Dory's Avengers (68 page)

‘I say: liar liar, pants on fire,' replied Lysander with a chuckle. ‘Now, please excuse us; my son's had a rather busy day and he needs to relax.'

The interviews following Louis Trevelyan's triumph were beamed out across the world and were watched by millions. The oppressive St Benedict Scheme had aroused the interest of people in free countries around the world, and viewing figures for the men's all-round event were colossal. With so much attention on London and the Unsponsored, the government stepped up its investigation into the past conduct of Lord William and his henchmen. Four days after winning gold in the all-round event, Louis was competing once more, this time showing his expertise on the floor. Up against a Japanese gymnast who put on a display of such brilliance that Louis and Gideon could only stare in awe, Louis was quite happy to end up with the silver medal. Of course, the media wanted to know how Louis felt about not winning gold. Louis, being Louis, found the intense media attention a little confusing, and suggested that the newsmen might like to turn their attention to the brilliant Japanese gymnast.

‘How do you feel, though, Louis? The gold…'

‘Went to the best gymnast here today. I came second to a genius, and I'm perfectly happy with that.'

‘Won't it be detrimental to the cause of the Unsponsored, though, that you couldn't achieve gold today…?'

‘Not at all,' interrupted Gideon. ‘An Unsponsored British
gymnast won silver. I didn't see any Sponsored British gymnasts even competing, did you?'

Realising that the Unsponsored were using the Games as a platform to spread their message, Lord William decided to redress the balance in a very public way. Booking a block of the best seats in the arena for the parallel bars event, His Lordship sent out an invitation to his son and the former director of Leisure and Fitness. Facing the television cameras from the steps of his luxury Kensington home, Lord William delivered the following message:

‘Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please would you be so good as to pass on this message to Lysander Trevelyan and Theodore St Benedict. I appreciate this is a rather unorthodox method of communicating with one's son, but Theodore and his Unsponsored friends do prefer to remain aloof. Anyone would think they'd got something to hide.' His Lordship paused for a chuckle. ‘My message is simple. I have ten spare tickets for the men's parallel bars medal event, due to take place in the North Greenwich Arena tomorrow. I ask for no money in return for these tickets…'

‘Which you will have bullied out of someone anyway,' commented Theo, watching in the Kennington Lane pub with the rest of Dory's Avengers the third time the message was broadcast.

‘I ask that two of the tickets are taken by Theodore and Lysander,' continued His Lordship. ‘I am inviting you to join me to watch Louis Trevelyan compete for gold. Your joy in his success is my joy. Your pride is my pride…'

In the pub, Lysander Trevelyan shook his head, smiling in disbelief at His Lordship's words.

‘…I would also request that my estranged wife Isabelle and my daughter Marina join me to celebrate the success of this British gymnast. Lysander, Theodore; I leave you to decide who will benefit from the other six tickets. Please
respond via Faye Maloney, who will also be joining us for the event. Thank you.'

Muting the television, Mary, who had contacted the Unsponsored HQ via Jim as soon as she had seen the first airing of the message, asked what everyone made of it.

‘I think he's trying to put us to shame,' replied Theo. ‘Make himself look all generous and magnanimous, and us look churlish if we refuse.'

‘He does seem to be emphasising the fact that the Unsponsored steer clear of him, as if we're the ones with the shameful past. What are you going to do?'

‘I think there's only one thing for it; we accept. Is that all right with you, Lysander?'

‘Absolutely. It means Sarah doesn't have to miss out on Louis's strongest event, too. I take it everyone's happy for Sarah to have one of the remaining tickets?' When everyone nodded, Sarah smiled her thanks.

‘Abi and Jenny must go, too,' she said.

‘Well, don't forget we've also got the four tickets from Louis,' said Theo to Sarah. ‘But I agree; if you and Lysander are going to be in the posh seats, it follows that Jenny should be there too. Abi qualifies as she's shagging our favourite gymnast…'

‘So crude, cuz,' said Abi, grinning.

‘I'd like Jess to be there,' said Lysander, blushing slightly.

‘Ah, you devil, Lysander.' Theo chuckled and winked at his friend's father, then turned to his own mother. ‘What about you, Mum? Are you going to take His Lordshit up on his kind invitation?'

‘Damn right!' replied Izzy with a laugh. ‘Your pride is my pride? I've got to be there to see His Lordshit's face when Louis smashes all records to take gold…'

‘I might not get gold,' grumbled Louis, ignored by his excited friends.

‘Right. So that's me, Mum; Mari?'

‘Yes please, Theo.'

‘Mari, Abi, Lysander, Lysander's fancy piece…'

‘Do you want a slap, Theodore?'

‘Ooh, yes please, Jess! Jenny, Sarah. Two more tickets, am I right? Plus four in the cheap seats.'

‘I think they're quite good seats, actually,' said Louis, ignored again as Theo continued to organise the seating plan for the following day.

‘Does anyone mind Matty having one of the luxury seats? No? Thank you, everyone.' Dropping a quick kiss onto his girlfriend's head, Theo draped an arm round her shoulders as he continued.

‘One more ticket with His Lordshit then. Alan?'

‘Yes, please…'

‘What about me?' asked a rather put-out Dex.

‘We're cheering on a Brit, sweetie, not one of your mob. Americans can go in the cheap seats.'

‘But,' said Dex, turning big eyes in Alan's direction, ‘if we're in different areas we won't be able to hold hands…'

‘OK, OK! I'll sit in the cheap seats with Dexter, being as he's too shy to sit on his own.'

In the end it was decided that Chris and Georgie should take the other two seats secured by Louis, while Adam, Chloe and Cameron drew lots for the last of Lord William's seats. Adam won the draw, which Gideon reckoned was only fair as he and his parents had done so much to ensure Louis could compete in the first place. Cameron was a little put out at being the only one of the Applethwaite Unsponsored not to get a ticket, until Mary pacified him with the promise of lots of champagne.

‘This is where the party will be, Cameron,' she announced. ‘Even His Lordshit won't be able to accuse us of hiding away tomorrow!'

The next day, Cameron Farrell joined Chloe and a crowd of London Unsponsored in Mary's pub, while the rest of
Dory's Avengers travelled to the North Greenwich Arena. Louis was rather more nervous than he had been for his other two medal events. Knowing his friends had realised that the parallel bars event was his forte, he felt under tremendous pressure to deliver gold, and even Gideon's constant reassurances couldn't stop him shaking and jittering with nerves. It didn't help that Louis was to be the last competitor of the day, so he had a long wait before his time to perform. David and Julia Foster popped over to see Louis at regular intervals, adding their sincere words of encouragement to those of Gideon, and Philip Lorimer had a chance to speak to Louis once or twice too. As Europe Logistics UK had served the Games so well, Philip had no trouble securing tickets for himself and his family for Louis's events.

While Louis was nervously watching the other competitors perform, Lord William was welcoming his guests effusively to his block of seats. Unsure how to greet his wife after so many years apart, Lord William bent his head to kiss Isabelle and was dismayed when she pulled away.

‘William,' she said coolly, ‘you're looking well.'

‘And you're looking beautiful, Isabelle,' said His Lordship, as the press photographers captured every moment of their reunion.

‘Thank you. Amazing really; you'd think the stress of being exiled from my children would have taken its toll on my complexion, wouldn't you? You would have thought that the pain of finding that my estranged husband had imprisoned and tortured our son would have shown in my eyes. No, William; I won't sit next to you. I think it would be prudent for me to sit as far away from you as possible, actually.'

Smiling warmly at her old friends Fiona and Steph, Isabelle then walked off to take her seat. An unusually chastened Lord William watched his wife sit down between Marina and Theodore, feeling a little envious of the obvious
love the three of them had for each other. Faye sat beside His Lordship as Matilda walked by to join her boyfriend, her skirt barely covering the essentials.

‘Matilda,' said Faye, ‘I would have expected your father to let you know that you'd forgotten to put a skirt on…'

‘He did, Faye,' said Matilda with a grin, ‘but, as usual, I ignored him.'

‘Where is your father anyway?'

‘He's over there,' replied Matilda, pointing to where Alan and Dex were people-watching and laughing together. ‘Why, Faye? Do you want to swap places with Dex? Because you can't…'

‘Thank you, Matilda; I know where I stand in your father's affections…'

‘Dexter looks well,' boomed Lord William unexpectedly.

‘Yes,' said Matilda, ‘it's amazing what a couple of weeks without being beaten up have done for his appearance; isn't it, Your Lordshit? Now, if you'll both excuse me, I'm off to join people I actually like.'

‘Your daughter's very outspoken,' said Lord William, watching Matilda greeting Theo very warmly indeed.

‘Can't think where she gets that from,' replied Faye with a grin.

By the time the parallel bars event came around, Gideon was thoroughly fed up with Louis's nerves.

‘What the hell is wrong with you, Louis? This is your strongest discipline by far, what makes you think you're going to screw it up today?'

‘It's the Olympics, that's what,' snapped Louis. ‘Slightly different to your studio in Applethwaite.'

‘Well, pretend you're there…'

‘Bit difficult with these bright lights turned on to full beam, and I've got to wear these stupid, tinted goggles to spare my poor eyes…'

‘Oh, stop moaning! You're up next. You can do it, Louis.
For your mother, for Abi, for everyone who loves you. I love you, Louis…'

‘For God's sake, don't get all sentimental on me now, Gid!' said Louis, managing a watery grin.

‘GET OUT THERE, TREVELYAN, AND SHOW ME THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF YOUR LIFE!'

Louis did exactly as he was told. Not only did he break all records, he smashed them to smithereens. This time it was the turn of Louis's rivals for the medals to watch in awe as the pale young man flew effortlessly through a tremendously complex routine. When Louis sprang from the bars, landing without so much as a wobble, the noise in the arena was phenomenal. Punching the air in delight as he turned in the direction of Lord William's box, where his nearest and dearest were virtually falling over the seats in their desire to show their appreciation, Louis knew exactly what he had just achieved. The ridiculously high score, when it was announced, was almost superfluous as Gideon had already given his verdict.

‘That was a perfect ten,' he screamed in delight, wheeling himself over to celebrate with the ecstatic Louis, his chair already bedecked with a huge British flag. ‘Never mind these new-fangled scores – that was a perfect ten if ever there was one.' Louis raised the Union Flag above his head, as Lysander and Abi finally managed to push their way through the crowd to engulf him and Gideon in hugs.

‘I did it for Mum,' said an emotional Louis to his equally emotional father. ‘I wish she were here to see this.'

Before Lysander could reply, Abi said, ‘She'll know, Louis my love. Somehow, she'll know.'

‘And your father will know too, Abi,' added Gideon. ‘He'll have suspected, all those years ago, when he introduced a gifted little boy to a bitter and crippled gymnast, that one day it would lead to this. Sport ALWAYS won with Elliot.'

Lord William, too, felt proud as he watched the triumphant Louis celebrating, although he was totally wrong to imagine his pride came anywhere close to that of Lysander. Looking at the former head of Leisure and Fitness with his son, arms round each other as they pumped their fists in the air, Lord William couldn't help but feel a little envious again. Theo hadn't even acknowledged his father as he had taken his seat earlier in the day, and Lord William found himself wishing that his relationship with Theo could be as close as Lysander's was with Louis.

Returning to Lord William's block of seats to watch the medal ceremony, Lysander was a little dismayed to find the only spare seat was next to His Lordship, Faye having decided to join her daughter to celebrate Louis's triumph. Lord William regarded Lysander with interest as Louis received his gold medal. Once so cool and composed, Lysander was struggling to contain his myriad emotions as he looked adoringly at his son.

‘You must be a very happy man,' observed His Lordship once the medal ceremony had finished, and Louis had enjoyed the applause of the home crowd one more time. ‘I have to hand it to your Unsponsored son, Lysander; he's a genius on those parallel bars.'

‘He is indeed, WSB.'

‘His mother was quite a talented gymnast in her day, I believe,' continued His Lordship. ‘What a shame Nicola couldn't be here to share this moment…'

‘You, WSB, are the last person I'd want to talk to about Nikki,' snapped Lysander, a frown briefly clouding his ecstatic face. ‘Actually, you're the last person I'd want to talk to about anything; so if you'll excuse me…'

Lysander stood up to make his way from Lord William's seats, pausing directly in front of his former boss and looking him straight in the eye.

‘It's over, WSB. It's finished, this Sponsorship regime of
yours; and I for one am glad. Leaving your employ was the best move I ever made. Earlier on, that magnificent gymnast who is also my son said that he's proud to have me as a father. A year ago, when I was a Sponsor, he didn't want to know me. When was the last time your son said that he's proud of you?'