Ella couldn’t believe that she was once more inside her sister’s apartment when, hours later, and finding the apartment block in darkness, they were let in through the door by Michael. It seemed that no locked door could keep him out, because getting through the main door had taken him no time at all, even though he’d had to scale the drainpipe and climb through the window. He’d soon been on the other side, tackling the locks and bolts. And getting through the door that led to the apartment hadn’t given him any problems at all.
Once inside, the hall was in darkness. Ella, with Shamus close on her heels, had to feel her way around until her eyes adjusted and her vision became clearer. Leading Shamus to the nursery, she couldn’t believe how simple this was turning out to be. Soon she was leaning over her sleeping baby boy. Her heart jolted with pain that was mixed with joy. Paulo seemed so huge, compared to the tiny mite she had given birth to.
Lifting him gently, Ella held Paulo to her, whilst taking a soft toy that lay beside him and the blanket that had been tucked around him. Carefully she wrapped this round him and snuggled his toy close to him. She hoped that, with these familiar things, he wouldn’t detect anything different and would sleep through them taking him out of the apartment.
A voice had Ella standing ridged with fear.
‘Where are you going, darling?’
‘Nowhere – I’m just wanting the loo. I will look in on Heniek on my way back.’
‘You’re too fussy for a father. Leave him to sleep; you may disturb him by opening the door and letting the light in.’
‘I won’t.’
Ella’s whole body trembled as she saw Shamus dash to stand behind the door. From the pocket of his coat he took what looked like a truncheon.
‘No, Shamus! I said that no one was to get hurt.’ Ella’s whisper sounded to her as if she had shouted at the top of her voice. Her blood ran cold in her veins. She clung on to her child.
A flickering light showed under the door, and the handle moved downwards. From being icy cold, Ella broke out in a sweat.
‘Abram, please don’t go into the nursery. Let our child sleep!’
He let out a huge sigh. ‘But I heard something.’
‘No, you didn’t. If you wake him, I will not forgive you. He has been fractious all day. He needs his sleep.’
Abram stood for a moment, with the door ajar. Ella prayed he would do as Calek said. She closed her eyes.
The door shut. Ella listened to the sounds of Abram going across the landing and then of a door closing. Just as she was letting relief in, a noise could be heard from the other side of the connecting door – the one that she knew led to the nanny’s room. Once more Ella froze, waiting to be caught out. But nothing happened. After a few moments Shamus gestured to her to follow him.
On shaky legs that she didn’t think would support her, Ella kept close behind Shamus, carrying Paulo carefully. Soon they were outside and running up the street towards the cab. Once settled inside, Shamus bade her tell the driver to go as fast as he could to the station. The horse’s hooves sounded like a million drummers beating their doom. No one spoke, and her little Paulo didn’t open his eyes.
When they reached the station, the bitter December wind whipped Ella as she opened the taxi door. ‘Wherever the next train is going, we must get on it. We have to get away from here – as far away as we can.’
‘Don’t panic, me little darling. You have what is rightly yours. Now pay the driver and don’t let him know anything about our onward journey.’
The driver wasn’t easily satisfied. ‘How do you come to have a baby now? I don’t like this, it is all very strange.’
‘You are being paid to deliver us where we need to be, not to ask questions. Here is your money.’
‘I think I am worth more. I can go straight to the police and tell them what I have seen.’
‘I’ll have to ask my husband. Please wait.’
Shamus listened to what Ella had to say, his face deepening with anger with each word. ‘So it is that he thinks he can double-cross us, eh? Get yourself and the child away onto the station. I’ll see to him.’
Ella started to protest, but Shamus was having none of it. ‘We’ve got what you want, and it is that we’ve done your bidding in this, but I’m not about to take my chances on going to prison in a foreign country because of it. You’ll be doing as I say, Ella.’
His attitude brooked no argument. Ella knew that she was powerless; she had little Paulo to think of, and they weren’t safe yet. If only the driver hadn’t been so greedy. She could understand him being suspicious of their activities, but having taken on the job and been paid what amounted to two years’ wages, why couldn’t he just have kept his mouth shut and gone on his way?
With tears rolling down her face, Ella walked through the doorway of the station into the lobby and waited. Her body shook with fear at what might happen to the driver and she wanted to run outside and help him, but knew it would be useless to do so, as she had no way of guaranteeing that the driver wouldn’t betray them.
The three days that it took them to get back to London had been draining. Paulo had been fractious from the moment he woke, and Ella was worn out and feeling desolate. Her confidence was shaken, as she asked herself if she had done the right thing by her son. What if he never settled? What if he pined so much for those he had come to look upon as his parents that he became ill? And yes, part of her anguish was for Calek and Abram. How were they going to feel, when they found their child gone?
They would know that it was Ella who had done this to them. But then, she thought, maybe they deserved to feel a taste of the agony of losing a child they loved.
A picture came to her of what had happened: how Calek had stopped Abram from checking on his child. And Calek’s reasoning that he shouldn’t disturb Paulo. Was that her real reason? Or was she of the same jealous nature as her mother, and hated the attention that Abram wanted to give Paulo? After all, Paulo had shown that he wasn’t easily disturbed; he’d slept right through being taken and hadn’t woken until they were on the train.
These thoughts settled her, because if she was right, then Calek’s jealousy would only have grown, and might have manifested itself in her coming to hate Paulo. And then what would his life have become? Having come to this conclusion, Ella’s mind eased, and she set about working out a routine for Paulo. Her heart was full of love for him, and as the days went on, she saw a response in him towards her, as they bonded in the way that only a mother and her child can.
But between herself and Shamus, all was not well. The incident of the driver’s fate hung between them. Ella feared the worst, because when they had thought her asleep, Shamus and his two men had joked about how Shamus had got all of his money back. Ella feared this could only mean one thing: that the driver was dead.
This hung heavily over her and, where Shamus was concerned, put a cold barrier around her. As they lay in bed together, Ella kept herself as far away from him as she could and lay stiffly, afraid that he might touch her.
‘How is it that I get you your deepest desire, and am willing to be a father to your child, and yet you revert to being cold with me? I’m not for having it, Ella. You promised that all would be better than it was. And we had found a happy place together.’
‘You murdered that poor driver.’
‘Ella, it is that I had no choice. Wouldn’t you and I be languishing in jail in Poland, if I hadn’t have sorted him? He was for being to blame.’
‘But it is knowing what you are capable of – I cannot condone it. He was a husband and father. Why didn’t you just take him along with us until we were safely on the boat, and then let him make his own way back?’
‘Oh, it is that you can come up with solutions now, then? I didn’t hear you make any protest at the time. Besides, can you imagine the cabby sitting with us and being quite happy to be taken to France, and not to try to escape or call out for help? You are for being impractical. Put it out of your wee head, me little Ella, and let us get back to how we were. It is that you should be very pleased with how I went to a strange country and snatched your baby for you.’
Ella knew he was right, and yet so very wrong. Her own confusion didn’t help her.
Shamus pulled her into his arms. ‘Come here, me little darling – let Shamus make you happy.’ As he said this he curled his leg around her body. And she could feel his need.
Against all that she wished to feel, a spark of reaction started up inside her and she wanted to yield to him, to have Shamus make love to her and take her to a place where there was no doubt in her. Part of her was disgusted with herself that it only took his caressing to make this happen.
As Shamus lay snoring gently, having set her alight and having quelled her desire, Ella stared into the darkness. What had she become? How could the desires of her body overrule her instincts? This man lying beside her, who had a hold over her, was a wicked, evil man, she knew that, so why did she give her all to him? When Paulo was alive, there were few times they could make love, and she had accepted that. She hadn’t longed for it to happen, but had been in heaven when it did. Shamus had awoken a more animal instinct in her, a passion that she couldn’t deny and that she hungered for. And yes, she hated herself for it.
Watching him sleeping as if he hadn’t a care in the world, she knew that he was a complex man. A very handsome man, and one who knew how to treat a woman and bring out the raw desire that lay in her; and one who could be very loving and caring. But in all this, she had to remember that Shamus was ruthless, if crossed. And she had to remember all the vile things he’d done. Was she really prepared to spend the rest of her life with such a man? To have her son brought up by him?
A realization hit her as if lightning had struck. No. No! No! I have to get away from him. What has happened to me, that I could ever think I could be happy with Shamus? His threats kept me imprisoned, but I have negated them. Rowena is safe, and now I must get away, too. I have to get my baby to safety. We will go to Flors in France, as I had always planned to.
For a moment, Ella pondered how she was going to do this. Arnie came into her mind. He would help her. Tomorrow she would leave him a note.