature behavior.  “I’m so glad he wasn’t here to witness it,” she said straightening the cloth on the table.

             
The power came back on without Lydia noticing. It wasn’t until Dan came home that she realized it was back on.

             
“Lydia?” he called closing the front door behind him.  “Where are you? That was quite a storm, everything all right here?”

             
“The power’s been off, but other than that everything is okay. Where have you been?”

             
“I went up to St. Joe’s to check on Mrs. Jeffries. Did you sleep well?” he replied pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table.

             
“Yes and no.  If you are asking if I had the dream, I did.  I took a sleeping pill around midnight.  When did you leave?”

             
“Around seven-thirty, I tried to be quiet, I didn’t want to wake you.”

             
“The storm did that,” she said smiling weakly.

             
Dan reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it.   “I do wish you would have agreed to go away for the weekend, but I understand why you didn’t want to go.”

             
“Thank you, Dan,” Lydia said smiling shyly.

             
“I hope you won’t mind, but I’m only here to change my clothes.  George was just finishing up an emergency surgery, when I ran into him.  He’s invited me to his club for a round of golf.  Didn’t think we’d go with the storm and all. But, since it’s cleared up I thought I might call him and go after all.  Did you have any plans for this afternoon?”

             
Lydia frowned.

             
Dan’s eyes questioned her.

             
“No, no plans. I guess. It’s okay.  I have a headache coming on. I think I just want to lie down for a while.”

             
“How about, we plan on going out for supper. I should be home around three. We could drive out to New River Beach for a barbeque if you would like,” Dan said trying to make amends for his sudden departure.

             
“That sounds good, there are steaks in the freezer and I can make a fresh salad to go with them.”

             
“Okay, good. I’ll be home by three and then we’ll head out to the beach.”

             
A few minutes later Lydia was alone in the apartment.  She headed back to the bedroom, undressed and climbed between the cool sheets.  She was soon asleep and the dream played on.

                                                                        ***

             
The sudden ringing of the telephone woke Lydia abruptly. For a moment she didn’t know where she was.  The dream had seemed so real she found it difficult to wake up.

             
“Hello,” she said huskily.

             
“Lydia, it is Alan. Are you okay? You sound different.”

             
“What? Oh! I’ve just woken up.”

             
“It’s eleven-thirty, I was sure you’d be up by now. Sorry to have awakened you.”

             
Lydia groaned. “The storm this morning did that. It gave me a tension headache so I went back to bed.”

             
“Is Dan at home?”

             
“No, he is playing golf with George Seeley. Do you need to speak with him? He has his iPhone with him.”

             
“No, no, it’s you I want to speak with.” Alan hesitated.  He wasn’t sure that the telephone was the right medium for what he had to say.  “Look,” he said finally. “I was calling to see if you could meet me for a cup of coffee. I’m at the City Market, and I thought if you were free, we could meet for a few minutes.  I have something I want to talk with you about.”

             
Lydia raised her hand to her mouth as she thought of what to say.  After a moment’s hesitancy she answered “Sure, it’ll take me a few minutes to change and walk over, but I won’t be long. See you in a little bit.” Lydia smiled as she hung up the telephone.

             
As the clock struck twelve Lydia walked into Saint John’s historic City Market, her eyes scanned the market, finding Alan sitting at a table at Jeremiah’s.  She took the chair opposite him.  Smiling shyly she waited until her coffee was served to her, before asking “What’s up?”

             
Alan’s appreciative look brought a blush to Lydia’s cheeks. She immediately regretted wearing the gauzy sundress she had on.  His deep blue eyes seemed to be undressing her. Lydia shifted her weight nervously. Her left hand reached for a loose strand of hair which she twisted tightly.

             
Regaining his composure Alan started more boldly than he had intended.  “I don’t think Dan should attend any of your hypnosis sessions!”

             
“Why not?” Lydia asked suddenly very uncomfortable.

             
“Yesterday was a fine example. All he wanted to do was talk about his thoughts and feelings, but it’s your thoughts we have to examine, not his.”

             
Lydia frowned, while she would be happy to meet Alan alone, she knew Dan would not like it.

             
“Look, Lydia, I realize that Dan wants to be in attendance for your hypnosis sessions, but I feel you will not respond honestly if he is present.  He is a negative force; he doesn’t believe in the effectiveness of hypnosis. Furthermore, he has no respect for the dream, he feels it is nonsense.  Do you think it is nonsense, Lydia?”

             
Lydia shook her head violently. “No! It’s too real!  What are you saying Alan?”

             
“I believe there is something important behind these dreams. We need to investigate them and frankly I do not believe that Dan wants that.  He wants the nightmares to go away, not to find an explanation of why they are happening in the first place. He will be an obstacle to our investigation. He doesn’t have your best interest at heart.”

             
Lydia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She couldn’t protest, Alan was right; Dan had told her as much.

             
“You know I am right, Lydia don’t you?”

             
“Yes, I do.  Dan has said he wants the nightmares to go away so that we can get on with our lives.  But, I need to know why I am having them in the first place.”  Lydia’s eyes filled with tears. “Will you help me?”

             
Alan reached across the small table to take her hand. He caressed its smoothness as he assured her that he would. “Have you had any more dreams?”

             
Lydia nodded her head.  “I think I know the name of the girl in my dreams. It’s more of a feeling then something I’ve seen in my dream. Her name is Elisabeth, spelt      E L I S A B E T H.

             
“How do you know that?”

             
“I don’t know. I just do. Do you think I was her in a past life? Is that why I am dreaming her life?”

             
“Do you believe in past lives?”

             
“No, I don’t think so, but why are my dreams so real?”

             
Alan looked deep into his coffee cup. He searched his mind for answers. Finding none he finally spoke up.  “We will have to investigate that together. Does Dan know the name of your dream self?”

             
“No, I have only just realized that that’s her name. To be honest, we don’t talk about my dreams, we only argue about them.”

             
“I’m not surprised,” Alan said reaching again for Lydia’s hand.  “He is a man of science, a doctor, a healer. He wants to heal the problem, your dreams, make them go away. I am a psychologist, a student of abnormal psychology. I want to study why your mind is occupied by dreams of a bygone time. I am interested in the psychology of the dream and the mind that has produced it.”

             
“I just want it to go away.”

             
“Do you, Lydia? Aren’t you interested to learn why this Elisabeth haunts your dreams? I think you are. Yes, you are very interested indeed.  Look, I have to check my schedule first but I want us to meet soon. I believe hypnosis will help us to understand why you are having these dreams.  In the meantime I want you to use the tape recorder I gave you whenever you wake up from the dream. Try to use it privately, but immediately on waking.  Okay, Lydia?” he said, squeezing her hand. He held her hand tightly causing her to blush at their closeness. Embarrassed, Alan withdrew his hand.

             
Lydia glanced at her wristwatch eager to escape her unease. She pushed her chair back from the table. Muttering her excuses she fled the market. She glanced back briefly to see if he was watching her. He was. She rushed through the heavy brass doors desperate to escape her confused feelings.

TEN

SEPTEMBER 1529

             
Alys’s shout from the stairs shook Elisabeth from her momentary reverie. “Do you wait for m’lady to come for you? There is work to be done and you keep me from mine. Leave the little ‘un, she be all right. No need to have her underfoot.”

             
Elisabeth looked behind at Sarah’s darkening face. She returned to the chamber, searching a carpetbag until she found Sarah’s straw doll. “Here, take Aggie,” Elisabeth said, extending the doll to the crying child. “She’s been locked up all day and she is afraid too. Aggie needs to be hugged and played with. Can you do that Sarah?” Elisabeth finished, as Sarah grabbed the doll, hugging it close.

Sitting down on the itchy wool blanket, Sarah picked at the stray straws poking through the pallet’s thin muslin cover. Her bottom lip formed a pout; she hung her head refusing to look up at Elisabeth. Feeling rejected Elisabeth reluctantly left the tiny chamber.

Following Alys to the cottage’s outdoor kitchen Elisabeth looked back longingly, uneasy with having left Sarah alone.  Once there she sat on a stool and was handed a bowl of vegetables to scrape for the stewpot.  Her soft hands bled as she rubbed the tender skin raw. Finally in disgust Cook sent Elisabeth from the kitchen saying it would be faster to do the work herself.