Dory's Avengers Page 11

  ‘I swear to you I've never seen this before,’ said Louis, looking desperately at Lisa and Rick. Smiling kindly, Lisa reached over and ruffled Louis's thick, fair hair.

  ‘It's OK, Louis love; we believe you.’

  Louis slept remarkably well that night considering that the next day he would be setting off on the final leg of his journey to find Theo. There were already sounds of life from the children when he woke, coming back to reality from a dream about Abi which left him too embarrassed to move from his makeshift bed on one of the Lonsdales’ sofas.

  ‘Morning, Louis, sleep well?’ Rick asked, appearing with three hungry children in tow and putting the kettle on.

  ‘Very well, thank you, Rick,’ replied Louis, shoving Jenny out of his bed as fast as she tried to climb in it.

  ‘Jenny, let your brother drink his tea in peace,’ said Rick, laughing as he handed Louis a cup of tea. ‘What do you kids want for breakfast?’

  The chaos of three children and four adults crammed into one small flat helped to relax Louis as he sipped his tea and waited patiently for his turn to use the bathroom. It took quite a while to get everyone showered and fed, but eventually the time came when Louis could procrastinate no more.

  ‘Right then, Louis,’ said Rick, handing Louis a pocket-size London A to Z atlas, ‘you are currently here.’ Rick pointed to the location of his home before continuing. ‘I'm not going to mark the map in case you lose this book. Sorry to be over-cautious, but we find it's the best way to survive. Can you see that OK? Can you remember? Good man!’

  Louis stared at the page in the A to Z, memorising the exact location of the Lonsdales’ Walworth home before nodding at Rick to continue. Flipping the pages, Rick pointed to another area of London.

  ‘Kensington,’ he said. ‘Home to the rich, the famous and the powerful. Lord William is all three. He could be called a lot of other things too; I won't list them now, but suffice to say none of them are good. Your tree-lined road is this one here.’

  Once again Louis stared, focused and memorised.

  ‘OK,’ he said, thinking he'd never felt so scared in all his life.

  ‘Getting from here to Kensington is going to be a problem. The Unsponsored are only allowed to use public transport at designated times. This isn't one of those times; the next one is two days away, but I'm guessing you don't want to wait that long. We could drive you part of the way, but the roads in the more affluent areas of the city are closed to all but holders of Gold Sponsor cards. Also, I think it would be safer to leave Sarah's car in the garage and out of sight.’

  Louis nodded in agreement.

  ‘So,’ Rick continued, ‘that leaves two options. Walking or cycling. We do have a bicycle and all the kit which you're very welcome to use, but not a lot of people cycle, so it could make you a little conspicuous.’

  ‘How long would it take to walk?’ asked Louis, wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

  ‘A couple of hours I should think. Probably for the best, though.’ Referring to the A to Z once more, Rick said, ‘You don't want to be stopping to consult this too much, so I'm going to work out as simple a route as possible for you.’ Rick talked Louis through the best route from the Unsponsored flats to Westminster Bridge, and once again Louis looked and memorised.

  ‘Once you get to Elephant and Castle, Westminster will be signposted. When you're on the bridge you'll be able to blend in with the other tourists, so consulting the A to Z won't present a problem then. Now, have you got a hat? The more you can blend in the better, which means covering up that bright white hair of yours.’

  Louis pulled his huge sunhat from his rucksack, dismayed when Rick burst out laughing.

  ‘Louis, you can't walk through London in that thing. Here,’ he said, handing over a navy-blue baseball cap, which Louis put on his head.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Rick approvingly. ‘Luckily it's a bright day so your dark glasses won't make you stand out. Right, I think that's pretty much it. I'll walk some of the way with you if you like, but my place really is here with my family.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Louis, wishing he could take Rick up on his kind offer but realising that Rick would rather he didn't. ‘I'll be fine, Rick. Thank you. Thanks for all your advice too, and the book and stuff…’

  Louis fell silent; and Rick, sensing the young man's fear, hugged him briefly.

  ‘Stay safe, Louis. Be careful.’

  ‘I will,’ said Louis, ‘I'll be back before you know it. Come here, Jen, give me a hug.’

  ‘Where are you going, Louis?’ asked Jenny distractedly, more interested in her game with Matt and Charlotte than in listening to her brother. Trying not to feel hurt, Louis told himself it was for the best as he kissed his little sister on the head. It would have been far more difficult to leave had Jenny been clinging to him and crying.

  ‘I'm off to see a friend, darling,’ he said. ‘Bye then, kids.’

  ‘Mmm,’ said the children without looking up from their game.

  ‘I'll see you out,’ said Sarah, leading Louis to the door.

  ‘Bye, Rick, Lisa,’ called Louis.

  ‘Bye, Louis, you got everything? Map?’

  ‘In my pocket.’

  ‘Phone number?’

  ‘In my head.’

  ‘Good, good. Well, good luck!’

  Walking with Louis to the lift, Sarah punched in the code that Rick had taught them the previous night and rode down to ground level with him.

  ‘Do you have to go?’ Sarah asked, making one final attempt to keep her precious Louis safe by her side.

  ‘Yes, Sarah, you know I do,’ replied Louis, hugging her tightly. ‘Please don't cry or you'll start me off!’

  ‘Go now, darling,’ said Sarah, returning his hug fiercely. ‘The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back to me.’

  Letting him go, Sarah turned abruptly on her heel and walked back into the building, leaving Louis alone to fend for himself for the first time in his life. By the time her tears had subsided enough for her to re-enter her brother's home and face the children, Sarah had been gone so long that Jenny was starting to fret that she wasn't going to return.

  Louis walked. He walked away from the warm, friendly homes of the Unsponsored, realising that he'd never think of them as ugly again. Sticking to the route that Rick had talked him through so recently, Louis soon found himself on the busy New Kent Road; passing shops, markets and food stalls as diverse as the Unsponsored people who ran them. Reaching the Elephant and Castle roundabout without incident, Louis found directions to Westminster Bridge just as Rick had promised. Luckily the signposts were large enough for Louis's weak eyes to focus upon, so he didn't have to draw attention to himself by standing squinting for too long.

  Beyond the roundabout the surroundings changed rapidly, became much more attractive, the shops and passers-by obviously Sponsored, and Louis realised that he'd left the Unsponsored neighbourhoods behind him for the time being. A past master at not being noticed, Louis found he had no problem slipping past the people around him, all far too preoccupied with their Sponsor-endorsed lives to pay any attention to a pale figure in dark glasses and baseball cap. There was one heart-stopping moment when he heard a shout of ‘Oi, Unsponsored scum!’ and the sound of running feet, followed by relief when he realised the shout had been aimed at the runners, not him. Crossing over Westminster Bridge to the north side of the Thames, Louis allowed himself a second to gaze at the famous sights of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye before trudging on his way. Again Rick had been correct; Westminster Bridge was thronging with visitors, so Louis didn't stand out at all as he looked at his A to Z and got his bearings. Lake District boy Louis always felt comfortable beside water, so it was reluctantly that he left the river behind him to make his way through the wealthy streets towards Kensington. The further he went the more affluent his surroundings became, until finally he found the road he was looking for. As he walked deep into Sponsor territory, Louis's nerve
s returned with a vengeance, and by the time he reached the now-familiar tree-lined road he was starting to feel some empathy for a terrified rabbit caught in a vehicle's headlights.

  ‘Oh God, I want to go home,’ said Louis to himself, before summoning up every ounce of his will-power and walking along the road to the St Benedict residence. Louis had no idea what he was going to do once he got there, realising all of a sudden how woefully unprepared he was. Just as well, then, that no plan was needed. As Louis reached the house, he saw that a means of entry was right there in front of him; and without giving himself time to think, he took it.

  Chapter Six

  Looking from his window high above the beautiful tree-lined avenue that he hated with a passion, Lord Theodore St Benedict saw Louis's approach. Mindful of the alert security camera in his room, programmed to follow his every move, Theo kept his expression neutral while inside he was rejoicing. He'd known Louis wouldn't let him down; he'd known and he'd been right. Theo wasn't concerned that his appearance in the window would distract Louis; for one thing he knew his friend's eyesight was appalling, and for another he knew full well that the glass in his window was specially treated to only make it possible to see out. It sometimes amazed Theo that Lord William had allowed his son to retain the one small pleasure of watching the world go by from the window of his prison, and he made the most of it. Security wouldn't be alerted by the fact that Theo was looking out of his window, as Theo spent most of his time looking out of his window.

  Watching Louis now, Theo followed his friend's train of thought by the change in Louis's demeanour. At first hesitant, Louis suddenly walked with determination as he approached a delivery van parked outside the house; a caterers’ van bringing yet more gourmet food for yet another of Lord William's soirées.

  Without giving himself time to think, Louis walked up to the caterers’ van and spoke with confidence he was far from feeling to the man in the back.

  ‘So sorry, got held up. Mr Mooreland asked me to give you guys a hand getting the stuff in.’ Louis had remembered the name of Brian Mooreland, Lord William's head of household, from the article in Lisa Lonsdale's magazine.

  ‘OK, mate, cheers,’ said the caterer amiably. ‘Grab hold of that tray, will you? I guess you know where to take it.’

  Not a clue, thought Louis. Pretending to trap his finger, Louis bought himself enough time for one of the other caterers to return, grab a tray, and head back into the St Benedict residence. Without hesitation, Louis assured the friendly caterer on the van that he was fine, just a bit clumsy, then followed the other man into the house. The man was heading up a grand staircase with his tray. Louis followed the caterer up two flights of stairs, enjoying the physical exertion after a couple of days without training, and wondering briefly what the caterer would say were Louis to proceed up the stairs on his hands with the tray balanced on his feet.

  The room that Louis entered behind the caterer was a huge, grand dining room, and it was a hive of activity. A tall, thin man was barking out orders to a fleet of servants, who were unpacking the caterers’ trays and laying the food out where instructed. Laying his tray down and heading to the door without hesitation so as not to draw attention to himself, Louis guessed, correctly, that the tall, thin man must be Brian Mooreland. Louis's colleague had already disappeared down the stairs when Louis emerged from the dining room, and the hallway was deserted. Now or never, thought Louis, and sprinted up the next flight of stairs.

  Outside, the amiable caterer on the van said, ‘What happened to the geezer in the baseball cap? Thought he was supposed to be helping us.’

  ‘Dunno,’ said his mate. ‘That hard-faced bloke's giving them a hard time in there; I reckon he's got to help out upstairs now.’

  Louis's luck was holding up nicely. Not only had he managed to get into the house without attracting attention, but the third-floor hallway was as deserted as the one on the second floor. Louis could hear the sounds of activity behind a couple of the doors off the hallway, and Lady Rosanna's dulcet tones carried to him loud and clear as she yelled at some unfortunate person on her mobile phone.

  One floor to go, thought Louis. Creeping out of the alcove in which he'd been crouching, he walked straight into a teenage girl.

  ‘Ohmygod,’ gabbled Louis.

  ‘Shhh!’ hissed the girl urgently. ‘Do you want to get caught? You're Theo's friend, aren't you? Louis?’

  Louis nodded, and the girl continued.

  ‘Come on then, Louis, before Rose stops bullying her boyfriend and decides it's my turn.’

  ‘Marina?’ began Louis, before once again getting told to shut up.

  ‘Come on!’ said Lady Marina St Benedict, grabbing Louis's hand and pulling him up the staircase to the fourth floor. Theo's floor.

  ‘I can't go any further,’ said Marina, indicating a flashing light at the top of the stairs and briefly showing Louis a tag firmly clamped to her ankle. ‘Security would know the second I pass that alarm.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Louis.

  ‘I'm Theo's only ally in this house. Father won't tolerate Theo having any friendly company so he makes sure I can't get near. It's the only freedom Father denies me, unlike poor Theo. Now go, Louis, before it's too late. The door will be unlocked. Last one on the right, and watch for the camera. Go!’

  Not waiting for a reply, Marina slipped quietly back down the stairs and into one of the third-floor rooms. The opulence of the St Benedict residence hadn't extended to the fourth floor, giving Louis a clear indication of the contempt in which Theo was held. Creeping along the bare floorboards towards the front of the house, Louis arrived at Theo's bedroom door and found that Marina was right. It was indeed unlocked.

  ‘Stay there!’ Theo said urgently as Louis closed the door behind him, his cultured accent indicating his privileged upbringing. Continuing to look out of the window, Theo went on: ‘Camera, corner of the room. Keep out of its sight. I'm going to move, it'll follow me. As I move, you move. Get on the bed. Hide. Got it?’

  ‘Aye,’ said Louis.

  ‘Right. Go!’

  Doing exactly as Theo had instructed, Louis moved as the camera followed Theo, keeping out of its line of vision until he was concealed by the curtains of Theo's four-poster bed. Exaggerating a yawn, Theo climbed on to his bed, drawing the curtains all the way around, then he turned to Louis and grinned broadly.

  ‘Good to see you, Trev,’ said Theo, resorting to his childhood nickname for Louis.

  ‘Back at you, Dory,’ replied Louis, doing the same and smothering his friend in a bear hug.

  ‘Can't that thing see us in here?’ asked Louis, finally releasing Theo and jerking his head in the direction of the security camera. Noticing Theo's odd expression, Louis added, ‘What's the matter?’

  ‘No, it can't see us in here. Once I'm in bed, security is happy that I can't go anywhere from here except back into the room. This dusty old bed and my bathroom are two little havens of privacy.’

  Looking away from Louis before continuing, Theo said, ‘That's the first time anyone's hugged me since…well, for a long time. Thank you.’

  ‘No problem,’ said Louis, feeling desperately sad for his lonely, unloved friend. ‘It's OK now, Dory; everything's going to be OK.’

  ‘No it's not, Trev, but thanks anyway. This is just the start, and it's a better place than I was in yesterday, so it's a pretty good start.’

  Frowning, Louis said, ‘It's the same place you were in yesterday, isn't it?’

  Lying back on his bed, Theo laughed up at Louis's confused face.

  ‘Physically, yes, it is the same place, but yesterday you weren't here. You've given me hope. Now, are you going to perch over there for the whole time you're here, or are you going to lie down and get comfortable?’ When Louis hesitated, Theo added, ‘It's OK, Trev, I'm not coming on to you. I don't bat for that team, and I'm pretty sure you don't either.’

  Grinning, Louis lay down on the bed beside his friend and said, ‘You're not wrong, Dory. Good
though it is to see you, I'd still rather share a bed with Abi.’

  Just saying her name made Louis feel delirious with happiness, and he dissolved into silent laughter until the tears ran down his face. Theo, pretty delirious just at having some friendly company for once, joined in and it was some time before the two of them managed to control themselves enough to resume talking.

  ‘You've got the hots for my cousin, have you, Trev?’

  ‘Big time, Dory,’ replied Louis. ‘And, amazingly, she seems to feel the same way about me.’

  Realising that his friend was desperate for some affection in his lonely life, Louis took Theo's hand and held it tightly as they continued to talk.

  ‘What in God's name happened to you, Theo?’ Now that the euphoria of being reunited had given way to the more serious need to talk, childhood nicknames no longer seemed appropriate.

  ‘Who is this God of whom you speak?’ asked Theo bitterly. ‘I don't see much evidence of a god in the world I inhabit! What happened to me? Where do I begin? I believe Lord William tells the world I had a breakdown after my mother disappeared. He's wrong! He's a fucking liar! I hate him…’

  Louis waited patiently for Theo to calm down. Relaxing slightly, Theo controlled himself enough to continue.

  ‘Sorry about that, Louis. It just astounds me, even after all this time, that anyone can treat their son as badly as he treats me.’

  ‘It's fine, Theo. You take all the time you need. I thought I'd done badly where fathers are concerned, but at least mine just ignores me.’

  ‘Oh for the luxury of being ignored, you lucky git,’ replied Theo with a grin, amazing Louis that anyone could face Theo's awful life and still have a sense of humour.

  ‘I'll not deny I was devastated when my mother disappeared,’ Theo continued, relaxing back on to his pillow. ‘Do you remember my mum? Of course you do; who could forget her? She loved me so much, you know. She loves me so much. She's still alive, Louis, I'm sure of it. I have to be; that belief's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. That and ’Thwaite's Wood. I go there, you know, in my mind, when things get, well, too awful…’