Chapter 27
Mia had been understandably distracted as she and Sam had walked down to breakfast, but now it was impossible to ignore the increased security presence around Aren hall.
"What is going on?" Mia asked her new head of security as she entered the large conference room for her morning briefing.
"I received a call from Andrea Sachs, informing me of a new potential security threat.
Mia took her seat and listened as Mika Bearing explained what she knew about the foiled attack on Andy and Miranda's daughters.
"Have our guests been informed?" Mia asked.
"No, Mrs. Sachs asked that she be the one to inform your guests. I dispatched a discrete security team to meet their flight, and they'll be brought directly to Aren Hall.
I've increased our security hear, and I dispatched a security team to discretely keep an eye on the Duchess," Mika concluded.
"Well, you've certainly had a busy morning," Mia said, finding no fault with her security chief's actions.
"There is one additional security matter that we need to discuss. From this moment forward, Samantha Dean receives a full Royal security detail," Mia declared
The room went quiet as they all digested the meaning of the Queen's words. In her typical manner, Helena was the one to break the silence.
"Well done, Old Man. When's the wedding,"
Mia smiled at her eccentric friend before responding, "I would think sooner rather than later."
"Now tell me you've located my traitorous cousin?" Mia asked, signaling a return to state business.
After breakfast, Clarissa requested more tea for herself and for Samantha. She asked for coffee for Miranda, sensing she wasn't the tea type. She'd spent a delightful evening with her granddaughter's new 'friend, finding the young woman funny and charming and very much a good fit for her the serious woman her grandaughter had become. Clarrissa still felt guilt from forcing Mia to grow up sooner than most of the girls her age. But the moment she'd seen Mia with Sam, she could perceive the difference in her granddaughter. A lightness of spirit that had been missing since she'd taken on the responsibilities of the crown. It gave her hope that her granddaughter would not have to choose between the job and happiness.
She decided that the best place to start was to simply get to know the young woman who would soon become her Queen.
"How did you come to work for the Sach Company?"
Sam smiled at Clarrissa before recounting the night she'd met Andy and Lilly.
"I understand MIT is a prestigious institute of higher learning?" Clarrissa prompted, enjoying Sam's rhetorical skills.
Sam had both women close to tears as she described the stunt that almost got her expelled.
"You have good friends," Clarrissa offered.
"Yeah, I thought the Dean was going to blow a gasket when the Chancellor accepted Andy's terms.
After tea, Miranda made her excuses wanting to give Sam and Clarrissa time to themselves.
"Shall we continue this conversation in my study?" Clarrissa offered.
Sam accepted, offering the former Queen her arm for the journey. Completely charmed by the gesture, Clarrissa accepted, allowing the young woman to escort her the short walk to her book-lined study.
"What has my granddaughter told you about her preparations to take the crown?" Clarrissa asked after offering the young woman a seat.
Sam was quiet for a moment as she tried to put the best possible spin on an event her fiance had described as pure unadulterated torture.
"I know she appreciates all that she learned from you, Ma'am."
"We'll make a politician out of you yet," Clarrissa said, admiring the skillfully worded response.
Clarissa reached into her desk, coming out with an old-fashioned photo album. She handed the album over to Sam before joining her on the other side of her desk. Sam opened the book then let out a surprised laugh of her own. She was now looking at a younger version of the woman she loved, in all her all bushy-haired, glasses, and awkward glory. Sam's face softened as she began to flip through the book.
"Those were her friends Lily and her brother Michael," Clarissa said, pointing at the picture of the three teenagers in uniform.
"Her only friends," Sam added, sadly.
"It is true that in the past, Mia struggled to make friends. Particularly among certain circles.
"Mean girls," Sam said. While Mia tended to shrug off the way she'd been treated in high school, Sam was less sanguine on the subject. If she ever ran into any of those girls, they had better run, jump a fence, and hide.
"I believe the word you were looking for was Bitch," the Queen mother concluded, surprising the other woman.
Sam nodded her head, though she had actually been thinking of a word that started with a C.
"In my observations of you, young lady, one thing stands out."
Sam was silent. This conversation had been going so well, but she had no idea what the former Queen was about to say.
"Your desire to protect my granddaughter."
Sam eagerly nodded her head this time, "I will always protect Mia," Sam assured.
"I know, my dear, now the question is, what are we going to do about Nichole Deveroux?"
Sam blinked a few times before asking, "What about the Princess Lessons?"
"Well, to be honest, Mia needed lessons because she was an awkward teenager, not an executive for a multi-national corporation. You already know the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. Your posture is excellent, no doubt from years of martial arts training. And you are not going to be a Princess but a Queen."
"So what you said to Mia?" Sam questioned.
"Was a bit of subterfuge. But if you would like some advice on being a Queen? Treat people with dignity and respect, be kind, and most importantly, be yourself, dear.
Now, as for Nichole, there is something else you should know. Your role is not ceremonial, nor are you the equivalent to the American First Lady or First Gentleman. You will, in fact, be co-ruler alongside my granddaughter.
And with your engagement, you now have access to certain privileges," Clarissa concluded.
Sam was an exceedingly bright person, so after she got over the shock that she would actually rule alongside Mia, she made the connection. Her hacking was now state-sponsored.
The two women smiled at each other, clearly on the same page.
Miranda decided that Queen Clarissa and Sam could use a little time alone. She excused herself with every intention of spending her morning in her rooms, reading. But one look out at the beautiful gardens surrounding the main building caused her to change her plans. The morning air was crisp and refreshing, giving Miranda a sense of serenity. As she wandered the stone path, she recognized many of her favorite species of flower.
Despite the fact that it had been years since she'd worked at Runway, she couldn't help but imagine the photoshoot she would have arranged given the setting. The garden had been expertly designed by a skilled horticulturist who made full use of the natural landscape. That blend was fully on display when she rounded a bend and was met with a stunning view of the Adriatic. With a mountain range in the distance, Miranda knew that this would be the location of the cover shot.
Old habits died hard, so she found herself incapable of seeing the world through the lens of Runways former Editor in Chief. And yet, she had no real desire to go back to the life she'd once lived. Despite all the accolades and successes, she'd been miserable.
A failing marriage.
Neglecting her daughters.
Working too much.
Drinking too much.
Being an absolute bitch more days than not.
At the time, she deluded herself into believing that those things were the cost of success. Now she knew better. Sadly, It had taken losing everything for her to recognize what mattered. And what didn't?
A worthless husband.
And a job that she'd grown to loath.
In the end, none of that had mattered. Love, both giving and receiving, was what she truly couldn't live without. Now she couldn't imagine her life without Andy at the center of it. And without knowing exactly how she would do it, she believed with all her heart that Andy would find a way to reunite her with the twins. Once she had all of her girls, she would never let them go.
Miranda strolled through the wonderful Aren Hall gardens, stopping frequently to enjoy the scent of some of her favorite flowers. By the time she reached the turning point that would carry back towards the Hall, the crisp morning had given way to a warm, pleasant day. The heat of the sun was offset by frequent cool ocean breezes. She closed her eyes and took a moment just to enjoy being alive and loved.
Miranda no longer wore a watch, but her body was telling her it was close to lunch by the time she finished her stroll. She walked up the gentle rise pausing at the top. She shielded her eyes from the glare coming off of a vehicle parked near the portico. As she moved out of the path of the reflected light, her heart stopped in her chest.
A cry escaped her lips as the weight of grief and loss was suddenly lifted from her shoulders.
"Mom!"
Miranda dropped to her knees and opened her arms just in time to enfold her twin daughters into her arms. The twins' momentum carried the trio to the ground, leaving Miranda on her back with a twin in each arm. The Miranda Priestly of old would have chastised her girls for creating such a spectacle. But she was no longer that woman. Miranda Sachs laughed, then cried, then laughed again.
The girls, not knowing how their mother had changed, looked mortified, but Miranda just pulled them close. After a long moment, she loosened her grip allowing the girls to stand. When she moved to get up herself, she was met by a smooth outstretched hand. She took the hand of the woman who not just owned her heart but had restored her faith and had given her the most important of all things. Hope.
AN: That might look like an end, but no fears, there is more of this story in my head and more that I want to tell. Thank you all for your kind words and your patience with such a long break in this story. This reunion has been in my head, in one form or another, for close to two years now. I am happy to see Miranda, so happy.