Chapter 9

 

“What a nightmare...” Gwen gasped as she stared blankly at the little tube map in her hands. She wished she could tell Crispin something helpful, but as it was, the tiny multi-coloured lines signifying the many different underground train lines and connections were now in her eyes an indistinguishable blur. His huffing and puffing only made things worse. His escalating frustration was not helping her quickly unravelling concentration either. It wasn’t his fault, really. After all, the guy had just hauled both their suitcases up and down numerous flights of stairs. It wasn’t her fault either, but it suddenly felt like it was. She’d messed up the last few stops, sending them on what felt like a wild goose chase in search of the correct trains. They had gotten on and off more trains than she could have imagined possible yet it didn’t feel like they were getting any closer to Victoria Station.

Yes, she should have prepared for something like this, she realized. But who could have foreseen such an unfortunate turn of events? What should have been a simple one connection commute had turned into a logistical nightmare.

“Just fucking tell me where we’re going next,” Crispin demanded, out of breath.

“I... I’m sorry, Crispin. I’m trying to find another way. But it’s all so...”

Initially, they had found the tube station easily enough, having followed the herd of similarly minded travellers. But three stops into their train ride, an announcement had come on to inform passengers of a problem. Both the Circle and District Lines were shut down for maintenance and would be out of commission for the entire weekend. That meant they and a great majority of commuters would have to get off at a different stop in order to take another train to reach Victoria Station, their final destination.

The damp earthy stench of the underground, which at first Gwen had found charming, was now starting to suffocate her. It felt like they’d been down there for hours, hopping on and off trains, changing platforms, all the while, lugging their suitcases up and down staircases, many of which did not have escalators. After the second set of stairs that felt like a slow climb to nowhere, Crispin couldn’t stand the sight of Gwen dragging her suitcase behind her, especially after she had stumbled and let it go. If it hadn’t been for the man directly behind her, catching it, it would have careened all the way to the bottom of the steps, inadvertently knocking all those in its wake off their feet.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Crispin had barked at her at the time, only he was more upset at himself than anything. He should have been more attentive. He should have realized that even though her suitcase had castors, they weren’t of much help on the stairs.

Gwen tried so hard to keep up, to hold it together, but with all the confusion, she started to feel the beginning stages of an anxiety attack coming on. Plus, her suitcase was quite heavy, having had to haul it up and down stairs. She didn’t want to seem weak and she wanted to pull her own weight but after a while, her arm muscles had nothing left in them. She struggled to catch her breath and kept her eyes on Crispin’s back. As she dragged her suitcase up the last set of steps, the worst possible thing happened. The handle slipped from her fingers and it got away from her.

When Gwen had turned to the man who had caught her suitcase to thank him, the stranger had shut her down with such a soul destroying glare that she had nearly broken down and cried. From that point, Crispin had taken her suitcase from her and carried both his and hers the rest of the way. When she had offered to take his carryon bag for him, he’d snarled at her. They were now both exhausted and overheated. Not that it was hot, it was actually cold and damp, but with their exertions and wearing coats, the two of them were nearly at the end of their ropes.

“Well?” Crispin asked, watching her stare at the tiny map in her hands.

“I’m trying,” Gwen gasped, overwhelmed. “Maybe we should go up to street level, grab a taxi instead.”

At that, Crispin could only frown. “What? After all this?” On the plane, she had very excitedly told him she wanted to take The Tube to experience London like a Londoner. Now she was ready to give up? “Not bloody likely. No freakin’ way. We’re not giving up that easily! Give me that.” Determined, he snatched it from her and studied it for a moment.

At his side, Crispin heard Gwen exhale and he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Something was not right. That much he could tell. Obviously, she was confused or at her wit’s end. For someone who’d done so much planning, she shouldn’t be so out of sorts. As it was, she’d been staring at the mangled little map for what felt like forever. Looking at it himself, he could see that she had circled Victoria Station quite clearly and as luck would have it, they would only have to catch this last connection.

“We’re almost there. Let’s go.” He tucked the map into his coat pocket and grabbed their bags and started walking again.

With her heart in her throat, Gwen ran to keep up with Crispin’s strides. The idea of losing sight of him at this point was what kept her focused. He didn’t give her time to think. Once again, he hauled both suitcases down a set of stairs. She could hear a train approaching. Given the growing crowds of late night travellers around them, she needed to be mindful of staying right up close to Crispin or they might get separated. That, she would not survive!

On the latest platform, the train shrieked to a stop in front of them. Amongst the crowd, Crispin entered ahead of her and looked over his shoulder. Gwen was right there, but at the last second, for some reason, she froze. The train was packed and he had just stepped in the door. The automated “mind the gap” announcement had just sounded, signalling the doors were closing, when he literally had to reach out and yank her in with him, seconds before the doors shut in her face. She landed quite hard against him, winding them both. For a mad moment, they stood plastered together like sardines in a tin can.

At that point, Gwen didn’t know what had happened, and she didn’t care. In fact, she was incapable of caring or dealing with anything. All she knew was she had almost gotten left behind. She would have been lost. Anyone else might think it simple to find their way out of this endless labyrinth of tunnels, but to someone who suffered from anxiety, that scenario would have felt like the end of the world. Unable to cope with such a thought, she simply shut her eyes and breathed Crispin’s familiar scent into her lungs. All else ceased to exist. The only thing that mattered was the comforting darkness that enveloped her. He was holding her so tight, and she was grateful for it, but for a split second, she wondered about the fate of their luggage.

“Shh... I’ve got you,” he whispered as both their hearts thumped wildly in their chests. “And our cases,” he added when her eyes darted around them. “God, I nearly lost you.” His words hit her like a ton of bricks and at the weight of them, her knees threatened to give out. If it were not for his steady grip around her shoulders, she would have dropped to the ground. Of that, Gwen had no doubt.

How absolutely exhilarating, thought Crispin. As tired, fed up, and ready to get to the inn as he was, he felt awesome. This travelling thing sure had a way of keeping his thoughts in the present. In fact, he hadn’t felt this alive in months.

For a second, he rested his head on hers and gave himself a moment. What had happened back there? Why had she frozen? She was no longer on the plane. She couldn’t blame it on her fear of flying. All he knew was she was presently clinging to him like her life depended on it and for that reason alone, he allowed it. Soon enough, he snapped out of his thoughts as the train slowed down and prepared to stop.

“Finally,” Crispin muttered, relieved when they arrived at Victoria Station. “Come on, we’re here.”