End of an Era Part I.
Adam and Lawrence had to leave the former's parents' home fairly early on Saturday morning, but Annie Crawford what still up and about at the same time as her husband and son, preparing a full English breakfast for them home, a meal on a scale that Lawrence had only witnessed before on TV shows like Downton Abbey. normally he would have baulked at the quantity of food presented to him, but he knew that he had a long day ahead and he did not wish to upset his hostess by not partaking fully in what she had prepared. The concept of fried bread was new to him, in that it did not have the egg coating of French toast, but he decided that it was quite wonderful.
"It tastes so good because it is fried in the fat from the bacon," explained Adam. He continued to watch as Lawrence tucked in to his black pudding, which was of course something he had eaten before at The Spotlight Diner.
They had packed their bags the night before, so immediately after breakfast it was simply a case of seeing a fond farewell to Mrs Crawford, both of them hugging her closely. She cried, of course, as all mothers do when they know they are about to be parted from their children, and that left Adam tearful too as he got into the car. As it was a Saturday morning, the roads were quiet and there were none of the all too regular roadworks to delay their progress along the M25; what had shocked Lawrence the most about the motorway was how close it was to the village he had been staying in, as he had never heard so much as a hint of the traffic.
They soon found themselves pulling up outside Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, the most convenient location for Mr Crawford to drop them off at. From there they could catch a train to the terminal from which they were actually departing. There was no time for long goodbyes, but that did not mean that Adam's father was not emotional at seeing them go; he whispered to his son that he intended to bring his wife back over to New York in the summer and they both agreed to coordinate their diaries to see when would be best to achieve this. Adam said very little as his dad drove off, hooting the horn as he went. After a moment, Lawrence took his boyfriend's hand and together they headed in the direction of the trains.
As in New York, they found that they had VIP treatment all the way. To begin with there was a separate wing of the airport specifically for their class of passenger. As a result, check-in was a breeze and there was no one else at the private security channel other than the two of them, something that Lawrence was sure none of his friends would believe when he returned to work; what was worse was the fact that he could not take a photograph to prove it as such things were illegal. With all of their bags already checked in, it was time to relax in the lounge, taking up the offer of a complimentary neck and shoulder massage, before taking tea with freshly baked scones.
They were eventually approached by a member of staff and guided to their gate, where they had only moments to wait before they could board the plane; just time to pick up complimentary copies of that day's London newspapers to peruse on board the plane. All being well, they would arrive in JFK just before 2pm.
Soon they were sitting in their extremely comfortable seats, both sipping on the glass of champagne they had been offered as soon as they boarded. It was then that Lawrence spoke. "Thank you so much for inviting me to come with you this week. I have ended up doing lots of things that I have dreamed about for years. What made it even better was how welcoming your family was…"
"Why would they not be when they were meeting one of the nicest guys I have ever known? Seriously, you made quite the impression, to the point that both my grandmother and my sister asked me why I have not got down on one knee yet. I told them both the same thing; that you were concentrating on your career just now and that I fully intended to propose, just as they suggested, when the time is completely right."
"Adam, the fact that you would do such a thing is greatly appreciated and I think you know what my answer will be when that time comes. However, I might just surprise you one of these days and be the one to get down on one knee and propose to you!"
Adam was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't think that either granny or Joanna considered that possibility, or they would have started badgering you about proposing as well!"
Lawrence laughed, then kissed Adam on the cheek. he was completely certain that the Englishman was his future, but they both had more pressing matters than marriage to contend with first…
As the plane carrying Lawrence and Adam back to New York climbed into the air after an on time departure from Heathrow, a telephone rang in Windsor. It was answered, the recipient not expecting to hear from his aunt at that time, the usual updates usually coming much later in the day. His wife was watching him from across the room and saw the moment that the words he had been dreading was spoken by the way that his face fell…
Saturday plans, made well in advance, were swiftly abandoned as an overnight bag was quickly packed. His wife took on the task of informing their young children what exactly was taking place and that their father was travelling to Scotland at once. She herself had long decided that when this moment came, she would stay at home with the children, not wishing to abandon them to even the most kindly of nannies at such a time.
As her husband was driven away to Northolt, where he would join his two uncles and other aunt, his wife took an opportunity to have a moment to herself, so that she could reflect on how their lives would alter if what was now predicted came to pass. She had always known that the day would come, but even with all of the planning that had taken place, it still came as a shock.
Feeling much calmer after her time alone, she headed to her wardrobe to look at her black clothing and to check the state of her husband's black suits as well. The nanny had already been instructed to do the same for the children, and indeed, she would actually be changing them into monochrome clothing at this very moment.
As she returned to the drawing room where less than an hour ago she had been sitting with her husband, now dressed in black, she caught the newsflash on the BBC, announcing that Buckingham Palace had informed them that the Queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral, her doctors having become concerned out the state of her health. Hearing that, Kate sighed. The whole process of Operation London Bridge had now become a very public spectacle...
It was as Adam and Lawrence's flight from London touched down at JFK that the official announcement came on the BBC. Their flight had been uneventful, Adam happily watching a film after they had eaten their three-course inflight meal, leaving Lawrence to relax and ponder his returned to work the following week. His intention was to try and stay on GMT for the rest of the day to try and fool his body into the rhythm that he needed for a week of night shift working. He had felt rather peckish during the flight and so he had gotten up and headed to the snack wall, another perk of first class travel to try and find something to satisfy his cravings.
It was as he was deciding between a bag of nuts or a bar of chocolate that he overhead one of the cabin crew whispering to her colleague; "They never issue statements like this on her health. It has to be very serious for them to do that. She did look so very frail during her speech at Christmas…"
Lawrence paused for a moment, easily putting two and two together, then clearing his throat to attract attention, he said, "Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear… is it the Queen that you are talking about?"
The stewardess nodded, then added, "They have released a statement from the Palace saying that her health was giving cause for concern, but that she was comfortable and being well looked after. That was bad enough, but now the BBC has just added that Prince William and his uncles are flying to Scotland right now; his father and the Princess Royal are there at Balmoral already. That is a really bad omen…. Now, please keep this to yourself, because we don't want to ruin the mood for everyone just in case it turns out to be a false alarm."
For that reason, Lawrence had said nothing to Adam whilst they were airborne, but add instead just tuned into a film of his own, not even pausing when the cabin crew came round with afternoon tea when they were 90 minutes away from JFK.
Then came that fateful moment as they were sitting on the tarmac waiting for the gate to be available. The pilot came on to the PA system and stated that he had a very solemn announcement to make…
In the West Village, it had been an ordinary Saturday for Nick and Jeff. They had made their usual trip to the Stop and Shop in Brooklyn and had managed to be back home by noon. It had snowed lightly the night before and just as they arrived home, it had started to fall again, this time more heavily. Nick had smiled as his husband and son had headed out into the garden to play in it, not knowing which of his two children was more interested in doing so, but a large part of him was thinking that it had to be his husband. He had gotten out his mixing bowl and the food mixer and had started on his weekly cookie baking session when he heard his phone buzz with a text message. He wiped his hands and read it…
A minute or so later he found himself looking out into the garden, the course of his day completely altered by the alert from Miss Worthington as to what the British ambassador to the United Nations had just told the Secretary General; he in turn had passed the information onto the various department heads. Nick decided to place his cookie making session temporarily to one side and preceded instead to make hot chocolate. As he did so, he wondered exactly what he should do with the information he now had…
In the end, there was one obvious choice and he switched on his laptop, connected to the radio player and quickly found their old favourite, BBC Radio 2. He then summoned Jeff and Wes back into the house for a hot drink, with more than the usual degree of firmness in his tone. he knew that if he did not do so, his husband would remain outside quite happily for hours to come. He had barely managed to get them inside and seated at the table with the hot chocolate when the music that was playing on the radio suddenly cut off abruptly…
"This is the BBC in London. We are breaking into our normal programming across the network for this special announcement. In the last few minutes, Buckingham Palace has announced that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, passed away peacefully this afternoon at her home at Balmoral in Scotland…"
Nick barely heard what came next as Jeff let out a sob, and he swiftly moved out of his own chair to go to his husband and hug him. As he did so, there was a drum roll from the radio and then the strains of the British National Anthem were heard. Jeff was almost immediately on his feet, his husband and son following suit, as they along with so many other people paid homage and showed respect to a marvellous lady.
The pilot's words were greeted with a stunned silence on the plane; Lawrence turned towards Adam and saw that he was tearing up. He grabbed for his hand feeling every bit as shocked. Yes, she was old, and yes, she had been under medical supervision, but to have died so quickly… The whole world seemed to have altered dramatically in the few seconds that it had taken to say the words 'passed away'.
"She was always there," said Adam in a choked whisper, "and now, she isn't, and it just feels so very wrong. We British have a King…" Adam stopped again and allowed his tears to fall. He was not the only one that was weeping unabashed in that cabin, and from the cabins behind them they could easily hear audible sobbing…
Meanwhile, at Dalton Academy, Thad had heard the news by chance; he had tuned into a concert on BBC Radio 3 so that he would have background music whilst he caught up on his marking. In the moments after the announcement, his red pen paused in his hand, as he reflected on the enormity of those words for his generation and for his boys. This moment will be like all those others; for years people would ask where someone had been when the news broke, just as people asked the same question when talking about the earthquake that had destroyed Los Angeles, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and for those old enough, the day that John F Kennedy had been shot in Dallas…
A life of over a century was over. Thad realised that she had met so many of the people that he talked about in his lessons during a reign of almost 75 years; she had missed out on that anniversary by just over 4 weeks. That thought made him realise that possibly this event might actually be bigger than all the others. It marked the end of an era for not just the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth, but for the entire world…
He suddenly realised that only a few weeks had passed since he had been introduced to the woman that was no longer a mere Duchess, but was now a Queen Consort. He had almost met the man that now had taken the spot of the heir apparent. If the then Prince of Wales had been able to accompany his wife and son, then he would have been introduced to the man that was now the King of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to name a few places; the Head of the Commonwealth, an organisation that spanned the globe. He would also have met a man that was deeply concerned on environmental issues long before they became as fashionable as they were today…
It was then that he suddenly realised that he knew someone that had met the late Queen, and who lived locally. He put down his pen and called the local number, wondering if the man in question had heard the news. He did not have to wait long for his call to be answered; they exchanged greetings, and from the joyful tone at the other end. Thad was able to surmise that he had no knowledge of the world changing event abroad…
"There is a reason that I am calling you, Sebastian; I thought that you should know about a pretty big event that has just happened. I heard it on the radio, but I am pretty certain that it will be all over the television news channels as well by now. I know that you aren't the greatest fan of them…"
"No, I'm not, but the television is on; give me a second whilst I change over to ABC, and we
There was a pause then, a total silence, and Thad momentarily worried that perhaps he should have checked that the other man wasn't alone before he had started to break the news, fearing that Sebastian was now lying on the floor. He breathed easier though when he heard a voice again at the other end of the call.
"Well, I just… I mean, she was 100 years old, but I kind of thought – or hoped – that she might just be immortal…" Sebastian said in a hushed voice. "She was so kind to me; tiny as well, but oh, how those eyes twinkled, and her mind was so sharp, containing so much information about the world. She met so many people, knew them; she knew Churchill, Thad! She met nearly all of our Presidents since the 1950s! She knew Mandela, let him be the only person ever to call her Elizabeth when they met… The world has lost its Queen, Thad, not just the UK."
"I wholeheartedly agree, and I feel that the boys will all need a special history lesson when I get back to the classroom."
There was a silence again, and then Sebastian said, "I should go and call my maman; she might not be a Canadian in the strictest sense of the word, but she loved that lady just as much as half of the world did. I never knew mine, but it feels like I have lost a grandparent…" Thad did not need to reply to him for the actor to know that he agreed…
The news reached the desk of Isabelle Wright just as she was about to sign off the February edition of Vogue in her office at home in New Jersey. The moment she heard, she had no hesitation in immediately stopping the process; she started to go through the content of the journal there and then to see what she could take out and move into the March issue without creating any major issues with timing, the contributors, and of course, the advertisers.
In less than two minutes she had set aside articles on the next generation of electric cars, a lengthy photo feature on swimwear, and finally, an interview with an English fashion designer. She knew that the man in question was a devoted royalist, and he would have no issue with being held back a month to be replaced by features on the monarch he would be mourning. She sent messages to two of her three main staff writers alerting them to the crisis, the third already in touch to inform her that she was updating the obituary article that was held on file about the late monarch's fashion sense and personal style. Within five more minutes, the other two writers were also at work, preparing the photo feature and the second obituary article about her place as a woman of such power and influence; that would complete their magazine coverage.
With that all in hand, Isabelle set about her own task, which was a total rewrite of the Letter from the Editor that was to be found at the start of each print issue, more of a priority than the cover image, which would also be changed to a suitable black and white portrait. She began with the truth…
I had a very different version of this ready to be sent to the printer when the news broke, and in the blink of an eye, a wave of grief spread around the world at the demise of one of our greatest women. The moment from the BBC was seen across the globe, and we all heard the silence followed by the start of that familiar national anthem…
Then her cellphone began to ring, and a quick glance at it showed the name of the caller; Dame Anna Wintour, her predecessor, a loyal Brit, and at heart, a confirmed royalist. Isabelle knew at once that she needed the lady in question's input at this time, which was just as well, as she was certain that she was about to be given it. As she answered, the current editor was relieved that her former boss now lived back in England; otherwise, she might well have been on her way to talk to Isabelle face to face, and she was not sure if her comfortable family home would live up to the high standards of the older lady…
Ethan, Drew and Evie had not been at home when the news broke; they had been sitting in the audience of a dance performance that was partly sponsored by the Mackenzie Trust, and was carried out under the auspices of a children's charity. There had been a meet and greet afterwards, and then they had headed for home on the subway. It was as they climbed up the stairs at the 14th Street station that Drew saw the digital billboard, on which the breaking news stories of the day were often shown. He stopped dead as he saw what was on the screen, causing Ethan to walk into him as he stood blinking and shaking his head. "Ethan…" Drew began, and then it was there again, that familiar image captioned with those terrible words…
His best friend and his daughter now also saw what had caused Drew to grind to a halt, and Evie's face immediately fell. As for Ethan, he realised like so many of their friends that they were living through a moment in history. He turned to his two companions, and saw that tears were starting to form in both sets of eyes. He took a breath, then said quietly, "Let's get straight home and see what more we can discover from the BBC…"
Nothing was said at first as they hastened along, but as they turned into their familiar street, Drew suddenly said, "I don't understand why I feel as sad as I do, but it feels like part of my heart has just been broken…"
"You lived in England for a long time, and well, when we both lived there whilst we studied, she was a constant background presence in our everyday lives. She was on the money, the postage stamps, mentioned in the news. She was something of a constant in a world that so often seems to be spinning forward way too fast…"
"And now she is gone, and the security of her presence in that changing world with it," Drew replied. Then he continued, "Poor Miss Frobisher, this will hit her hard; she was such a royalist. I should call her as soon as we get in, just to see how she is bearing up…"
True to his word, Drew went straight for the telephone as soon as they reached home, with Evie right at his side, still looking sadder than Ethan could remember her being since the day he had first met her in London, when her father had burst into floods of tears when he arrived to take him home. As for Ethan, he went to the kitchen, and placed all that he needed to make his special hot chocolate that both father and daughter loved so much out on the counter, before making a much more local call of his own on his cellphone. It was answered swiftly by Nick, who did sound a little stressed…
"I am going to hazard a guess that the news from London has knocked things a little out of kilter for you as well," the younger man said after they had greeted each other.
Ethan sighed, then replied, "Drew is on the phone to Miss Frobisher as we speak, and I can honestly say that Evie has not looked so distraught since the day I found out that she existed, although I am certain that a large part of that is down to the fact that her father is upset as well…"
Nick took a breath, and said, "Meanwhile I have a husband that feels that he should be calling up the Duchess to offer his condolences on their loss, but knows that he can't, because of protocol. I mean, is she still even just a Duchess in any case? Her husband is now the next in line to the throne, and traditionally the title of that male heir is his father's former one, Prince of Wales. Quid pro quo, does that make her…"
Ethan let out a deep breath then, and replied, "She might well be a Princess now, but I can only imagine what a time they will be having! It's bad enough to lose a relative at any time, but they have the eyes of virtually the entire world upon them right now, and they will remain focused upon them until the state funeral…"
"I guess I should be grateful for some small mercies… I'd best go, before some small thing starts Jeff off again; as it is, he is watching the rolling coverage on the BBC as a livestream on the television. I will tell him though that Drew has spoken to Miss Frobisher, as he was thinking of doing it himself, and I am sure that the last thing she will need right now is two calls from the other side of the Atlantic."
As soon as Nick ended the call, Ethan started on making the hot chocolate, adding both demerara sugar and cinnamon to the milk and pieces of chocolate in the pan on the stove, and then just a small amount of cream to the mix once all the solid chocolate had melted down for a touch of luxury. Once it was finished, he poured it all into an insulated jug, then placed it on a tray with three mugs and the last of the Christmas cookies, before carrying it through to the sitting room. He found that Drew was also now tuned to the BBC coverage, a rolling news show alternating between talking to experts about what would happen now, and a shell shocked British people. Ethan sighed, feeling it was going to be a long evening…
As they alighted from the plane, Adam had seemed so lost to Lawrence; he had been there physically, but his mind was back on the other side of the ocean they had just flown across. He managed to steer him through Passport Control, and into the lounge, where he knew that there bags would be brought for them to collect. The staff looked as shocked as Adam, but nonetheless they were attentive, and brought them tea and cakes without it even being requested. Lawrence sat for a minute, and then took his boyfriend's hand.
"Call your mum; she will want to know that we have landed safely."
"Yeah, you're right, I should call her," Adam replied, and he switched his phone back on. It buzzed at once, picking up messages and missed calls. "She has actually tried to call me twice in the last hour, probably because she was wanting to tell me…"
Then he jumped as his phone began to ring, as his mother tried again. Lawrence sat back in silence as he answered, and then he talked to her in hushed tones. He poured himself a cup of tea, and had drunk it and eaten a slice of cake before the call was ended. "We should be heading home," Adam said in a flat voice, and Lawrence nodded in response. He was acutely aware though that the home his boyfriend wanted to head to was not his apartment in the West Village, but the childhood one he had left that morning in Surrey…