Dory's Avengers (15 page)

‘Aye,' said Louis.

‘Right. Go!'

Doing exactly as Theo had instructed, Louis moved as the camera followed Theo, keeping out of its line of vision until he was concealed by the curtains of Theo's four-poster bed. Exaggerating a yawn, Theo climbed on to his bed, drawing the curtains all the way around, then he turned to Louis and grinned broadly.

‘Good to see you, Trev,' said Theo, resorting to his childhood nickname for Louis.

‘Back at you, Dory,' replied Louis, doing the same and smothering his friend in a bear hug.

‘Can't that thing see us in here?' asked Louis, finally releasing Theo and jerking his head in the direction of the security camera. Noticing Theo's odd expression, Louis added, ‘What's the matter?'

‘No, it can't see us in here. Once I'm in bed, security is happy that I can't go anywhere from here except back into the room. This dusty old bed and my bathroom are two little havens of privacy.'

Looking away from Louis before continuing, Theo said, ‘That's the first time anyone's hugged me since…well, for a long time. Thank you.'

‘No problem,' said Louis, feeling desperately sad for his
lonely, unloved friend. ‘It's OK now, Dory; everything's going to be OK.'

‘No it's not, Trev, but thanks anyway. This is just the start, and it's a better place than I was in yesterday, so it's a pretty good start.'

Frowning, Louis said, ‘It's the same place you were in yesterday, isn't it?'

Lying back on his bed, Theo laughed up at Louis's confused face.

‘Physically, yes, it is the same place, but yesterday you weren't here. You've given me hope. Now, are you going to perch over there for the whole time you're here, or are you going to lie down and get comfortable?' When Louis hesitated, Theo added, ‘It's OK, Trev, I'm not coming on to you. I don't bat for that team, and I'm pretty sure you don't either.'

Grinning, Louis lay down on the bed beside his friend and said, ‘You're not wrong, Dory. Good though it is to see you, I'd still rather share a bed with Abi.'

Just saying her name made Louis feel delirious with happiness, and he dissolved into silent laughter until the tears ran down his face. Theo, pretty delirious just at having some friendly company for once, joined in and it was some time before the two of them managed to control themselves enough to resume talking.

‘You've got the hots for my cousin, have you, Trev?'

‘Big time, Dory,' replied Louis. ‘And, amazingly, she seems to feel the same way about me.'

Realising that his friend was desperate for some affection in his lonely life, Louis took Theo's hand and held it tightly as they continued to talk.

‘What in God's name happened to you, Theo?' Now that the euphoria of being reunited had given way to the more serious need to talk, childhood nicknames no longer seemed appropriate.

‘Who is this God of whom you speak?' asked Theo bitterly. ‘I don't see much evidence of a god in the world I inhabit! What happened to me? Where do I begin? I believe Lord William tells the world I had a breakdown after my mother disappeared. He's wrong! He's a fucking liar! I hate him…'

Louis waited patiently for Theo to calm down. Relaxing slightly, Theo controlled himself enough to continue.

‘Sorry about that, Louis. It just astounds me, even after all this time, that anyone can treat their son as badly as he treats me.'

‘It's fine, Theo. You take all the time you need. I thought I'd done badly where fathers are concerned, but at least mine just ignores me.'

‘Oh for the luxury of being ignored, you lucky git,' replied Theo with a grin, amazing Louis that anyone could face Theo's awful life and still have a sense of humour.

‘I'll not deny I was devastated when my mother disappeared,' Theo continued, relaxing back on to his pillow. ‘Do you remember my mum? Of course you do; who could forget her? She loved me so much, you know. She
loves
me so much. She's still alive, Louis, I'm sure of it. I have to be; that belief's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. That and 'Thwaite's Wood. I go there, you know, in my mind, when things get, well, too awful…'

Theo decided not to tell Louis of just how awful things got for him sometimes. Days when the light on his security camera would go out leaving it blind and useless; when Stephen Dyer, his father's head of security, would appear in Theo's room, sometimes with a couple of his thugs in tow. Theo had learned to retreat into his head to the safety of Applethwaite, crossing the meadow and entering 'Thwaite's Wood as Dyer forced himself into Theo's body to satisfy his carnal needs. Theo's imagination would always head for the sanctuary of the old tree where he and Louis had made
their childhood pact, until Dyer and his men finally left him on his bed, bruised and sore, and the security camera's light would blink on once more.

Shuddering slightly, Theo continued. ‘The only time in my life I was ever truly happy was in Applethwaite, with Mum's family. As a kid I used to pretend my name was Theodore Farrell; not Lord, and definitely not St Benedict.'

‘I always thought you were Theo Farrell!' said Louis, astounded that they could have been so close as children but he hadn't even known Theo's true identity. ‘I never thought to associate you with St Benedict!'

‘I wish every day of my life that I wasn't a St Benedict,' said Theo bitterly. ‘I've always wanted to be plain, ordinary Theo Farrell living in Applethwaite. That's why I always go to Applethwaite in my head, and that's why I came to you, Lou. God, should He exist, knows there's no one left for me here. Even Marina's given up on me.'

‘She hasn't,' said Louis.

‘How do you know?'

‘She caught me sneaking in, gave me a few hints to see me the final stage of the way. Your father's put an electronic tag on her; the minute she passes the top of the stairs to this floor the alarms will go off.'

‘Gosh, poor kid! My gosh, bloody security would tear her apart. I don't want her to risk it. If you see her on the way out, tell her not to risk it!' Then Theo's face broke into a huge grin as the realisation hit him that his little sister did in actual fact still care for him.

‘If you see her on the way out, tell her I love her, will you, Lou? Tell her knowing there's someone in this house that gives a damn about me will make the world of difference. Tell her I'm OK…'

‘I don't think we'll have much chance for an in-depth chat, Theo, but I'll do my best,' said Louis, and they both gave in to another fit of laughter.

‘Right, where was I?' said Theo when they'd got their euphoria under control again. Suddenly urgent, he grabbed Louis's arm.

‘Shhh, Louis, hide! Get under here!' he hissed, piling his bedclothes on top of his friend as the bedroom door opened.

‘Food,' said an unpleasant voice. ‘Personally I'd let you starve, you ungrateful little shit.'

The curtains of Theo's bed were pulled back, and Louis felt Theo's weight leave the bed abruptly.

‘Ah, Mr Dyer, always a pleasure,' said Theo smoothly. ‘Now, if you'd be so kind as to remove your hands from my collar, I really can't wait to tuck into this sumptuous feast.'

Dyer! thought Louis from his hiding place. Murdering scum!

‘You ungrateful fuck!' screeched Dyer. ‘You think you're so lah-di-dah; don't you, you worthless piece of shit!'

Louis heard Dyer walk towards the door, then he spoke again. This time his voice was triumphant.

‘I'm busy tonight, but we'll have a bit of cameras-off time soon, you little faggot.
Very
soon.'

Chuckling nastily, Dyer left the room and closed the door behind him. Still shielded from the security camera by the bed curtains that remained closed, Louis lifted the pile of blankets from his head.

‘So that was Dyer…' he began, but Theo interrupted.

‘The low life who murdered my Uncle Elliot? Yes, that was Dyer. Do you want some food? STAY THERE, LOUIS! Camera!'

Louis froze on the bed while Theo lifted the tray of food from the trolley and placed it on the bed between them.

‘Looks like we've got something edible for once,' he said, lifting the lid off the tray to reveal some of the food the caterers had delivered earlier. ‘Tuck in, Trev!'

‘What did he mean by cameras-off time?' asked Louis,
tasting a samosa for the first time in his life and finding he liked it a lot.

‘Don't worry about that. These beef and Yorkshire pudding things are delicious.'

‘Tell me, Theo!'

Silence.

‘Theo, does that creep rape you?'

Silence.

‘I'll assume from your lack of answer that he does,' said Louis. ‘Theo…'

‘What good can it do you to know?' snapped Theo. ‘I don't want to talk about that. We've far more important things to discuss before you have to go. Now eat!'

‘We could take him, you know, when he comes back,' suggested Louis eagerly. ‘We could jump him. God, I'd love to give him the big boot in the bollocks…'

‘CAMERA, Louis!' Theo said again. ‘Much as I applaud your sentiments, security would have us both in a stranglehold before you could blink. What good can come of us both being imprisoned?'

Softening at Louis's downcast expression, Theo patted his friend on the arm.

‘I know your intentions are good, Lou. Thank you for caring so much, but you've got to realise who you're up against here. These people are evil, and the most evil of the lot is William St Benedict.'

‘You never call him ‘‘Dad'', do you?'

‘No; and what's more, I never will!'

The two friends ate in silence for a while, then Theo replaced the empty tray on the trolley.

‘Back under the covers, you. Someone will come and collect this imminently now they've seen I've finished.'

True to Theo's words, Stephen Dyer returned within a couple of minutes of Louis once more concealing himself.

‘Pigged out tonight, haven't yer, shit brains?' drawled Dyer. ‘Keeping yer strength up for me?'

‘Only for you, Stevie Boy, only for you,' replied Theo, voice heavy with sarcasm. Louis tensed slightly as he heard Dyer's hand connect hard with Theo's face. Hardly daring to breathe in case Dyer had noticed the movement under the pile of bedclothes, Louis was very relieved to hear the roll of the trolley's wheels as Dyer crossed to the door.

‘I've got better things to do with my time than waste it here with you. Sweet dreams, shit brains; cameras-off time oh-so-soon.'

Theo waited while the sound of Dyer's footsteps and the rattle of the trolley faded away before once again closing the bed curtains completely and pulling the covers off Louis.

‘Nice bloke, that Dyer,' he said. ‘Who we are NOT going to spend any more time discussing!'

The two friends lay back down again side by side on the bed, and Theo continued with his sad story.

‘I was just coming up to my thirteenth birthday when Mum disappeared. It was a few years after Uncle Elliot had been murdered and it pretty much broke my Farrell grandparents. You know, of course, that Abi and Cameron's mother is Italian? Well, she sorted out a place for Grandma and Grandpa to live in Italy, away from all the sad memories. They went and never came back, even as the search for their daughter was in full swing over here.'

‘Didn't they feel they had to stay, see if she was found?' asked Louis. Theo looked at him, eyes bright in the darkening room.

‘No. They left to live in Italy pretty much straight away,' he replied. ‘Do you know what I believe, Louis? I think Mum's with them, kind of trapped in a way too.'

‘Trapped? How?'

‘Well, she can't just waltz back, can she? Oh, hi, William, I had to get away because you were making my life hell, but
now I'm back! There's no way she'd have left Marina and me with…him…if there was any way, any way at all, that she could get to us.'

‘Was your father making her life hell then?' asked Louis, remembering Lisa Lonsdale's tale of Isabelle's legendary kindness, so at odds with the usual ruthlessness of the Sponsors.

‘Yes,' said Theo, ‘it's a particular talent of his. Mum was so kind, to everyone. Even, shock horror, to the Unsponsored.'

Nodding, Louis told Theo how fondly Lisa and the Unsponsored remembered Isabelle.

‘I knew it! I knew people loved her; they just had to love her. She was so good. Sponsored, Unsponsored, it didn't matter to my mum. She cared about people because they were fellow human beings.

‘That, however, was the last thing…he…wanted to promote. He wanted to create a huge divide between the Sponsored and Unsponsored, make lack of Sponsorship carry a huge stigma, make the Sponsored so afraid to lose their endorsement that he could manipulate them any way he wanted. The rows between my parents were spectacular. This has always been my room, and…his…office is directly below. I could hear every word. I could hear every time he hit her. I heard him goading her when Uncle Elliot was murdered, telling her she'd be next if she didn't tow the Sponsorship line, telling her the rest of her family would be next, making it impossible for her to get to Applethwaite and enjoy the happy Farrell times any more. She never gave in, though, Louis. She was so brave, and I'm proud to be her son…'

Theo's voice faltered and Louis hugged his friend again.

‘Cry if you need to, Theo,' he said, but Theo declined.

‘No, Louis. I'm an English lord, stiff upper lip and all that. More to the point, I'm Isabelle Farrell's son – I don't cry.'

Once again the two young men were silent, Louis thinking of his poor, drug-filled mother and wishing he could feel Theo's pride. As if he could read Louis's mind, Theo spoke.

‘My cousin is in love with you, Louis. Abilene is as strong as my mother, as her father was. She's a true Farrell, and if she views you as worthy of her love then you can be proud. I'm proud to call you my friend.'

Immensely touched by Theo's words, Louis took off his dark glasses in the gloom of the room and said, ‘Mutual, Theo. That feeling is mutual.'