Chapter Seventeen

The next morning a very unexpected scene greeted the Queen as she sat at the breakfast table. The people around her looked like as they gathered for a spontaneous brunch. Except that nothing was spontaneous in the Palace.

"Good morning! Simon, Cyrus, Mother, Gloria, Rachel, Mr. Prime Minister…" – Helena looked at the uninvited guests in confusion. – "Is there a special occasion I don't know about?"

"You are the occasion, my love." – answered her husband with a troubled look on his face.

The PM cleared his throat as he prepared to ask the question they all waited for:

"Your Majesty! Would you mind filling us in on what happened yesterday?"

"After you came to see me…" – the Grand Duchess of Oxford added quickly.

The Queen frowned when she looked at her mother, but this was not the right time to contradict her.

"After I came to see you…" – she repeated to gain some time.

Lady Alexandra sensed what her daughter needed and she continued to speak:

"Yes. I got worried when you called me, Simon." – she said to her son-in-law. When she noticed the doubt in the King's eyes, she admitted: – "All right, I had some business in London, but my main reason was to check on Helena."

Queen Gloria snorted in disdain.

"Well, it wasn't so successful. Your daughter made a goddamn mess." – she remarked scornfully. – "That is not what you promised when she married my son. I should ask back all the money I gave you over the years."

"Enough! Stop it!" – King Simon cried.

"What? Killing someone is pretty much a deal breaker!" – the Queen Mother snapped at him.

Helena looked from one to another until now, but the last sentence caught her attention.

"She died?" – she asked curiously.

"No, but she is in a coma. Thanks to you." – came the snarky response from her mother-in-law.

The whole bizarre conversation finally made sense to Queen Helena.

"Wait! Why do you think that I…?" – she asked in surprise, then she quickly jumped to the most important part. – "I didn't hit her. It was a hit-and-run, but it wasn't me. I was just a witness. There was another car…"

Judging by the look in Lady Alexandra's eyes, Helena realized that she didn't convince everybody. She was proven right when the Duchess expressed her disbelief:

"Of course, the other car that nobody knows about… Unlike the lack of your bodyguards or your drunken call for the ambulance, which are widely known facts by now." – she hissed angrily.

"Well, it wasn't me and when she wakes up, she can prove it." – Helena replied with surprising ease.

"If she wakes up…" – King Simon remarked quietly.

The Queen looked at her husband, only to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"You don't believe me." – she cried in shock.

Simon gave her a bitter smile as he said exactly the same thing his wife used to say to him in their quarrels:

"It doesn't matter what I believe."

And Helena reacted exactly the same way as her husband used to react to that.

"It does matter to me." – she cried indignantly. – "I didn't hit that woman."

"But you drove drunk…" – remarked the King, loud and clear.

Helena didn't know what to say. She would have never expected him to humiliate her like this in front of others.

The Prime Minister was noticeably embarrassed both because of the situation and the things he was about to say, but he had to communicate the cabinet's position on the matter. He cleared his throat again to have everybody's attention.

"The government decided to dissociate itself from Her Majesty's case…" – he began and he wiped his sweaty forehead before he continued. – "…and we strongly advise the Royal Family to do the same as long as the investigation lasts."

"What do you suggest exactly?" – King Simon asked gingerly.

"Maybe Your Majesty could consider separating from the Queen and depriving her of her titles. Temporary, of course." – the PM replied in a stuttering voice.

Queen Helena put her teacup on the saucer with such force that it shattered into pieces. The Queen Mother briefly looked at her, then she turned to the Prime Minister. Her voice was firm and categorical, she seemed like the true matriarch of the family as she spoke:

"We appreciate your concerns, Sir, but my daughter-in-law is the Queen of England and the mother of the next king. As such, we all owe her respect and the presumption of innocence. We will officially support her version of the story until the opposite is proven."

Everybody at the table was under shock after her words. Finally, Helena broke the silence as she stood up.

"Well, if that is all…" – she started, expressing her intention to leave.

"Where are you going?" – King Simon asked in surprise.

His wife shrugged and looked around before she answered:

"To change my clothes. I have to be at the Royal Ascot in three hours."

She could see that the King didn't like her plans.

"I don't think you should go." – he said unwillingly.

Helena burst out laughing.

"In the past two weeks you begged me to go out and now you forbid me…" – she said in a sarcastic voice.

Queen Gloria decided to intervene again.

"She is right. If she cancels it now, she will look guilty." – she remarked and after some consideration, she added: – "Take Robert with you as well, people can't think poorly of a mother."


Queen Helena headed to Robert's room to prepare him for the journey, but she was surprised by her brother-in-law.

"I will ask you this once so you'd better listen." – came the warning from Prince Cyrus which was quickly followed by a question. – "Do you want that woman to wake up?"

The Queen frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?" – she asked, puzzled.

The Duke of York stepped closer to her and whispered in her ears:

"Just say the word and she won't."

Helena quickly backed away from him.

"Cyrus! You are talking about murder!" – she hissed in a tone filled with disgust.

"Desperate times call desperate measures." – Cyrus remarked indifferently and shrugged his shoulders.

The Queen shook her head.

"No. And I don't want to hear this ever again." – she said firmly. – "Besides, I told the truth. I want her, I need her to wake up. If you can help with that, it would be really useful."


On their way to Ascot, the Queen couldn't hold back her bitterness anymore and exclaimed to Rachel.

"He just let him talk about me like a chess figure. What kind of a husband is that? Like the PM could have any right to decide about my marriage, my life…"

Prince Robert, who sat next to his mother in the car, quietly remarked:

"You are not a chess figure."

"I'm certainly not." – Queen Helena agreed.

"The chess queen is much thinner." – her son finished his previous thought.

The Queen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, then she decided on laughing.

"Really, Robert? Thank you very much!" – she replied in mock anger, then she playfully scolded her son: – "It's not nice to say this to a woman."

Prince Robert looked up to her in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because women want to be thin." – came the simple answer.

Robert seemed to think about it, then he asked again:

"Why?"

His mother, as always, answered him honestly:

"Because they think men would like that."

"Does dad like that?" – he asked curiously.

"Right now I'm not sure what he wants. He and the Prime Minister…" – Helena sighed. – "But the funny thing is that they just made me want to be Queen more than ever."

Shortly after, they arrived at the racecourse, where the manager showed them the competing horses.

"Do you like them?" – Queen Helena asked his son as she bent down to him.

"They are very nice." – answered Robert willingly.

The Queen led him to a gorgeous white horse and picked him up for a better look.

"Look at her." – she said to him. – "She is the sister of my horse, Hippolyta."

As he heard the word 'sister', the little Prince cried out over-excitedly:

"Like Lenny!"

"Yes, like Eleanor to you and Liam." – Helena confirmed it with a smile and she kissed his cheek.

The manager 's voice interrupted the intimate moment.

"Would you like to bet on her, Your Majesty?" – he asked politely.

"I never bet on my own horses, you know that, Mr. Hamilton." – the Queen answered in a reprimanding tone, then she turned to her son. – "Which one is your favourite, Robert?"

Prince Robert pointed at a proud black horse in the corner of the barn.

"Excellent choice, Your Highness!" – said the manager. – "Her name is Hope and she is one of the favourites."

They left the stables and took their seats in the Royal Box. As they waited for the race to start, the Queen and Rachel both agreed that Robert couldn't be any cuter in his suit and top hat.

"What now?" – the little Prince asked impatiently.

"Now we watch her and root for her to win." – answered his mother.

At that moment, the race finally began and a couple of minutes later it was over.

"Did she win? Did she win?" – Robert cried excitedly.

Helena waited for the official announcement before she replied.

"Yes, darling, she won." – she said happily and surprised. – "You brought my luck, I never won before."


- BBC NEWS AT SIX O'CLOCK -

JULIA:"Good evening! Today was the first day of the Royal Ascot. Although the race looked promising, the main question was, whether the Queen would attend the event this year as usual. This morning, a photograph of Her Majesty at the scene of a car accident, and an emergency call recording were leaked to the public. The Palace's short statement says that the Queen witnessed a hit-and-run yesterday and did what anyone would have done in this situation: she called the ambulance. Royalty doesn't absolve you of your duty as a responsible citizen. Though, it doesn't explain why Queen Helena left the Palace without security details, where she went or if she was under the influence of alcohol at the time in question. I turn to our correspondent in Berkshire. Hello, Tom!"

TOM:"Hello Julia! Yes, the morning news indeed gave us some reason to speculate here on the Ascot Racecourse. Fortunately, Queen Helena arrived with her eldest child, Prince Robert and this was very reassuring for everyone."

JULIA:"What was she like?"

TOM:"She was very nice. It looked like they enjoyed themselves with Prince Robert, they even bet on a horse called Hope."

JULIA:" 'Hope for the best'? or 'Hope for getting away with it'?"

TOM:"For what it is worth, Julia, she didn't seem guilty to me. She was fabulous as usual, she was lovely with her son and as for the emergency call, I couldn't say that she was drunk. I listened to the recording, it seemed more like the voice of a scared woman to me, which is absolutely normal in this situation."

JULIA:"I wish you were right, Tom. However, you have to admit that this past year wasn't an easy one for her. She had two babies right after she was crowned Queen, then there was the kidnap attempt… People already see her as a national hero. Is it possible that Queen Helena saved two lives in almost two weeks or she finally broke under the pressure and made a serious mistake?"

"Bullshit! No one cares that the bloody horse actually won the race." – hissed Helena and turned off the TV.

She didn't notice that her husband stood in the door for a while.

"We didn't have time to speak this morning." – he said softly.

"Your silence was eloquent enough." – answered the Queen resentfully as she looked up to him.

King Simon sighed and sat beside his wife on the sofa.

"I'm afraid it wasn't. I know you didn't hit that woman."

"She woke up?" – asked Helena hopefully.

"No, but I know you told the truth." – Simon replied and put his hand on hers.

Queen Helena pulled away her hand and stood up.

"Well, it took only a day." – she remarked uninterested.

"I was angry with you. I am angry with you." – the King cried to his wife who stood at the window, with her back to him. – "Not because I didn't believe you, but because you were drunk. And you went out without a security detail. How could you do that right now?"

Helena turned back and looked him in the eyes as she said:

"It won't happen again, I swear."

It wasn't the answer Simon expected.

"I feel responsible. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention to you…" – he started, but the Queen interrupted him.

"Please, Simon." – she said and walked over to him.

"I wish you would trust me and know that I'm here for you." – the King mumbled.

"I know." – Helena whispered back and stroked his cheek.

The Queen could see that something still bothered her husband.

"What is it?" – she asked.

Simon hesitated before he answered.

"The Prime Minister…" – he began, but Helena stopped him again.

"We have to take him seriously." – she said with her signature pragmatism. – "The Queen must be irreproachable. If the woman dies before she could clear my name, I will be linked to this case forever. You will have no choice, but to divorce me."

The King was always impressed that his wife could talk about her own life with such objectivity as about the weather. However, he was a man of emotions, that is why they complemented each other so well.

"Out of the question. What I tried to say to you is that the PM doesn't and can't have any control over our private life." – he said firmly, then he added. – "If the people don't want their Queen, they don't need their King either. We are a team, Helena."

Simon could see that the shock was written all over his wife's face.

"I... I don't know what to say…" – began the Queen, who couldn't help thinking how wickedly she betrayed this alliance just a day before. – "We are a team, but the throne is Robert's birthright. I would never let you choose me over him."

King Simon accepted this argument, but he was disappointed.

"Fair enough, but what about you? Would you choose me over my crown?"

The King never got an answer for this question because at this moment his brother appeared in the room.

"She woke up." – Cyrus announced solemnly.

Simon could see the relief on Helena's face, but he didn't know what to attribute it to: the good news or the sudden luck that saved her from answering.


"Your Majesty?"

Ted Pryce's voice revived the King from his thoughts.

"Did you do what I asked?" – he asked uneasily.

The bodyguard silently nodded.

"The Grand Duchess arrived in London just this morning."

"She may have told the truth about the accident, but she lied about something after all." – Simon remarked bitterly.

He motioned to his security detail to continue with the information he learned.

"The Queen went to a private address in East London. The house belongs to a decorated war veteran named Captain Alistair Lacey. As for the nature of their relationship, he worked on her family's farm prior to your engagement. Then, he joined the armed forces and didn't return until…"

"That's enough. Thank you, Ted."

The King dismissed his bodyguard and headed for the tunnels to clear his head with a good walk in London.