by Alison Jack
‘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.
‘Rose, my darling,’ said Izzy. ‘You're so beautiful…’
‘Not as beautiful as you, Mummy,’ replied Rosanna, dissolving into tears as her mother hugged her for the first time in ten years.
‘OK, Theodore,’ said Rosanna, calming down eventually and sipping her wine. ‘Did you just invite me in here to be reunited with Mum, or did you have another motive?’
‘Why do you always think I have an ulterior motive?’ began Theo crossly, but Alan interrupted before the siblings could forget their truce and start squabbling.
‘There is another motive, I'm afraid, Rosanna, although it was my idea…’
‘It was mine, Al,’ argued Theo.
‘It was my idea to leave tonight…’
‘And you want me to help?’ Rosanna asked. ‘Getting you away, that is?’
‘Well, yes,’ said Alan. ‘We thought, maybe, you'd be sympathetic to our…my…need to go…’
‘OK, Alan,’ Rosanna interrupted again, taking another sip of her wine. ‘Because I was sympathetic about Dexter, because I'm hurting too, and because my mother's suddenly returned from God knows where, you thought I'd be prepared to betray my father and the Scheme…’
‘Oh, here we go,’ said Theo in disgust. ‘I should have known better. Appeal to your better nature? You don't fucking have one…’
‘Oh, get lost, Theodore!’
‘You get lost, Rosanna! You get your kicks out of watching your brother whipped unconscious – whatever made me think you'd changed? Lady Bitch has put in her final appearance, my arse…’
‘Shut up for a moment, Theodore…’
‘I suppose you're going to give Mum up to His Lordshit now, aren't you? Like father, like daughter…’
‘SHUT THE FUCK UP, THEODORE! I never said I wouldn't help you.’
‘I thought you did…’
‘You didn't give me a chance to say anything, you prick! Of course I'm not going to give Mum up. Also, I will help you. I don't agree with you being incarcerated in here.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, Theodore; really…’
‘Why don't you come with us, darling?’ said Izzy, unexpectedly. ‘I don't think it's going to be safe for you to remain here, not when His Lordshit finds out we've disappeared from under your nose…’
‘You call Father ‘‘Your Lordshit’’ too, do you, Mum?’ asked Rosanna.
‘Damn right! I despise the man, darling. I regret leaving you all at his mercy every minute of every day, especially now I know how he treated your brother. I'd w
orry sick if I thought I was abandoning you to a similar fate.’
Looking at Theo, Rosanna realised the truth of her mother's words.
‘I'm sorry, Theodore,’ said Rosanna simply. Realising his sister was apologising for far more than their most recent spat, Theo nodded and smiled.
‘Thank you,’ he said.
‘OK,’ said Rosanna, addressing the whole room, ‘I think I have a plan, if you're all agreeable. Get your stuff together tonight. What time do you want to leave in the morning? I'm guessing you don't want to go tonight…’
‘That's right,’ said Chloe.
‘OK. Well, if it's all right with you, make it as early as possible. The security guys are getting complacent; they tend to assume they don't have to be too diligent overnight. Don't give any indication you're up and about, if that's possible. I'll send, I don't know, O'Reilly maybe? Yes, he'll do. I'll send him to round up the security in the street, tell them we're having an emergency meeting while all is quiet. You use the opportunity to get away…’
‘And leave Mr O'Reilly to take the flack?’ asked Louis.
‘Couldn't be better!’ said Lysander, beaming, but his friends weren't so enthusiastic.
‘Dad,’ said Louis crossly, ‘will you lay off the poor man!’
‘Lysander, it's not the Unsponsored way to wish misfortune on anyone,’ Chloe put in, and Adam added his own worry.
‘What about my dad?’ he said. ‘Sorry, but I'm not leaving him to take any grief…’
‘It's OK, Ads,’ replied Rosanna, her voice softening as she spoke to her ex-boyfriend. ‘David was recalled to London a few days ago. Sorry, I should have told you; His Lordshit…aha, I'm learning…His Lordshit wants him onsite with the Games so close.’
‘What about your mum, though?’ Theo asked Matilda. ‘She's still here.’
‘Sod her!’ snapped Matilda.
‘Matilda,’ began Alan, but his daughter interrupted.
‘No, Dad. She's never brought us anything but grief. I'm sure she can shag her way out of this tight spot, like she's done so many times before.’
Before Alan could admonish Matilda again, Abi said, ‘That still doesn't help poor Mr O'Reilly.’
‘He looked so terrified when His Lordshit sent him in here,’ added Louis. ‘This will destroy him…’
‘Should have a glance at his crystal ball then,’ interrupted Lysander. ‘He's the reason we've had to cocoon you all your life, Louis; him and his stupid, false prediction.’
‘Well,’ snapped Rosanna, her St Benedict temper coming to the fore, ‘unless any of you are coming up with a plan which covers everyone's needs, we're wasting time now.’
‘I agree,’ said Alan in a determined voice. ‘Sorry Mr O'Reilly, sorry Faye, but my only concern is getting to Dex…’
‘And mine to get Louis…er…nowhere…’
‘It's OK, Mr Wallis, you don't have to tell me your plans,’ said Rosanna, her temper fading as she smiled at the man in the wheelchair. ‘Shall I go on with my idea?’ Seeing everyone nodding, Rosanna continued.
‘Right. I'll have a meeting, early tomorrow morning, with the guards. All the guards. Don't worry, I'll think of something; however, don't waste any time. Get out of here quickly, get away.’
‘Can't promise I can sprint, Lady Rosanna,’ growled Gideon. Looking at Gideon, Rosanna sucked on her finger as she realised the flaw in her plan.
‘If only we could get in touch with Philip,’ began Chloe.
‘But you can,’ said Rosanna to Chloe, her face relaxing into a smile. ‘Philip Lorimer, you mean? I don't know your name, sorry; but you're perfectly welcome to use this…’ Holding out her mobile phone, Rosanna was rewarded with a smile from Chloe in return.
‘My name's Chloe; I'm your cousin's girlfriend. Thanks.’
As Chloe scrolled down to Philip's number on Rosanna's phone, Cameron celebrated the fact that she'd finally made their relationship official after insisting for so many months it was only a casual thing. Speaking to a delighted Philip, overjoyed at word from Applethwaite, Chloe outlined Rosanna's plan.
‘I wondered why Lady Rosanna's name came up on caller ID,’ he said. ‘What time do you want to leave?’
Consulting with Rosanna, Chloe replied that between four thirty and five would be ideal.
‘Better make it earlier rather than later,’ said Philip. ‘Give me a few minutes to make a call; I'll get back to you.’
Waiting for Philip to return Chloe's call, Rosanna gladly accepted another glass of wine from Lysander. The wait wasn't a long one; true to his word, Philip called back within ten minutes.
‘A couple of vans will pick you up from the village boundary at four thirty tomorrow morning. Sorry I can't send something more comfortable, but the vans are unlikely to attract attention. The drivers will have dispensation to stop at service stations, which will cover all of you, and one is kitted out to carry Gideon's chair securely. I'll make sure there are cushions and refreshments for you all. Please be ready; I can't put my drivers at unnecessary risk. Now, is Rosanna sure she can keep the thugs out of the way?’
‘Yes,’ replied Chloe, ‘she'll keep them all in the guesthouse while we get clear of the village. They'll not know that we've gone for hours, as they'll assume us all to be asleep. Please will you make sure the vans are at the second exit from the village, so we don't have to pass the guesthouse? That could blow our cover a bit! Oh, and thank you so much, Philip, from all of us. You've done so much to help the Unsponsored…’
‘Don't mention it, Chloe,’ replied Philip. ‘Good luck. I'll see you in London, tomorrow!’
Cutting off the call, Chloe handed the phone back to Rosanna with a warm smile then jumped around the room, clapping her hands.
‘Yes! Yes! YES!’ she sang, until Izzy voiced a sobering thought.
‘I'm not leaving here tomorrow without Rosanna,’ she said. ‘How is she going to get away while she's distracting the thugs?’
‘I'll make some excuse and slip away…’
‘How? You'll be chairing the meeting?’
‘OK, how about this? I'll chair the meeting, spout some rubbish about…I don't know…rotating the security? Or,’ Rosanna started to laugh, ‘I'll appeal to the guards’ violent natures and suggest maybe we should single out some of you Unsponsored for punishment, set the ball rolling toward defeating you. That's the sort of thing they'll love to talk about, so I'll suggest they take half an hour to discuss ideas before they return to the street for their day of thuggery. I'll claim to be going back to my bed for a couple of hours’ sleep; instead, I'll grab my stuff and leg it.’
‘Genius!’ said Abi, looking in new-found awe at her cousin.
‘It'd better work,’ said Izzy grimly, ‘because I'm not getting in either of those vans until all three of my children are safely with me.’
‘It will work, Auntie Izzy,’ said Abi, eyes shining. ‘It's brilliant! Look at those cavemen,’ she continued, gesturing towards the thugs flexing their muscles in the street outside. ‘They'll love an opportunity to chat about beating us up; I can't think of anything they'd rather talk about. Meanwhile, Rose strolls up the road and joins us. Cuz; you're a genius!’
Rosanna, it turned out, was a genius. Her plan was as good as anything Chloe or Brains could have come up with, and worked like a dream. By the time Lord William's guards realised that The White Lion was actually deserted rather than unusually quiet, the anonymous vans carrying the White Lion Unsponsored, their luggage including an assortment of guitars and Max's drum kit, were well on their way south.
Lord William was livid. As the implications of Lee Fellows's words finally registered on him, he picked the coffee pot up from the table and hurled it against the far wall before rounding, unreasonably, on Brian Mooreland.
‘Clean that mess up, Mooreland; NOW!’
Turning his attention back to Dex, who commented that he'd been about to have another cup of coffee from the now destroyed coffee pot, Lord William snarled in the American's f
ace.
‘Get out of my sight, faggot!’ he roared.
Maintaining his unruffled demeanour, Dex withdrew from the room and made for the kitchen, seeking more coffee and the friendly company of the housekeeper, Mrs White. Meanwhile, Lord William headed upstairs to his third-floor office and called his Sponsors, demanding their presence at an emergency meeting – immediately. Still fuming as his Sponsors answered the command and gathered in his office less than an hour later, His Lordship glared around as he set up a visual link with Applethwaite. Not bothering to tell the London-based Sponsors what had happened, Lord William left them to piece it together as he launched a stinging verbal attack on Fiona Turnbull, Faye Maloney and Mortimer O'Reilly.
‘Never, ever in my LIFE have I had to tolerate such incompetence! Never! How could you let them go from underneath your noses? How could you let them take Lady Rosanna?’ Mortimer, unsurprisingly, looked terrified; Fiona looked furious at the turn of events. It was Faye who answered for the Applethwaite group.
‘With respect, Your Lordship, it would seem that Lady Rosanna was in on the Unsponsored plan to escape…’
‘Lady Rosanna would NEVER side with the Unsponsored, Maloney. Explain yourself!’
‘It was Lady Rosanna who called a meeting with security first thing this morning; really early, just after four o'clock. She sent Mortimer to gather in all the guards, saying she wanted to take advantage of The White Lion being quiet…’
‘That's ridiculous! Rosanna knows that we never call all security off the streets, not even for a second. What was the purpose of this meeting?’
‘To discuss ways to subdue the White Lion Unsponsored, Your Lordship. Lady Rosanna said she wanted to start dishing out beatings in an endeavour to break them, and asked the guards for feedback. She gave them half an hour to discuss ideas, after which they were to return to the street. We haven't seen her since…’
‘Didn't anyone question where she was going?’
‘She said she was going back to bed. We had no reason to disbelieve her…’