‘He must be somewhere,’ Audrey exclaimed in exasperation. She was almost buckling under the pressure of having to say goodbye to her daughters and prepare her getaway the following day with Louis.
‘Can’t you buy her another one?’ said Alicia to Aunt Edna.
‘Of course I can,’ she lied. ‘There are lots where he comes from.’
‘But I don’t want another one. I want Saggy Rabbit. He’ll be miserable without me,’ Leonora wailed.
Alicia rolled her eyes. ‘He’s only a toy,’ she said sulkily.
‘No he’s not. He’s my friend,’ Leonora responded with a ferociousness that astounded her sister.
‘I’ve searched her bedroom twice,’ said Rose, shaking her head. ‘I can’t imagine where he’s gone. Did you take him to the Club, dear?’
Leonora shook her head.
‘I had him last night,’ she replied. ‘I always sleep with him.’
‘He’s not down my bed,’ said Audrey. ‘Oh dear,’ she sighed. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘He’ll probably turn up once you’ve gone,’ said Louis kindly. ‘We’ll take great care of him and I’ll bring him to you personally when I fly to England.’
‘You promise?’ Leonora sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm.
Louis knelt down and drew the trembling child into his arms. ‘I promise,’ he said and kissed her wet face. ‘He’ll be safe with me.’
So Leonora was persuaded to fly without Saggy Rabbit. Audrey, Edna, Rose and Louis stood on the roof at the airport and waved off the two little girls for another year. Edna and Rose were reduced to tears while Audrey just watched, pale and anxious, as Alicia walked across the tarmac with her arm around Leonora. Then their faces appeared in the small round window of the plane. She couldn’t see that Leonora was crying, but felt sure she was and her throat ached. Louis put a hand on her back, the most he could do to comfort her without raising suspicion. ‘You’ll see them soon,’ he whispered as the noise of the engines drowned his voice. She nodded at him mutely. If all went according to plan she would see them in a few days. So why was she so unhappy?
That night she lay in the darkness beside her husband. She listened to the rhythm of his breathing and tried not to think about the hurt she was going to cause him. He had drunk too much so his breathing grew heavier until it rumbled into a loud snore. His drinking had now become a habit that he was unable to control. He didn’t realize that his character was beginning to be affected by the poison that swelled his liver. He was becoming short-tempered and volatile. Audrey had noticed but she had been too busy with the children and Louis to dwell on it. After all, why should she care? She was leaving him.
When Cecil left for the office the following morning, he kissed his wife on her taut cheek and mumbled to his brother in an irritable fashion, then opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine. Louis and Audrey were left alone. They looked at each other nervously, too anxious to smile. ‘I’ll go and pack now,’ she said, biting her lip. Louis suddenly pulled her behind the door and kissed her.
‘I’ll meet you at the airport at midday,’ he whispered urgently. ‘What are you going to do about Cecil?’
‘I’ll write him a note and leave it in the hall.’
‘Good.’
‘I’m frightened,’ she said in a tremulous voice.
‘Me too, but you’ll be fine when you’re on the aeroplane.’
‘I hope so.’
‘It’s meant to be. Audrey, my love, we’re meant to be together. Love is stronger than both of us.’
‘I know. I’m just so afraid.’
‘Of what?’
‘Of hurting people.’
‘They’ll live, Audrey. You’re doing this for you and you deserve it. You owe it to yourself.’ Then he pressed his lips against her forehead. ‘Don’t forget your dreams, Audrey, my love, and that I’ve built mine around you.’
At that moment they heard Mercedes’ footsteps in the hall as she made towards the dining room to clear away the breakfast. They wrenched themselves apart and Louis wandered across to the piano where he sat down and began to play. Once more he played the tune he had composed for her. Audrey left him there and climbed the stairs to her room to pack in a small suitcase those things from her life that she wished to take with her. A little later she heard the door close and knew that he had gone. The next time she saw him would be at the airport. The first step towards a new life together. Without thinking any more about it she began to pack.