So it turned out that today is not the day after the funeral after all. However, in a time which feels like we are living through History, we need some things to remain the same. So, as it is Sunday, here is the next chapter...
The Exhibition Part II
As Elspeth sipped on a glass of wine to calm her nerves after the shock of finding her work was to be exhibited alongside her son's, outside the tension began to build. A stretch of the sidewalk had been closed off by the NYPD, and a strip of red carpet now ran across it from the gallery door to the kerb. No parking signs, which had been on display since the previous day, had now been removed to allow vehicles to pull in to drop off the invited guests. Security was also on hand to check all of the invitations as people arrived…
The first to arrive were obviously Nick, Wes and the Sterlings. There was an awkward moment as Nick searched for his ID, but then they were in. His son immediately ran off to say hello to his grandmother, leaving Nick to stand with his husband, shaking his head. "Well, it is all very real now. All that security! I think it is best that I station myself at the door with them, just in case one of our friends had forgotten their invite to avoid a scene."
"It might be for the best," replied Jeff, watching as his son chatted excitedly to his three grandparents.
Nick nodded, and thus became the unofficial greeter. His own mother would be the next to arrive, alongside Grace, Cooper and Pam. The latter was dressed up to the nines, which made him start for a moment. Cooper saw his expression, and whispered in his ear, "When Bloomingdales discovered that she was going to be meeting royalty, she was given the choice of any dress that she wanted from the designer rooms for the day. You have to admit that she does look absolutely fabulous…"
As they stepped inside, a taxi drew up, and out stepped Dave, with a scowling Sebastian. Nick looked at his expression, and wondered what was wrong, and then watched as his 'Aunt' Bette stepped from the other side of the vehicle, on the arm of Russell Tovey. Dave saw the way Nick was looking at them all, and hastened over. "I am afraid that my husband is feeling a little miffed at the moment. I mean, he knew that Russell was coming with Bette, but he did not expect to hear her call Russell her English nephew. He loves that, but I fear the green eyed monster has taken possession of my husband as a consequence…"
Nick was about to go over and commiserate with his friend over his loss of nephew status when another car drew up, and there was an immediate request for the newly arrived party to wait. Nick was not at all surprised when Isabelle emerged, and a minute later, Sebastian and Russell stood on either side of Bette, the official photographer from Vogue taking the first of what would no doubt be dozens of photos. Dave was happy to stand in the background with Nick at the door, not wanting to deal with the whole round of photos yet.
As they waited, Nick took the opportunity to ask him how his father's wedding to Mrs Carr had gone the previous weekend. Both of the parties involved had wanted a small, family wedding, and so it had just been Dave, Sebastian and their children; Mrs Carr's son and his partner; and a couple of close friends of the bride and groom. "It was great, just what they both wanted, and I have never seen either of them look so happy as they did at that moment. It still feels strange to refer to her as my stepmother though…"
"It must do; plus there is the fact that you now have a stepbrother to contend with as well."
"Yeah, that too, although the two of us did sit down together before the ceremony alone and had a long chat about that; how it feels to have a sibling for the first time, even if we are probably not going to see all that much of each other. I mean, we might all be going to Florida for Thanksgiving this year, but only if I can get cover for the game that day, and they might be coming to us for Christmas…"
"Well, please pass on mine and Jeff's congratulations to them when you get back home," said Nick, noting that Isabelle was now finished, at least with Sebastian's party. He only noticed then that Julian and Peter had been in the car with her, and the latter was arm in arm with a young lady that Nick guessed had to be Constance, who they had all heard so much about. He greeted them all, and then did the same with Mitch and Gideon, the latter also being in work mode for the afternoon…
That was the start of the flood, as the friends of the blond artist arrived thick and fast thereafter. Nick greeted them all warmly, the majority of them able to pass the photographer without being noticed, as they were not famous enough for the magazine to worry about. The flashguns did blaze when Rachel and Sam arrived, and again when Mercedes and David followed them. That allowed Thad and the Carmichaels to slip inside without any fuss…
Nick was surprised when the cameras began to flash as Ethan, Drew and Evie arrived, until he remembered that Ethan's parents would be with them, and the wealthy philanthropists would certainly be worthy of photographing. Drew calmly shepherded his daughter over to stand with Nick, as Ethan and his parents dealt with Isabelle, although Nick couldn't help but notice that Mr Mackenzie senior did seem a little shell shocked at all the attention. Ethan had told his parents what to expect, but his father was not used to the media, and the fuss that came with it, so he looked stressed by it all…
"I don't think that either of them would be here were it not for the fact that the Duchess herself requested their presence as she wished to meet them," remarked Drew. "I know for a fact that the designer outfit that Isabelle will describe as vintage is actually the only one that Mrs Mackenzie possesses; to her it is stylish, comfortable but just old."
"Well, she does look stunning in it, as indeed does this young lady," replied Nick, the last comment aimed at Evie, who was dressed in her best clothes, and even had a fake tiara on her head, holding her hair carefully in place. "Why don't you two head on in and get a drink before the even more important guests get here?" Drew nodded, and headed in, and was soon followed by Ethan and his parents. Ethan was keen to introduce his parents to Nick, and the latter found his face going red as he was introduced, Ethan boasting about all that he had achieved at the United Nations. By chance, Ms Worthington then appeared, and Nick made introductions of his own, before sending them all inside to talk some more together.
With ten minutes to go before the official start time, everyone of the invited guests was present, bar the White House and Royal parties. The former would arrive first, and Jeff found himself being summoned to join Nick at the door by the security service when their motorcade was a minute away. The fact that he had been surrounded by friends had done much to help the blond relax, and then there was the fact that he knew the two ladies that would be arriving, having met them both before. Trent was also in the car, along with Carole, but neither Burt or Rory would be joining them. An important issue had been scheduled at Congress meant that both of them were needed in Washington and had been forced to cancel their visit last minute.
There were smiles and handshakes on the sidewalk, and then Jeff escorted the three ladies in, and introduced them first to Ms Dorward, before deciding on a whim to steer the First Lady and Vice President to where the Mackenzies and Ms Worthington were standing together. Ethan's parents had met the two ladies before, but only briefly, and this afternoon would give them a chance to talk in more detail about the work of the Mackenzie Trust. It also allowed Ms Worthington to be introduced to them in a much less formal way. Carole meanwhile made her way over to speak to the Carmichaels, as Trent headed across the room to see why Sebastian was glowering at an English actor…
Jeff returned to the sidewalk, and not a moment too soon. As soon as he arrived, Nick whispered, "There is another motorcade on its way. The cops have stopped the traffic on the avenue, and there is a town car heading along the street with outriders."
Jeff nodded, having to take his husband's word for it as he had neglected to bring his glasses. Then the car was pulling up, the photographers cameras all clicking as they took their shots. Both Nick and Jeff recalled the protocol and bowed as the Duke emerged from the car first, before he then assisted his wife and stepmother from the vehicle. A discrete verbal signal let the artist and his husband know that the royal party was on approach, and they greeted them all with the required dignity and ceremony that the public needed to see. To oblige Isabelle and the other photographers, they posed for a group shot, and then turned to head in. There would be a few more moments of protocol, and then, out of the glare of the media, they could all revert to the normal informality that now existed between them.
With the royal party now standing on the other side of the door, the tension that had already existed inside the gallery as they waited nervously for the big moment now grew to a new height. It was one thing to meet the Vice President and the First Lady, and quite another to meet people that would one day by Queen Consorts, and of course, the King of the United Kingdom. Just on the other side of that glazed door, Ms Dorward began to take deep breaths, reminding herself of what Jeff had kept telling her - they were all just ordinary people that had an extra-ordinary future before them…
Close by, the Carmichaels stood with Thad, David and Mercedes, and Edith noticed that the history teacher seemed to be the most tense and nervous of all of them. She leant in his direction, and whispered, "I think that it is best just to think of them as the parents and grandmother of a boy that might be coming to the Academy…" Her voice was loud enough that David also heard every word, and he looked at her momentarily as if she had just uttered the most treasonous words in the history of the English language.
Thad then let out a breath, and said, "In a way, you do make a good analogy. When I first meet parents, I am, like now, anxious to make a good first impression, and not do something that makes me seem weird or strange. The problem is that I know nothing about those people other than their name, and that of their son. On this occasion I know all about them, thanks to all the media coverage from the day he was born, and thanks to all that Jeff has mentioned over the years, we know stuff the media do not as well! My worry is that I become a gibbering inarticulate idiot the moment that I am introduced to a couple whose wedding I watched whilst still at school…"
David chuckled then, and said, "Yeah, there was no escape at all from that viewing session for a Warbler. Of course, the fact that Kurt and Blaine were on speakerphone to each other the entire time it was happening, giving their own running commentary, did not make it any more comfortable…"
"With hindsight, we should have had the sense to have organised a joint viewing session," said Mercedes, recalling what that day had been like at the Hummel house.
"If we had, neither Kurt or Blaine would have seen much of the ceremony, as they'd have been too busy making out. They were at that point of their relationship…" Thad replied with a smile. "Speaking of them, I am just awaiting the draught right now, as I don't imagine they will wish to miss this…"
However, the person in the room that was most stressed by the whole event was the one most people would have said was the least likely to be affected. She had been fine when the Vice President and First Lady had been brought in, but the mention that the royal party had arrived had seen Santana break out in a cold sweat. Brittany had seen it, and had taken her hand, but that presence was not the comfort that she imagined it to be, as part of the reason for her stress was the tendency of her wife to come out with off the wall comments at the drop of a hat…
Then she heard a voice. "I have the benefit of having met all three of them before, and everything that blondie told us all is true. They really are all just ordinary people, just other humans that have a title that can unnerve us all. I mean, future King is quite an expectation. In reality, he is a really cool guy, a father that is fending like us all with all that our modern world is throwing at him, all of the myriad of issues. He is doing all that he can to ensure that his children and ours by extension have a world to enjoy, and she is constantly at his side, supporting him…"
"I know, meerkat, but to be in the same room, to be actually introduced…"
"It's more than okay to be scared of that. It's the knowing it will happen that makes it worse actually. I mean, that day in London when Jeff tricked me into going with him to an art foundation lunch because Nick was busy was great until he told me it was at Buckingham Palace, and that the Queen was hosting it! All I can say is this; just be your loveable self, Satan, and as for your wife, well they know all about her from Jeff, so they will be prepared for whatever she might say…"
Santana laughed at that, and admitted to herself that what Sebastian had just said was all true. "Okay, I get that, but do me a favour - can we come and stand with you and your party? They will be so distracted then with all of you, especially Bette and Russell, that the two of us will fade into the background somewhat…"
Sebastian nodded, but he knew there was no way that she would be able to just fade into the background. Jeff would have sent a crib sheet to the Duchess at her request, and she would know how to identify them, and what all of them did in life. As a staff member at a prestigious New York performing arts school, and an actress that had performed on Broadway, he was certain she would get more attention than she expected, particularly given that Carmen was out of town as the person that would now have to represent NYADA…
They had no sooner made their move than the door opened, Jeff leading the way with the Cambridges, Nick behind him with the Duchess of Cornwall. As the palace had requested, there was no official line up for the majority, just a few chosen people in line at the door. Jeff stopped to introduce the Cambridges to Ms Dorward, but Nick walked with Camilla straight over in the direction of Thad's little group. He introduced her first of all to the Carmichaels, who both blushed as Nick introduced them as more much loved parents and grandparents to generations of young men than their former Principal and his wife…
That started the conversation, the laughter an instant icebreaker, everyone put at their ease. The Duchess had been told enough about the couple to talk to them as if she had known them for years, and knew all their history. When it came time to move on to Thad, she asked him what he thought on the way that history was now being taught to a younger generation, and then put him on the spot with where he would place the Queen in the lexicon of history…
With Mercedes, it was of course her musical career that was the starting point of their conversation, but then she turned to David, and asked him about his career with Google, and the world of I.T. in general, before asking what he thought of the direction that AI was heading in.
And then she was off to meet some of the others, and the little group of five were left to ponder. "It is exactly as Jeff said; an ordinary person that is doing an extraordinary job. She actually reminds me of a teacher in some ways, as she knows just enough about all of us to be able to have a conversation, and that is perfect to make us feel at our ease," remarked Thad. Then he sighed, and said, "I should have insisted to Ollie that he come today. I did ask him…"
"Well, I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet her," said Mrs Carmichael sagely, "but we now need to prepare ourselves for act two, when we meet the young couple as well…"
As for said young couple, having been introduced to Ms Dorward and the gallery staff by Jeff, they were then escorted over to where Sebastian was standing, at the couple's own request. "Mr Smythe, it is a pleasure to meet you once again," said the Duke, as Sebastian bowed. "My grandmother still states that your Hamlet was better than any she had seen over the years, and that would include Sir Laurence Olivier, who she saw I believe at the age of 10. We hear that your days of treading the boards have come to an end, although we hope that it is merely a hiatus."
Sebastian, who was blushing just a little at being compared to Olivier, replied, "I decided that it was time that I put the needs of my husband and family first, your Highness, although I do still perform very occasionally, albeit in a much smaller theater in Ohio."
"Family should always be at the heart of everything that we do," said the Duchess, who then turned to Dave. "I believe that your coaching is taking the team you now work for to new heights of performance."
"Certainly they have had their best start to a season for quite some time, but that is down to the quality of my young players, and the fact they are finding their feet as much as my coaching of them. I am really enjoying it, and the fact that I am back in Ohio and can spend more time with my father has also made the move the right one for me."
The royal couple nodded, then moving down the group, the Duke said, "Now, I do not need any introduction to the lady alongside you, Mr Smythe, as her acting and vocal talents are well known to us all; it is a great pleasure to meet you, Ms Midler."
"The honour and privilege is all mine, your Highness," responded Bette with a curtsey. "Your work for charity and the environment, with your lovely wife at your side, is an inspiration. We should all share your concerns over the environment, climate and the natural world in general."
"It is a cause that I am sure that my late mother would also have championed, just as my dear grandfather did. Of course, she also championed many of the causes that you have supported over the course of your career as well. I always feel that we can achieve so much more when we have influential people like yourself working alongside us to help spread the message as much as possible…"
Alongside her, Sebastian smiled as he knew that his 'Aunt' was about to be recruited to join the Duke's team, and she would accept the role with the greatest of delight…
Those introductions were just the first of many which would leave people smiling and shocked too. Beats and Elliott were startled to hear themselves being described as trailblazers, all because of the way that they stood up to the city authorities over Dante, and how they had kept the ultimate ace up their sleeve to defeat those against them when it looked they had lost the day over a technicality. Alongside them, Dante and indeed Lachlan were surprised but very happy to be recognised just from that whole affair…
Flint was greatly shocked to discover that the Duchess of Cornwall knew all about the things that he had implemented to make his father-in-law's company that much greener, changing the whole outlook and making it more or less carbon neutral in a few months. It would then be Izzy's turn to blush when she asked her about her medical career. "We keep abreast of all developments and progress in healthcare for woman and children in the course of my charitable works, and your name has been mentioned quite a few times as someone that we need to watch for your levels of patience, compassion and sheer expertise. We are also aware of the great patience that you show when dealing with an in-law with strange tastes were hats are concerned…"
Izzy tried not to laugh as Flint glared at Nick, who seemed every bit as shocked at the sudden reference to his friend's mother, whose millinery was now apparently known about on the other side of the Atlantic…
Across the room, as Ethan and his parents took part in a discussion on the work of the Mackenzie Trust with the Duke of Cambridge, and his wife had an in depth discussion with Evie about the merits of various dolls, Santana was looking at her wife with a broad smile. The couple had come to speak to them, and Brittany had been the much more calm and composed one of them, and had talked in an intelligent manner about all her work at the university, and how the education systems of countries around the world needed to be more flexible to meet the different needs and abilities of all that it strove to teach…
Jeff would leave to last his introduction of the Cambridges to his three parents. He introduced them to the Duke and Duchess as his parents, not making any distinction between them, or according any of them a higher or lower position. The royal couple knew that whole story in any case, and all about the dark chapter of life that had seen Elspeth lose all contact with her eldest son for so many years, only reconnecting with him as she was about to lose her younger boy. No mention would be made of the Clarington name though, having been consigned to history by them all.
The couple focused on the Stirlings first, the Duchess making the blond artist squirm a little by asking them all about the young Jeff; matters were made worse by the fact that his mom then did exactly what could be expected from any proud parent - she opened her purse and brought out a stack of photos of him from age 6 upwards…
In the end, it would be the Duke that would rescue Jeff from his fate, when having turned to speak to Elspeth, he asked her about her own artistic talents. She had instantly demurred, saying that she was nowhere near as talented as her son, and Jeff saw his opportunity to stop the photo fest and seized it.
He guided the royal couple away from his mom and dad, but indicated that his mother should follow them. He took them into the small ante-room, deliberately positioning himself in front of the signage. Then he asked the opinion of the Duke and Duchess on the work displayed. They took a moment to study it all, and then the former turned to him, and said, "It is an illustration, were it needed, of why you are regarded as one of the greatest artists of our time."
As Kate nodded in agreement, Jeff smiled, and said, "I thank you for that kind comment, but I am afraid that all of the pieces in this room were created by my mother…"
The royal couple looked at each other for a moment, both shocked at his words. Then the Duchess laughed, and said, "Well, now we know that your prodigious talent obviously comes from your maternal line. Ms Robertson, you deserve this opportunity to show the world your talent…" Then her words tailed off as she suddenly noticed one drawing in particular. She went over to study it more closely, the looked right at Elspeth, knowing the whole history of events…
"I drew that partly from memory, and with more than a little bit of imagination. It is how I pictured that my eldest son would look on the morning of his 8th birthday. By then it had been more than two years since I had last seen him…"
Jeff could see his mother was starting to tear up, so he came and put an arm around her, before he spoke. "The surprising thing about it to me is that when I actually compared it to a photo my mom took of me on the day in question, it was more or less a copy. It seems that we are both blessed with a vivid imagination that can allow us to draw things in the world that we do not yet know. I think that if you follow me, you will see exactly what I mean."
Intrigued, the royal couple followed Jeff as he walked out of the room, and Elspeth came behind them, and spoke again. "I know exactly what he is taking you to see, and it is in my opinion both the earliest and most special of his works. He drew it when he was five years old, just a few days before we were parted…"
Then they were there, and the Duke and Duchess saw for themselves the picture that had reduced Jeff to tears when he rediscovered it; had had the same effect on Nick and even Wes when they had first seen it too. It was a simple piece of newsprint paper, with the words My Best Dream Ever written in a childish hand across the top.
"I drew this a decade before Nick came into my life, but the moment that I saw him, I knew that he was the man that would make me happy, my missing puzzle piece. Somehow, when I was five, I managed to draw two boys in a Dalton uniform I had never seen, and even draw the brunet haired boy's hair in the style Nick sported back then. This is the real one, but it is only here for this private view. It will be replaced by a photo for everyone else, as it is much to precious to me to ever lose. It represents the hope of a little boy that was scared…"
The Duke and Duchess could only nod, as they could see that for themselves…