Chapter 4
Memories
That evening Alana sat alone in her room and was thinking. Mulling over her memories of how she coped after the death of her daughter in the 1700s, seeking a way to communicate and empathise with Hayley and her losses.
The memory of her dark haired baby girl passed before her eyes and she battered the image away as her heart clenched in pain at the memory. She couldn't sit there any longer and rose from the bed and disappeared into the corridor. Elijah was sat in the courtyard and as she was watching him flick through a book he was gazing at, Alana bashed into another figure coming the other way.
"Sorry." Alana said and looked up into the face of another woman, a dark haired woman with a look of sadness on her face.
"I'm Hayley, no worries, you must be Alana." 'Hayley' held out her hand for Alana to shake.
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you Hayley,'
"Likewise, its nice to have another woman in the house. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Hayley said and walked away towards her room.
"Sleep well." Alana called after her as she walked away before she resumed her descent downstairs towards Elijah, seeking company.
Elijah looked up as she approached. "Alana, struggling to sleep my dear?"
"Yes, Elijah. May I sit with you for a while?" Alana asked pulling her cardigan tighter around her. Elijah rose from his chair and shrugged out of his jacket which he wrapped around Alana and she smiled in gratitude as he offered her the place next to him on the wire bench.
"Something is worrying you." He stated as she laid her head against his shoulder in companionable silence seeking comfort.
"You know me so well." She scoffed.
"Of course I do, my dear, we have always been friends but we were, if you remember, once lovers too and I can read you like an open book." With this said he closed the book he had been looking at and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. She settled herself with a sigh, a hand on his chest, the other holding his coat together around her.
"Remembering her. Marie." Elijah nodded, remembering her daughter- conceived in a horrid event all because Elijah had not got to her quick enough. Elijah kissed the top of her head.
"I'm sorry, Ma petit cheri." Elijah whispered, sadly, remembering the girl too. "Why don't you think of some other memories? They may help you sleep."
"Yes, I suppose. Will you enjoy them with me, Elijah?" She asked moving her head to look up at him.
"If you wish." Elijah put his hand against her temple and opened his mind to her, sharing a memory with her.