Chapter 8. A fall from Grace

1895 St.Ives England

Finn was crawling under the dining table chasing the family cat.

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

"Inky's too quick for you." he said.

Finn squealed with delight. It was late afternoon and Joan the

housekeeper had made dinner for Innis and Finn and left it on

the oven top to keep warm.

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

Finn." she said."Miriam told me to keep an eye on both of you

while she is 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."

Joan untied her apron and hung it up.

She picked up Finn and kissed him on her way out.

"Be good for your Father."

From the kitchen window Innis watched Joan walk down

the hill towards her home. Miriams' political ambitions

were taking up more and more of her time and employing

a housekeeper had been her idea. Innis had been against it

at first, but there was no denying that Joan had made their

lives easier.

A governess to help with the childrens' education was next

on Miriams' list.

After dinner Innis wheeled Finns' cot out of the nursery

and set it up next to his bed.

"Now don’t tell your Mother about this."

Finn always tried to squirm out of Miriams' arms if he caught

sight of Father, and more than once Innis had heard Miriam mutter

in frustration that Finn was a Daddy’s boy.

*

Finn was asleep. Innis took off his glasses and rubbed

his eyes. He put the book on the nightstand and pulled up

the blankets that Finn had kicked aside.

When he turned off the light, he saw that Eurides was

standing next to Finns' cot.

"Am I dreaming?" he said.

Eurides smiled. "I'm sorry it's been so long. I needed

time to collect my thoughts."

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

Eurides reached down and stroked Finns' hair.

"I have a story to tell you Innis."

That surprised him. In all their time together Eurides had

never shared anything about herself, and If he'd asked,

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

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

He turned to face her, enjoying her closeness.

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

"Are you telling me your an Angel?'' Innis said.

The thought of such a thing made his head spin.

Eurides laughed. "Nothing so quaint."

She stroked his face.

"I lay in pools of molten glass where the sand had melted

beneath me, and I had no memory of myself

or where I'd come from."

"Why are you telling me this?" Innis asked.

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

Innis fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

In the darkness another voice spoke.

"Innis believes we are one with Finn."

From where she lay, Eurides looked at the mirror image

of herself standing next to Finns' cot.

"We are." Eurides said.

The other smiled.

"We are many things."

*