course. Why wouldn’t I? Sure we all have a guardian angel.’
‘Even me?’ James said startled.
‘Yes, even you.’ Mary replied with a laugh. ‘Your angel is called Lorna.’
‘A girl! I might have known!’ Sarah said with a laugh.
‘What’s she look like?’ James asked Mary excitedly.
‘She’s very beautiful, tall with long blonde hair. All angels are beautiful. She has a message for you actually.’ Mary said dramatically, winking to Sarah as she turned to him.
James nearly fell off the edge of the 18th century white chaise longue he was perched on. ‘What message?’ He whispered. He was feeling excited now.
‘She asked would you mind changing your chat-up story, she’s getting a bit bored of the dying children in the orphanage tale.’
James paled at this. Sarah yelped with laughter. ‘Please tell me you’re not still using that line – ‘I held a dying child in my arms as she breathed her last breath!’ story? You are unbelievable.’
James went from white to red. ‘How on earth does she know that?’ He spluttered.
Mary just smiled at him.
‘In my defence I send money to Chernobyl every month.’ James added lamely.
‘Shame on you.’ Sarah added, shaking her head.
Mary smiled herself. ‘Your angel is with you whenever you need her. But angels have a good sense of humour you know. I have a feeling that Lorna is having a little joke here, teasing you about your love life!’
‘Well you can assure her I’ll not use that line again.’ James replied with a slight sniff. ‘I’ll come up with something new to keep her amused!’
Making a face at James, Sarah whispered, ‘Calm down, focus on why we’re here.’
‘Mary, do you know why Edward sent me to see you?’ Sarah asked. ‘Have you spoken to him too?’
‘No. But he’s here now, alongside my own guardian angel, Diana. Look, see for yourself.’
Sarah turned around and sure enough Edward was standing there, smiling at her.
‘Hi Edward,’ Sarah said with a smile. ‘How come I can see Edward but not the other two angels? Yet you can see all of them?’
‘Oh but you could see them if you wanted to, Sarah.’ Mary replied. ‘You just need to open your eyes and really look. All in good time.’
Sarah looked again. No, still only Edward. Frustrated, she turned to Mary. ‘Why am I here?’
Mary walked over and sat close beside Sarah on the couch. She took her two hands in hers. ‘Well, pet, I have a feeling that you and I are going to be great friends. You’re going to need someone to help you understand and come to terms with your gift. And as I have that gift too, I know how much of a curse and a blessing it can be.
‘What gift?’ Both James and Sarah said at the same time.
‘Why, you have the gift of being psychic, pet. You just have to believe in the power that is within you.’
Mary felt sorry for the young woman sitting in front of her. Her revelation was clearly a big shock. For her it had been very different. There wasn’t a memory for Mary that didn’t include Diana. Every night while she slept as a child, Diana would exude a soft white glow that covered Mary in a blanket of safety and security. Her parents never questioned Mary’s relationship with Diana. In fact they welcomed it; saw it as a gift from God. It didn’t take her psychic powers to work out that it was a very different story for Sarah. She wondered what traumas Sarah had endured as a child, what lay beneath that façade she had created for herself. She’d find all that out in time she figured. For now, she needed to help Sarah understand the role of angels, help her come to terms with her revelation.
‘What do you know about angels?’ Mary asked. She’d made them all a pot of tea. She served it in a beautiful silver tea service, with pretty china tea cups and saucers, with such a delicate pattern of pale green and pink flowers. She also produced a cake stand filled with cupcakes with a pistachio green frosting on top.
‘Wowsers.’ James whispered, as he grabbed a cupcake.
‘I don’t really know much about them at all.’ Sarah admitted. ‘After Edward disappeared when I was a child, I tried my very best to block any reference to them I came across. I suppose that probably seems strange to you.’
‘Not strange at all. I look forward to hearing your story about how you met Edward, but first of all let me tell you what I’ve learned over the past fifty years or so about them.’ Taking a bite of one of the cupcakes, she mumbled, ‘My one vice, pet. I can’t get enough of cupcakes. Little pieces of heaven these are.’
James was happily munching on his second one and grunted his agreement.
Putting down her tea, Mary started, ‘Well, let me see, what can I tell you? Let’s start at the beginning; guardian angels have been popping up in literature for over 4000 years now. Some believe that angels are sent by God to bring messages to people who are in critical situations. These messages from God can be either a warning or a comfort in times of danger and fear.’
Mary couldn’t help but notice the look that James threw in Sarah’s direction.
‘I’m wondering, if it’s not too personal, is that why Edward is here right now for you? Have things been difficult for you lately? Are you in need of comfort?’
Sarah smiled wryly. ‘I suppose you could say that. I’m on my own at the moment. My husband disappeared a few weeks ago without any warning that something was wrong. He’s having a breakdown of some kind and needs to be on his own. But I’m coping the best I can. I have no other choice but to. You have to with three children.’ Her voice cracked at the end.
‘Don’t put a brave face on it!’ James exploded. ‘He left with nothing but a weak cowardly email saying I’m sorry! It’s been horrendous for you and the children. Especially the older two, Tommy and Katie, sure they don’t know why their Daddy has disappeared.’
Sarah turned to Edward, looking into his black eyes. ‘Is that why you’ve come back, Edward?’ She asked him. ‘Because my life is a complete mess?’
Edward walked over to Sarah and gently said, ‘I’ve never left you, I’ve always been here right by your side – through every magical and wondrous time of your life to date. On your wedding day. For each of your children’s births. I was with you the whole time. But in answer to your question, yes, part of the reason why I’ve shown myself again to you is because I want to help you now. I want to give you solace and guide you.’
‘What did he say?’ James asked. ‘This is so annoying, not being able to hear both sides of a conversation!’
Sarah
