by Alison Jack
Again Abi stopped, and Louis wondered whether he should offer her some comfort. Still painfully unsure of himself, he decided she wouldn't welcome any physical contact from him and kept his hands pressed between his legs as he waited for Abi to continue. Taking a deep breath, Abi spoke.
‘As he picked up the ball one of the stewards, who I now know was called Stephen Dyer,’ Abi spat out the name, ‘stood up and stabbed my dad repeatedly in the chest. In front of all those people watching the game. In front of the television cameras recording the action for the highlights programme later, and in front of me. Right in front of me!
‘Louis, I had to watch my dad die. He was only twenty-seven. He was my daddy…’
Finally Abi gave way to the tears that had been threatening, and finally Louis overcame his shyness and wrapped his arms round her as she sobbed on to his chest.
Arriving home, Sarah quickly realised who was in the family room with Louis when she saw Abi's distinctive jacket draped over a chair in the hallway. Torn between curiosity and feeling she should leave the youngsters to their conversation, Sarah contented herself with slipping silently into the kitchen where their words would still reach her.
In the family room Abi's sobs were subsiding, and Louis handed her a tatty but unopened pack of tissues from his tracksuit pocket.
‘Thanks, Lou,’ she said, blowing her nose while Louis marvelled at her ability to still look beautiful even with eyes swollen from crying. Reluctant to let her out of his arms, Louis was disappointed when she wriggled free and sat back to face him once more. For a split second he found himself wishing she'd cry some more so he could hold her again, then immediately he chastised himself silently for being so selfish.
‘The Sponsors made all the right noises following Dad's murder. What a terrible tragedy; how awful for the country to lose such a sporting talent in the prime of his life. If only he'd accepted Sponsorship, he would have been nurtured, he would have been protected. As spectators at the match realised what had happened to Dad, even as they were crying at the awful scene they were witnessing, they started bleating like the sheep they were that it wouldn't have happened if he'd accepted Sponsorship – he shouldn't have been so stubborn, he shouldn't have criticised the wonderful Scheme; it made people angry, he got what he deserved. Stupid MORONS!’
Abi leapt from the sofa, her sudden fury making her restless as she paced round the room, pounding one small fist into her other hand as she spoke.
‘They were pretty much implying it was Dad's own fault he was murdered. The cretins actually believed that those who didn't tow the Sponsors’ line got all that was coming to them. The Sponsors must have been delighted! And Dyer? He got off with fucking manslaughter! He took a knife to a football match with the sole aim of sticking it into my dad's heart and they call it MANSLAUGHTER! How fucking premeditated do you want it? Once again the Sponsors denied all involvement, and the sheep they Sponsored were either too stupid or too scared, or both, to question it. Dyer was paraded to the world's press as being a lone maverick, loyal to the Sponsors but acting on his own, and without my dad around to keep them interested they bought that crap and soon found something else to fill their newspapers. The Sponsors moved on to new heights of suppression and intimidation unchallenged, their one public adversary silenced for ever. Dyer, I believe, now works as part of their security team. Hell, he probably heads it! After all, what's the need to cover up that he's in their employ now there's no one left to challenge them?
‘That, Louis, is why I hate the Scheme so much.’
Looking back at Abi's passionate face, Louis said, ‘Are you sure?’
‘Sure of what?’ asked Abi, frowning as she thought for a moment he was questioning her hatred for the Sponsorship Scheme.
‘Are you sure there's no one left who'll challenge them?’
Getting Louis's drift, Abi returned to the sofa and grabbed hold of his hands.
‘Louis!’ she said urgently. ‘These people are so dangerous.’
‘That didn't stop your dad, did it?’ replied Louis. ‘So why should it stop me?’
‘I'm scared for you, Louis,’ said Abi, then smiled as she added, ‘Proud too.’
‘I'm scared for me too,’ replied Louis, glowing at Abi's pride in him. ‘But I'm not about to let Theo down. I'm going to find him whether anyone helps me or not.’
‘In that case I will help you, Louis. I will do as Sarah asked,’ said Abi, looking into Louis's determined face. ‘Although you're not going to like it.’
‘Like what?’
‘Sarah's idea to get you out of Applethwaite without the Sponsors finding out. You're going to need a decoy, someone to get Max off your case for long enough for you to get well on your way. Guess who's the decoy!’
‘What are you going to do to distract him?’ asked Louis, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.
‘Oh,’ said Abi lightly, ‘he's been asking all kinds of questions about you. I'll indulge him with some answers. Purely fictional answers, of course.’
‘And if he gets bored? Or twigs that you're taking the piss?’
‘Then I'll have to try something else,’ said Abi, still keeping her tone light, but Louis immediately guessed what the something else would be.
‘You're quite right. I don't like it. Is there really no other way?’ Before Abi could reply, Sarah burst into the room.
‘Think about it, Louis,’ she said angrily. ‘We're all making sacrifices here. Someone's got to get Max off your case if this crackpot venture of yours has any hope of succeeding. Abi's the most likely to make it work.’
‘Have you been eavesdropping?’ asked Louis, a little taken aback by Sarah's rare show of temper.
‘Yes,’ she replied, unashamed. ‘Don't worry; I didn't hear anything I didn't already know.’
The three looked at each other for a while as the enormity of the task ahead of them dawned simultaneously on their minds.
‘When do you think we should go?’ asked Louis.
‘As soon as possible,’ replied Abi immediately. ‘Tomorrow? We've not really got any time to lose. It won't be long before the Sponsors realise that Max is incompetent and replace him with a watchman who will do his job properly.’
‘Tomorrow it is then,’ said Sarah. ‘We can get things together tonight without Jenny getting curious, then pick her up on the way out in the morning. She won't have time to alert anyone with her chatter then. I'm afraid your mother's going to have to look after herself, Louis.’
‘I can look in on her,’ ventured Abi, but Sarah shook her head.
‘You'll be busy, dear,’ she replied, while Louis shuddered with revulsion at the thought of Abi keeping Max occupied. ‘I'll have a word with your Uncle Chris before we go, ask him to tie up loose ends.’
‘Someone's got to let Gideon know,’ said Louis. ‘I wish it could be me; I don't want to send him a message via someone else, but do you know what? I don't even know where he lives!’
‘Not a problem, my love,’ replied Sarah, ‘I do. Now, we haven't much time so we'd better press on. Abi, you know what you have to do?’
‘I do indeed. Keep Max out of the way for as long as possible,’ said Abi, leaping to her feet. Sensitive to Louis's desire for a few moments alone with Abi before she left to embark on her unpleasant task, Sarah told the youngsters she was going to make a start on the packing and hurried out of the room. Facing Abi alone once more, Louis felt all at once helpless and exhilarated.
‘I'm so sorry you've got to do this, Abi,’ he said. ‘You don't actually like Max, do you?’
‘No, I think he's a conceited toad. This is all more important than what I think though, Louis. Anything I can do to help piss off the Sponsors, anything at all, I'll do it gladly.’
‘Not too gladly, I hope,’ said Louis, jealously.
‘I'm not going to enjoy it, Louis. In fact, I can't bear him touching me.’ Abi paused, then added, ‘I'll get through it by pretending he's you every time he touches me.’
&n
bsp; It took a second or two for Abi's words to penetrate Louis's brain.
‘Really?’ was all he could think of to say.
‘Really!’ she replied. ‘I ought to get going.’
‘I know, Abi. Don't let me hold you up any longer,’ said Louis, wishing he could hold her up for ever and wondering when he would see her again. With that last thought in mind, realising that, if the Sponsors got hold of him, he'd probably never return to Applethwaite, Louis decided to throw caution to the wind.
‘Abi,’ he said simply, ‘I love you.’
Reality turned out to be far better than Louis's wildest fantasies. Without hesitation, Abi cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Pulling her into his arms, Louis held her tight as their kiss deepened and decided he must be in heaven. For too short a time Louis's heart's desire was fulfilled, before Abi gently pushed him away and said, ‘I must go. Just make sure you come back to me safely so we can finish what we just started.’
Before her resolve faltered, Abi strode from the room and grabbed her jacket from the hall chair. At the door she turned to look at Louis, who had followed her into the hall.
‘Just make sure you come back safely, Louis Trevelyan,’ she repeated desperately, ‘because I love you too.’
Deep in thought, still basking in the pleasure of kissing Louis, Abi made her way down the lane from the Trevelyans’ house and into the village. So wrapped up was she in her daydream that she didn't even notice Max Barrington beside her until he spoke into her ear.
‘Hi, gorgeous, what's with the visit to Bleachy's house?’
Remembering her task, Abi bit back a retort and plastered what she hoped would pass for a delighted smile on to her face.
‘Max, I was just coming to find you. I'm so sorry for being a bitch earlier; I've been regretting it ever since. Thought I'd do a bit of research for you. You know, use my feminine charms to try and get Louis to loosen up a bit.’
‘Hope you didn't get too loose, darling,’ said Max, chortling at his effort at a joke. ‘You know old Bleachy's got a major crush on you, don't you?’
Abi's laugh sounded revoltingly forced to her ears, but Max seemed happy enough and continued.
‘How did you get on then, darling? Any juicy bits of gossip for me?’ Max wrapped an arm around Abi's shoulder and nuzzled her ear, making her feel slightly nauseous. He really thinks he's God's gift to women, she thought. Think of Louis, just think of Louis.
‘One or two,’ she replied, making a passable attempt to return Max's affections while ruing the fact she didn't have longer to savour Louis's kisses. ‘How about we discuss them over a drink or two. Unless,’ she continued with her best faux seductive smile, ‘you'd prefer to discuss them in the bedroom?’
‘You're a fast mover, ain't you girl!’ replied Max, smiling with delight. ‘Bedroom sounds good to me.’
‘Damn!’ said Abi silently to herself. ‘Wrong answer.’
The cases packed and ready to put in the car the following morning, Sarah and Louis headed off to carry out their final tasks of the night. Following a quick visit to Chris Farrell and Georgia Montfiore to ask them to keep an eye on Nicola, they headed out of the village on one last visit. Louis found himself slightly apprehensive as Sarah drove into the wild countryside beyond Applethwaite, down narrow lanes bordered by dry-stone walls, hedgerows brushing against the car which barely had room to pass. On into the foothills of ’Thwaite's Fell they went, finally arriving at what looked for all intents and purposes like a deserted farm cottage.
‘He lives in that?’ asked Louis in amazement.
‘You wait!’ said Sarah, parking her car safely out of sight of the lane before ushering Louis to the door, which flew open before they had the chance to knock.
‘Get in, quickly!’ snapped Gideon. ‘And then tell me what the fuck is going on.’
Louis and Sarah hurried into the cottage, and Louis stared around him in surprise at the interior. In total contrast to the outside, the cottage couldn't have been more modern inside. Everything was designed to allow Gideon move around his home freely and be totally self-sufficient.
‘Did you think Elliot would leave me without the means to look after myself?’ Gideon growled following Louis's train of thought, before turning his anger back on to Sarah.
‘What do you mean by bringing him here?’ he roared. ‘Didn't I tell you to never, ever bring him here?’
‘Excuse me, Gideon, I am here,’ said Louis. ‘This visit is my idea. I wanted to see you in person, before we go.’
‘Go?’
‘To London. We're going first thing, Gideon, and I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.’
‘How touching,’ said Gideon, sarcasm masking his despair. ‘Do you have a plan? Or were you just going to vanish over the horizon and hope no Sponsors were around to notice?’
‘We have a plan, Gideon,’ said Sarah, while Louis regarded his feet with sudden interest. ‘The Barrington boy is being distracted to give us time to get away.’
‘In what way distracted? How do you know he's the only one watching?’
‘It's a chance we've got to take. He's the only obvious one at the moment.’
‘Who's distracting him?’ asked Gideon, noticing Louis staring at his feet and guessing the answer before Sarah spoke.
‘Abilene Farrell,’ she said, surprising Gideon not one jot. ‘No, we don't like it either; but if anyone can pull it off, she can.’
‘She can't hope to distract him for ever, though. What then?’
‘We'll need you to cover for us then, Gideon,’ said Louis, suddenly raising his head and joining in the conversation. ‘Go to the studio as usual. Say I'm ill or something.’
‘And how do you expect me to get to the studio, boy? What do you think I normally do – walk?’
Louis looked from Gideon to Sarah and back again, realisation dawning.
‘Oh,’ he said, ‘does Sarah fetch you?’
‘Hallelujah,’ sneered Gideon. ‘You are capable of independent thought after all.’
‘Chris Farrell said he'll pick you up while I'm away,’ said Sarah. ‘He's got a van and he's thoroughly trustworthy.’
‘So, I'm to rattle around in the back of a van all the way-’ Gideon began, but Sarah interrupted him sharply.
‘We're all making sacrifices, Gideon,’ she snapped. ‘And we really don't have time to argue. Are you going to help us or not?’
Still scowling, Gideon said, ‘Of course I'm going to help. That was never in question. Now, I know time is of the essence, but may I have a few moments alone with Louis before you leave?’
Nodding, Sarah said, ‘Thank you, Gideon, I'll wait in the car.’
When Sarah had gone, Gideon looked at Louis and beckoned him over.
‘I don't want to lose you, Louis,’ he said. ‘Be careful.’
‘I will, Gideon.’
‘Come here. Give me a hug for once.’
For the first time he could ever remember, Louis hugged his mentor, pulling Gideon's thin frame close briefly before Gideon pushed him away.
‘Now go!’ said Gideon. ‘Get out! Go!’
As Gideon heard the door close behind the young man he loved as much as any father ever loved their son, he gave way to the tears he'd been holding back and sobbed all night.
Chapter Five
First thing the following morning, before the sun had risen, Louis and Sarah were up and busying themselves with preparations for their journey. Neither had been able to sleep the previous night so there was no point in continuing to lie in their beds. Louis was making himself a cup of tea when Sarah appeared through the short corridor connecting her small, self-contained annexe to the kitchen of the main house.
‘Morning, Sarah,’ he said. ‘Sleep well?’
‘No!’ said Sarah. ‘You?’
‘No!’ replied Louis. ‘Cup of tea?’
‘Love one, my sweet,’ said Sarah. Their pretence at normality continued as they ate breakfast together, struggling to chew t
he food in their dry mouths. Sarah made up a mountain of sandwiches, and filled every flask in the house with hot tea or soup. To this feast she added fruit, sweets and bottled water before packing the lot into the boot of her car. She then collected together blankets, clothing for every possible weather, a ludicrous amount of sun block for Louis and just about everything else they might need. By the time Sarah had finished packing, she and Louis had trouble closing the car boot on the stash.
‘Will we really need all this stuff?’ asked Louis. ‘Don't they have shops in London?’
‘Not necessarily for the Unsponsored, darling, no,’ was the only reply she'd give.
The car packed and ready to go, Louis and Sarah wandered around aimlessly until it was a reasonable time to collect Jenny from her friend's house. Before they left, Louis looked in on his mother, hoping for a few words with her. He was thwarted though – Nicola was dead to the world. Sighing, he took a final look in his own bedroom, wondering when he'd next sleep in his own bed and regretting that his last opportunity had been so restless. Then he went down the stairs, locked the front door of his home behind him, and got into the car beside Sarah.
Jenny was absolutely delighted to be going on an unexpected road trip. Life just went from one excitement to the next as far as the six-year-old was concerned. Hugging his sister with undisguised delight before strapping her into her child seat, Louis was relieved to have the little girl's constant stream of chatter to take his mind off the task ahead.
Looking out of the window of Max's room in the Applethwaite Guesthouse, The White Lion's Sponsor-endorsed rival, Abilene Farrell was just in time to see Sarah's car disappearing out of the village in the direction of the main road. Carrying her beloved Louis away to the motorway, the trip down south and whatever lay in wait for him there.
‘Good luck, Louis, my love,’ she whispered.
‘What's that, sexy?’ said Max's voice from the bed. Fighting back her latest wave of revulsion, Abi painted her false smile back on her face, knowing now more than ever that she'd got to keep Max occupied.