Page 107 of The Stolen Child

She leaned in and whispered into his soft, downy hair, ‘If I take you now, then your mummy will have no choice but to follow us. She’ll leave your bad daddy behind her. Reggie will tell her where to find us. I couldn’t keep Bertie safe, but if I take you with me now I can make sure that nothing bad ever happens to you.’

And then, in a move that would change everyone’s lives forever, Elsie slipped out of the salon and got into the back of the car.

BEFORE

July 1981

Elsie

Gardiner Street Apartments, Dublin

One week had passed since Elsie had left London.

Reggie had driven her to Liverpool. It took a little bit of time to make him understand why she’d taken Zach on her own. He was angry, and this made Elsie doubt herself. She told Reggie to turn round and bring them home. But he refused, saying they’d both be locked up for abduction. They had no choice but to go on.

They met the forty-foot lorry driver a mile from the port. His name was Lloyd, and he wasn’t chatty, barely giving her or Zach a quick glance. A duvet, water and snacks had been placed in the back of the lorry. Elsie suspected she wasn’t the first fugitive Lloyd had secreted away across the Irish Sea. She made Reggie promise again that he’d get in touch with Sally, and help her follow on too.

There wasn’t a moment that Elsie didn’t fret about Sally and what she might be dealing with. She imagined Sally’s shock when she discovered Elsie and Zach had disappeared. Nicola was clever, though, and would understand the bigger picture. She’d make sure Sally saw why Elsie had no choice but to take Zach. Because Elsie knew better than anyone else what happens when action is not taken.

This way, Sally’s hand would be forced. And Elsie pushed down any guilt she felt. She was doing this out of her great love for Sally and Zach.

Zach had been a dream on the journey. Easy to comfort when he cried, with either a cuddle or a bottle. They’d both fallen asleep at some point in the night, waking in the early morning hours, not long before arriving at Dublin port. Lloyd warned her that they couldn’t make a sound as they departed the ship and passed through customs. While Zach sucked on a bottle, she rocked him gently in her arms.

Luck was on their side when they docked. They passed through customs without issue, and twenty minutes later, the truck came to a shuddering halt. Lloyd carried her suitcases, and brought her to the block of flats that would be their home for the foreseeable. A key had been left under a stone and, once Lloyd opened the front door, and left her cases in the hallway, he left with a gruff, ‘Good luck.’

The flat had two bedrooms – a double and a box room. It was fully furnished, and a crib was already set up in the corner of the living room. The cupboards and fridge were all fully stocked. Reggie had thought of everything.

He’d also insisted that she could not call anyone in London, including him, but that he’d be in touch when it was safe to do so about moving them on to Spain. So she spent the days playing with Zach, caring for his every need. She sang to him the same song she’d sung to his mummy, when Sally had arrived at the orphanage all those years ago. And her heart weighed heavy as she promised him that his mummy would be with them both soon.

There was a TV in the sitting room, but it only had two Irish channels, RTE One and RTE Two. Elsie watched the news every day, terrified that she’d see her face on the screen. But there was no mention of her or a missing baby over here in Ireland.

It was a strange feeling for Elsie, having so much time on her hands. Her long hours of charring, coupled with the Avon business, meant that she rarely had time to think.

Now, all she did was think.

Elsie knew that when Sally arrived she would need a backstory to go with her new identity. So Elsie rehearsed one for her, ready for Sally when she came. She tweaked and turned it many times until Elsie believed it to be airtight.

Sally’s new name was to be Kimberly Blair, a single mother. Elsie thought it sounded glamorous, and she was sure Sally would like it too. She had wanted Zach to keep his name, but Reggie felt it was best that he also had a new identity. So Zach was now Robert Blair. And Elsie couldn’t help think that this name suited him so much better. She had already stopped calling him Zach. Because the sooner the little boy got used to his new name, the better.

The rumble of a truck outside the flat made Elsie run to the window. Please let it be Lloyd back with Sally this time. But it was another false alarm. Elsie returned to the kitchenette and prepared a bottle for Robert, sighing as the scoop scraped the bottom of the can. She was running low on formula, and she needed fresh bread and milk for herself too, but Elsie was afraid to leave the flat. The news on RTE might not have covered the story, but what about the newspapers? For all she knew, their faces could be plastered all over the tabloids, and they’d be instantly recognised if she walked into a shop with Zach.

She shook her head in annoyance at herself.

Elsie walked over to Robert and scooped him up into her arms from his crib, giving him his bottle. He was a good boy, so easy to love. And Elsie’s heart had grown in ways she didn’t think were possible, every moment in his company. Her waking moments were in service to this little boy, who was now in her care.

‘Do you know Robert is a special name?’ she whispered to him. ‘You are named after a special boy that I loved dearly. As much as I love you now. Would you like to hear a story? Yes, I knew you would. Well, let’s start by telling you all about your mother – a woman called Kimberly, who is from Glasgow.’

Elsie chuckled, knowing Sally would appreciate this humorous touch, making Kimberly Scottish – like her beloved Sister Jones. Sally would have to practise her accent when she got here. Elsie could teach her that. Grinning to herself, she continued her make-believe story about Robert’s new family history in a lilting imitation of Sister Jones. She was happy with the story she created, believing it to be rock solid, and it would work for any nosy parkers who asked difficult questions.

Elsie heard movement along the corridor outside the flat. Even though she knew it was likely to be her neighbours, coming and going, her heart began to accelerate. And then she heard a rap on the front door.

Sally!

Or the police!

Elsie held her breath and tried to work out what she should do: ignore it, open it, ignore it, open it. A second rap and Robert cried out in response to the sound, which meant she could no longer pretend she wasn’t here.

Elsie prayed to a God she wasn’t sure she believed in that it would be Sally standing outside the flat. That she had found the strength to escape Ian, and that she was ready to join them in a new life.