There was excitement in Ella as she boarded the Underground to take her to Kensington. She hoped Arnie had picked up her note and was able to meet her. But she had to admit that a lot of what was making her feel excited was the freedom she’d gained.
As she’d hoped, Shamus hadn’t objected to her going out to have a fitting for her dress, and she’d even persuaded him to allow her to take time to shop for shoes, gloves and handbag, as well as a new coat. He was looking forward to taking her away for their honeymoon, and said he was planning to fetch her child back in time for Christmas, as that would be his present to her.
Not being a well-travelled man, he wanted Ella to go with him to Poland, plus the two men he intended to take along. This made sense, as she spoke the language, and it would mean that she would be able to care for her child on the return trip. It worried her that what they were proposing to do was illegal, and posed risks for them all, let alone her child; but her need to have Paulo with her was so strong that she was willing to do whatever it took.
And she could benefit from the need to shop for her child, as it would mean she’d have an excuse to make even more trips out of the house. All in all, there was a lot for Ella to look forward to now, and all the despair she had suffered had left her and been replaced by hope.
Turning the corner into Westbourne Grove, Ella saw Arnie sitting in the window. He looked so handsome that for a moment she caught her breath. Seeing her, he waved and smiled, and then stood up as she entered the cafe.
‘Ella! So lovely to see you, and in a place where we needn’t be afraid and can relax and get to know one another.’
Ella smiled. But under the smile was sadness that they could never get to know one another, and that their friendship had to end.
Their talk was of nothing in particular, both asking questions, both showing shyness about their situation, until Arnie asked, ‘Have you something on your mind, Ella, or are you still feeling afraid?’
‘I’m sorry, Arnie. Yes, there is something. Since we last met, a lot has changed . . .’ When she’d finished telling him how much kinder to her Shamus was being, she said, ‘And that isn’t all. You see, I have a child.’
Arnie was quiet as she told him about her life, from marrying her beloved Paulo to losing him.
‘My poor Ella. That is appalling. How have you borne such loss? And then Shamus McMahon kidnapped you! And how terrible that he made you give your child away. How could he have such a hold over you that you went through with it all?’
‘I can’t tell you that, but believe me, giving my child away was my only option. Yes, I accepted money from my relatives, but that was to get me out of the threat that held me to Shamus and motivated my actions. But, like I say, everything has changed. Shamus has changed, and I believe that if I can get my baby back, I could make a life with him.’
‘No! I mean, please don’t, Ella. You have heard that a leopard never changes its spots, haven’t you? And people as evil as Shamus do not change. Yes, he can be nice at times, but if you cross him, then—’
‘But don’t you see? That is what I am trying not to do, by asking you not to see me in the future. I will always remain grateful to you, and you will have a special place in my heart, but we must stop seeing each other – we must.’
‘Ella, I don’t know if I can. I am . . . well, I am more than fond of you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Oh, I don’t know, maybe I should. Didn’t the war teach us all not to rest on our laurels, but to grab all the chances that came our way? If anything at all came out of that carnage, it was that surely? And you don’t need Shamus in order to get your baby back; in fact it might be disastrous to have him do so. I have heard some really bad things about him, which even include murder! What if things get out of hand, and your sister or her husband – or, God forbid, your child – gets hurt? From what I have heard about it all so far, there is a legal route you can go down.’
‘I know all that you are saying, but, Arnie, English law won’t stand in Poland. And I am fearful that something could go wrong with what Shamus proposes to do, but it is my only way. I have to do this.’
‘At least keep our friendship going, Ella. I won’t be able to bear it, not knowing how you are and what is happening. We will be careful. I can’t imagine that Shamus’s dealings bring him to this part of London, so how is he ever going to find out?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I don’t want to end it. You have done so much for me. You’ll never know how much, but I’m afraid for you as well as for me.’
‘You are worth a little danger, Ella. And something tells me that you may need a friend in the future. I will always be that to you. And, in my heart, much more, but I will never pressurize you or ask more of you than you are willing to give.’
A hot flush burned Ella’s cheeks. Her mind went to Paulo, as it did so often. It seemed such a short time since she had lost him. And her grieving for him had to be done while she was going through what she’d never dreamed she would have to do. It had been a lonely and lost time. Her heart still ached for Paulo, and yet here she was, forming new friendships and going willingly to the man who’d violated her. Would Paulo hate her for it all?
She looked up at Arnie and saw love for her in his eyes – not a taking kind of love, but a giving and unselfish love, and she knew in that moment that Paulo would have wanted this for her, and would want her to take hold of it and nurture it and keep it safe, for when she might need it.
‘Thank you, I accept what you are offering me. I will keep in touch through the mail box, and will let you know what is happening in my life, and I want to hear what is happening in yours. More than that, I can’t promise; not at the moment I can’t.’
Arnie’s hand reached out and took hers. The touch sent a nice feeling trembling through her, as if it was meant to be. But then she came to her senses and told him, ‘I have to go now, Arnie. Take care. You are a special friend to me.’
His face held disappointment, but then lit up in a grin. ‘Until the next time, for as sure as the world is round, there will be another time when we will meet.’
‘I hope so. I really do.’
With this, Ella left. But she knew she wasn’t the same Ella who had gone into the cafe, determined to end the friendship; something had happened between herself and Arnie that would last a lifetime. She wouldn’t put a name to it, she couldn’t, as that would mean letting him into her heart. She would just know it for now.
That evening, while she and Shamus sat eating their dinner – Shamus had taken well to eating their main meal in the evening, after all his life having his dinner at midday and then supper later on – they discussed further the ways in which they could get Ella’s child home.
‘It is that you have to admit, me darling, that the only way is for me and me two men to snatch him. You show us how to get to the street where they live, and then we will take it in turns to watch the activity of the household. That way, we can be making a plan and then, on the fourth day of being there, we put it into action. We’ll have a carriage waiting for us and will get straight back to you at the lodgings. You must be ready, as we’ll have to be going straight to the train station to begin our journey home. Timing will be the thing, so it will. Everything must be done at a time that will see us able to get away as fast as we can.’
‘But what do we do about my baby’s papers? We will need his certification of birth. Oh, it all sounds impossible, and yet we must find a way – we must.’
‘Have you any idea what the papers they issue in your country look like?’
‘Yes, I have my own, and my nanny’s. But how can that help?’
‘Everything can be copied. I have a tenant in a small workshop who earns his living from printing material, and he is an artist, too. If I can take your papers to him, sure he can produce like for like, with a few alterations. You write down all the details of the child’s birth, and everything that will need changing on your papers to make a set for the child.’
‘Oh, Shamus, I really feel we can do it. My baby is really coming home.’
‘He is that. And the more I think of it, the more I’m getting used to it, and getting myself to a place where I am ready to welcome him, for your sake.’
‘Thank you, Shamus. I can’t believe how you’ve changed. I’m seeing a different side to you, though I still hate the way you conduct your business.’
‘Business is business. Do you think it is that I would get a return on me investments if I was soft-handed with me tenants, and those that borrow money from me? No, they’d twist me out of every penny I have.’
Ella didn’t like to think about the tactics Shamus used to frighten, or even hurt, those who couldn’t pay their dues. She didn’t think she would ever change that, but she hoped to gradually make him see that he put too high a demand on people, and that if he lessened their burden he would still get his money; it would just take longer. ‘You won’t use violence when you snatch little Paulo, will you, Shamus? You mustn’t hurt anyone. You have to promise me that.’
‘I will do me best, but if it is that we are challenged and there is a scuffle, then I’ll have to be defending meself, so I will.’
Ella worried about this, but had to accept that her child wasn’t simply going to be handed over.
‘You make the arrangements when you are ready; you know the days that I am committed elsewhere, and the days that me activities can be more flexible.’
‘I’ll need to be prepared. We will need to have a nursery ready for him. I thought to use the room next to our bedroom for that purpose.’
‘Me mammy’s room? Sure, it is too soon to be clearing her out. No, it will have to be the spare room opposite ours. There’s nothing much to move out of that one, just a chest of drawers and a bedstead. I’ll get that done for you tomorrow.’
Shopping for her son gave Ella so much pleasure, and by the end of the week she had the spare room just how she wanted it. Luckily it was in good order, so it hadn’t needed redecorating, only some fresh curtains and a large rug to cover the brown linoleum on the floor. A wooden cot was now in situ, and she’d kept the chest of drawers, which Shamus had been going to move out. It was one of the better pieces of furniture in the house. Made of light oak, each drawer had a row of roses carved into it, and its legs were curved and looked as if they had shoes on, as they ended in a ball-shape. The washstand had been brought in from Shamus’s mother’s room, and the nursing chair that Ella had purchased stood next to this, under the window.
Looking at the room filled Ella with a warm feeling, though she dared not hope too much.
Buying clothes was a little bit more difficult, because not knowing how big her baby had grown, she was unsure. In the end she decided on a dozen nappies and two dresses, one white and the other blue, and matching cardigans, bootees, mittens and bonnets. Then there was the purchase of feeding bottles, and a magazine that had an article about the ten best things for your baby. This she had devoured, because although she had experience of nursing her darling Christophe, that wasn’t how it would be this time, and she needed to learn things like the age it was safe to sit a child up rather than keep them lying down; how to swaddle them; and how to move from mother’s milk to diluted condensed milk – not that she could take steps in doing this, but at least she knew what to take with her to feed her child. And, at six months old, little Paulo could surely have some of what they ate, as long as it was finely mashed for him.
Standing on the deck of the ferry sailing towards Calais two weeks later, Ella pulled her fur coat tightly around her, trying to warm her body against the icy-cold winds. The sea was choppy, but the sky was a clear winter-blue.
Memories assailed her of her time in Dieppe, and her thoughts were of Flora and Mags, and then turned to Paddy. It took her a while, but eventually she let in memories of Paulo. These hurt her the most, but talking to him helped. Lifting her face to the sky, she told him of her mission and asked him to help her.
Spray from the waves wet her face, hiding the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Shaking herself mentally, she told herself that this should be a time of happy anticipation, and she must not spoil it by dwelling on the past. She must turn her thoughts towards the future and the times she would enjoy with her son.
The rest of the journey went smoothly. Left mostly to herself, even to having a single-berth cabin, she lost herself in E. M. Forster’s Howards End, a book that she’d found in the tiny bookshop on the high street, which she loved to browse through. The book had been highly acclaimed, and to Ella it was a wonderful find, eleven years after its publication.
At last they arrived in Poland.
‘Me little Ella, it is lovely to hear you using your native tongue. Ireland has its own language, but I have never spoken it. You must really feel that you have come home.’
Shamus couldn’t have uttered a more meaningful phrase, because unlike the last time she came here, Ella did feel she was at home amongst her own, and a lot of that was to do with the fact that she was treading the same soil as her son.
The next few days were nerve-racking. Just entering the street where her sister lived assailed her with emotions, but waiting for and then seeing her sister leave the house with a uniformed nanny, and a huge pram, seared her with pain.
With the right people identified, the waiting game began, as Shamus and his men took it in turns to watch the comings and goings of people who lived in the apartment building.
Ella spent hours walking around Krakow, looking in shop windows, drinking coffee in the square and walking along the banks of the Vistula. Always nervous of the possibility of bumping into her half-sister.
At last Shamus said he was ready. He sat on the end of the bed in their hotel room and told her how he intended to carry out his mission. ‘It is that the nanny takes the child for a walk every afternoon at three o’clock. And, that at that time, the streets are empty of folk.’
‘Yes, many have a lie-down in the afternoon, and there seems to be a natural quiet time.’
‘The nanny walks to the end of the street and meets with another nanny. They then walk together for a while, their attention taken up with their conversation. Their walk follows the same path, and there is part of it that takes them away from the houses and down a lane where there are only a scattering of properties. It is here that we will strike.’
‘How will you do it? You won’t hurt the girls, will you? Promise me that.’
‘It is that they shouldn’t be hurt. We have identified where we can hide and jump out at them. We will gag them and tie their hands and feet and then take the baby.’
‘But what of the other child? It’ll be left helpless.’
‘I need you to write a note, telling where the child and the nanny are. And I need you to hire a cab for me, and tell the cabby that he will have to wait for us at the top of the lane. Tell him that he will be paid a year’s wages: half when he delivers us back here, and a quarter when he delivers the note to your sister. Patrick will go with him to do that. And to be making sure that the cabby doesn’t raise the alarm before we can get away, he is then to take us to the station, where he will receive the balance. So now it is that I need you to go to the bank and exchange the money we require.’
Ella rose from the chair she had been sitting on and walked to the window. Outside, snowflakes danced in the breeze and a Christmas scene unfolded, with horses and carriages slowly negotiating the wide snow-covered street below. On the other side of the street, pine trees dressed in white, as if ready for a wedding, glistened in the weak winter sunshine. Without turning, she asked, ‘Isn’t that a lot of money, Shamus? And how will we find out how much it is that the cabbies are paid?’
‘I’m guessing it isn’t anywhere near what I earn in a week. This country is on its knees. There are beggars lining the streets. As to finding out the amount, we will go to dinner in a cab tonight and you will make conversation with the driver. If you think he is the one to do the job, then you are to book him to pick us up tomorrow afternoon and, at the same time, find out what amount he will need.’
Ella’s nerves jangled. It was really going to happen. She clasped her hands together.
‘Sure it is that you look a picture, me little Ella: your cheeks are flushed, and I can see the excitement that’s in you. Come over and lie with me, and let me be calming you.’
Ella hated herself for the feelings that took her at this. Feelings she couldn’t deny. She went willingly into Shamus’s waiting arms and gave herself up to the pleasure that she knew awaited her there.
In the early afternoon of the next day, with everything in place, Ella watched through the window of the hotel as Shamus and his men boarded the cab that she’d arranged for them. Oh God, please let everything go smoothly, and don’t . . . please don’t let anyone be hurt.
The hours passed slowly, but at last it was three o’clock and time for her to prepare for their departure. Summoning a porter to transport their cases down to the lobby, she took hold of the bag that carried everything Paulo would need. She’d checked and rechecked it. And a dozen things had gone through her head, concerning him. How would she know when he was last fed, or what he liked and didn’t like? Did he lie on his side or on his back to sleep? Was he well, was he teething? Everything that, as his mother, she should know and didn’t.
Her conscience had visited places that she didn’t want to go and had asked her: what of Calek and Abram? This was going to be very painful for them, for although they might guess that she had something to do with their baby’s kidnap, they wouldn’t know for certain. And how frightening the experience was going to be for the nannies. And oh, how she worried about the other baby. How long would it be left with no one to attend to it?
At times she hated herself for what she was doing, and had to remind herself that although she was grateful to Shamus, and had come to be able to live reasonably happily with him, all of this was his fault. His vile threats to Rowena and her family, his not wanting Ella’s child in the first place – all of it had led to this day.
But going over these things was only serving to make her feel wretched and wasn’t helping anything. Her path was set, and she had to walk it the best way she could. At least she knew she had enough money to care for her baby and herself, if the need should arise, and that Rowena was safe. This knowledge lifted her, and gave her the courage she needed to continue.
At last the carriage drew up outside the hotel. Ella ran out to greet them. Shamus opened the door and stepped out. ‘I’m sorry, me wee Ella. But it wasn’t for going how we planned it.’
‘My baby?’
‘No, we haven’t got him. The girls didn’t appear as normal. We were for waiting and waiting, but nothing. But don’t you fret. We’ll not go home without your child, so we won’t.’
‘Oh, Shamus, how can this be? Every day they did the same thing, so why not today?’
‘It is that we should have watched for a full week maybe. It could be that on some days the routine is different. I’m not for knowing. I only know they didn’t show today.’
Ella had the feeling in her stomach that she was going to be sick.
‘Don’t go to pieces, me little Ella. We’ve to go about this a different way, that’s all. Tell the driver to come back tonight, at around one a.m. We have checked the residence and found that entry to it is not going to be difficult. We’re going to have to break in during the night and take your child that way.’
‘No, Shamus, it is too dangerous. Let’s try our original plan tomorrow. It may just have been the cold and the snow that prevented them going out today. I know it has been cold since we got here, but today was exceptionally so.’
‘No, we go tonight. I have plans for my time at home, and it is already that I will be late for that. Besides, people are beginning to notice us and know that we are not from around here. One person even approached us today, on the pretence of asking for a light for his cigarette, and then tried to engage us in conversation. They look afraid of us. So if one of them alerts the local police, we will be done for.’
Ella was shocked at this. ‘It could be that they think you are Russians. Were you followed here?’
‘No, we made sure of that. Now, make the arrangements with the driver and we will talk inside. Try not to make him suspicious, although the thought of the pay packet he is to receive will probably do the trick.’
Ella walked over to the cab. Shamus had given her some money to give to the cabby, but how was she to convince him that what they were doing wasn’t anything to be alarmed about?
‘We are not going to the station, driver, not yet. My husband was expecting to meet someone today, who is an important business associate, but he didn’t make the rendezvous.’ Suddenly she had the idea to use the man who had asked for a light. ‘He sent a messenger that he was delayed, and so we are not yet finished with your services.’
‘Are you trying to get out of paying what you promised? I don’t like this. Why should I have to wait for a long time, and not talk about anything that I see? And when I do so, I am not to be paid what I was told I would be paid. Are you spies?’
‘No. Please wait a moment. I do have a good pay packet for you here, but I have to speak with my husband.’
Going inside the hotel, she told Shamus how the driver was getting suspicious and wanted his money for the job he’d done.
Shamus was quiet for a moment. Ella waited, fearful of this change of events and for their safety, if people began to suspect them. Her country was in turmoil, and no one trusted anyone else.
‘I can only think that we must abandon our plans and go home, Ella.’
‘No. Please, no. Let’s talk about it. Shamus, will you pay out more to get my child back? You know it is what our future hangs on.’
‘What are you thinking?’
‘Pay the cabby what we promised, then tell him that he can have the same again, if he picks us up later.’
‘It is that you ask a lot of me, Ella, but yes. I just want us home and to begin the new life we’ve promised each other.’
Ella took the whole of the payment to the driver. For a moment he was hesitant about returning. But the promise of extra money swayed him.
As Ella returned to Shamus, he asked her to book them into the hotel for a further night. ‘We’re safe here; no one suspects us as you do all the talking, and we have been careful not to make ourselves noticed.’
Once back in their room, Ella asked about the plan Shamus had, and said again that she wasn’t happy about them having to enter her sister’s home.
‘Ella, if we are to get your wee one back for you, it has to be done tonight, and we have to be on the road as soon as we have got the child. And it is that you will have to come with us. We will need you to be telling your sister what it is that we want, unless it is that they speak English?’
Ella never thought she would have to get involved, but simply accept her child back and take him home. But now she could see that she must. ‘No, they don’t speak a word of English.’ Thank goodness. It would be disastrous if Shamus could understand them, as then he would surely find out about the money they paid me! ‘But they are not easy or reasonable people; they could match you, when it comes to being ruthless. They won’t be frightened into giving up my Paulo.’
‘What hold is it that they have over him, that we have to go to all this trouble?’
‘I – I’m not saying they have a hold over him. It is just that I gave him to them willingly, and they will have been treating him like their own son. They wanted nothing to do with me when I turned up; they were only interested in me giving up my child to them.’
‘And for that they gave you nothing?’
Ella could see that, although it had taken him a while to think this through, suspicions were beginning to seep into him.
She had to use the old tactic of attacking, not defending. ‘No, they gave me nothing. After all, I had been forced to take him to them, if you remember? I had no bargaining power. Vile threats hung over me, if I returned home with my baby.’
‘Aye, well, that is the truth of it, and I’ve been for saying that I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry isn’t enough, if you are still going to make veiled accusations towards me about everything that occurs to you not being how it should be. My sister is ruthless. You know that she took my inheritance and gave me nothing. You know that she took my baby and gave me nothing. She will not give up what she wants. This won’t be a matter of me telling her that I have come for my child, and that is that.’
Shamus stared at her. His eyes betrayed his temper. When he spoke, it was a relief to Ella to find that it wasn’t directed at her.
‘In that case, the child still has to be snatched. But we have to be in and out of there very quickly. For that, we will still need you, as you know the layout of the apartment, and even which one it is, when we manage to get inside.’
‘How will you get inside? The main door is huge and heavy and has many locks.’
‘To be sure there’s not a door in the world that my man, Michael, cannot get through, so that isn’t a worry. And if, in this instance, he can’t, then he can scale the drainpipe and get in through a window. I imagine that the one above the door is over the stairs and doesn’t lead directly into anyone’s apartment?’
‘Yes, I think that is so, as the stairs that lead to each apartment are facing the door.’
‘Well then, it is as I say: getting in isn’t a problem. Any lock that Michael cannot pick from the outside, he can pick from the inside. We will go in, once we know that the house has settled and the occupants are all likely to be asleep. Only you and I will go in. Michael, once he has done his job, will re-join Patrick, and they will keep an eye out along the street.’
‘What about the cab driver? Won’t he be even more suspicious than he must already be?’
‘He can do as he has been doing – waiting at the top of the street. I think it is that we have him in our palms once more. Money has spoken to him.’
Ella sighed. There was no going back; she’d come to get her child and no matter what she had to do to achieve that, she was going to go through with it. She only hoped it all went smoothly, and they could get Paulo and leave without anyone being the wiser until the morning.