Dory's Avengers (50 page)

‘Yes. Thank you all for your sympathy, but I'm OK,' replied Adam tartly.

The playful mood of the youngsters didn't last long, though. Leaving the studio to set off on their run, they were dismayed to be confronted by His Lordship's security men, headed by the hated Dyer.

‘Off for a jog, boys and girls?' drawled Dyer, smirking. ‘Or maybe a little visit to Lord Theodore?'

‘Piss off, Dyer,' snapped Chloe, grabbing hold of Cameron who looked ready to plant a fist in Dyer's revolting face. ‘We don't know where Theo is…'

‘You're LYING, Unsponsored bitch!' roared Dyer at Chloe before turning to Louis. ‘We'll be watching you especially carefully, Trevelyan. I want my plaything back, and you'll be leading me to him. OK, where are we going jogging?'

‘Tell you what,' said Louis, ignoring Dyer and turning to his friends, ‘I've lost the urge to exercise. Shall we go to The Lion instead? The company stinks out here.'

‘Yeah, I'm with Louis…' began Adam, but Dyer interrupted.

‘Don't you think you ought to go easy on the booze, Trevelyan?'

‘If I wanted a worthless opinion,' replied Louis furiously, ‘I would do a shit and ask it what it thinks. I'm sure it would talk more sense than you, you fucking creep…'

Dyer flew towards Louis, fists raised, but Cameron was quicker. Full of anger at never having had the opportunity to get to know his father, Cameron slammed a punch into Dyer's face. Blood spurting from his nose, Dyer howled in pain and fury.

‘I'll get you, Farrell; I'll get you for that. I'll stick a knife in you, just like I did to your fucking father…'

‘Very interesting, Mr Dyer,' said Philip Lorimer, suddenly appearing behind the thugs, mobile phone in hand. ‘I think I'd better give Lord William a call; I'm sure he'd be interested to know that his security men are brawling in the streets instead of searching for Lord Theodore.'

‘Mind your own business, Lorimer,' snarled Dyer, still in pain and still furious.

‘Shall I ring Lord William's number, Dyer? It's right here on my screen; all I have to do is press…'

‘Point taken, Mr Lorimer.' Like all bullies, Dyer was really a coward, and he panicked as soon as he realised that Philip was serious. ‘Watch your step, Farrell, and we'll be keeping an eye on you, Trevelyan,' Dyer added, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding nose and glowering at the youngsters as they filed past with Philip. Once in the Unsponsored safety of The White Lion, Philip turned sternly on Cameron and Louis.

‘What do you think you were doing, antagonising Dyer like that? How do you think that's going to help Theo?' When the young men didn't answer, Philip softened a bit.

‘Look, I know you both loathe Dyer. I know you've both got good reason to hate Dyer; but if you get yourselves beaten to a pulp it's not the most constructive move, is it, lads?' Smiling kindly as Louis and Cameron shook their heads, Philip added, ‘What do you all want to drink?'

Everyone asked for a beer, except for Louis who reluctantly decided he'd better stick to water. Surprised to see his father serving behind the bar, Louis asked where Dex and Alan were.

‘They went off to find Matty,' said Lysander. ‘You can imagine the state Alan was working himself into with his daughter being out in the woods and all those thugs milling about. No one expects the newlyweds to work the day after their wedding, so I'm covering the bar.' Smiling wryly, Lysander added, ‘It's nice to be doing a worthwhile job for once in my life.'

‘Now then,' said Philip when everyone had sat down, ‘have you had a chance to see Theodore since he left the party last night, Louis?'

‘Not yet, Philip. I told him I'd meet him in the woods, but my opportunities are going to be a little limited with that lot on my tail.' Looking out of the window where Dyer and his men were still swarming around, Louis sighed and added, ‘Theo must think I've deserted him…'

‘I'm sure Theodore knows how tenacious his father's security guards can be, Louis, and he's shrewd enough to know that they'll be keeping a particular eye on you.' Smiling at Jess as she came over to join them, Philip added, ‘Do we tell them now, Jess?'

‘I think it's about time, Philip, yes. My children especially have a right to know.' All the youngsters looked at Jess and Philip questioningly, Abi wondering fleetingly whether her mother was going to confess to a passionate affair with Cathie's father. Reading Abi's mind, Philip smiled at her.

‘Don't worry, Abilene; I'm still very happily married to Simone and there's nothing untoward going on between myself and your mother. There are two things you need to know. When Miss Santiago left to find Theodore last night she took a key to Gideon's cottage with her. Lovely though the wood is, Theodore can't hide out there for ever; Gideon's place is out of the way and unlikely to attract attention.'

Louis nodded at the truth of Philip's words, remembering his first impressions of the apparently abandoned cottage that housed his mentor.

‘I'm still a little angry about the manner in which Theodore moved on from my daughter as soon as he made Miss Santiago's acquaintance, but I'm man enough to realise that these things happen. Besides,' Philip looked over at Cathie, sitting in a corner of the pub with Max and laughing merrily, ‘it doesn't appear to have done my little girl any harm. Anyway, I digress. I'm sure Dyer wouldn't have been able to resist a gloat if Miss Santiago had fallen into the thugs' hands, so I think we can assume she reached 'Thwaite's Wood and Theodore safely. By now, Theodore should not only be in the relative safety of Gideon's cottage, he should also be reunited with his mother…'

Philip smiled as his words were greeted by uproar, as he'd expected them to be. Of the people in the inn only he, Simone and Jess were aware that Isabelle had returned, and
so he'd taken the youngsters totally by surprise. Eventually he shushed them; especially Abi and Cameron who were very vocally celebrating the fact that their aunt was alive, well and back in Applethwaite.

‘Hush now. Abi, hush! I know you're pleased; of course you are, but remember who's just outside. If it gets back to His Lordshit that Isabelle's back he'll tear the place apart to get to her…'

‘OK, OK!' said Abi, calming herself with difficulty and sitting down beside Louis. ‘Auntie Izzy's back home, though. Theo must be…'

‘Theo knew she was alive,' said Louis. ‘He never doubted it for a second. He told me when I first went to London, when he was still trapped in that awful bedroom.'

‘He told me too,' said Cathie, coming over with Max to join in the conversation, ‘and I told Mum and Daddy…'

‘Which put me in mind to go and look for Isabelle,' Philip finished Cathie's statement. ‘Once Cathie had acquainted Simone and me with the horrors of Theodore's life, we were all determined to do whatever we could to help the poor lad. Simone and Cathie approached the London Unsponsored, and got to know Chloe here among others…'

Chloe and Cathie smiled at each other, then Cathie took up the narrative.

‘While Mum and I were making plans with the Unsponsored to get Theo out of London, Dad went off into Europe to try and find Isabelle. It didn't take long; she's been living with her parents. Left with them ten years ago…'

‘Theo kind of guessed that too,' said Louis. ‘He wasn't fazed by the fact his grandparents left to live in Italy when their daughter was supposedly missing, so he guessed she probably went with them. He told me His Lordshit had pretty much made Isabelle's life unbearable by then.'

‘Why didn't His Lordshit find Auntie Izzy then?' asked Abi. It was her mother who answered.

‘Izzy believes it's because he didn't give a damn. He told her that if she ever set foot in England again he'd kill her and make Rosanna, Theo and Marina watch…'

‘Rose would probably enjoy that,' interrupted Adam miserably.

Jess patted Adam on the arm, then said, ‘Izzy didn't doubt that His Lordshit would carry out his threat; he'd spent a few years demonstrating how cruel he could be. He regularly hit her, but she told me she could cope with that. What nearly broke her was when he used to laugh in her face about Elliot's murder, and how he could easily do the same to her. Even though His Lordshit was so cruel, though, she never believed he would actually hurt his own children. Particularly not Theo. His Lordshit wanted a son and heir so much, and Izzy said he used to adore Theo.'

Looking guiltily at her hands, Jess continued: ‘I didn't tell her. All the while she was in Italy, I never told her that Theo had disappeared from the public eye. I just used to say we didn't see any of the St Benedicts any more, which wasn't strictly a lie. Perhaps it was wrong of me, but I knew she'd be straight back if she thought for a second something had happened to Theo…'

‘Would you have told Izzy if you'd known exactly how awful Theo's life had become?' asked Louis.

‘I don't know, Louis; I really don't know, but possibly I would have done,' said Jess sadly. ‘In Izzy's shoes, I'd want to know if someone was being so cruel to my children. I'd want to be there to protect them, but in Izzy's case that would have meant walking to her death. Every day I've questioned whether I made the right decision…'

‘I think you did the right thing,' said Lysander, joining the group. ‘I know just how evil this man is. Izzy couldn't help Theo while His Lordshit had his son at his mercy…'

‘Which is why,' interrupted Jess, ‘we decided to wait until we could get Theo out of London and up to Applethwaite. I
know you're all going to ask why I didn't let you know long ago that Izzy was fine…'

‘Yes!' said Abi and Cameron in unison.

‘She asked me not to tell you. I'm sorry, my loves, but she wanted as few people as possible to know. It's not that she didn't trust you, but…well, look at your reaction when you first heard she was back. You're young, you're impetuous…'

‘But if His Lordshit didn't care where she was, what would it matter?' asked Abi.

‘His Lordshit wanted Izzy out of sight and out of mind, no longer a threat to his Scheme. He wouldn't have been so relaxed if he'd realised she was communicating with her family and friends here…'

‘And you thought we'd give her away?'

‘NO, Abi darling!' Jess looked at her hands again for a second or two to compose herself. ‘It just seemed safer to tell as few people as possible…'

‘Did Uncle Chris know?'

‘Yes, but no one else. Believe me, nothing you can say can match the tantrum Izzy had when she realised I'd been keeping things from her, things concerning her children. I'm just going to have to live with the decisions I made, and I think now Izzy realises I made those decisions in good faith…'

Jess was interrupted at that moment by a commotion from the street outside. Looking out of the window, The White Lion occupants saw Alan, Dex and Matilda being confronted by a bloody-faced Dyer and his thugs.

‘Where is he, you little slut?' yelled Dyer at Matilda. ‘Where's Lord Theodore?'

‘Don't you DARE call my daughter a slut,' replied Alan, furiously trying to get at Dyer as Dex held him back.

‘Who's going to stop me, faggot?' spat Dyer. ‘Gonna slap me with your handbag, are you?'

‘Looks like someone's already given you a slap, you
disgusting creep,' roared Alan. ‘I'm going to find out who and SHAKE THEIR HAND!'

‘You'll get another kicking, you fucking queer,' yelled Dyer. ‘And we'll finish the job properly this time. Shame we didn't drown you last summer.'

‘You fucking stay away from Al!' shouted Dex, all pretence at holding back forgotten at the mention of Alan's horrific beating the previous summer.

‘And you're not going to get your filthy hands on Theo,' added Matilda, ‘ever again!'

‘Yeah?' Dyer was so angry he was virtually shrieking his words. ‘Who's going to stop me?'

‘We are,' said Louis, his voice quiet but strong enough to silence both his friends and the loathsome Dyer. Looking over, Dyer was about to argue until he saw who Louis meant. The White Lion had emptied, its occupants now standing in solidarity behind Alan, Dex and Matilda, and all the while more and more Unsponsored were appearing in the street to add their support.

‘It looks like your group is outnumbered, Dyer,' Louis continued, still speaking in a quietly menacing voice. ‘You're not welcome here, Sponsors. You're not going to hurt Alan, you're not going to find Theo. Applethwaite protects its own, and by God that's what we intend to do.'

Chapter Twenty

Lord William was waiting in his inner sanctum as his most trusted Sponsors arrived the following morning. As each director walked through the door, he or she looked uneasily at His Lordship; one look at his grim face telling them that this wasn't going to be an easy meeting. They all knew, of course, about the disappearance of Lord Theodore; the newspapers could talk of nothing else. Most of the morning papers were displaying the nicest photograph of the St Benedict family outside the Applethwaite Guesthouse on their front pages. Theodore stood at his father's side; both were smiling happily for the camera, and the family resemblance was there for the whole country to see. All members of Lord William's inner circle had been wise enough to leave their copies of the morning papers in their cars or homes. Looking around, the Sponsors couldn't help but notice that any photos of Theodore previously on display in Lord William's office had vanished since their last meeting. Knowing that their son was still fraternising with the Applethwaite Unsponsored, David and Julia Foster were feeling particularly apprehensive as they entered the room.

Raising bloodshot eyes from his computer screen as his Sponsors filed through the door, Lord William slammed the morning papers onto his desk one by one.

‘No need to be shy, people,' he snarled as everyone was seated. ‘I know you'll all have seen what my apology of a son
has done…' Pausing to draw a deep breath, Lord William continued.