A Flight To Heaven Read Free Page B

could see a mirror-like expanse of water, where one field had flooded with the winter rain and she gasped with delight as the swans turned in the sky and headed for the water. They were going to land there!
    She then threw her hood back and stood, panting, to watch them, one by one, as they splashed down onto the water, legs waving and just for a moment she thought that they looked rather clumsy.
    But next they ruffled and tidied their feathers and then they were gliding serenely over the water, their lovely necks arched and their proud eyes gazing all around.
    There were five of them.
    Now that she was close to the swans, Chiara could see that three of them still had some grey feathers, which meant that they were young, while the other two were both pristine brilliant white.
    “Oh, you must be a family,” she whispered.
    The two white swans were circling close to each other, now brushing their wings intimately and suddenly they arched their beautiful necks and twined them together in a gesture of affection.
    It was almost as if they were creating the shape of a heart with their necks.
    Spellbound, Chiara watched them. It was the most unexpected and exquisite thing she had ever seen and she could have stayed and watched for ever.
    But now the swans were separating and gliding off, dipping their heads under the water to search for food.
    It was time for Chiara to go back to Elizabeth’s house for luncheon and her heart sank. While she had been chasing the swans, all her sadness had disappeared.
    Why could she not be like these swans, free to fly wherever she chose, living out in this glorious world of light, space and joy?
    And how could she bear to feel so alone?
    Watching the two adult swans caressing each other with such perfect beauty had left her with a strange pain in her heart.
    ‘Is that what it is to love?’ she thought. ‘Will I ever find anyone who will touch my heart? Elizabeth has done it, but what lies in store for me?’
    And with slow steps she made her way back into the town.
     

CHAPTER TWO
    “Chiara, this is Arthur,” Elizabeth said and the tall fair-haired young man who sat beside her on the sofa leapt up to greet her.
    “My fiancé!” Elizabeth continued, her eyes shining with happiness.
    Arthur bowed low over Chiara’s hand.
    “I am delighted to meet you,” he said. “Elizabeth has told me so much about you
    And then, as if drawn by a magnet, he was back on the sofa again, slipping his arm through Elizabeth’s.
    Chiara was reminded of the beautiful swans she had just seen on the Fens and how they had twined their necks together so tenderly and passionately.
    “I am very very happy for you both,” she sighed.
    “Papa says that he has given us his blessing, but I think he might need a little while to get used to the idea,” Elizabeth added with a smile.
    “Not at all!” the Dean came and stood behind his daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I must admit, I was taken a little by surprise, but I have spent a long time this morning talking to Arthur and I can see that you two are not only completely besotted with each other, but also very well suited and will be happy together.”
    Chiara’s eyes stung with tears as she thought of her own Papa and how he would never see the man that she might marry and would never have the same proud look in his eyes that the Dean had now as he gazed at Elizabeth.
    “Choosing the person you marry and spend the rest of your life with is the most important decision you will ever make,” he said.
    Arthur let go of Elizabeth’s arm and sat up straight on the sofa, looking serious.
    “Oh, Papa! Please don’t give us one of your long sermons, not today!” Elizabeth cried, recapturing Arthur’s hand. “Let’s just be happy and enjoy ourselves.”
    “It’s so easy to forget with all the excitement what a great venture you are embarking upon, becoming man and wife in the eyes of God,” the Dean continued, but there was a mischievous twinkle in