Dory's Avengers (21 page)

Jess left Alan in the more than adequate care of his partner and daughter, wanting to get home and check on Nicola Trevelyan. Abi was waiting anxiously for her mother as Jess came down the stairs from Dex and Alan's room.

‘He'll be fine, darling,' said Jess. ‘Alan's a survivor.'

‘I think we'll all have to be survivors,' replied Abi, smiling
a smile that didn't mask the sadness in her eyes. She knew, of course, that Sarah and Jenny had returned from London without Louis. She also knew that Louis had spoken to Sarah the previous night, but he was still far from safe.

‘Louis's a survivor too, my love,' said Jess, gently.

Louis the survivor had just been picked up from the home of the Unsponsored by his father, Lysander the managing director of the Leisure and Fitness Sponsorship group. Sitting in the passenger seat of Lysander's luxurious car, Louis gazed around him at the streets of London going past – often very slowly, with rush-hour traffic beginning to build. As the roads got more and more affluent, Lysander steered his car into the Scheme Directors' lane set aside for the elite such as himself. At regular intervals, traffic wardens scanned Lysander's number plate, realised the stature of the man driving and saluted as the director and his son passed by.

‘Er, Dad?' said Louis, spying even with his feeble eyesight that the streets were looking familiar. ‘Where are we going?'

‘Where do you think?'

‘Why? You bastard, I thought I could trust…'

‘Shut up, Louis! For one thing, you can't trust people willy-nilly as you appear to have been doing up until now…'

‘None of them has given me up to St Benedict,' yelled Louis.

‘Louis, shut it! I'm not giving you up to Lord William. Trust me!'

‘What, willy-nilly?' snapped Louis, desperately hoping that he would at least end up imprisoned with Theo.

Sighing, Lysander replied, ‘Lord William will keep looking for you until you are found. He will keep harassing the people you love and who love you until you are found. Is that what you want?'

‘No, but that didn't give you the right to betray me without even…'

‘I am not betraying you. The only way to get Lord William off your case is to show him you're no threat. I'll take it you know about O'Reilly's little prediction?' When Louis nodded, Lysander continued.

‘Lord William thinks you're thick. Work with that! Let him think you're so painfully shy it makes you virtually incoherent, I'll do the talking. We're here now, Louis. I'm so sorry.'

‘Let's hope we have a chance to continue this conversation,' said Louis grimly, ‘because there's a lot more I want to say.'

Louis and Lysander walked up the steps to the St Benedict residence. Steps that Louis had climbed of his own volition only two days previously he now climbed very reluctantly and very publicly. The door opened and Brian Mooreland ushered the two of them into the house, plenty of security in evidence despite Dyer's absence. Slipping immediately into the role his father had suggested to him, Louis let his mouth sag open stupidly and looked fearfully about him as though dazed.

‘Come on, Louis,' said Lysander.

‘Uhh?'

‘Come on. We're going to see a friend of mine,' said Lysander, speaking slowly and clearly. One or two of the security men sniggered – what a dolt Trevelyan's son was!

Knocking on the door of Lord William's office, Brian Mooreland opened the door and waved Lysander and his son into the room in response to his boss's command.

The room was full. All Lysander's colleagues were there; the most trusted Sponsors of Lord William's Scheme, including Lady Rosanna. Mortimer O'Reilly was virtually dancing on the spot with glee; finally the cocky git Trevelyan was going to get his comeuppance.

Louis gazed around the room, mouth still hanging open. To his disgust, the family painting adorning the wall behind
Lord William included a much younger Theo beside his father and sisters, as if they were all still one happy family. However, there was no sign of Isabelle in any photo in the room.

‘Louis Trevelyan,' said Lord William, making Theo spring up from his bed in alarm in the room above. ‘We meet at last.'

Louis shuffled behind his father, looking for all the world as though he were terrified.

‘It's OK, Louis,' said Lysander. ‘This is Lord William St Benedict.'

‘Who? I want to go home, Dad!'

‘Lord William St Benedict, Dad's boss,' said Lysander, once again speaking very slowly and distinctly. In the room above, Theo relaxed back down, still lying on his stomach to protect his sore back. He began to guess what Lysander was doing and realised that it might just work.

‘Hello, Louis,' said Lord William.

Silence, then: ‘Where's Sarah? I want Sarah!'

‘Your Lordship, this is what I understand to have happened. My housekeeper decided to come to London and visit relatives; foolishly, she brought my children with her. Neither of my children has ever been out of the Lake District in their lives. Louis in particular finds change very daunting, as you can possibly see.'

Pausing to remove Louis's fingers from his mouth, sighing to indicate what a trial he found his slow-witted son to be, Lysander then continued.

‘My housekeeper spoke to me last night, telling me that Louis had strayed off and got separated from her. She was anxious to get back to my wife, who sadly is unwell again, and so left for Applethwaite last night. My wife, er, struggles a bit with reality. She, er, didn't even realise she was alone in the house. Luckily, Louis found his way back to my housekeeper's family. They looked after him for me until I was
able to pick him up this morning, but he's traumatised and it's my wish to get him home as quickly as possible.'

‘Sarah?' said Louis vaguely, sticking his fingers back in his mouth. The Sponsorship Scheme's elite looked at him; some with interest, some with contempt. Mortimer O'Reilly was delighted; Trevelyan's son had turned out to be an imbecile. To O'Reilly's surprise, Lysander's next words were directed his way.

‘Morti old bean,' said Lysander, gently removing Louis's fingers from his mouth once again, ‘this is the boy of whom you're so scared.' Turning back to His Lordship, Lysander continued.

‘Your Lordship, I'd like to get my son home. I will be having strict words with the Lonsdale woman for putting my son at risk in this way, and I shall be making sure he remains safely in the north.'

‘Whom do you intend to entrust with transporting the boy?' asked Lord William.

‘With your permission, WSB, I'd like to take him myself. It would seem that my staff don't always do as I ask.'

Lysander, Louis and Theo all held their breath in the ensuing silence.

‘Mortimer?' said Lord William. ‘What do you think?'

‘It would appear that I was mistaken. Up until now I was unsure whether my visions meant Trevelyan's son, but this idiot couldn't threaten a housefly!'

‘Watch who you're calling an idiot, Morti,' snapped Lysander. ‘My son is not an idiot; he gets confused away from his familiar surroundings…'

‘Sorry, Lysander, but he looks like a common or garden idiot to me,' said Dr Fiona Turnbull, laughing. ‘No wonder you keep him hidden in that little backwater up north!'

Raucous laughter greeted Dr Turnbull's words, Mortimer laughing louder than anyone. Lysander scowled with
difficulty; inside he was starting to relax. Could his hastily conceived plan actually be working?

‘Very well, Lysander,' Lord William said eventually. ‘Take your idiot son home. Sorry old friend, but he is an idiot; and can't you stop him doing that?'

Louis had felt a huge bubble of laughter threatening to burst out of him and give the game away. It didn't help that he'd guessed, correctly, that Theo would be in paroxysms of laughter in the room above. The only way he could think to stem his laughter was once again to shove his fingers into his mouth.

‘Come on, Louis,' said Lysander, taking hold of his son's hand, ‘let's get you back to Sarah.'

‘Sarah,' said Louis again, drooling slightly as his father removed his fingers from his mouth.

‘Oh, God, what a moron!' said Lady Rosanna as Lysander led his terrified son from the room, down the stairs and out to his car.

‘Hold it, Louis; don't give us away now,' said Lysander as they got into the car, sensing and sharing his son's immense relief. They remained silent as Lysander drove away from the St Benedict residence, away from Kensington and, eventually, away from London. It was only once they were heading north on the motorway that Lysander finally broke the silence.

‘That worked like a dream,' he said smugly, ‘didn't it?'

Looking at his father, his expression impossible to read behind his glasses, Louis didn't reply at once.

‘Well, it did work, Louis; you've got to admit!'

‘Next time, consult me first! How do you think I felt being dropped into that situation? What was your plan B?'

This time it was Lysander's turn to be silent for a while.

‘Didn't have one,' he mumbled eventually.

‘You didn't have one?' said Louis, then his face suddenly broke into a huge grin. ‘Good job it worked then. It was genius!'

Lysander glanced at his son, smiling at him from the passenger seat.

‘Genius?'

‘Absolutely!'

Finally the relief got the better of father and son; they dissolved into fits of helpless laughter and began bonding in a way they had never done before.

Travelling north on the M6, Louis felt happier by the minute. He was going home. He would soon see Abi again. Every once in a while, Lysander would ask his son if he would like to stop for refreshments.

‘I'm OK to keep going, Louis, but we can stop if you need to?'

Anxious to get home as quickly as possible, Louis declined every time. Therefore, Lysander was very surprised when, just before they reached the busy stretch of the M6 around Manchester, Louis suddenly said, ‘Actually, can we get back to that service station over there?'

‘It's on the southbound side of the road, Louis. There'll be one on this side before long…'

‘Indulge me, Dad. After that stunt you pulled this morning…'

‘OK,' said Lysander with a sigh, pulling off at the next junction in order to turn and re-join the M6 in the southbound direction. ‘But are you ever going to let me live that down?'

‘Maybe,' said Louis, grinning, ‘but I'm going to milk it for a while first!'

Looking at his son's gleeful face, Lysander wondered what was on the lad's mind as they pulled into the service station's car park.

‘Oh, priceless,' said Louis, beginning to laugh as a security guard rushed over to see who was parking in the elite spaces reserved only for the top Sponsors.

‘Welcome, Mr Trevelyan, sir,' said the very same guard
who had reduced Jenny to tears. His demeanour was completely different today as he virtually bowed Louis's father out of the car in response to Lysander's Gold Sponsor card, asking if there was anything at all he could do to make Mr Trevelyan's visit all the more pleasurable. Lysander was about to brush the guard aside when Louis got out of the car.

‘Hello again,' he said pleasantly to the guard. ‘There is something you could do. Next time my little sister, Mr Trevelyan's daughter that is, needs to use the toilets, I suggest you don't make her cry.'

‘You did this?' asked Lysander. ‘You made my little girl cry? She's only six, what sort of man are you?'

‘Sir, Mr Trevelyan, Sir, I didn't know who she was…'

‘Oh yeah, that's the other thing,' said Louis, enjoying himself. ‘I did try to tell you who my father is. Can't quite stretch to the Sultan of Brunei, I'm afraid, but will Lysander Trevelyan do?'

‘It appears you managed to upset both my children. What's your name? I'll have your Sponsorship withdrawn…'

Louis laid a hand on his father's arm.

‘It's OK, Dad. I've achieved what I wanted. Let's go home now.'

‘You're lucky,' said Lysander, glaring at the shaken guard, ‘that my son's a nicer man than I am.'

Heading south to the nearest junction so he could turn around and head north again, Lysander laughed and laughed. Finally, he glanced at Louis.

‘I'm getting to know you, Louis; and the more I see, the more I like. I'm proud of you, son.'

Louis smiled, but didn't reply. His laughter dying off, Lysander added, ‘Perhaps the day will come when you'll be proud of me?'

Still Louis didn't reply and they drove on in silence for a while. Finally unable to contain his curiosity, Lysander
asked Louis what had been the purpose of the visit to London. When Louis remained silent, Lysander said, ‘Have you any idea of the danger you were in, Louis? Thank God that little stunt worked earlier, because I hate to think what His Lordship would have done to you otherwise…'

Shuddering as unwanted thoughts crowded into his head, Lysander decided shock tactics might surprise Louis out of his silence.

‘Lord William put on a little show for me yesterday morning, taught me a very clear lesson. If he's capable of having his own son flogged unconscious…'

Lysander's tactics worked. Concern for his friend caused Louis to speak without thinking.

‘He did that to Theo? Oh my God, the man's a monster. Is Theo…OK…?'

‘When was the last time you saw Theodore St Benedict, Louis?'

Silence.

‘Answer me, Louis! I'm trying to help here.'

‘Dad, you got me out of a tight spot today, I'll admit that. I also understand you've put yourself out to protect Mam, but that doesn't mean it's all OK between us now. I don't trust you yet, and that's going to take some time to put right.'

Almost unbearably hurt by his son's words, it was a while before Lysander managed to regain his famous composure.

‘OK, you're not going to tell me why you were in London, and you're not going to tell me whether or not you've managed to make contact with Theodore. I'll work on the premise that you know nothing. This is the potted recent history of Theodore, as much as I know anyhow. He became a nuisance to his father. His father keeps him imprisoned and tortures him on a regular basis. This is how His Lordship treats his own son, Louis, and I never want him gaining control over my son. He's a very, very dangerous man.'