Chapter 9. The fallen

  1895 St.Ives England

  Finn crawled behind the curtains chasing the family cat.

  Innis swooped him up and lifted him high into the air.

  Finn squealed with delight.

  "Inky's too quick for you my friend."

  It was late afternoon, Joan the housekeeper had made

  dinner for Innis and Finn and put it on the oven top

  to keep warm.

  "Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help look

  after Finn. Miriam told me to keep an eye on both of you

  while she's away with the girls."

  Innis put Finn down and laughed as he watched him crawl

  after Inky again. "We’ll be fine thank you Joan, dinner smells

  delicious. Go home and have an early night for once."

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  Joan untied her apron and hung it up. She picked up

  Finn and kissed him on her way out.

  "Be a good boy for your Da."

  From the kitchen Innis watched Joan walk down

  the hill towards her home. Miriam's involvement with the

  Women's rights movement was taking up more and more

  of her time. Employing a housekeeper had been her idea.

  Innis had been against it at the start, but there was no denying

  how much easier Joan had made their lives. A governess to help

  with the children's education was next on Miriam's agenda.

  After dinner, Innis wheeled Finn's cot out of the nursery and

  set it up next to his bed. "Don’t tell your Mother about this"

  It annoyed Miriam that Finn squirmed in her arms if he

  caught sight of Innis. "'You're such a Daddy’s boy."

  *

  Finn was asleep. Innis took off his glasses and rubbed

  his eyes. "That's enough of Mr. Shakespeare for one night."

  Innis put the book of plays on the nightstand and pulled up

  the blanket that Finn had kicked aside.

  When he turned off the light, he saw Eurides standing

  next to Finn's cot. "Am I dreaming?" he said.

  Eurides smiled.

  "I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again." Innis said

  "I'm sorry I've been away for so long Innis. There have been

  some things that I needed to consider."

  Eurides reached down and stroked Finn's hair.

  "Let me tell you a story."

  That surprised Innis, in all their time together Eurides had

  rarely, if ever said anything about herself. If he'd asked -

  she'd answered in only the vaguest of ways or not at all.

  Eurides walked around the cot and lay down next to him.

  Innis turned to face her, enjoying their closeness.

  "Centuries ago, I fell to earth in a land of deserts."

  "You fell?" His head spun at the suggestion of it.

  "Are you telling me you're an Angel?''

  Eurides laughed. "Nothing so prosaic."

  She stroked his face. "I lay in pools of molten glass where

  the sand had melted beneath me. I had no memory of who

  I was, or from where I'd come. "

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  "Our story has to start somewhere." Eurides whispered.

  "Our story?" Innis said. He sank into a deep dreamless

  sleep. In the darkness another voice spoke.

  "Innis believes we are one with Finn."

  Eurides saw a mirror image of herself standing next to

  Finn's cot. "We are." she said.

  "We are many things." the other said.

  Eurides smiled. "We are indeed"

  *