A Romantic Train Ride - Part Five By SD HUDSON

This is the fifth episode of A Romantic Train Ride written by S D HUDSON. Allow the soothing voice of Stephanie Hudson to guide you to a calm relaxing sleep. Join our leading lady on this journey, where she discovers things aren't going to be as plain sailing as she had hoped...

Transcript

Hello,

This is SD Hudson.

Welcome to the fifth episode of my first ever romantic sleep story.

Almost a month has passed since we last saw Rebecca Tregoren and life at Scott Lake Industries has improved immeasurably.

She is now established in a busy office on the second floor where she has many friendly colleagues and is working hard every day.

Since her encounter with Jake Fairmore before the annual charity drive,

Rebecca has developed a renewed sense of hope for the future.

She's bought new clothes,

Taken the time to exercise and even got to know her neighbors,

A nurse and a little boy to whom she teaches piano.

The same cannot be said for Jake Fairmore,

However.

But before we begin,

Let's take the time to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out on a long sigh.

That's it.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

Feel the support beneath you and relax into it as you let the pressures of the day seep away.

Feel your shoulders melt away from your neck.

Feel the tension leave your chest and relax as all the pressures of the day drift away so that you may pass into a calm and peaceful sleep.

And here we are back in the town of Scotlake,

Deep in the Scottish Highlands where spring is in the air.

In the town square,

The crocuses have burst through the softened soil and the warm sunshine has brought with it the taste of something new.

Upon the hillsides,

The heather blooms plump and pink and by the roadside,

The streams run clear.

Winter is now a distant memory and with it the dark days Rebecca spent with Sam in the basement of Scotlake Towers.

She is now happily established in her new job and so is Rebecca.

They are both well aware of just how spiteful Olivia Cartwright has been and this has brought them even closer together.

Whenever they meet,

Each week for lunch,

They happily share inside information about their respective companies and any local gossip they can.

As it happens,

The company Sam now works for is in much the same business as Scotlake Industries.

It manufactures and imports tourist products and in Scotlake Town,

The companies are well known to be old rivals.

It's so lovely to see the sun again.

Rebecca gushed one morning as she left the lift.

Being on the second floor certainly had its benefits,

Not least of all being at the front of the building and able to see everything that came and went.

Cup of tea anyone?

Her colleagues beamed.

Rebecca was always so generous with her time when it came to others,

But they never took advantage.

It was just nice to have a happy face around the place for a change.

Olivia had been a grim taskmaster,

But since Rebecca joined their team,

The daughter of the CEO had been conspicuous by her absence.

Obviously,

Since the charity drive,

She had bigger fish to fry.

Rebecca,

Meanwhile,

Was just grateful Olivia was no longer on her back.

Although whenever she did come across her,

Her rival looked unusually smug.

Did she know something she wasn't telling?

I think you must have brought the sun in with you,

Said one colleague as they admired Rebecca's new spring dress.

But gazing out of the office window,

Rebecca had her doubts.

Perhaps it wasn't to be as nice a day as she had planned.

Ever since Jake Fairmore had picked her up from the cold foyer floor all those weeks ago,

She had heard little from him.

And at that moment,

She would have done anything to see him.

But shortly after the charity drive,

He'd been called away on business and was only due to return that day.

Rebecca handed out the tea and settled down to her desk and the huge pile of invoices that had materialized overnight.

Olivia Cartwright may well have been physically absent,

But she had certainly not loosened her grip as far as workload went.

Rebecca always had the biggest pile.

She switched on her monitor and waiting for everything to load.

She checked her latest text.

Lunch today.

It was Sam.

Oh my goodness,

Rebecca said to herself.

It's Friday already.

You bet,

She replied.

Then she placed her phone back in her bag and smiled to herself.

This was something to look forward to.

Outside the morning sunshine danced along the mountain tops and picked its way down the craggy terrain to the town square in front of the building.

She followed the line in anticipation.

Surely Jake would be back soon.

And there he was in the town square.

The one person she had been waiting to see.

The one person she had told herself was just entertaining the idea of her to keep himself amused.

That same someone who was driven by the idea of success and whom she wondered probably had very little time for her at the moment.

Ever since she had fallen down on the day of the charity drive,

He had been mysteriously absent,

Leaving her with nothing more than one line,

Which read,

Hope you feel better,

Bedhead.

The reference to her messy childhood hair had made her laugh,

But that was before he had disappeared for over a month.

And now here he was,

Boulders brass in his three piece suit.

Standing at the entrance to Scott Lake Towers,

Preparing himself for what was to come.

Rebecca watched closely as he thanked the driver and straightened himself up.

He looked so handsome in his soft wool coat and tanned brogues,

And his skin was darker than usual.

She could see he had caught the sun.

Folks said it was hot this time of year in India,

But looking more closely,

Rebecca fancied there was a weariness in his eyes.

This had been no holiday.

Then all of a sudden there was Olivia Cartwright.

She was all over him like a rash,

And it didn't seem like she was letting go any time soon.

Just what was going on between them anyway?

Rebecca had been so sure of her feelings for him the last time she had seen him,

But now she couldn't help but feel jealous.

There had been no mistaking the spark between them all those weeks ago,

But his long absence and the lack of communication had done little for her self-esteem.

It had been so long since she had heard from him,

But she was of course relying on the Jake of today to be the same person as the Jake of her childhood,

And she knew that might well no longer be the case.

True,

He had been living in a completely different time zone,

But why had she received no more than one message?

No texts,

No emails,

Nothing.

They'd never been short of things to say to one another before.

Perhaps things had changed,

Now he was so successful.

Little did she know,

Jake had been making steps to release himself from the hold Scott Lake Industries had over him.

Headhunted by them a year before,

He had been pleased at the opportunity to return to his home turf.

He'd missed the Scottish Highlands and the wonderful memories he had made whilst living there.

Since losing both adoptive parents,

He had struggled with a sense of identity,

But the Highlands had welcomed him back with open arms,

And he had felt whole once more,

Especially since seeing Rebecca.

Try as he might,

He had never forgotten her,

And he had been only too pleased to honour her mother's wishes and get her a job.

Not that having Rebecca at Scott Lake Industries was easy,

No,

It was more than distracting,

But Rebecca Tregoren was someone he would prefer to have close to him,

Rather than far away.

No matter how difficult things got,

And things were difficult now,

Olivia Cartwright had set her sights on him,

And everyone knew what Olivia Cartwright wanted,

Olivia Cartwright got.

If it wasn't for such a prominent position,

And the prospect of shares in a multi-million pound company,

He would leave right away,

And take Rebecca with him.

But it wasn't to be.

Ever since the kiss he had been called into,

On charity night,

Which would soon be plastered all over the front page of the monthly Scott Lake Chronicle,

If old man Cartwright had his way,

Olivia had not left him alone,

And what with her father micromanaging everything Jake did,

He was finding life at Scott Lake Industries was becoming very complicated.

It wasn't as if he could just leave either.

He had sacrificed everything for this job,

And now,

The hope of reconciling with Rebecca,

Once she saw the monthly magazine,

Was promising to be yet another sacrifice he would have to make.

So much pressure had been put upon him by old man Cartwright,

To make an overt display of affection towards his daughter,

It had seemed there was no way out.

Nothing would suit her father more than seeing his daughter settled with such a well-presented,

Well-educated man,

And in a way he was flattered old man Cartwright respected him,

And had told him he had a backbone,

Unlike the other fools that had chanced their arm with his daughter.

Jake was sure if old man Cartwright had his way,

He would become part of the Cartwright empire by marrying his daughter,

Anything so he could rest easy in his twilight years.

Jake wondered how it was he could have ended up in such a difficult situation so quickly.

He had hoped returning to the Highlands would help him reconnect with his roots,

And give him a home once more.

When that first day he accepted the position at Scott Lake Industries,

He felt fate wrap its arms around him and give him renewed hope for the future,

But that was before he met Olivia Cartwright.

Being successful at work was one thing,

But building a stable home was something else.

It was not something he could do easily,

Especially if its foundations were built on shifting sand.

To add to this was the relentless need to understand where he came from.

Looking back,

Rebecca's mother had probably known all along he was adopted,

But she was forbidden to say anything.

She had always been someone he could talk to,

And when he first returned,

She had held him close and told him she was sorry for his loss,

And he had felt the better of it,

But made her promise not to tell Rebecca.

It had been wonderful seeing her again on the train that cold wintry night,

And he couldn't help but entertain ideas of his future,

Even though they hadn't seen each other for over 15 years.

But now,

Spending time in India,

He had learned of something that would change his whole life,

Something he could not run away from,

And that was part of the problem.

Running away had always been so easy for Jake,

But now he had to stay and face the music.

He couldn't pretend this away,

And he could not pretend Rebecca away either.

The morning dragged on with the grace of a petulant child,

Jake forever in Rebecca's mind.

Each invoice brought more queries than the last,

And she decided she would have been better off at home.

She checked the office clock,

And was delighted to see the hands pointing skyward,

At last.

Now she could get out for some fresh air and straight talking,

But as she made her way to the lift,

She came across two of her colleagues gossiping.

Did you hear about him at the charity drive?

One said,

Yeah,

He's got his feet well and truly under that table,

Said the other.

It'll be all over the front page this Friday.

He didn't waste his time,

Did he?

Rebecca pressed the button to the lift,

And felt her heart sink.

Maybe that was why Jake went away.

Perhaps he was shamefaced.

She hadn't pegged him for someone who would do anything to climb the corporate ladder,

But then what did she know?

They had spent the last 15 years living different lives,

And she entered the lift a little less optimistically than she had left it earlier that morning.

Scott Lake Brasserie was well known for its soft music and lighting.

Just what Rebecca needed to soothe the nagging in the back of her skull.

It was no more than five minutes before Sam sailed in,

Looking more colorful than ever,

With her bohemian handbag and matching braids.

Hey,

She beamed,

How's things?

Not as good as yours,

It seems,

Said Rebecca,

Impressed with the vision before her.

What's up?

You look like you've seen a ghost.

Rebecca sighed.

Don't laugh,

But I think I've heard something about Jake,

And I'm not sure what to make of it.

Sam sat back and ordered a coffee.

She must make herself comfortable.

Any conversation about Jake Fairmore promised to be a long one.

She had always had a very cut and dry approach to him,

But looking at the expression on Rebecca's face,

It was as if she had been waiting for a day to bite her tongue.

Well,

You know he's been missing for a month,

Rebecca started,

And you know how I've had little more than a memory to tide me over.

Yes,

Said Sam,

Patiently.

Well,

Now I've no idea what to do.

I've just overheard some gossip.

Apparently there's going to be something on the front page of the Monthly Magazine.

Rebecca picked the pattern in her coffee froth to pieces,

And Sam watched as the wisps of her soft fringe dangled in her eyes.

Doesn't sound good,

Said Sam.

And he's back,

You see.

Well,

I'd give him a wide berth if I were you.

Over a month,

And one,

And two,

And three,

And four,

Well,

I'd give him a wide berth if I were you.

Over a month,

And one message.

It's just not good enough,

Rebecca.

It all sounds a bit suspect.

I'm sure he didn't get to where he got by playing the nice guy.

Then as soon as the words left her mouth,

Sam regretted them.

Rebecca's expression had turned as pale as her latte.

She was one of those people who oozed resilience.

And yet,

The more she got to know her,

The more she understood,

Rebecca was just determination painted onto a young girl who felt the loss of her father every day.

From what she had said in the past,

They had been very close,

And every other man in her life had paled into insignificance in comparison,

Until the return of Jake Fairmore.

But what do I know?

Sam added quickly,

Let's have a piece of that lemon meringue,

Then I'll let you into some gossip.

You're not going to believe this.

And Sam went on to tell her about Scott Lake Industries and the goods that they imported from India.

From what she had learned while in her new job,

There was an ongoing investigation into rumors of child exploitation.

This shocked Rebecca deeply.

The well-being of children was something very close to her heart,

And she was finding it hard to believe Jake would associate himself with anything like that.

She listened carefully to all Sam had to say,

Then made a decision there and then.

Well,

I'm going to look into this.

And if I find out Jake has anything to do with it,

That's me finished,

Once and for all.

And leaving Sam to finish her coffee,

As she returned to Scott Lake Towers to get the afternoon over and done with.

Rebecca felt a rise of anger,

Replacing the misery she had experienced in the last month.

It was all just too much for her to take in,

As if it wasn't bad enough.

Jake returning without even telling her he was coming back,

Olivia Cartwright fawning all over him as soon as he left the taxi.

And then the idea that the two of them will be plastered all over the monthly magazine.

To rub her face in it,

That Jake had a lot to answer for,

Not to mention he had been in India.

And the very company he was responsible for managing and promoting was being investigated for child exploitation.

Could life at Scott Lake Industries get any worse?

And as she stepped into the foyer and made her way to the lift,

She was only too happy to turn her back on Jake before he had even a chance to catch her eye.

I hope you enjoyed this episode.

If you did,

Please consider following me to hear more.

Reviews

An enjoyable experience in the early morning that helped me return to sleep.
Thank you!! 🌻🌻🌻

Always sends me off to sleep.
Beautiful soothing voice.

This gets better and more exciting each episode. I look forward to the next chapter and the soothing way you tell the story. Thank you.

Wow! Two episodes in one morning. Looking fw to c the 6th one, Stephanie. Thankyou Lovely. 🐨😘💕🐱😻🐾🐾