Kate thought's 2
"Catherine, could you come here for a moment?"
Kate stopped, gently slipping her hand from Will's at the sound of Her Majesty's voice. They had been paying a visit to his grandmother's home, Will taking care to show her the sights of Windsor castle. She had personally fallen in love with St. George's cathedral but the overall effect of the place had been amazing. It truly was a splendid home.
"One moment dear, it'll just be a moment."
Will smiled, leaning over to peck Kate on the cheek.
"Just try to remember she doesn't bite."
Kate giggled, trying to keep her voice low so that the Queen wouldn't over hear them. She nodded at Will as he walked down the hall and then turned to enter Her Majesty's study.
The room was filled with volumes of books and had an overall feeling of warmth to it. The Queen sat behind a giant mahogany desk, sipping a cup of tea. She motioned to the chair across from her and Kate followed the directions, gracefully sitting down. She offered a small smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"You asked to see me?"
The Queen nodded, folding her tiny hands on top of the table. She looked towards the doors and the butler that stood there, smiling at him.
"Could you please get the item for me now? Close the doors on the way out, thank you."
The butler nodded, turning on his heel and walking out, closing the two massive doors behind him. Kate was beginning to grow nervous now, not sure where the conversation was really going to go. She tried to remember what Will had said, that she doesn't bite, but it was hard to get the idea out of her head when the Queen looked at her like that.
"Catherine dear, do you know who the Duke of York was?"
The Queen tilted her head slightly, staring at Kate.
Kate was drumming her fingers on her knee, quietly though so she didn't draw attention to it and was quite startled by the Queen's question. The last thing she had expected was for the conversation to turn into a history lesson. She was still fumbling for an answer when the Queen laughed lightly, her usually serious face turning up.
"Come now dear, I don't bite."
Kate laughed as well, the nervousness fading away. It always amazed her how alike Will and his grandmother were.
"Well, if I recall correctly, wasn't he your father?"
The Queen nodded, turning in her chair to reach behind her. When she faced Kate again, she had a picture in her hand. She smiled down at it before handing it to Kate.
"That's him on the left, though in that picture he was known as King George VI. That's my mother beside him."
Kate took the photo from the Queen's hands and stared down at the couple. They really were lovely together and Kate could see the resemblance between the Queen and her father. She nodded her head again, remembering small things Will had told her about his family history. She handed the frame back, placing her hands into her lap.
"They look lovely together."
The Queen nodded as well, turning around to place the photo back in its spot. As she moved to face Kate again, the butler entered again, carrying with him a small black, wooden box. He crossed the room and placed it on the table with the Queen, bowing slightly before crossing the room again and exiting.
"Did you notice what my mother was wearing in the photograph?"
The Queen was once again staring at Kate, her hands placed on the lid of the box.
Kate raked her brain, trying to recall but she hadn't stopped to notice that detail.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."
The box was facing Kate now and the Queen flipped the little latch on the outside, lifting the lid to reveal a blue velvet inside with the most gorgeous crown Kate had seen settled into the material.
Kate couldn't contain her gasp as she took in the beauty of the crown. The Queen seemed pleased by her reaction and proceeded to gently take the crown from the box.
"My father had this made for my mother in 1936 and was later passed to me on my 18th birthday. It's quite stunning isn't it?"
She didn't wait for Kate's answer but instead stood up from her chair, crown still in hand and walked around to Kate's side of the table.
"I've actually spent a lot of time mussing over which crown I would present to you to wear on your wedding day, but this one just seemed like it would go lovely with you. Would you like to try it on, just to see if it will work?"
Kate's heart stopped, every muscle of her body, every fiber of her brain focused on the fact that she was going to be wearing this crown on her wedding day. It meant the absolute world to her that the Queen had handpicked this for her but she quickly regained her composure and nodded her head, beaming as she answered.
"I would be honored to try it on."