Future Shows, Surprise Encounters
At the end of what had been an eventful week for Sebastian, Skylar and Seth, a surprise visitor would arrive at the Evans Berry house in Bedford Stuyvesant. Sam was out at the theatre, preparing for another night in one of the most popular shows on Broadway, and both of his siblings were out of the house too, leaving just Rachel and Barbra at home. She was still enjoying being a full time mother, but it had now been six months since her daughter had come into the world, and there was a part of her that secretly was starting to crave the stage. Her need to perform had in no way diminished, and there was only so far one could go with nursery rhymes for an audience of one….
The ringing of the doorbell was therefore a welcome distraction from an afternoon of household tasks interspersed with childcare. It was still a bit of a shock to open the door and find Jesse standing there, and as she invited him in for coffee, she had to question why he was there. The answer to that was not immediately forthcoming, given that Barbra decided to make her presence known almost the moment that she had walked him into the sitting room. Rachel was left torn between her duty as a hostess and her child, but to her delight Jesse offered to take care of Barbra for her whilst she went to make the coffee. She returned in just a few minutes with a tray of coffee and cake to find her daughter lying peacefully in Jesse's arms as he sang to her in the softest of tones…
With Barbra settled back into her bassinet, and the coffee poured, Jesse was finally able to speak. "Firstly, can I just say that your daughter is a credit to both you and Sam. If I am being totally honest, I wasn't sure about the two of you as a couple at first, but it obviously works. He has also exceeded my initial expectations professionally; he is doing great things in The Producers; he and Cooper are quite the double act, and I can say that from having watched them first hand. Broadway can be a hit or miss affair, and there were some people that felt that this revival would have a very short shelf life, but now I think it could run for as long as Book of Mormon has. Anyway, now to the reason I came. As you will be aware, Dear Evan Hansen is closing in a few months, and the Music Box Theatre is looking for a new show to host. As it happens, that might well be mine…"
"That is wonderful Jesse! I am so pleased for you."
"There is only one problem; the actress that replaced you as Charlotte Brontë does not wish to continue in the part; it turns out that she has actually been offered a role in the touring production of Hamilton, not that she thinks I am aware of that! So I need someone to fill her shoes as we head to Broadway, and I would like to give you the first option on returning to the role. I would love nothing more than to have you as my leading lady as we open on West 45th Street."
Rachel smiled, but then said, "There is nothing that I would like more, Jesse, but it is no longer as simple as my just saying yes now. Barbra has to be my first priority in any choice that I make, and I have to consult Sam too. With him being in a show as well, we would both be out of the house six nights a week, plus two matinees… I guess that we could do what Sebastian and Dave did and hire a nanny, or get an au pair like Cooper and Grace. I can't make any kind of commitment until I speak to Sam…"
"But it isn't an outright no?"
"It definitely isn't. it would be wonderful to take your show to Broadway, because that is where it has always deserved to be, but as I say, I can't make the decision lightly, given all that is now involved…"
Rachel busied herself for the rest of the day once Jesse had headed home. She knew in her heart that had she not had Barbra to think of, then her answer would have been yes there and then, without even talking to Sam; he understood what performing meant to her. But she had a daughter now, and her needs and well-being had to be placed above her own desires. As was customary, she waited up for Sam's return from his Friday night show, greeting him as he came in with a smile and a kiss. She waited until he was sitting at the kitchen table, tucking in to the omelette that she had prepared for him to break the news about her visitor that day.
"I had heard a rumour that Jesse's Brontë play might be heading to Broadway if I am being honest," admitted Sam when she finished. "Someone mentioned it to Cooper, but I didn't want to say anything to you as it was just that; a rumour. We all know how truthful those are on Broadway half the time. So I am guessing that you would like to accept his offer and go back to work?"
"If there were no other considerations, then yes, I would jump at the chance, but it isn't as simple as that anymore," Rachel replied.
"It should be though; in the business that we are in, child care was always going to create issues for us. In the back of my mind, I always anticipated that we might have to get someone to help us out with Barbra at some stage. So, as I see it, we get a nanny or an au pair like Cooper so that you can get back out there to do what you love; it has worked for Cooper, and Sebastian for that matter. Personally, I think that as we have the space, we should get an au pair, as having someone living in might be a lot more convenient and cheaper in the long run."
"I am not so sure that I would want a stranger living in the house, and there are your brother and sister to consider too, Sam. I think we should contact Sebastian and ask him for the number of the agency that he got his nanny from."
"We might be just as well going straight to Isabelle ourselves, as she will be able to find us an agency here in New York. Whatever we decide, I want you to call Jesse tomorrow, and tell him you are accepting the role. We will be okay, and so will Barbra." Rachel could only smile and think how lucky she was to have Sam as her husband at that moment; with his support, they could truly have the best of both worlds…
Saturday morning dawned, and with it came a decision from the National Theatre for Sebastian. He had sent them an E-Mail when he arrived home from the theatre on Thursday night, stating that he would be more than happy to bring Hamlet to the London stage for them, but he would only be available between the dates that he indicated in his message. He explained to them that he did not wish to be absent for his daughter's first birthday, or her first real Christmas, and that he was expecting a second child early in 2023, and he had to be back in the US for their birth. He added that he fully understood if in the light of those restrictions the theatre wished to withdraw their kind offer, but that he was grateful for their interest in him in any case. When he had not received a reply within an hour of curtain up on Friday night, he had concluded that the period of time that he was available was obviously too short for them, or did not fit into their scheduling, and as a result, they had no interest anymore.
Had that come at a less happy point in his life, he would have been devastated at the rejection. Now he accepted it, and as he retired to bed beside his husband that night, it was with the knowledge in his mind that he would not be going away after all, and if he was honest, he was sure that Dave would be quietly pleased about that in any case.
He was woken the next morning by said husband with his now traditional Saturday morning breakfast in bed, prepared before he had to head out to play his game. He considered mentioning the fact that there had been no response from London, but in the end he decided that he would not, just enjoy the time they had together, and all the love and affection that went both ways that day. Once his husband had gone, albeit with much reluctance, Sebastian got up and enjoyed playing with Elise for a short while, then as she became occupied with her favourite toys, he pulled out his phone to check his mail. He immediately noticed the sender of the message at the top, and drew in a breath. Then he opened the message from the National Theatre, resigned to its contents…
Dave was in the locker room, getting ready to head out for the final warm up when his phone began to ring in his locker; he immediately recognised the tone he had for Sebastian. All else was forgotten as he hastened to grab it, assuming that there had to be some crisis for his husband to be phoning him right now, when he knew that he would be getting ready to go out and play. The moment that he picked up though, all he heard was an excited voice say "They want me! They've agreed to my dates! I am going to be performing at the National Theatre itself - not quite in the West End, but close enough. I am sorry to call you when you will be busy, but I just had to tell you the news before I burst with excitement. Anyway, they need me to confirm things ASAP, so I just want to make sure that you are 110% okay with this. So, do you really not mind me moving to London for almost three months to perform? If you do, then I will say no to them right now…"
"First off," replied Dave, "I am so proud of you right now, Sebby! I always knew that your talents would get you recognised the whole world over, and that they asked you to come is a sure sign that I was right. Secondly, my opinion has not change one bit since the first time that we discussed this; I will miss you like crazy whilst you are away, but your career is so very important, and this is just the kind of stuff that you need on your acting CV. You will go with my love and blessing, as long as you remember to bring back presents for Elise to open on Christmas Day. Also, if you go now, you will have a support network in place in the shape of Nick and Jeff naturally, but also Mason and Jane. You won't be lonely, which was always going to be my main concern whilst you were away for work. I also think it would be a good chance for you to see François, given how close he will be."
"That's true, I should do that… just so you know, I love you so much too, Dave, and I will miss your presence every night that we are apart. Right, I am going to mail them back now and confirm the dates. It is exciting, but honestly, scary too…"
"You will be fine; you are a natural performer after all…" Dave stopped, seeing the team coach looking at him. "Okay, I need to go now, but we can have a proper discussion about this tomorrow morning…"
"Alright. Have a good game, and Dave, I love you!"
"I love you too," said Dave in reply, before ringing off with a smile.
With his reply to the National Theatre and a confirmation E-mail returning within an hour, it was an excited Sebastian that headed off to his matinee that day. His bosses at he show already knew all about it of course, given that more or less the entire cast was going with him. The show would carry on with the understudies in place whilst they were in London, which meant that he would theoretically have a job to return too. The idea of a break did appear, and of course, there was the prospect of Young Frankenstein as well…
He was having thoughts of a slightly different path though. He had always stated that he would be leaving the show sometime early on in 2023, and now that he had fatherhood approaching again, he wondered if he should take a leave out of Cooper's book, and indeed Rachel's, and take a sabbatical. The idea of 6 months or so to bond with his child was appealing, and he and Dave could easily afford it. They had both been careful with their earnings, neither of them living extravagantly. That decision was one that he and Dave could talk over the following day.
Once his first show was done, he headed back to his dressing room, and although it was getting late in London, he contacted Nick and Jeff. He had intended to just send them an E-mail, but he noticed that they were online on Skype, and he ended up chatting to them face to face instead. He was not in the least bit surprised when, after he had told them about his booking, they immediately offered to put him up for the duration of the show. It saved him asking for the one thing he had been hoping for all the long…
Nick and Jeff were only too pleased to be able to provide their friend with accommodation for the duration of his stay in London. With the excitement of Drew's reappearance and subsequent escape now over, they had quickly slipped back in to the new routine they had built for themselves. Nick was enjoying his work at the U.N.'s London office immensely, although he was much busier than he had anticipated that he would be. He was shocked if he was honest at just how many outstanding rights issues there still were in the UK so long after the Brexit process. Not all of them were related to people whose lives had been turned upside down by the events of 2019 either. His new British colleagues had none of the famous British reserve that he had imagined, and they welcomed him with open arms. He and Jeff had found themselves with invites to dinner and weekend parties, and they had done their best to attend, as long as there was provision for their son.
Wes too had settled in nicely at his new kindergarten, although it was only at the end of his first full week there that they discovered that if Jeff had not bumped into Drew on that fateful Friday, he might well have done so on Monday at the school. His mention of Dalton Academy to another parent in passing as he had waited to collect Wes had been overheard by the head teacher, a certain Miss Frobisher. She made a point of seeking Jeff out the following day and asking him to come into her office; he was worried at first that there was an issue with Wes, but he was all the more shocked when she sat him down and asked him if he knew a Drew Symons. Jeff had been guarded in his response until she had blurted out that she was glad that he was free from the clutches of that awful woman now, although she did miss Evie terribly…
After that, Jeff felt free to be open about his knowledge of Drew, and the two of them quickly built up a rapport. Of course she had heard of his work as an artist, but she had not wanted to assume that he was the same man. She knew of course about the rules which meant that he could not take up any form of paid work whilst he was in the country, but that did not stop her thinking that in time he could be persuaded to come and give a talk to the South Kensington Ladies Guild. She was a member, and they were always looking for new and interesting speakers; he would be quite a catch for them. In the meantime, she could certainly ask him to join the parent volunteers…
Jeff was glad of the distraction as he was finding it harder to settle in London than Nick had. He had all of his routines back in New York, including little jobs that he had been paid for naturally, but now he found himself with an empty day between 9 and 3 during the week, whilst Wes was at school, and Nick at work. There was only so much housework that needed to be done, and although his illustration work took up some time, along with the trip to the Post Office to mail back the hard copy that his publisher liked to have alongside the electronic one, it still left him too much spare time. He had made trips to all of the major galleries of course, and some more minor ones, although he took care to set the alarm on both his watch and his phone when he did so, to ensure that he was back at the school on time and not absorbed by the art. He had also started to sketch the neighbourhood, and that had attracted him an audience.
Then there was also the fact that he was missing someone very important back home in the United States. He knew that he was being cosseted by his Uncle Mike and Aunt Tina, but Caleb was still a source of constant worry for the blond. The first time that Jeff had requested a Skype chat with Caleb had not been a surprise to anyone that knew him, particularly Mike. He himself had not been at all popular though when he had woken up the sleeping cat, the miaows that he had been rewarded one being ones filled with protest and indignation. When Mike had placed him in front of the screen he had nearly jumped straight back off the desk to indignantly stalk back to his comfortable bed, tail held high, until he heard that familiar voice. He turned to the screen, and saw that face… His initial reaction had been to paw at the screen, miaowing in frustration when he could not touch his main human. Then he had accepted that it was just that thing the humans called television, and although it wasn't fair, at least he could hear that special voice…
As the middle of August came and went, and Drew was nearing the end of his second week back home in Ohio, Jeff took advantage of the dry, sunny weather on a Friday morning to head out and sketch more of the landmarks of the area. He decided on a whim to head a bit further and draw what was without a doubt the most important building in the district. As he strolled into the grounds of Kensington Palace, Jeff basked happily in the warmth of the sun, not envying for a moment his husband, who would be sat behind a desk in his office in the city. He smiled at the knowledge that Miss Frobisher would have the children, including Wes, out in the garden at the school, so they could enjoy the weather. He found the perfect spot to draw in very quickly; a bench shaded by a magnificent oak tree in full leaf. It offered the perfect vista of the Palace itself, which he knew was the London home of so many members of the extended Royal Family…
With his pencil at the ready, Jeff began to sketch, and as his usual his mind focused solely on the task in hand. The area was fairly busy with other visitors, but Jeff did not see them, even as they paused to watch the blond man as he created another perfect representation of the scene before him. Even those that passed in front of him were unobserved, as they did not linger in his line of sight for long enough. As a result, he did not notice the Royal Protection Officer that observed him from a distance for several minutes before speaking quietly into his phone. However, when a few minutes later someone else came and stood in front of him, he did notice, and sighed quietly in exasperation. He lifted his head from his work, preparing to say something, but for once his eyes worked before his mouth. It was just as well, as it would certainly not have been good form for him to berate Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge….
Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, and then re-opened them, to find that she was still standing there when he did so, albeit with a slightly bigger hint of a smile on her face now. In his head he desperately tried to recall what the correct form of greeting was; obviously a simple "Hi!" would be insufficient, and either squealing "Kate Middleton!" or "Oh My God!" would be very bad too. Then again, should he even speak, or just wait to be spoken to? He took a deep breath, and praying that he had the right words, said "Your Royal Highness, I must apologise if my drawing here had caused you any offence; please tell me that I have not inadvertently stumbled into a private family area…"
"Oh, no, you certainly haven't done that," came his reply. "I merely came down to see you because I was informed by the staff that there was a young man with an extraordinary talent for drawing sketching in the grounds. Would you mind very much if I took a look at your work? I hope that you don't find my request too much…"
"Oh, no, it certainly isn't, ma'am," Jeff responded at once, glad that he had recalled a conversation he had had with Kurt back at Dalton about how ma'am was pronounced in these circumstances, and thus getting it spot on.
"I am pleased to hear that; you did seem just a trifle startled at my appearance, which is understandable of course. Now, that is definitely an American accent that I can hear… Somewhere in the north east of the country I think, but I can't be certain."
"Very close. I was born in Ohio, and raised there, but my mother was from Vermont, so that might have had an impact. As for now, I am living in New York," said Jeff, holding out his sketch pad to the Duchess. To his surprise, she sat down beside him before she took it from him.
"New York is one of my favourite cities in the world; such a blend of cultures, full of some of the most iconic structures of the first half of the 20th century… Now this drawing really is magnificent! You are a very talented young man! Would you mind awfully if I took a look through your other sketches?"
"Of course not, ma'am… Yes, New York is a wonderful place to live, but then again so is London; so much history surrounds you on every corner. I am lucky enough to be living here for a year with my husband and son. My husband works for the United Nations, and is on secondment here; our boy is currently at kindergarten, which gives me time to pursue my first love…"
"Well you definitely have an eye for it, and to be honest, there seems something familiar in the style…"
Jeff smiled to himself, and then said, "I should introduce myself properly ma'am. My name is Jeff Sterling-Duval…"
"The Judging Angel!" the Duchess exclaimed. "Yes, I see it now, that is what I recognise in your work; the scrupulous attention to detail, the lifelike nature of your images. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the copy of your original work when it was on loan to the National Gallery, alongside Her Majesty. She has a print of it, but then you might well be aware of that, given who sourced it."
"I was aware of that, ma'am, and it was such an honour to discover that one of the most respected women on earth derives pleasure from something that I created."
"Pleasure and inspiration; she travels from home to home as you will know, and that print travels with her, always close to her bed. The Duke is not as well as he was; only to be expected at the age of 101 naturally. Her Majesty is kept strong through her faith, and your angelic judge is a symbol of that faith to her…" The Duchess paused, and then after a moment's thought, continued, "Mr Sterling-Duval, do you happen to be free this Sunday afternoon? We are hosting a small family get together here for Her Majesty, and if you, your husband and your son could possibly attend… Well, I think Her Majesty would be most pleased to meet you at last…"
When Nick came home from work that evening, he was greeted in the hallway as usual, but by his son, not his husband. "Hello daddy! Papa is in the kitchen, but I think that he might be sick. He has been very quiet since he picked me up from school, like the time when he met Uncle Drew, and Uncle Ethan then came to visit."
"Okay, well I will go and have a talk with him and see that he is okay," replied Nick.
"Oh, he also says that we will have to go out tomorrow, to buy me a suit," said Wes, as he turned round and headed back down to the kitchen. Nick was immediately curious at that, and followed his son after hanging his summer jacket up on the coat hooks at the door. Jeff did seem more than a little distracted as he walked in, but he perked up when he saw him, and hurried over to hug him.
"Are you okay, Jeffie? Wes tells me that you have been very quiet and thoughtful."
"I'm okay Nicky, just a little worried that you and I will need to get new suits too, because we will have to look very smart. I wish that I knew the correct protocol, because there is a lot of very contradictory stuff online. I should have just asked…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Nick.
"I met a lady today, and we got talking about my drawing, and as a result we have been invited to afternoon tea on Sunday, all three of us. We need to make a good impression, and for that we all need to be well turned out."
Nick smiled, and shook his head. "Okay, still lost here Jeffie. Start from the start. Firstly, who did you meet?"
"I was drawing in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and then the Duchess of Cambridge was there in front of me; she liked my sketches, and then when I told her who I was - did you know that the Queen actually takes her print of The Judging Angel with her to wherever she is spending the night? Anyway, the Duchess has asked us to join her, her husband and his grandmother for tea on Sunday, and there was no way that I could decline…"
Nick just stared at his husband with his mouth opened wide for a moment, then shook his head, and said, "Could you just run that by me again, Jeffie?"
"We are going to be having tea with The Queen at Kensington Palace on Sunday Nicky. So, you see, we might have to get new suits…"
Nick looked at his husband for a moment, and then laughed. "Of course we are, Jeffie. Such things happen all the time here in London to ordinary folks like us."
"I told the Duchess that you would say that, and she did agree that it would indeed seem a little far-fetched, so she asked one of her staff, a man that had been watching us from a distance all the time, to take this photo." He opened up his phone, and brought up a picture which he showed to Nick, whose jaw promptly nearly crashed to the floor as his eyes shot open. "It's alright, Nicky, I wouldn't have believed me either. As I said, they saw me drawing, and the Duchess has an interest in art; when I told her my name I ceased to be the young man sketching the palace and became the renowned artist that produced Her Majesty's favourite picture at the moment. She is feeling a little down at this time, with the Duke being unwell - and after 75 years of marriage, who can blame her - and meeting me face to face would bring her a little pleasure in Catherine's opinion. And before you say anything, you and Wes had been asked to come too before she even discovered that you worked at the UN. That was an added bonus."
Nick shook his head, still trying to get his mind around it all. "So we really are meeting the Queen in two days time… Yes, we might just both need new suits, and my hair could do with a cut, and yours would benefit from a tidy up. Whilst I think of it, I had best call the office back home and see what the protocol is in these situations for a UN employee. I mean, what if there is some rule that states that I can only meet her with the written permission of the Secretary General…."
"I am sure that you are worrying just a little too much there, Nicky. It isn't as if the two of you will be talking politics; you are really just there as my arm candy…" replied Jeff, tongue firmly in cheek.
Nick shook his head, but grinned all the same. "Hmm, says the man that used to be convinced that he would only ever be my husband that draws. For that statement, you are definitely going to the barbers tomorrow for a trim!"
Jeff stuck out his tongue, then laughed. He knew that Nick loved his hair the way that it was, but at the same time he knew he was right. After all, when meeting one of the most famous people in the world, someone that had life experiences like few others, and had met along the way virtually every influential person in the mid to late 20th and early 21st centuries, you had to make a few concessions and look your very best…