by Rebecca Ward
‘I’m sorry, I think I have your bed,’ is all Boudicca can think to say. The lady shakes her head.
‘It’s okay.’
‘What is your name? Er Tuhada naan ki hai?’ Bodi tries her Punjabi. The housekeeper is suprised and somewhat amused.
‘Jasmeet.’
‘Hi Jasmeet, my name is Bodi. Thanks for the food. Is Rose coming to see me soon? I need to leave.’ She has to get out of there.
‘Rose is with Mr Thomas,’ she points upwards and puts her finger across her lips.
‘Thank you Jasmeet.’ Bodi whispers.
‘She will come here later, when he leaves.’ Jasmeet doesn’t seem all that enamoured with ‘Mr Thomas’.
‘How long will that be?’ Bodi wonders. Hours to pass and nothing to occupy her but her bad thoughts and her restlessness. She eats the soup, biscuits and fruit on the tray. She puts the rest of the flu tablets in her pocket. Bodi notices there is nothing breakable or sharp on the tray. Does Rose fear for Bodi’s safety or her own? Is she being held prisoner? Her mind races with ridiculous scenarios where she will never leave this room again and where Ruby is never found. They are both locked up now and what good is that doing? Bodi stops and breathes slowly, trying to calm herself. She just has to wait and when Rose arrives she has to get out. It is as simple as that. She sits and listens to the second hand tick round the clock, like a dysfunctional metronome jarring with the piano music coming from above her.
Bodi stands up sharply ready to bolt when Rose finally comes in, an hour later. Again, it is like looking at a sanitised version of her mother and she leaves the door open, both of which throw Bodi.
‘How are you feeling?’ Rose goes to feel Bodi’s forehead but Bodi steps away from her. Rose’s breath smells of wine and cigarettes.
‘I need to go,’ Bodi insists.
‘Right, well, that’s your prerogative.’ Rose steps to one side.
Confused, Bodi goes to leave. ‘Just like that?’
‘Sure. You can stay. If you’d like. Jasmeet can sleep in the garage. She has a bed roll.’
‘A bed roll? In the garage?’ Bodi’s tone barely contains her disgust.
‘I hardly think it’s your place to comment on my staffing arrangements Boudicca. And it gives her money, to send to her family.’
‘I must’ve missed the lesson on managing a mansion.’
‘To be fair, your mother had enough experience to teach you all about that.’
Rose’s bitterness is met with shock from Bodi. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Never mind. That was a long time ago. Are you well enough? Arthur can take you where you want to go. Our driver. From earlier?’
‘I must go, people will be worried.’ She hesitates. ‘Thank you, Aunt Rose, for bringing me into your home. Well as much as you could. I realise it’s very difficult for you to have me here.’ She walks past Rose who pointed her towards the back door. ‘Before I go, do you know anything else about Mum?’ Rose smiles taking another piece of pink writing paper from her pocket and hands it to Bodi.
‘I really do hope Ruby’s okay. Please tell her I think of her every day.’
Bodi hears Rose sniff back tears as she walks away.
Half an hour later she walks in the door of Sam’s house to find Balt sat with Sam at the kitchen table. They both stand up with a jolt. Balt looks down at her sternly, ‘Where on earth have you been, young lady?’ Sam rushes over to her and gives her a huge hug. ‘Pop down the shops, did you? Forget your key?’ She hears footsteps race down the stairs. Reed. And Evan.
‘Are you okay?’ they both say it together and stop, glare at each other. Bodi manages a smile. It is nice to be back in the mad house. She hands over Rose’s note to Balt. He opens it and reads aloud ‘Kenwood House’. He passes it to Sam. ‘How did you get this?’
Reluctantly she answers them. ‘Rose.’
‘Rose! You got it from Rose! How did you even…’ Bodi can see the rage in Balt’s eyes. ‘Do you even know? Do you understand what danger you’ve put us all in?’
‘Balt, seriously man, less of the drama.’ Sam intervenes.
‘Who’s Rose?’ Evan asks.
‘My mum’s twin sister.’ Bodi says.
‘Yes, Rose is Ruby’s sister, but she is also Mrs Thomas Cleaver.’ Balt is fuming.
‘The head of TrueSec, Thomas Cleaver? Wow. Way to go Boo, straight to the top!’ Evan looks impressed. Balt scowls at him. ‘Well, it’s better than emptying bins for scraps of paper, Pops.’
‘How did you even know about Rose? I thought she and Ruby hadn’t talked for years.’ Sam asked.
‘I didn’t know she existed until yesterday. Mum left me a note. You were on it, some other people from Populus. She was the only one I hadn’t contacted, so I went to see if she could help and well, it turned out she could. I didn’t know we were related. I’ve never met any of my relatives.’
Balt looks at his watch. ‘How did you get back here? Did they bring you?’
‘I got them to drop me like six streets away. I wouldn’t endanger you Sam.’
‘That’s my girl!’ he says proudly.
Balthazar turns to Sam and flares up again. ‘You have to move Sam. You’ll be the first one, then we’ll all get taken down. You know how you are under pressure, your mouth just shoots off to save your ass-’
‘I cannot believe you’d bring that up, it was twenty goddamn years ago…’ And they are off, squabbling like old ladies over who should pay for tea.
Reed has remained quiet through all this, watching and listening. He extracts Bodi from the melee, draws her into the library and sits in an armchair, pulling her onto the arm.
‘I thought you’d left. You were so sick, I thought you’d fallen down in the street and been hurt. You didn’t leave a note,’ his voice breaks slightly with controlled anger.
‘I had to go Reed. I can’t explain it. I had a feeling that she’d come through for me. I had no choice.’
Evan walks in the room and Bodi automatically stands up. Reed reaches for her hand but she shrugs him off. Wounded, he retreats back upstairs. The adrenaline is wearing off and she is sick of talking. Evan sits down in the other chair, keeping an eye on her while she contemplates the day so far. Balt and Sam are still hammering away at what they will do with this new information. Bodi feels a little reassured by the closeness of the books and the dim light.
‘So, you’ve got an aunty.’ Evan breaks the silence.
‘Yeah, weird right? I’m so used to having no family, I was pleased to meet her but then she is who she is…’
‘Bitter sweet.’
‘She looked just like my mum but so different. Freaked me out.’
‘I get it. Like invasion of the body snatchers!’
She laughs. ‘Where’s your mum Ev?’
‘She left when I was about 5. She was never that into Populus. Her and Dad had been together since school you know but he got all political and she wanted a quieter life. She stuck it out for so long and then she found someone else, someone she could have a more normal life with. The guy didn’t want me around. So here I am. I’ve got a whole heap of cousins and that, but we don’t see them. So Populus is our family. Well, that’s how dad sees it. God help me.’ Evan gestures next door and rolls his eyes.
‘But when do you get to leave? When do we all get to come out of hiding? Why do we have to pay the price of our parents’ crazy ideas our whole lives?’
‘Sometime soon I’m thinking I can go off on my own, start again somewhere new. But if I don't have him, who do I have?’
‘I guess.’
Bodi takes this moment of quiet chat to bring up what has been bothering her since the gym. She asks quietly and without confrontation. She doesn’t feel angry anymore, more intrigued.
‘Why were you following me? Before, in the park, on Westminster Bridge? How did you even know where I was? Or who I was?’ Evan turns to her shocked, then laughs.
‘Busted! D minus in spy school for Evan.’
<
br /> ‘Ev! Come on.’ She punches his arm.
‘I didn’t know who you were. Dad got me doing it. Said it was ‘real world’ training. Gave me your address, told me to keep an eye on you for a few days and report back. When you walked into the bank the other day I was gobsmacked. Had to front it out though, you know, cos you didn’t recognise me I guessed I’d done a stand up job.’
‘So you saw them take mum away as well?’
‘Yeah, and I really wanted to help her, but I’d been told not to intervene in anything, just report back to dad. I had no clue that your mum was who she was. One of us. And well, you…I didn’t know you then. I’m sorry Boo. I would’ve helped if I’d known.’
Bodi sits there thinking. So Balt is the only one who knew where they were living. None of the other Populus members knew she was coming. Evan is obviously clueless. Obedient, but not in on the wider plan. But how to get information from Balt when she needs to keep him on side?
She heads upstairs, stopping briefly at Reed’s door. That will have to wait too. In her room the Map has come unstuck at one corner, so she pushes it back up. Her eyes fall on words she knows by heart. A verse by Maya Angelou, her mum’s favourite poem.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
And she chants her daily mantra, ‘I’m coming Mum. Hold on.’
✽✽✽
The men make for a ramshackle bunch around the kitchen table. Bodi sees that Sam has made a loaf of bread, which she knows from experience is barely edible, but toast it and slather it in butter and it just about does the trick. Pots of tea and piles of mismatched cutlery make for a very homely scene. Sam is playing Jimi Hendrix on an old cassette deck. It has clearly had a few hundred plays and warps every so often. Any sense of foreboding has dissipated temporarily. It is like any regular family meal: squabbling over food, washing up piled in the sink, the teenage boys grunting responses to their exasperated elders.
Bodi drinks it in. It is a scene she has imagined so many times in her head. What it would be like to have a bigger family, have siblings, a father who was around? In their very different ways they all contribute to a new sense of security for Bodi and she feels a little more human than she has in days. Is this her family now, or when she gets Ruby back will they have to move on again? Right at this very moment she is torn, she would find it hard to leave. She pulls a chair in between Reed and Evan and smiles at each of them in turn. They bathe in her attention and beam back at her like expectant puppy dogs anticipating a treat.
‘The princess graces us with her presence!’ Sam declares and nudges the toast toward her. ‘Nice crown.’
Bodi’s hair is wrapped in a royal wedding commemorative tea towel. The top of the golden crest haphazardly placed like a wonky tiara. She has used up the last of her shampoo to get rid of the dye in her hair. Her scalp is burning red hot but it is worth it. She pulls the towel off and lets her red curls fall down her back.
‘Our Icenian queen returns. Hallelujah!’ Sam exclaims. ‘Ivanka the Pole be damned. It’s good to have you back Boudicca.’ He ruffles Reed’s crew cut. ‘Now if this one stays as he is we can have an Emo-free household.’
Everyone waits for a sharp retort from Reed but he just laughs along with Sam. His eyes shine. He no longer needs his hair to hide behind. Bodi hooks her foot round his under the table, keen to show him she is sorry. She wants to keep this, whatever it is, under wraps for now. It is just for them and Reed understands. Reed nudges his elbow closer to hers. Not so anyone notices but they know; they are in this together from now on.
‘Sorry to break up this happy scene.’ Balt sounds far from apologetic, rising above the table blocking the light. ‘But we’ve got to get things moving again.’ They turn off the old tape player and clear the table ready to discuss the plans for the rest of the day. All the while Bodi watches Balt, trying to work out what is going on behind the scenes. His face shows nothing of what his true plans are.
‘I’ve heard back from my sources at Kenwood and it appears that we have conflicting information. They can’t confirm that Ruby is being held there.’ Bodi wonders how on earth he has achieved that in two short hours. Does he just make this stuff up?
‘What do your ‘sources’ say then?’ Bodi asks.
‘Just that. But what we found out while you were off playing lone detective is that Ruby is being held in Richmond.’
Bodi shivers, feeling her mum move one more step away from her.
‘Sam and I have come up with the bare bones of a plan for getting Ruby home. We need to talk to the other members of Populus. Morag and Fergus know a lot about the layout of Richmond and Mo has other contacts there. I know you probably expected a finalised action plan but it’s one of the most secure buildings in the city. We would normally spend weeks planning an attack.’ Balt corrects himself. ‘A ‘break out’ rather, like this. We are meeting shortly at the bank to put our plan to them and get their informed input. We have decided that it will be a closed meeting for original Populus members only. Information that feeds into this, on our past dealings with the S.I.C., has to remain restricted.’
Reed speaks up. ‘We know what you did Balt. It’s well documented. I don’t think you can pull anything out of the bag now that we don’t already know about.’
Balt looks at him witheringly. ‘I wish that were the case Reed, but as much as we can, we try to protect you from certain things. It may just be parental wishful thinking, but I ask you to humour us on this.’
‘But what about Kenwood? I can’t see why Rose would give me false information. She’s better connected than anyone. We can’t just ignore it.’ Bodi is antsy, drumming her fingers on the table. She feels well again and wants to get moving. Another redundant day looms for them and Balt is putting more barriers between her and Ruby.
‘But we saw sight of the file and my sources confirmed it, Boudicca. You just need to leave it with us for a few hours,’ Balt is not playing ball. And when did he see the file? That’s news to Bodi.
‘And what are we meant to do in the meantime? Go out to play?’ Evan says, just as unhappy being kept out of things.
‘I’m sure you can find something to occupy yourselves Evan. Think of it as a rare evening off. There is one fact that I should make clear from the outset - and on this Sam and I are in agreement - Boudicca, you will not be involved in executing the plan.’
‘You have got to be kidding!’ Evan expresses Bodi’s dismay for her.
‘Your little mission to see Rose nearly cost us the whole organization. You put Sam in danger, and Reed. I don’t think you’re quite aware of the impact of your actions. If you can’t work with us, then I can’t include you in this. We will get Ruby back for you but you will not go near Kenwood House.’
‘But the reason we know where they’re holding mum is because I went to Rose,’ Bodi protests.
‘But that information isn’t legitimate. We have to put a bit more time into this to get it right. Operations like this put a lot of people in plain sight, the exposure can have an irrevocable impact. We have been on top of things from the outset but a wrong move now could cost us everything.’
‘Yeah right. You were really on top of things. Don’t make me laugh. You had us clearing out bins and stalking postmen. Hardly the CIA!’ she scoffs.
Balt sighs, exasperated by her. He puts his hand in her face to say, it’s done, you can’t undo it now.
‘Sorry duckie, but I’m more concerned about the authorities getting to you,' Sam says kindly. 'I couldn’t bear to not have you around anymore. Best to keep you safe here.’ He tries to appease her with a reassuring smile but Bodi freezes him out.
‘Bodi. We’re on your side.’ Bodi is surprised to hear that from Reed. She looks at him, hurt. ‘I mean, if it keeps you safe.
’
‘You cannot control me Balt. I am not your daughter. I am not part of Populus. Your rules don’t apply to me. I didn’t even know you people until less than a week ago and now you’re telling me what I can and can’t do. It's my mum we're talking about.’
‘And you compromised your involvement in this mission the moment you went to Rose,’ Balt sneers.
‘Mission? Oh my god. You are not an army general Balt. You are a group of crusty misfits in hiding for things you did a million years ago. You aren’t relevant anymore. No one is scared of you. You don’t mean anything to anyone!’ Bodi is fuming. ‘And just for the record, I didn’t know who Rose was. For all I knew she was just another Populus nut job like you lot. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone but honestly, what was I meant to do? Ignore the fact that she could save us days and days of searching and getting nowhere?’
‘Well it was this group of ‘nut jobs’ that has kept you fed all these years, we ‘crusty misfits’ have kept a roof over your head. How do you think that Ruby looked after you? Money doesn’t come out of thin air you know!’ Balt counters.
‘I never asked for it. Mum kept me away from you for a reason. She knew what mental cases you were. Sad mental cases playing soldiers.’ Bodi is almost screaming. Her face is beetroot with frustration. She can’t help feeling like she is being treated like a hysterical little girl.