Chapter Thirty Six



It was six months later when Rowi came across a brilliant novel by an exciting new author. She loved it so much that she read it twice before showing it around all her friends. She showed it to Seb who after glancing at it, showed it to Urs.
‘This…is Fara’s writing’ Urs told them after reading the book several times to check that he hadn’t been dreaming the first time on reading it.
‘But it isn’t Fara’s name…’ Rowi said, pointing to the book cover. It had been written by someone, a woman calling themselves Amelia Jane Taylor.
‘I read it. Six months ago. Well, at least part of it’ Urs insisted. It had been the manuscript he had remembered reading while with Fara on the sundeck that day in Egypt. The day Marcia had come onto him and he had told her that he loved Fara. The day Fara told him that yes, she had overheard him saying that. And that she loved him too. If only she was here now with him he thought to himself sadly. It must be her pseudonym.
‘The novel Fara always said she wanted to write one day’ Rowi then realised a conversation she had once had with Fara about her writing.
‘Exactly’ Urs nodded.
‘Contact the publisher’ David suggested when he, Dany, Cydalia and Carlos were told about the novel. All had read it too. All enjoyed it.
So Urs did. He sent an email and a long letter, asking about the author. He received no response. So Dany then tried. She also sent a long letter and email. It was what Urs had sent but under her name.
‘We are afraid but Ms Taylor wishes to remain unknown’ the publisher finally replied to Dany. She had been surprised to receive a response when Urs hadn’t.
‘Unknown my foot!’ Carlos laughed on reading the letter Dany had received.
‘Its because this, is Fara’ Cydalia said on reading the letter.
‘Do an internet search’ Seb then suggested.
David searched every website search engine he could find. David was a wiz with computers so all the technical stuff was left up to him to do.
No sign of a Amelia Jane Taylor. Nor a Fara Hollinshead David then searched. Fara Buhler or any surname they could think of that Fara may go under. They tried god knows how many names that everyone lost count of them in the end.
David did thought find an Amelia Jane. But she wasn’t a woman. But a baby. Just over a year old.
Fara had been missing nearly two years now by this time.
‘I wonder…’ David muttered to himself, searching a ‘Births, Deaths, and Marriages’ website without his friends knowledge. He came across a surprising thing.


A child. Amelia Jane Hollinshead. He contacted Fara’s family.
‘No. We’ve no Amelia Jane as a relation. Are you sure it’s the same spelling?’ her father, Robert, asked David.
‘Right spelling’ said David, spelling out the surname.
‘That’s ours’ said Robert.
‘Interesting’ replied David, ‘interesting’
It could have been a co-incident. Or not. David wanted to find out one way or another which it was. He was intrigued now in finding Fara.
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In the time Fara had been gone missing, her friends had carried on, eventually, with their lives. Cydalia and Carlos had gone to Spain after the tour had finished to meet their relations and to have another honeymoon, and they had had a huge party to celebrate their wedding with all of Cydalia’s family and friends as well as Carlos’ there. Carlos’ special quests at the party had been Linda and Felix Lloyd. The witnesses to their actual wedding back in Cairo.
‘Linda! Felix!’ Cydalia had squealed on seeing them, throwing her arms around them to hug them both. It had been a wonderful surprise. One of the best Carlos had done for her in their marriage. Of course the best would have been Fara turning up but that seemed impossible now. She was gone for good. Or so everyone thought.
‘Cydalia!’ Linda had sniffed, admiring her new friend, ‘my, how you’ve grown…’ she laughed.
Cydalia giggled, patting her tummy, ‘I’m due in three months!’
‘Fast work!’ Felix had winked.
‘Honeymoon baby’ Cydalia had swooned.
Carlos wiggled his eyebrows at Felix and Linda, ‘I couldn’t keep my hands of my beautiful bride!’
‘Congratulations mate!’ Felix patted his new friends shoulder.
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Seb and Rowi were having a long engagement. They hadn’t set the date for their wedding yet and Rowi wouldn’t. Not until her best friend Fara came back and could be chief bridesmaid. Seb had moaned and groaned but Rowi stuck fast.
‘You know how important my friends are to me Seb’ Rowi had to remind him.
‘I do. I do’ Seb insisted on reply, ‘but Fara’s been gone for over 2 years now’
‘So?’ Rowi challenged, ‘a long engagement is good. At least no one can say we’re rushing into it!’ she laughed.
‘That’s true’ Seb eventually agreed, sighing at the same time. But he was still eager to marry Rowi before she could change her mind and realise she deserved someone else, someone better. Not that Rowi would think that like. To her, Seb was the better person for her. He was the love of her life.
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David and Dany were now married. It was the day they married, now over 2 years to the day that Fara had gone missing and they were in for a surprise. One none of them could have predicted in a million years. Urs had been best man. A grumpy, gorgeous looking best man in his suit, but still. David and Dany, after much deciding had decided to get married on the beach in Antigua. Cydalia and Carlos’ son, Colby, had been pageboy. He had toddled down the aisle on the beach following Rowi, Victoria, an old school friend of David’s and Camy, David’s cousin as bridesmaids.
Dany looked like a Disney princess in a long flowing white dress covered in small yellow roses. Her bouquet was a mixture of yellow and white miniature roses. After the ceremony Dany threw her bouquet and even though several ladies who all had made eyes at Urs during the wedding it was Urs himself who accidentally caught it.
‘I’m available…’ swooned one lady, named Rebecca to Urs. She batted her eyelashes at him, hoping it made her look sexy. It didn’t. It just made her look as thought she had something in her eye that she was trying to remove.
‘But I’m not’ Urs muttered back, stalking away from her.
‘Thought you were single…’ another lady named Leona asked him, catching up with him and grabbing hold of his sleeve as she spoke to him to stop him from stalking away from her.
‘I haven’t been single for years’ Urs sighed in reply.
‘Oh…where is your…?’ Leona asked.
‘My fiancée is missing in action’ Urs muttered, shaking of her grip before storming off.
Another woman heard Urs mutter this and said, ‘No I’m not’ she whispered, ‘I’m right here’ Fara had been at the beach wedding in disguise. It was amazing what a wig and make up could do. No one recognised her. At least not yet they hadn’t.