Rescuing Rose (46 page)

'You are the weakest link!' I heard Rudy shout. Yes, I thought ruefully. She
was
the weakest link when she should have been the strongest, but now we had the chance to put things right.

'Theo, thank you so much for all your support about my mother, ' I said as I went back into the kitchen. 'I'm very grateful because there's no way I would have started this search if it weren't for you. '

His stiffness suddenly evaporated, and he smiled one of his lopsided little smiles. 'That's okay, Rose. I'm sorry I badgered you, but I felt that you did really want to find her, reading between the lines. ' I smiled. Theo had read between my lines, with a hundred per cent accuracy, where I hadn't read between them myself. 'But you might be disappointed, 'he added, 'so you'll have to prepare yourself for that. '

'I know. But even if I never find her, just
wanting
to makes me feel so much better. The fact that I don't hate her any more. '

'I don't think you ever really did hate her, ' he suggested quietly. 'You were just angry with her, that's all. '

'Yes, ' I agreed. 'I was. I was just
so
angry, ' I added. 'I think that's why I was so uptight. But now it's as though a wall in my mind has come down. Now there's the possibility that we might actually meet: or maybe just speak to each other over the phone. Hearing her voice would be like a resurrection, as though she'd died but come back to life. '

'But it could take months until you hear anything—if you ever do—so you can't afford to get your hopes up too much. And you need to have things to look forward to, Rose, to distract you while you're waiting. '

'You're absolutely right. I do. ' I glanced at the noticeboard where there was an invitation from Beverley to the Dogs of Distinction prize-giving ceremony, marked
Theo & Rose. Theo & Rose
, she'd written.
Theo & Rose
. I liked seeing our names linked like that.

'Well I'd certainly like to go to this, ' I said as I took it down. 'Are you going?'

Theo looked affronted at the question. 'Of
course
! It's Trevor's big night. '

The ceremony was the following Thursday evening at the Kensington Roof Gardens. Theo and I went in the taxi with Beverley and Trevor who were both a bundle of nerves.

'It's not the winning, Trev, ' she said to him again as we bounced along, 'it's the taking part. ' He raised one sceptical eyebrow then she got his brush out of his coat pocket and tidied his fur.

'He looks gorgeous, ' I said as she groomed him. 'If there was an award for most handsome hound he'd get it. Who's dishing out the prizes?'

'Trevor McDonald?'

'What, the real one?'

'You mean the
other
one, ' she corrected me.

'Right, ' said Theo, as we turned off High Street Kensington into Derry Street, 'we're here. '

As we got out of the taxi in the deepening twilight, we saw the other competitors going in. There were setters and spaniels and collies and retrievers, pugs and King Charles cavaliers. We got the lift up to the top floor, where the champagne reception was in full swing. As we went in we spotted a gigantic box of
Dogochox
, the competition's sponsors, and there were photographers everywhere.

'The puparazzi are out in force, ' I remarked as Theo pushed Bev through the throng. 'And there's a film crew. Ooh, isn't that the actress, Emily Woof?'

'Yes it is. And Sue Barker's over there. '

'How many finalists are there?' I asked Bev.

'Twelve. Here, ' she handed me a press release. 'This is what we're up against. ' I glanced through a few of the other nominations. There was George, a bull mastiff, who had alerted passersby to a fire in his house and who had saved the lives of his two companions—a cat and a hamster.
Firemen broke into the house and rescued George, who kept barking at them until they went back in to save the cat and the hamster, who had to be revived with oxygen
. Then there was Whiskey, a blind Labrador, whose favourite pastime is climbing mountains and who had scaled Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon.
He guides himself with his well-adapted nose, and is hoping to conquer Mont Blanc next
.

'Wow!' I breathed as I read on.
Rupert, a Pets As Therapy dog visits hospitals and children's homes and even encouraged one little boy, who was thought to be dumb, to speak
. A retriever called Popeye, a Hearing Dog, had saved his owner from a heart attack by dialling 999. And Storm, a Customs and Excise Dog, had sniffed out four million pounds worth of hard drugs, and Misty had raised a million pounds for charity by walking from Land's End to John o'Groats. There were guide dogs, and dogs who'd saved people from raging rivers, and who'd rescued children lost on Welsh hills. No wonder the anagram of 'dog' is 'God' I thought as I read the last citation.
Trevor, a golden Labrador from Helping Paw has become indispensable to his owner, Beverley, after she had a devastating accident three years ago. 'Life without Trevor is simply not worth living, ' Beverley says. 'When I got him I felt that all my birthdays and Christmases had come at once. ' In addition to helping her with all her household chores, gardening and shopping, Trevor writes a weekly column for the Daily Post, whose circulation, according to official ABC figures, he has raised by a staggering 10 per cent. He has also been an energetic and successful fund-raiser for Helping Paw
—
a truly talented dog
!

As we circulated at the champagne reception Trevor was interviewed by several journalists about his role in Beverley's life.

'How many commands has he got?… five hundred?… Is there anything he can't do?… How would you manage without him Beverley?… Does he ever get a day off?'

'Can he do a trick for us?' I heard one of them ask.

'No, ' Bev protested. 'He can't. He's a professional assistance dog, not a circus performer. '

'Good point, ' said Theo under his breath.

A gong suddenly sounded and we were summoned in to dinner. By now the atmosphere had become more intense.

'—Don't worry, Trixie—you're a very
special
little dog. '

'—Patch—don't bite your claws!'

'—Stop that, Fido! Stop it! Right now!'

'—Oh God, he's been sick!'

'—It's just nerves. '

There were about a hundred and fifty people plus the nominated dogs who sprawled under the tables, receiving scraps from their owners who were far too anxious to eat. As the wine flowed, the collective mood now became distinctly competitive.

'—Snoopy was a finalist at the Golden Bonio award too you know. '

'—So was Shep. '

'—Well, Frisky was second in his class at World of Dogs last year. '

'—And Whiskey can count. '

'—Wags can count
and
spell. Quite difficult words actually. '

'—Well, Trudy can type—really fast. '

Bev looked at me and rolled her eyes. I tried to talk to my neighbour but he was engaged in oneupdogship with the person on his right.

'—Woofy's got five "O" levels. '

'—Bobby's got eight. And two "A" levels. '

'—I bet he hasn't got his pilot's licence though!'

'—No, but he's learning to drive. '

Theo was trying not to laugh while Beverley looked vaguely appalled. It wasn't Trevor's fellow competitors who were the problem so much as the other dog lovers who'd paid to attend. Suddenly a wine glass was clinked to call the room to attention, and the other Trevor McDonald got to his feet. He welcomed us all, then read out the nominations. I looked round the room; knuckles were white.

'We have come here this evening to honour these Dogs of Distinction, ' he began as I clutched my napkin. 'The difference they make to the lives of their owners, as well as the wider community, is incalculable. Their sense of duty, personal and public, is unparalleled. Choosing the winning dog from such a field has been a near-impossible task. Thankfully that didn't fall to me, but to the panel of judges who have now made their choice. Ladies and Gentleman, ' he went on, opening the shiny gold envelope. 'I know you're all in suspense, so I'll be brief. I am delighted to announce that this year's
Dogochox
Dog of Distinction is… ' he pulled out the card, and a hush fell. He laughed. '… My namesake—Trevor McDonald!' I gasped with delight. Theo hugged Beverley, whose face was a mask of astonishment, then stood up to help get her chair through the throng. He wheeled her up to the stage, accompanied by Trev as everyone applauded. But behind the polite clapping I could already hear slightly, well, bitchy things being said.

'Fix!' someone behind me whispered. 'Just because he's got the same name. '

'It's because of his media contacts, ' said another. 'You know, because of that column he writes. '

'—You don't really think
he
writes that do you?'

'—No, I think it's
her. '

'—Never mind darling, we'll try again next year. '

'—Is there any more booze?'

And now Beverley was on the podium, Trevor alongside, amiably wagging his tail while she received the prize. Another hush descended as a technician attached a small clip-on microphone to her lapel, and she spoke.

'Ladies and gentlemen, ' she began shyly. 'I'd like first of all to thank
Dogochox
at whose invitation we're all here. And next I'd like to thank the panel of judges for choosing Trevor to be the winner of this year's award. He's prouder and more privileged than he—or I—can possibly express. He's asked me to make a very short speech on his behalf, basically to say… ' she drew in her breath, '… that he politely declines to accept. '

A collective gasp went round the room.

'—What??

'—Wass going on?'

'—What's she talking about?'

'Trevor feels that he can't accept this prize, however prestigious, for the simple reason that he feels that it's… wrong. It's wrong to put one brilliant and brave dog above another, ' she went on, her voice audibly shaking. 'And so he'd like to share the prize with all his fellow nominees—which means we have the trophy for one month each. As for the £1000 cheque, I suggest that it be donated to some animal charity of our choice. Thank you very much everyone, and well, ' she smiled and then shrugged, 'that's it. '

'Wow!' I heard someone say behind me. Beverley was surrounded by photographers and journalists as everyone shook their heads in plain disbelief.

'—How
amazing
!'

'—A bit controversial though. '

'—What a nice dog!'

'—What a nice woman. '

'—Well I think they've got a good point. '

Now, as the shock subsided, Beverley and Trevor were given a huge round of applause, then she called all the other dogs up onto the stage and flashbulbs were popping and journalists were frantically tapping into their laptops. Beverley's mobile rang, and I saw her get it out, and a huge smile lit up her face.

'Hi!' I heard her say—the clip-on microphone was still attached to her jacket, —'he won. He won!' she shouted. 'Sorry, it's a very bad line. He won—but he's refused it. Yes, that's right. ' She was clearly telling Hamish what had happened, her face radiating joy and relief. 'Well he didn't feel it was right. ' I heard her add. 'No, I agree with him one hundred per cent. How's it going where you are?' she asked. 'It's hot is it? Ooh, lucky you. '

I opened
The Times
the next morning to find a photo of Beverley and Trevor on page two headlined 'FUR FLIES AT CANINE AWARD'. The
Daily News
facetiously dismissed it as a 'Puplicity Stunt'. The
Daily Post
had a big photo of the two Trevor McDonalds together, headlined,
Well I Never, Trevor!! The Daily Post's columnist, golden Labrador Trevor McDonald sensationally declined to accept the Dog of Distinction award at yesterday's ceremony
, I read as I sat at my desk.
Newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald (no relation) presenting the honour, was taken aback by his namesake's decision not to accept the prize. 'I was flabbergasted, ' Sir Trevor commented afterwards. 'But Trevor had clearly given it serious thought. '
I looked at Beverley as she opened the day's post.

'Bev, you and Trev are famous. '

She shrugged. 'It's just our fifteen minutes, that's all. It'll soon blow over, ' she said calmly, 'and then life will be nice and humdrum once more. '

'Everyone's talking about Trevor, ' said Bea when she rang me later that morning. 'He's becoming quite a celeb. He'll be opening supermarkets before long and appearing on
Have I Got News For You
. Perhaps I ought to get him back in the shop, ' she mused, 'he'd be a tremendous draw. '

'Sorry, Bea, but I need him here. Anyway, how's the business going?'

'It's actually going rather well. We've had three new commissions just this week. The only fly in the ointment is Bella's chronic lack of concentration, ' she added bitterly. 'Her mind's not on the job. But that's because she spends far too much time thinking about that idiot, and I just know that something's going to go wrong. '

'Bea, ' I said. 'If you don't give them some space it
will
go wrong. Don't spoil it for Bella. It's up to her who she dates and maybe this is her big chance. '

'I'm not spoiling things, ' she said hotly, 'I'm protecting her, and she'll thank me for it one day. Honestly, Rose, I just know that Andrew's going to let her down with a nasty bump. '

'Let her be the judge of that, Bea. I agree that he's a creep but—and tell me to get lost—I think you should let Bella make her own mistakes. '

'Hmm. Well the same might well be said of you and Ed. You're not going to move back in with him are you, Rose?'

I fiddled with the phone cord. 'No, of course not. Don't be absurd. '

'I'd like you to move back in, ' Ed said the following night as we sat sipping Sauvignon in Bertorelli's. He took my hand in his and held it to his lips. 'I miss you, Rose. I'm so lonely without you. '

'Ed, ' I said quietly, 'it's too soon. After all, there's no hurry is there? I'm just very relieved that we're getting on so well. '

He stroked my fingers, then sighed. 'But it's a month since we've started seeing each other again. That's quite a long time. '