The Exhibition Part III
With all of their invited guests introduced to one part of the royal party, Jeff decided that it was time to allow everyone to explore the exhibition by themselves. The Duke and Duchess took their leave of Jeff and wandered around the space, admiring the various drawings, and meeting those that they had not already been introduced to in the process. As for Nick, his work was not done, and he found himself acting as a guide to the Duchess of Cornwall and the First Lady. Meanwhile, Trent found himself guiding the Vice President, and somehow had ended up with Wes and Evie for company too. The former talked with great pride about his papa's work, something that endeared him greatly to Mrs Obama….
Cooper would make most people chuckle when he decided to station himself between Jeff's two drawings of himself in the role of Mr Banks. The exception to that rule was his wife, Grace finding it all a tad silly, although she comforted herself that he had not elected to come in full costume, nor was he carrying a battered kite. He was glad he was there when Marley, having come to admire her own drawing, found herself confronted by the Cambridges; he was able to keep her calm and stop her panicking. Then the Duchess made an announcement that set them both reeling. It transpired that they would be in the country until Wednesday, and although she had a lunch date at the White House the next day, she and the Duchess of Cornwall would be back in New York in good time to come and see Mary Poppins themselves the following night…
That was news to them both, and when the royal couple moved on, they both allowed themselves a moment to freak out. Seeing Adam, they beckoned him over, but then discovered that although it was news to them, two of their friends had actually been in the loop… "I told the director and the producers they should tell you, but they said that if it wasn't for the fact that Mason is coming back specially to take on the role of Bert tomorrow, and I would be back to performing the part of Robinson Ay instead, they would not be informing me either!" Adam said sheepishly.
"Do you know, it's actually okay really," said Cooper. "It is stressful to know they are coming now, but if we had known they were coming sooner, it might have made everything ten times worse…"
The person at the private view that would make the greatest impression on the Duchess of Cornwall was however an unlikely one in most people's eyes. When Cooper had introduced his mother to her, explaining that through his marriage to Nick's sister she was a distant relation to Nick and hence Jeff, the Duchess had smiled, before saying, "I must say at this juncture, Mr Hummel-Warbler, that in my opinion, your mother is one of the best dressed women in this room. I recognise that dress as one of a very limited edition!"
Pam had smiled, then replied, "It is, but alas, I only have the use of it today. My employer was extremely keen for me to look my best today, due to the high profile of this event."
The Duchess, imbued with the knowledge that researchers provided, replied, "I can imagine that an organisation like Bloomingdales would want one of their most respected employees to shine. However, I would assume that your make-up is entirely of your own choosing, and I must say it suits you. It looks so natural. I have a close friend that lives in the Hamptons, and I am reliably informed by her that in New York State, you are widely regarded as the expert on make-up for us ladies of a certain age that need a little advice on what would best suit. So, would it be possible for you to give me a consultation, in the store of course, once this event is finished?"
"I should think so," stuttered Pam, both unsure of her words and taken aback by the request. "Of course, I would need to call the store to advise them, and then we will probably find we have the entire cosmetic department at our disposal…"
Camilla laughed at that, as did Pam. The latter also knew that her bosses would probably bite her hand off to have this scoop, and that should Isabelle Wright find out what was happening - and how would she not - and chose to write it up for Vogue, then she would be worked off her feet for the next few months….
In the end, the private view would last for a little over two hours, in which time nobody was left without the chance to meet all three members of the royal party, along with all the other celebrity guests that had come with them, and of course, the First Lady and Vice-President. Isabelle and Gideon had been working flat out too, ensuring that hundreds of photographs were taken to illustrate the event, doing their utmost to ensure that all of the guests had at least one image of themselves with the royal party, and that included themselves, of course.
The image that Isabelle was most struck by was one of Jeff, Elspeth and the Sterlings with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and she decided that it was the one that should feature in her write up of the event for the print edition. However, she was also conscious that Jeff was very guarded about his past, particularly now that the Dalton scandal and his connection to the Clarington family had now faded into history for most people. It was also true though that those events had helped to shape Jeff into the man that he was. She took a brief moment away from the main party to ponder the dilemma that she now faced, and was not in the least surprised to suddenly feel a draught…
She turned, expecting to see Kurt there, but instead she saw Wes, and he was standing there with a slight frown on his face. "It is a very good image, I will grant you that, but you would need to be very careful before using it," he said quietly. "Having all three of his parents with him will cause people to ask why he has three, and all of the history will be brought up. There are people out there in the art world that would hold those events against him, and try to use it to undermine him. The Sterlings are also very private people, and they might not like the idea of seeing themselves in print at all."
"I must admit that I hadn't actually considered that they might not wish to see themselves in the magazine, and that is a terrible error on my part," replied Isabelle. She looked at the image, and said, "I could crop the photo and leave them out, and just have mother and son artists being recognised by British royalty."
"I think that would be the best way to go in the circumstances. The majority of your readers who do not know the history would assume that the difference in their surname is down to divorce or re-marriage on her part since he was born. Those that know Jeff best already know the truth, and when all is said and done, it is their opinion that matters most. Now, I think that you need to get back out there and assist your P.A. The Duchess is now chatting to him one on one, and there is a severe risk that the fangirl inside him is going to escape…"
The moment that the royal party departed would not be documented in the photos of the Vogue editor and her assistant, so the fact that Pam Anderson was invited to join them in the back of the royal car was not recorded. She had called her boss on the gallery phone to pass on the royal request, and she would have assumed that she was drunk had she not known that the lady in question was entirely teetotal after a long battle with alcoholism. Taking a note of the number, she had immediately escalated the request to the on duty store director, who immediately assumed that Pam's boss was drunk - until a call came through on the other line from the office of the British consul, confirming the request…
In no time he was down on the sales floor in the beauty hall, alongside every other senior manager in the building, and checking every detail. It was timely, as the security inspector that had checked the gallery out arrived just minutes later, to conduct a rapid assessment of her own. At that point, only the other women on Pam's counter had been briefed as to what was happening, and once they had got over their initial shock, had been happy to comply with every single instruction that they received from those above them.
The portion of the beauty hall in which they worked was then sealed off to anyone that was not definitely making a purchase, which caused some consternation amongst those working on the neighbouring counters, until they too were informed, once the security check had been passed, of what was about to happen. They were informed that once Pam appeared behind her counter, then even those customers would no longer be permitted to enter the area, and for that reason, any lengthy consultations were out of the question; a couple of regular customers that were booked in for those in the immediate time frame found themselves relocated to another counter outwith the cordon, attended by the normal staff. As a concession for their inconvenience, they were seated in such a way that they had a view of Pam's counter…
A time was then agreed, and anticipation grew. Right on the dot, Pam appeared, a white overall over her finery, a rumour spreading that she had actually come back to the store with the royal party themselves. There was no time however for such gossip to be confirmed even to those on her actual counter, now all waiting to act as her assistants. As the area was sealed off, one other person rushed in with permission; it had come to Isabelle's attention what was going on, and she was allowed to be there to record the moment for the magazine…
Pam had just a minute or so to quickly brief her colleagues before there were gasps from all around as the Duchesses both arrived; that Kate would be accompanying her husband's stepmother had only been decided upon in the car, and Pam had not even been able to inform her bosses. There was an outburst of spontaneous applause from those in the other part of the beauty hall, including the regular customers who had been wondering why they had been moved. All in all, what was happening was a massive coup for the store, and would set the beauty hall up nicely in its friendly battle against Saks and Macys…
Back at the gallery, the atmosphere was much more relaxed once the royal party left, even if the First Lady and Vice-President were still there. Although none of the close friends of Jeff would admit it, they had all rather been walking on eggshells whilst they had been in the presence of royalty, and it had been unusually quiet. Now the volume had risen, and Jeff found himself surrounded by his close friends, all wanting to praise him once more. Not only were they keen to point out that his skills were as impressive as ever, they also wanted to say the same to Elspeth.
The lady herself was still recovering from it all, and was still trying to get her head around the fact that, after a personal request from the Duchess of Cornwall, she had agreed to sell one of her more recent Vermont drawings to her, to become part of the Royal Collection, and that overwhelming achievement made her feel both humble and proud at once…
Nick was also very proud of his husband, and when he finally managed to get a minute alone with him, he was swift to tell him that much. "You never mentioned that you were going to be exhibiting your mother's works here too, and I have to admit that doing so is a pretty selfless act. You have provided her with an opportunity to shine, the way that she should have done back in her youth. The fact that you would do that is one of the many reasons why I love you so much. Your heart is so full of love, and open, and I feel privileged every day that you chose me to be your husband."
"We are both lucky in that respect, Nicky. I could never do what I do if I didn't have you to support me, my eternal love," his husband replied. He glanced around to see that there was nobody observing them, and leant forward to kiss him. It wasn't that he minded any of his friends seeing it, of course; he just didn't wish to be photographed by Gideon in what was a private moment…
All too soon though, the couple knew that they had to make themselves visible again, as they had to be around to thank all of their friends for coming to see the show, and also say goodbye to the First Lady, Vice-President and the other celebrities. Some of the latter had requests to make, and Jeff along with Ms Dorward found they were busy placing sold labels on some of the works, alongside those already in place for the royal party, and those for the White House group.
Such was the level of demand that Nick found himself being co-opted into the work. His first job would leave him chuckling though, as it was for Bette, and she had chosen to buy a sketch his husband had made from a still photo take at a performance of Waiting for Godot. She looked at him curiously as he calmed his laughter, then said, "I don't understand why you find my choice so amusing. It is a very fine piece, and shows those two dear boys to perfection…"
"Oh, it certainly does," Nick said in a voice barely above a whisper to her. "The reason for my hilarity is the fact I can see the looks on the faces of those two dear boys, who are standing apart, but both within earshot and my line of sight, and have realised what piece it is that you have chosen. One of them looks more than a little upset that you chose this sketch, and not the one of him standing on his own, and portraying the Prince of Denmark…"
Bette smiled, leant towards Nick, and in a whisper of her own replied, "I would have taken that piece, but I believe that in due course your husband or the gallery owner will be placing a label upon it, as a certain future King has chosen that for a Christmas gift for his grandmother. Of course, if your husband could be persuaded to draw another of my 'nephew', say as Curly in Oklahoma!, then I would snap it up immediately…"
Nick knew that his husband was not keen on taking on such explicit commissions, but he was certain that to make Sebastian happy again he would agree to it - and if Aunt Eller herself happened to be in the background…
Nick would not be able to ask his husband at once, as Jeff had begun to say a few goodbyes to their friends. Thad was the first person to make his excuses after the royal party had departed; the last flight of the day back to Columbus was calling him, as he needed to be back at Dalton to teach his classes in the morning. The Carmichaels were not travelling back with him that night, which was just as well, as they had fallen into the company of the Mackenzies, and the two couples were now chatting away eagerly…
Ethan smiled happily as he watched them, aware of course that his father had been a Dalton boy himself, back in the 1980s, when Aaron Carmichael had been one of the deputy principals of the school. It was obvious that he was as much loved by the men of that generation as he was venerated by those of his own….
What Ethan was not aware of was the fact that there was a much deeper bond between the Carmichaels and his father. At Dalton, his best friend had been the Carmichaels' son Jamie, and he had been, like his parents, absolutely distraught and devastated when the other teenager had been taken so seriously ill. Had he been able to, then Mr Mackenzie would have been at Jamie's bedside with his parents when he passed away.
The whole experience had left Ethan's father with a strong desire to help others that were less fortunate than himself, and he vowed that he would be as philanthropic and charitable as he could be from then on. When he had decided that his future wife was the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with, he told her all about his best friend, and she had been of the same mindset. It was partly in Jamie Carmichael's memory that the work of the Mackenzie Trust had been extended.
The couple knew that, but had requested that nothing be said about that at the time, and Ethan's father had agreed, albeit reluctantly. What Ethan did not know that day was that the agreement was about to alter, and the name of the Carmichaels' son was about to become much better known, with the fully backing of the couple…
One by one, all of the invited guests left, most of them heading for home. A few, like Sebastian, would be meeting up with other old friends whilst they were in New York, and a couple that had travelled a long way would be heading for a hotel. Wes was also heading away, going home with Mrs Duval and the Sterlings; Elspeth had been meant to leave with them, but Jeff had persuaded her to stay, so that she could talk with the press that would attend about her work, although she was reluctant at first to do so. Then she had come to the conclusion that she had no real choice, and it was better to get it done… Food had already been ordered in for the gallery staff, Isabelle and Gideon, who would be taking more images, and for Nick and Jeff of course, and with Isabelle absent, it was no issue to provide one more plate…
It was whilst they were eating that Jeff received a text which left him in shock, and had the same effect on Nick when he showed him it. It came from Elliott, who stated that the Spotlight Diner was in a state of shock, as they had just welcomed the most unexpected guests that required a table for three, and he had hastened over there to help a shell-shocked Michelle and Dani…
"I did mention that we had a share in the diner, but I never imagined that they would want to go there in a million years," remarked Jeff.
"I don't suppose that anyone expected that the two Duchesses would be heading into Bloomingdales for make-up either," Nick said pointedly. "I suppose that being quite so spontaneous must be hard for them normally…"
Gideon had overheard their words, and piped up, "I doubt it was entirely a spur of the moment choice. In all likelihood it would suspect that a detective or two checked the place out anonymously first, to see if it was suitable. We do as much at the magazine when we are seeking out places for photoshoots."
The idea that the Duke and the two Duchesses were at that very moment enjoying a diner meal made them all smile though, and the happiness that notion brought meant that when it came to the moment to open the doors and let in the press and the general public that had bought opening night tickets, Jeff did not feel as nervous as he had thought he might earlier. Not even seeing all of the critics en masse could phase him. With Nick at his side, and a ringing royal endorsement, he could achieve all that his heart desired…
Jeff had predicted that his opening night would be popular, but it ended up exceeding all of his expectations. He found himself greeting many of the great and good of the city; there were politicians, including the mayor, important business tycoons from Wall Street, and stars of TV, film and theater. He was not in the least surprised to see Daniel Radcliffe and his partner in the throng, chatting away to the new young star of the Yankees current team, the latter being well known for his appreciation of both classical music and the art scene in general…
He spoke at length with the Principal of the art school at Columbia, his alma mater, and also with the Head of the Met, who had already laid claim to three of his pieces for the gallery's collection by the time Jeff met him. He had smiled to see that they were holding green stickers in their hand, as he had instructed; he had decided that he would not take his percentage on any work that was going into the Met's collections, allowing the gallery to collect more. He steered them into the room that held his mother's works, and then left them to study her pieces alongside the art critic of the New Yorker, then headed off to find Elspeth so that he could introduce her to them both…
They arrived back, and Jeff paused briefly on the threshold to observe, and was just in time to witness the art critic nodding sagely as the head of the Met placed a green sticker on one of his mother's drawings of Vermont that she had agreed could be sold. He whispered that information into her ear, and she glanced in herself. On seeing the green sticker for herself, she gasped, and then a tear or two were shed, by both mother and son…
"I can't believe that something I produced has been selected to join the Met's collection. It was a dream of mine as a young art student, but I never thought that I would realise that now. You have made it come true for me…"
"It is what any son would do for his mother," replied Jeff. Then, with a grin on his face, he linked arms with his mother and took her into the room to meet its two other occupants…
The gallery was officially meant to close at 10pm, but it was much closer to 11pm when Nick and Jeff finally let themselves back into their West Village home. Elspeth was at their side, tired but so happy, all of her youthful dreams finally realised. Wes was in bed, of course, as he had a full day at school ahead of him tomorrow. Caleb too had been asleep, but as soon as Jeff came within a few feet of his basket, he woke with startling rapidity to miaow at him. Nick shook his head, realising that the cat had not been asleep at all, but waiting for his people to get back and save him from all of the strangers. A glance across at Mrs Sterling revealed that she knew that was the case as well, but had accepted it as one of the foibles of her son's cherished pet…
There was a light supper ready for them, soup simmering away on the stove alongside some English style cheese scones, and the three returnees all ate with gusto. Jeff managed to talk non-stop as he did so. Elspeth was heartily congratulated by the Sterlings and Mrs Duval on the fact that she was now to be exhibited at the Met. When Nick managed to get a word in, he told them about the events at the Spotlight Diner that evening, making the three parents laugh.
He was able to update them further a few minutes later as he checked his phone and saw he had a new text from Thad. He informed them all that he had found out about the impromptu royal visit from his brother, who had finished his shift at the hospital to discover that he had received a text message from his wife, asking that he come to the diner as a matter of the utmost urgency the minute he read the message. Fearing the worst, he had not bothered to change as he usually did out of his scrubs, but had just flung on his coat and ran to the diner. That was how he came to be introduced to the future King of the United Kingdom in blood splattered scrubs…
"Thad says that his brother was mortified, as was Michelle, as there was stuff other than blood on them too. However, it was an excellent way to start a conversation on how the new healthcare system was working, before they moved on to the hospice movement that has sprung from the one we created in memory of Seth…"
Nick knew that there was little point in suggesting that they headed to bed until midnight had passed by, as the online reviews of the show by the critics would start to appear by then. It wasn't quite like a Broadway opening night, when every journal had their opinion of the new show out there by the time that the first edition was rolling off the presses for distribution outside of the city, but it was nonetheless still important. He had contrived to set up an alert, and bang on the stroke of midnight, the first notification chimed. He got up and managed to sneak into his walk in pantry to read it, just in case…
If it was not favourable, then Nick's plan was to hustle his husband straight up to bed, so that the moment could wait until the morning. He had an ally in the plan, his mom-in-law Judy Sterling, and she was prepared to come over all 'mom' just to get him off to bed. As he stepped back into the room, she glanced over at him, and smiled when she saw he was giving her a thumbs up. Nick cleared his throat, to draw everyone's attention, and they all fell silent, apart from a disgruntled miaow from a cat that was no longer being stroked by his blond human. Nick shook his head, then spoke.
"There were some that predicted that Jeff Sterling-Duval would be a flash in the pan; that having created The Judging Angel, he would vanish into obscurity once more. The owners of the gallery that staged his first solo show, Modern Families, obviously though that this was the case when they reneged on their deal to host his second, which opened tonight in a different venue in Chelsea. The presence of both royalty and celebrity at the show indicates that those other gallery owners backed the wrong horse. In fact, it would be fair to say that Mr Sterling-Duval has reached new heights, and his show, from which items have already been selected to join the Royal Collection in London, and the Met here in New York, is a masterclass. It also came with a surprise; he is exhibiting works created by his mother alongside those of his own. That is just another reason why he is one of this nation's greatest artists of all time…"
Nick stopped then, as he saw that his husband's face had turned crimson. He stayed silent until his husband spoke, his voice trembling with emotion. "They really said that they think I'm am one of this nation's greatest artists? I never thought that I would be called that in my wildest dreams, and certainly not when I am in my thirties!"
"Only just in your thirties, let us not forget," replied Nick, smiling at the modesty of the man that he loved above everything else. "I still need to apologise to you though about that commission that I took without checking first…"
"For Bette? That is not a problem at all, particularly if it stops Sebastian feeling jealous, and thinking that his place as her 'nephew' has been stolen by Russell," said Jeff with a chuckle.
Nick laughed too, then recalled his thoughts from that morning. "Whilst we are talking art, I had an idea earlier today of something that you could draw, and well…" He paused, then opened up the gallery on his phone, and showed Jeff the picture that he had taken first thing. "I just thought that very few artists have ever produced a self portrait of themselves asleep, for the obvious reason, but I saw the scenario and I thought it was sweet and adorable…"
His husband was still looking at the picture, then said, "I like the idea, and it would be a concept that has rarely been tackled. Even if I don't go with it, I do like the image you captured."
"You and Caleb just looked so wonderful together like that, and I couldn't resist. I hope that you don't mind…"
"No, not at all; I might have a few pictures of you asleep too," admitted Jeff. "Maybe we should get someone to take a picture of the two of us asleep next, and I could produce a whole series…"
Nick laughed, then yawned. He smiled as he saw his husband do the same. "I think that we should both go and practice our pose for that," he said, getting a laugh from all around the table. Jeff nodded, in agreement, and with their parents offering to tidy up, they headed upstairs, and were soon curled up in bed together…