Dory's Avengers (60 page)

‘How?'

‘In Dex's car, maybe? On foot? If I can just get away from Applethwaite, I can then contact Philip; I'm sure he can arrange some sort of transport south. One way or another, I'm going to London. I'm going to get Dex away from that awful man…'

‘How though, Alan?'

‘I don't know. Stamp my feet a bit? Throw a tantrum? Seduce Stephen Dyer?…No, scrub that last idea. Yuk! I really don't know. Everything we've achieved so far we've pretty
much done by accident, so I thought I'd carry on the great Dory's Avengers tradition of not bothering with plans…'

‘I'm with you, Al.'

‘I'm right behind you, Dad.' Theo and Matilda spoke at the same time, prompting a wave of support from the rest of Dory's Avengers, including Izzy.

‘Do you think that's wise, Mum?' asked Marina in concern.

‘Well, I'm not prepared to get left behind, darling,' replied Izzy, smiling. ‘What would I do while you're having all the fun in London? Knit a scarf? No, I think it's high time Isabelle Farrell came out of hiding.'

‘I'm not sure it's safe for Gideon, though,' began Sarah, but her man howled her down.

‘I know it's awkward getting me and my chair around, but please! I'd go out of my mind left here. Besides, it's about time we got ourselves down to the capital; the Games begin in less than two weeks' time. I'm not missing Louis's big performance…'

‘And I'm not big performing without Gideon,' added Louis.

‘That's settled then,' said Theo decisively. ‘Tomorrow we all make a break for it and descend on London. May I suggest we let our hair down tonight, enjoy one final Dory's Avengers gig, and polish off that champagne sitting in the fridge?'

‘Sound's good,' said Alan, grabbing Theo's Les Paul and making for the stage. ‘But for tonight we're Dex's Avengers.'

Chapter Twenty-four

Lord William was brought back down to Earth with a bump following his conversation with Alan Santiago. Although he was still burying his head in the sand concerning the issue of Unsponsored continuing to spread their message on the streets of London, the issue which really should have been demanding all of his attention, he was more than a little concerned at the implications of having imprisoned an American. Beyond instructing a petulant Stephen Dyer that Dexter Montfiore was no longer to be physically harmed, His Lordship remained undecided what to do next, so Dex still found himself locked in Theo's old room for the night.

‘How could I have been so careless, yet again?' Lord William said to himself as he finally sat alone in his office. ‘First I imprison the head of Europe Logistics UK, then I do the same to a foreigner.' Musing wryly that keeping a prisoner used to be so easy, and such fun, Lord William took himself off to bed.

‘Why didn't you point out to me that you're American?' asked Lord William, facing Dex over the breakfast table the following morning.

‘The accent usually gives it away, Your Lordship,' replied Dex, eying with amusement the household cook's attempt to serve him an American-style breakfast. Prodding the rather unappetising-looking pancakes with his fork, Dex enquired as to whether he could have a bacon sandwich instead.

‘Mooreland,' snapped Lord William to the tall, miserable-looking man standing by the door, ‘bacon sandwich for our guest, please.' With very bad grace, Brian Mooreland snatched the plate of pancakes from Dex, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Ungrateful fuck!' and stalked out of the room.

‘Coffee?' asked His Lordship. Dex nodded and grinned; the vast improvement in his treatment since Alan waved the passport at Lord William hadn't gone unnoticed. His bruised body and swollen face had finally been given a chance to start healing, the previous night being the first since his capture that Dex hadn't had to endure a beating. This morning, for the first time, Dex had been invited to join His Lordship for breakfast in the dining room, his status in the household suddenly having been elevated from prisoner to guest.

‘If I'm a guest, Your Lordship, am I free to leave any time I wish?'

‘Not sure, Dexter. I've invited you to stay in my home indefinitely. It would be churlish, don't you think, to leave at the first opportunity? Perhaps you're not yet
au fait
with British etiquette…'

‘I'm
au fait
enough to know that guests are usually permitted to have some say in the length of their stay. However, I appreciate the effort you've made to ensure my comfort since yesterday.'

‘You need to understand that you are still at my mercy. I could ensure your discomfort any time I wish. Your…er…friend…'

‘…Boyfriend…'

‘Don't split hairs, Dexter! Your friend may hold proof of your nationality, but while he and your passport are in the north of England then your country's embassy remains blissfully unaware of your situation.'

‘So why are you treating me like a guest all of a sudden?
And why the realisation that my name's Dexter? I was convinced you thought it was really ‘‘faggot''…'

‘Why all the questions, Dexter? I'm not an unreasonable man; I like to treat my guests with respect.'

‘What, just in case your guest's boyfriend happens to drop in on the American Embassy…'

‘…Which is highly unlikely, is it not? I suggest you don't antagonise me, Dexter; I can quite easily instruct Mr Dyer to teach you some more manners, as you seem to be a very slow learner…'

The conversation was interrupted by the ring of Lord William's mobile phone. Concern crossed His Lordship's face as he looked at the caller ID, and in his anxiety to answer he inadvertently switched his mobile on to speakerphone mode.

‘Fellows,' said Lord William by way of a greeting, ‘why are you calling? Where's Lady Rosanna?' Lord William had left strict instructions that security in Applethwaite was to concentrate on guarding the incumbents of The White Lion, while any contact with London could be dealt with by his daughter.

‘Your Lordship,' replied Lee Fellows, his nervous voice clearly audible to Dex as well as Lord William, ‘I'm sorry to say that…the Unsponsored in The White Lion…well, they've gone. They vanished in the night, and they've taken Lady Rosanna with them…'

Realising that Dex could hear every word of the conversation, Lord William snapped that he would ring Fellows back and cut off the call abruptly. Lord William knew in the back of his numb mind that his companion wasn't the ideal person to turn to at that particular moment; nevertheless, he looked appealingly across the table at Dex.

‘Well,' said Dex, thanking the miserable Brian Mooreland who was handing him the requested bacon sandwich, ‘that kind of changes everything; doesn't it, Your Lord
shit
?'

It had been Theo who'd come up with the idea that perhaps Rosanna's change of heart could be used to the advantage of Dex's Avengers. Putting his guitar down to enjoy a champagne break with the rest of the band after an hour and a half of nonstop playing – the music enjoyed from the street by Mortimer O'Reilly – Theo noticed that the money man wasn't the only one hanging around outside. Her brief encounter with Adam earlier in the day had only served to enhance the pain Rosanna had been suffering since their split, and she felt as though the walls of the Applethwaite Guesthouse were closing in on her. Finally, she decided to take a walk along the village street to The White Lion; even just knowing Adam was close by offered her a tiny bit of comfort, and there was always the chance she might actually see him.

As it turned out, Rosanna saw more than just Adam. Mortimer O'Reilly drifted off in the direction of the Applethwaite Guesthouse as soon as the band finished playing, offering to walk Lady Rosanna back and buy her a drink.

‘No thank you, Mortimer; I'd rather stay out a little longer,' she replied. ‘It's a lovely evening…'

‘Are you sure it's wise, staying out here alone?'

Laughing, Rosanna gestured at the security men surrounding The White Lion. ‘I'm sure I'm adequately protected, Mortimer,' she said. ‘Thank you for your concern, though.'

Mortimer walked away, wondering once again what had brought about the sudden improvement in Rosanna's character, once so rude and haughty. By the time he arrived in the Sponsored sanctuary of the guesthouse, Mortimer had decided that Rosanna must have always been more like her lovely mother than she'd seen fit to let on until now.

Rosanna's lovely mother was watching her daughter from
the window of The White Lion Inn, concern overwhelming her. Rosanna was clearly still hurting at having lost Adam; and, although Izzy realised that this hurt was making Rosanna a better person, she still hated watching one of her children suffer so much. Joining his mother on the window seat, Theo read her mind.

‘What do you think to inviting Rosanna in?' he said.

‘What, now? With me here, darling?'

‘Why not, Mum?'

‘Well, er…isn't she on His Lordshit's side?'

‘After today, I'm not so sure. I've never known her to be so polite, so…nice.'

‘I have no objection, darling,' said Izzy. ‘But I am biased, she's my daughter. I realise the rest of you don't share my affection for her…'

‘I admit my motives aren't entirely unselfish, Mum,' replied Theo, grinning.

Several others began to gather round, realising that Theo was leading up to something. Theo continued, addressing everyone rather than just his mother.

‘These are the facts as I see them. His Lordshit's left Rosanna in charge here in Applethwaite. We need to get out of Applethwaite. Rosanna's still in love with Adam, which appears to be the only thing she can concentrate on at the moment…'

‘I'm not prepared to use her, Theo,' Adam interrupted. ‘I still care about her too…'

‘I wasn't asking you to use her, Ads,' replied Theo. ‘I realise you're not a cad like me…'

‘You're not a cad either, Theo,' said Matilda, laughing. ‘Poor Cathie didn't stand a chance; no one could be expected to resist someone as gorgeous as me. Don't look at me like that, guys,' she continued, looking round the room. ‘Someone's got to carry on the Santiago tradition of being hopelessly vain while Dad's out of action!'

Alan's only reply was a loud and discordant twang on Theo's guitar.

‘We're moving away from the point here,' said Theo, laughing with his girlfriend. ‘You've every right to be vain, Matty, looking as gorgeous as you do…'

‘Shall we get back to the point then, Theo?' Marina interrupted impatiently.

‘Well, it's quite simple. Let's get Rosanna in here, reunite her with Mum…'

‘Yes please,' said Izzy.

‘…And, I never thought I'd say this, but appeal to her better nature…'

‘Seriously?' said Matilda, but some others in the room, including her father, were nodding their heads.

‘It's a risk,' said Louis, ‘but so is everything we do…'

‘I say do it now,' said Alan decisively. ‘Before she walks off and the moment's lost.'

Without waiting for any more feedback, Theo unbolted the door and walked out of the pub. Calling to the sister he'd despised for his whole life, he crossed his fingers behind his back as Rosanna came over to him without hesitation. Facing Theo over the fence, Rosanna smiled slightly at him and was rewarded with a slight smile in return.

‘Hello, Theodore. What can I do for you?'

‘Will you come in? For a drink, I mean,' asked Theo, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as Rosanna's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

‘You're inviting
me
for a drink?'

‘Er, yeah…well, I haven't had much chance in the past,' said Theo, still rubbing the back of his head.

‘All right then,' said Rosanna. ‘So you can stop scratching your head now, you flea-bitten little scrote…' Laughing at Theo's sudden horrified expression, Rosanna assured her brother she was only joking.

‘God knows, Theodore, I've given you enough shit in the past; I'll not be giving any more today.'

‘Why?'

‘Like I said to Alan earlier, I've learnt a sharp lesson from having my heart broken. All the money, all the power of the Scheme would never make me as happy as Ads did…Anyway, that drink – is the offer still on?'

‘Absolutely, Rosanna,' said Theo, opening the gate and offering his arm to his sister. This alarmed the security guards in the street who rushed over, thinking that Lady Rosanna was being kidnapped.

‘What the hell do you want, Fellows?' demanded Rosanna, making a commendable attempt to sound like her former self.

‘Your Ladyship..er…is it wise? Going into the Unsponsored hole…?'

‘Fellows; are you questioning me?'

‘Of course not, Your Ladyship. Should I ring His Lordship…?'

Letting go of Theo's arm, Rosanna rounded on her father's head of security. ‘His Lordship's instructions were quite specific, Fellows. You guard; I communicate. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to transact with my brother.'

Taking Theo's arm again, intrigued and excited to be going into the place that housed Adam, Rosanna whispered to her brother that Lady Bitch had made her final appearance.

‘Welcome, Rosanna,' called Lysander from behind the bar; immediately putting Rosanna at her ease with his relaxed charm. ‘Another white wine?'

‘Yes please, Lysander. Theodore's buying. Hello, Marina.' Looking uncertainly at her older sister for a second, Marina then hugged Rosanna and was delighted when the hug was returned.

‘Hi, Rosanna,' said Alan, coming over hand outstretched. ‘Thank you for your compassion earlier…'

‘Ditto,' said Adam, kissing Rosanna on the cheek and making her go weak at the knees. ‘It meant a lot to me, to know my Mum's OK. Talking of which…why don't you look behind you?'

Even more intrigued Rosanna turned round, and this time her knees did buckle. Catching her before she fell, Adam made sure Rosanna stayed upright. Looking back, Rosanna would always remember this as one of best moments of her life; the arms of the man she still loved around her as disbelief turned to delight when she realised her mother really was walking towards her.