Dory's Avengers (40 page)

Lysander briefly buried his face in Jenny's hair again before composing himself and carrying on.

‘As you know, I then rang Jess and got a few details from her, like the fact His Lordshit's thugs were seen sneaking away. Theo had burst into the office by then; one day I'm going to tell that young man just how grateful I was for his support at that moment. Anyway, cue big row. Theo tells His Lordshit a few home truths. I tell His Lordshit a few home truths. I quit. Theo sends his love by the way, Louis. He said…he said…'

Louis looked at his father, waiting patiently for Lysander to carry on.

‘He said his heart goes out to you. To us all. He said he…understands how it feels to…lose your mother.'

Into the silence that followed Theo's message, the vibrating of Lysander's mobile phone was clearly audible

‘Damn, should have turned it off, not just on to silent,' he muttered getting the phone out of his pocket and looking at the caller display.

‘You have got to be kidding!' he said in disgust, cutting off the call and looking up at the assembled company. ‘His Lordshit.'

‘My God, the man's got some nerve…' began Gideon, but stopped abruptly as the house phone started ringing. Getting up from beside his father, Louis picked up the receiver with the intention of cutting off the call without speaking.
However, Louis hesitated as a familiar voice yelled his name from the other end of the line.

‘LOUIS, PLEASE DON'T HANG UP!' shouted Theo desperately from London.

‘Theo?' said Louis incredulously, lifting the receiver to his ear. ‘What the…'

‘Louis, are you OK? His Lordship's allowing me to call you under the circumstances. I tried your dad's phone first.'

‘Oh, sorry, Theo. We thought that was His Lordshit…'

‘Who's sitting right next to me, Louis,' warned Theo. ‘You didn't think I'd be permitted a bit of privacy, did you?'

Louis clearly heard His Lordship's voice growl, ‘Theodore!'

‘Sorry about that, Louis. This isn't about me; it's about you. I'm so sorry, my friend. If there's anything I can do…well, in my rather limited way that is…'

Once again, Lord William's voice butted in.

‘Theodore,' Louis heard His Lordship say, ‘I've very generously granted you this liberty; I can just as easily take it away.'

‘Yes, Your Lordship,' said Theo in a deadpan voice, before speaking to Louis again.

‘Listen, Louis,' said Theo, his voice animated once more, ‘I wish I could be there with you, see you through this. I know the pain of losing someone you love that much. I'm with you in spirit, every second of the day. Whenever you need me, just think of me and I'll be thinking of you right back. I love you, my friend.'

‘Thank you, Theo; I love you too. Just hearing your voice has helped so much, I can't tell you how much. Thank you for supporting my dad earlier, too. He said it helped him no end…'

Crowding round, wanting to hear Theo's voice for themselves, Dory's Avengers were disgusted when Lord William suddenly came on the line.

‘I worry about you and my son, young Trevelyan,' said Lord William jovially. ‘You're far more loved-up than befits red-blooded young men. Now, how's that training coming on?'

‘I don't believe you, Your Lordshit. I lost my mother this morning and you're asking about gymnastics? The training's fine, OK? Fine! You'll have your gold medal in the summer to add to the rest of your trinkets. Now, I've had a
really
bad day, so please may I speak to my best friend again?'

‘I'll overlook your insolence in light of your bereavement, Trevelyan,' snapped Lord William, all pretence of joviality vanishing. ‘You will not be speaking to Theodore again tonight.'

‘I'd like to speak to Theo, please. I'm sure Theo would like that too!'

‘NO!' roared Lord William. ‘I was mistaken to allow this call. I indulge my son's whim, and the pair of you take liberties. Theodore does not make the decisions governing his life; I do. Remember that, Trevelyan. Goodnight!'

Lord William cut the call off abruptly. Replacing the receiver, Louis turned to Dory's Avengers.

‘We have got to get Dory away from that man; preferably sooner rather than later.'

Chapter Fifteen

The morning after Nicola Trevelyan's death Max Barrington worked tirelessly getting a newsletter written, and it was already winging its way around Britain several hours before the country celebrated the beginning of the New Year. There were no more television reports; Applethwaite remained a closed shop to any Sponsored reporters, and Max's newsletter was enough to keep the Unsponsored informed. The Sponsored just had to make do with endless speculation from their ill-advised reporters. In deference to it being New Year's Eve, The White Lion reopened in the evening; but in light of the village's bereavement no one felt like partying that night.

During the first days of the New Year, the year of the Games, plans were being made in Applethwaite for Nicola's funeral. It seemed that Lord William hadn't formally accepted Lysander's resignation, so he found that he still had plenty of influence with Sponsored companies. Despite Louis's insistence that no Sponsored should be involved in the funeral, Lysander argued that it made sense to use the influence he still had.

‘Think about it, Louis,' he said to his son. ‘The funeral isn't something we can do by ourselves, and it's not as if all Sponsored people are bad. They're just scared most of them, it's the Sponsors who are the enemy. Like me,' he added, smiling bitterly.

In the end, father and son came to a compromise. Sponsored would be involved, but always under the watchful eye of the Trevelyans, Sarah or Gideon. Sponsored television companies wished to broadcast the funeral, and Lysander was amazed when Louis readily agreed.

‘I'm not letting the country forget, Dad,' Louis explained. ‘Let this vile St Benedict crime be in the public eye for as long as possible.'

In London, Theo was reduced to swallowing his pride and begging.

‘Your Lordship, please! He's my best friend; I really want to be at the funeral…'

‘You are not going, and that is that!' said Lord William, totally unmoved.

‘But…'

‘Unless you wish to be confined to your bedroom once again, Theodore, I suggest you stop arguing. I'm allowing you to watch it on television, let that suffice!'

Lord William finally managed to contact Lysander two days into the New Year, finding his director of Leisure and Fitness getting drunk in the Unsponsored White Lion Inn.

‘Lysander! In the pub again? You won't find the answer at the bottom of a beer glass, you know,' said Lord William, facing an unshaven and haggard Lysander on his computer screen. When Lysander's only reply was to drain the glass in front of him and replace it with a full one, Lord William went on.

‘Isn't that The White Lion? You shouldn't be on Unsponsored premises…'

‘Why not?' Lysander said, perfectly coherent despite his lack of sleep and excess of alcohol. ‘I quit, remember?'

‘Ah, well, you were upset.' Holding up Lysander's Gold Sponsor card, Lord William continued: ‘I've held on to it for you. It'll be waiting in London on your return.'

‘Who said I'm returning, St Benedict? You never listen, do you?'

‘We'll discuss this after the funeral, Lysander, and preferably when you're sober. I'm making a lot of allowances for your grief here, I hope you realise that. Now – the funeral. I'll attend, of course; I think it's only right…'

‘You'll do no such thing, St Benedict! I don't want you anywhere near Applethwaite on that day, do you hear? The Unsponsored don't want you anywhere near here.'

‘I don't actually care what the Unsponsored want…'

‘Well, you should! They call the tunes round here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious drinking to do.'

Not waiting for a reply, Lysander cut the visual link with London and turned off his laptop.

The day of Nicola's funeral dawned bright but very cold. Fresh snow had fallen on Applethwaite during the night, and the glare of the winter sunlight on this snow was almost more than Louis's sensitive eyes could bear as he glanced out of the window. The crowds were phenomenal; Unsponsored had travelled from all over the country to line the route, and they jostled for space with the Sponsored camera crews and reporters. Lysander had organised cars to bring particular friends of Dory's Avengers to Applethwaite for the funeral, and The White Lion's rooms were full to the brim as Sarah's brother and his family arrived from London along with Chloe, Brains and their friends. Theo had continued to argue with his father but to no avail, and he had to content himself with watching Nicola's funeral on the huge screen in the drawing room. Quite a crowd had gathered in the St Benedict residence to watch the television coverage, including Adam Foster and his parents along with Catherine Lorimer and hers. Rosanna sat aloof from the rest of the group, grumbling constantly at Adam for wanting to watch the funeral.

‘She was just a silly Unsponsored bitch,' said Rosanna
nastily, but everyone ignored her. At that moment, the cameras were focusing on the Trevelyan family emerging from their house to walk down to the tiny Applethwaite church behind the hearse carrying Nicola's mortal remains. Catherine, snuggled up beside Theo on one of the beanbags, heard him whisper, ‘Wish I could be there, Louis,' as his friend's face filled the screen.

In Applethwaite, the funeral procession moved off slowly. Jenny walked in between her father and brother, holding on to their hands as she struggled to understand what was taking place. Behind them walked Abi and Sarah, with Gideon wheeling his chair alongside them. The Unsponsored lining the route stood silent and respectful as the cortège passed by. Louis had drawn the line at using Sponsored pallbearers; instead, Chris, Cameron, Alan and Dex were waiting with Rick and Brains to carry Nicola into the church. Lysander walked behind his wife's coffin with his two children, his face rigid with grief, and their dearest friends followed.

Louis managed to hold it together throughout the funeral service, aware that the television cameras would be focusing on him and regretting somewhat his decision to let them in. He knew that many Unsponsored would want to pay their last respects to Nicola even if they couldn't be in Applethwaite, and he was right. All over the country, the Unsponsored were glued to any television screen they could get to; pubs, clubs and community centres were packed. Confident that Theo would be among those watching on television, Louis held it together as the coffin was carried from the church. He even held it together while it was lowered into the cold ground. It was only when the time came for him and Jenny to throw their flowers on top of the coffin and say goodbye to their mother that Louis found he could no longer rein in his emotion. Arms tightly wrapped around his little sister, he looked up to the sky and the whole country watched his heart breaking.

Down in London, Theo watched the screen intently as the tears slipped from behind Louis's dark glasses and rolled down his face. Seeing his best friend in that much anguish, far away in the paradise that was Applethwaite, Theo found his own eyes welling up with tears.

‘Get a grip, Theodore,' said Lord William, uneasy at seeing his cool son so emotional.

‘Yeah, stop blubbing, you big baby,' Rosanna added with her usual lack of compassion.

‘Stop barking, you big bitch,' retorted Theo, back on familiar ground as he argued with his sister.

On the television screen, Abi was wrapping her arms around Louis and Jenny and leading them gently away from the graveside, pursued relentlessly by a host of Sponsored reporters.

‘Louis! This way, Louis! How do you feel the day went?'

‘Do you think it was suicide or murder?'

‘Will you still be competing at the Olympics?'

‘The wake's in The White Lion; will we be covering it…?'

‘As well as can be expected. The latter. Hopefully. No.' Louis replied to each question in turn, his voice admirably strong, before turning on his heel and walking rapidly into The White Lion with Abi and Jenny.

Once the funeral party had disappeared into The Lion, the Unsponsored who had turned up to pay their respects formed a human barrier between the inn and the Sponsored television crews desperately trying to get more footage. As the light began to fade from the January day and the temperature dropped to below freezing, the Sponsored once again gave up and headed for the warmth of their vans.

In the pub, Nicola's nearest and dearest started to relax and put the stresses of the day behind them. No Sponsored were involved in the wake following Nicola's funeral; all the catering had been organised by Georgia who'd excelled
herself. Louis was surprised to find that he still had an appetite, and he ate heartily before thanking Georgia over and over again for the delicious food.

‘It's OK, Louis, really,' she said, smiling as he thanked her for the fifth or sixth time. ‘I'm glad to be able to help out.'

As the afternoon progressed into evening, the alcohol flowed freely courtesy of Dex and Georgie. The conversation soon turned to Theo's predicament, as it had done so many times before when the Unsponsored gathered in The White Lion. With the stress of Nicola's funeral behind them, Dory's Avengers were anxious to resume their plans to get Theo away from the evil clutches of Lord William.

‘There's no way we'll be able to get him out of that house,' said Louis. ‘Not with that God-awful security tag on his ankle, and…the scumbag…guarding him so closely.'

‘Well, that kind of handicaps us a little,' said Chloe, who had been so busy renewing her acquaintance with Cameron that everyone was amazed she'd been following the conversation.

‘We can't get Theo out of the St Benedict residence,' said Brains thoughtfully. ‘But His Lordshit can…'

‘Yeah, Dad, Genius! Oh hello, Your Lordshit, would you mind removing Theo's security tag so we can get him away from you, as we think you're an evil tyrant? Oh no, Unsponsored ones, of course I don't mind. I don't think it's going to work…'