‘How ingenious of you,’ says Marleen, clapping her hands in delight.
‘Thanks,’ says Carly, introducing herself and, as she does, Grant appears.
‘Sorry to disturb,’ he smiles, gently placing a hand on Carly’s shoulder and telling her, ‘The last of the books are coming on board at York and the cakes are too. We’ll have books to sell and cakes to serve after the next batch of talks!’
‘Thanks to Carly, the afternoon is looking much better,’ Flynn says warmly as he arrives with Fran and another woman, creating quite the party round our little table.
‘We don’t have to worry about the delays, not now that we have food and entertainment taken care of,’ says Grant, wiping his brow theatrically.
‘We’re not out of the woods yet,’ responds Flynn. ‘Ginny has to be at Heathrow by six p.m. to meet Christopher Rose off his plane. If she’s not, she could be in breach of contract.’
‘For not meeting someone off a plane?’ Frank asks incredulously.
‘I know it sounds preposterous,’ says the woman who I assume to be Ginny. ‘But Chris is a volatile character at the best of times, and he’s ten times worse when jet-lagged. For all I know, he could turn around and get on the next plane back if I’m not there to meet him.’
‘What’s the cause of the delay?’ I ask.
‘Signal failure, meaning all trains are affected, not just us,’ says Grant. ‘There isn’t a faster train we can put her on.’
‘How about a taxi?’ asks Fran, and Flynn immediately starts typing into his phone.
‘If we get to York by mid-afternoon then she mightjust make it via car, but who knows how long we’ll be held here or how the traffic will be on the roads.’
‘Maybe you could send her by helicopter!’ Frank laughs unhelpfully.
‘Or how about you do nothing,’ suggests Marleen, her voice languid and calm.
‘We can’t do nothing,’ says Ginny, a vein in her forehead prominent beneath her pale skin. ‘I have to be at Heathrow by six p.m.’
‘Acceptance,’ Marleen says quietly. ‘Accept everything as it is.’
Ginny’s knotted brow begins to soften.
‘Allow each moment to unfold peacefully and you will see.’
I’m expecting Flynn or Carly to fight Marleen’s instruction, but they don’t. A sense of calm seems to have washed over them.
‘Frantic energy will make it worse. Peaceful energy will bring good things. Sit and see.’
‘Poppycock, that’s not how you win a battle!’ bellows Frank, causing everyone to laugh.
Marleen breathes in deeply and slowly exhales. ‘The battle only exists from within.’
13.
CARLY
Flynn and I are the last two standing at the King’s Cross taxi rank after a fleet of black cabs has taken the rest of the passengers, Mum, Elsa, Frank and Marleen included, to the hotel in Bloomsbury.
‘Looks as if this one’s for us,’ says Flynn, holding the door open for me.
‘I’ve never needed a seat more,’ I say, collapsing into the black leather upholstery, exhausted but elated that we pulled off the cake and book debacle without any of the passengers, or Nicolas, knowing.
‘Thank you, Carly,’ he says, his tone heartfelt. ‘Without you we might not have had such happy customers.’
‘I’m just glad the train made up time so Ginny could meet Chris Rose by six p.m.’
‘Marleen turned out to be right.’
