Chapter Thirty-Four
Loss is a strange thing to think about. It affects everyone differently. It affects lives in such unexpected ways. Ruth had experienced loss before. Her mother died when she was eleven. Her grandmother died when she was fifteen. And now, at age twenty-seven, she lost her grandfather.
King Richard had been the biggest figure in Ruth's life since the moment she was born. He was king, which meant that he was the most important person in the country. And due to that status, Ruth's life was precluded from being at all like anyone else's. She was photographed professionally from the time she was an infant. She had been given the best schooling. She had everything she could have ever asked for. Not that Ruth herself had ever really developed extravagant tastes like her grandparents or her uncle; but whatever Ruth wanted, it was provided to her.
But none of it meant anything to her, not really. Being a princess was a burden more than anything else. Ruth wanted to fade into the background and just be a normal person. She'd never really felt that until she met Harry. He never treated her specially because of her status, as everyone else did—even at her schools and at Army Intelligence, where she'd been allowed to live as normally as she could manage. Harry treated her specially because of who she was as Ruth, not as Princess Louisa and all the baggage that entailed.
Before Harry, Ruth's favorite and most important people had been her father and grandfather. Dad was warm and quiet and smart and kind, and she loved him more than anyone in the world. Grandfather, while also warm and smart and kind, had a power about him as king that shone in every aspect of his life. He had shown Ruth what royalty was really for, what the strength of a unifying leader can give to a country, what the importance of a figurehead was for their citizens as well as for international relations. King Richard ruled the country and its colonies fairly and decently, but his inner strength ensured that no one ever questioned his decisions. It was a strength Ruth had never really felt she possessed, for she was always so unsure and so terrified of making a mistake and being wrong and ruining things. It was why she'd never sought the spotlight and never wanted to be promoted above her station at work. She was good at what she did, she knew, but having someone higher up to defer to made it all a bit safer. The king did not have that luxury, and Ruth did not envy it.
All these thoughts filled her mind as she stood in the cathedral. The funeral was lavish and crowded and somber. In the front pew were Uncle Edmund—who was now King Edmund III—and his wife. Beside the new king was Ruth's father, Prince James. Ruth and Harry were just behind them. Graham and Catherine were beside Harry and behaving very well.
The service seemed to go on forever, and Ruth's attention drifted. Edmund would be giving a eulogy very soon, and she'd pay attention at that. But for now, she was lost in her thoughts. She wanted to think about her grandfather, how good he had been to her and how much she loved him. Though every time she really let herself think about how much he meant to her, she started crying again. It was a blessing she could wear the mourning veil to hide her red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Her breath hitched as she started to cry once more, and Harry subtly took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Oh Harry, what would she ever do without him? It had been one of the greatest joys of her life that Grandfather had gotten to know Harry and that the two liked each other so much. And Grandfather had gotten to know Graham and Catherine, just a little bit, and had doted on them as well. Apparently he had even made small provisions for his step-great-grandchildren in his estate. There were rules, of course, about royal testamentary bequests, but for what he did have the power to devise, the idea that he'd thought of Ruth's new family meant the world to her.
The congregation was asked to sit and the new king was invited to the pulpit. Ruth watched closely as her uncle went up with his notes and stood in front of the crowd. Though he'd been a bit brash and cavalier towards Ruth to cause her to avoid him when possible for most of her life, she could not deny that King Edmund carried the gravitas of a monarch. He'd known from the day he was born that this was the role he would fill. He'd been trained for it. And now the time was upon him.
"My friends and family, loyal citizens of our country, for all that our lives are different in so many ways, we are all of us in mourning for our sovereign. King Richard V was undoubtedly one of the greatest kings in our history. His strength helped us survive the horrors of the war and the terrible losses we sustained. His leadership expanded our colonial reach to bring prosperity and resources to our land.
"But even without these great triumphs, he would still be lauded as a great king for the simple reason that he was beloved. From radio and television addresses to visits all across the land, he showed his true gifts to all who encountered him. He was strong, but it was his kindness that gave him strength. He was powerful, but it was his good humor and shrewd intelligence that gave him power. I have been, I think, the luckiest man in all the world because this great man, this great king, was my father. In training me for the role that I now fill, I was fortunate to spend a great deal of time with him. I saw firsthand how seriously he took his duties. How he cared so deeply about the welfare of his people and the happiness of all he knew.
"He was a king, first and foremost, but he was a truly good man. He loved his family and took care of us all, both me and my brother, Prince James, as well as the king's only grandchild, Princess Louisa. In the last year of his life, when he was beset by illness and a weakness this great man had never before contemplated, he told me often that his family was his greatest personal achievement, and seeing how James and I have taken up our royal duties had made him so proud. And being alive to witness Princess Louisa grow into a woman and now a wife with a family of her own brought him his greatest joy.
"The whole world mourns a great king, and knowing he was so beloved is a comfort to me now. But I mourn my father, a great man. I hope that I can live up to the precedent he has set as I take his place. It is my birthright by the laws of our country that I am now your king, but I am sure I shall always feel that it is King Richard's crown that shall sit upon my head."
If it had been any occasion other than a funeral, Ruth would have applauded that speech. The words were from the heart, she knew, and Edmund delivered them beautifully. He was, already, a great king, and Ruth was proud of him.
King Edmund took his seat again and his wife took his hand. Ruth's good feeling left her, then, knowing that it was Queen Juliet who now stood in front of her. There would be no escape now from her. Until the day she died, she would be Queen Juliet. It was a title that Ruth felt sure, particularly based on Harry's experience with her in that past, that Juliet felt she was entitled to. She'd stolen her way up the rungs of the societal ladder to make herself queen. Edmund's tendency to defer to her might prove disastrous, even if he did have the makings of a great king. Ruth could only hope and pray that Juliet did not end up an evil queen.
The funeral ended soon after, and the family took their place in the last ceremonial task of tossing dirt over the king's casket where it was lowered into his place within the mighty cathedral. As was tradition, the order matched that of the succession. First King Edmund, then Prince James, then Princess Louisa. The spouses—Juliet then Harry—were given their chance after. Graham and Catherine were not invited to do the same, and they stayed back in the pew as Ruth and Harry went to pay their final respects.
As soon as it was done, Harry took Ruth's hand and led her and the children out to where Tom was waiting with the car. No one spoke at all, sensing that Ruth very much did not want conversation. Her whole heart felt numb with sadness and loss. And as they drove back, she rested her head on Harry's shoulder. Feeling him gently kiss her hair was a small comfort.