A Hundredth Birthday Portrait
By the time that February gave way to March, and the first signs of spring became apparent everywhere, Jeff had made good progress on his work, but was still almost always confined to his studio. He only appeared briefly to the others, and apart from Nick, Drew was the one that saw most of him, and even them, some days Wes would open the front door himself to head to school, or let himself in with the new latch key that had been given to him. Nick was glad that their friends understood too, given that he had barely spoken to Mike and Tina when they announced that they were expecting a second child, and didn't even appear when Artie and Kitty broke their news. They both said it was fine to Nick, but he suspected that at some point, Kitty would get her revenge for the snub.
On the day after the announcement, Nick found himself being accompanied by Artie as he made his way home from the subway after work. He realised at once that the chance meeting was not one at all, but he said nothing. He listened as Artie told him in confidence about the offer to be the director of the new Bond film, and how he had visions of the eponymous spy being around the UN Building in that instalment. Nick had to agree that the concept was an exciting one, but he was not sure if the organisation would allow such things to be filmed on their premises, given that it was a busy centre of international affairs, and some nation would be singled out as the villain…
Artie took all that on board, but in his reply to the offer, which he was accepting with the full backing and support of his wife, he mentioned his idea. The initial deal was for two films, with the option to extend, and the ability for Artie to direct other films between the two; it also formalised the fact that he would be continuing to work with his established co-director, who was every bit as overjoyed about the prospect. He went on to state that he had come up with the idea of the UN being part of the next film as it would mean that most scenes could be filmed in New York; he confided in them that Kitty was pregnant, and therefore being close to home was of even more importance…
Their reply was almost immediate, agreeing to everything he had asked, and congratulating him and his wife on their expectations. Artie would put pen to paper in person two days later at the Plaza Hotel, and that moment was followed by a press conference, in which he and Leonie were officially named as the new co-directors of the franchise. She was still in shock about it all if she was being honest, but that was down to the fact that she had received a number of offers for her services as well; like Artie, she could accept some of them when she was not directing Bond. The plain fact was that the two of them had now reached what some saw as the pinnacle of their careers at an early age. Those that knew Artie best realised that he still had much more to achieve, and that this was going to be only one of the high points in a long career…
Not long after that, Nick began to hear rumours around the UN campus that there was to be a major film shot within the premises in the near future. Nobody knew what film, but the request had been made, and was being considered. For his part, Nick said nothing about what Artie had told him, just nodding and adding to the speculation. He was surprised then at the end of the month when his boss, Miss Worthington, called him into her office, and told him that he was a remarkable keeper of secrets. Then she surprised him a little by saying that the chances of such a film being made on location in the UN were actually much higher than he might ever have anticipated.
"Of course, they would need to do most of the location filming on the weekend, when the place is much quieter, and if it happened to be a spy thriller, many of the events in that make take place at night… They won't be allowed to film in any of the major conference rooms, or the assembly hall, of course, but there are already replicas of all of those in film lots apparently…" Nick just nodded, trying to pretend that he was not at all interested really. Then, in a whisper, his boss added, "Tell Mr Abrams that I would be happy to be an extra in the background if he was filming in the lobby; that is, of course, highly likely…"
Nick just rolled his eyes and shook his head, wondering if she imagined herself as a Bond girl too, before he started to imagine that he might be at her side in such a tracking shot. With a smile at that notion, he realised that it would only be a few weeks now until he was in the presence of someone that had appeared in a short film starring the previous incarnation of 007, in a video for the Olympic Games of 2012...
As the first week of April came, it did so with a note on the kitchen table asking Nick to come upstairs on the Friday night when he arrived home. There was a pie in the oven, so he knew what it was for; his husband had finished his work, and was now seeking his opinion. As before, he had not entered the studio other than on that one occasion for weeks, as he knew how secretive his husband was about his unfinished work. Turning down the oven heat just a little to prevent burning, he headed up the stairs, to find Wes sitting on the final flight waiting for him….
He entered the sunlit attic space to find his husband standing there with the usual anxious expression on his face, and behind him… Nick was shocked to realise that there were three canvases lined up and covered over behind the man he loved. Seeing that, Jeff began to speak. "I had an idea for this portrait, that was actually inspired by something that Elspeth said. She was talking about family photos, the kind where everyone is assembled, and seated really by age, and it suddenly hit me that I could do something like that so my work would stand out…."
"However, when I started to do my pencil sketches, I really did not like the way that it looked, and it left me feeling disheartened. I even considered not entering the competition. Then, in a moment of self pity, I knocked over one of my art texts, and it fell open at the concept of the triptych. I tried it, and it worked so much better. So what we have here are two landscape works to frame a central portrait, works that can be displayed together, or separately and still understood."
Nick nodded, then said, "You really do know how to give yourself a lot of work; it is no wonder you have been up here constantly!"
Jeff sighed, and said with a grin, "I know that I haven't been much of a family man for the last little while, but I am going to make up for that now. Right, so are you ready to give me your honest opinion?" Nick and Wes nodded, and then watched as the blond uncovered the two flank drawings, and then the central portrait…
Two weeks later, Nick and Jeff found themselves boarding a flight to London. For once, Wes was not with them. As the birthday of Her Majesty was the 21st of the month, and a Tuesday, it was not exactly ideal, and they both agreed that they could not in all good conscience take their son out of school for a whole week as they neared the end of the school year. They had taken the opportunity to have what might be a hard conversation with their son as soon as they had agreed on that position, and had decided that the promise of a trip to a certain theme park in Florida could be put on standby as a way of sweetening the pill…
When the moment came, Wes did look sad, and Nick almost expected a tantrum; it did not come, much to his surprise. Instead, their son answered, "I was actually going to ask you if I really needed to go with you anyway. There are a lot of good and important things scheduled in school at that time, and much as it would be nice to see all of them, and London again, I would really rather be at school. Have you decided who is going to look after me, or will I have to go and stay with Aunt Grace and Uncle Coop? If I do, that is going to be a long journey to school each day…"
Nick was silent then, as he realised that he hadn't actually planned that far ahead. Before he could reply, Jeff spoke up. "Your Grandmother Elspeth has agreed to come and take care of you here, if that is okay with you. She doesn't see as much of you as your other grandparents, so she would be really happy to spend time with you."
"Really? That would be good, as I like spending time with her," responded Wes.
He asked to be excused then, and they let him head off. That was when Jeff could address the look his husband was now giving him. "Okay, I haven't actually asked her, but she has mentioned wanting to spend one on one time with Wes a few times now. I think that she will jump at the chance, plus it will give her the opportunity to see some of the galleries here in the city too. It gives us a housesitter, and someone to look after Caleb as well; Mike would agree to do it, but he is busy, what with his new job and Tina expecting…"
"You should have run the idea by me first, and I think you need to go ahead and call her now, in case she is busy. It should be fine, but I will ask the others to stop by, and get Grace to come and say hello. That way, should Wes and Elspeth clash in personality, he will have a person to speak to."
Jeff nodded, although he did not expect such issues, and went ahead to call his mother. It was only after he did that that he realised that they had not had to bribe Wes with Disney, and he wondered if it meant the trip was off, as he had been looking forward to it…
Elspeth had agreed happily, and arrived the day before they had to leave for London. That allowed them to deal with any questions about the house, letting Nick explained all of the complications of the heating system, and show her the foibles of the stove. His mother-in-law listened intently, before asking the questions that he had anticipated; what day the garbage and recycling had to be put out for collection, and for what time, the code for the alarm, and the implicit rules that Wes lived his life by. "Hunter was not the easiest of children to raise by any means, being ruled by his father's orders, but when he was absent, he knew exactly how to push the envelope with me, so he would be allowed to stay up later, and touch all the things that he shouldn't be. I am certain that your mother and Jeff's mom would tell me all the things of that kind that you did at his age, as would your grandparents…"
Nick smiled at her words, even if she had just mentioned he that should never be named. No parent ever wishes to admit that their child is a bad apple, even when they were faced with the evidence of the horrific acts that they have carried out, as Elspeth had been. Having said that, he had no idea what Hunter had been like when he was the same age as Wes was now, although he recalled his husband saying that his younger brother had been sweet when he had still been a Clarington himself… He told Elspeth the rules concerning bedtime, and reminded her that should he not be adhering to them, he had absolutely no issue with her calling him, reminding Wes as she did so that it would be the early hours of the morning in London, and as such, his father was likely to be a little irate.
"I don't think that it will come to that with him. Wes reminds me a lot of how Jeff was as a little boy; he was never any trouble. I am so grateful to you both for trusting me to look after him, and have this time with him alone. There would be many parents that would not trust me around their son, given the history…"
"We both know that you were as much of a victim in all of that as Jeff," said Nick kindly. "You suffered as much as all of us, if not more, because you lost a child during his formative years. I know that you will take very good care of our boy…"
As they took their seats in the Premium Economy cabin, a saving that Nick had made on the behalf of the UN, who were in part paying for their trip, he noticed that his husband was looking tearful. He wondered if it was down to the way that Wes had been when they bade farewell; he had been quite calm, not the emotional wreck that some children would have been. Nick had been quietly proud of his son's maturity as demonstrated by the fact he wasn't overwrought, but he realised now that Jeff had been silent ever since, and now the tears were falling.
"I don't know if we are doing the right thing here, Nicky," Jeff suddenly said. "I am worrying about him, and we haven't even left New York yet!"
"Wes will be fine; your mother will take good care of him, and he sees not being with us as an adventure of a sort. Our boy is growing up, Jeffie; he is learning to stand on his own two feet, and not to be totally dependent on us."
"He is too young for that!"
"You were younger than he is now when you found yourself left in an orphanage, my love. We have to learn how to allow him to be away from us for longer than a schoolday, or how will we, and indeed he, cope if and when he decides that he wants to go to Dalton like we did?"
"That is still a long time away yet, but I guess… Can we call home when we get to London?"
"No, we can't, because it will be 2am here, and I think that your mother might have a few choice words with a phone call at that time - as would our son! If we get a chance, then we can make a quick call about noon, London time; they will be awake by then."
Their conversation went no further at that point, as a stewardess approached them, and offered them a free upgrade to the Upper Class cabin. They looked at each other, and agreed telepathically that it would be rude to decline her kind offer, and they soon found themselves in the plush world of the first class zone. Nick was fully aware that someone else had probably paid to sit in their old seats, and secretly, he thanked them for it. He found lying down and trying to sleep the best way to cross the Atlantic, even if it did give him a slight headache.
They were met almost the moment that they stepped off the plane by a liveried chauffeur, and he escorted them to the fast track customs point, and then out of a private exit, at which their stood a well appointed Bentley of the royal fleet. For the first time in all of their trips to London, they found themselves heading west from the airport, passing quickly into the narrow lanes that would lead them to Windsor Great Park, and the new home of the Cambridge family. They were met on their arrival by a butler, who had a footman with him who was charged with taking their luggage up to their room. This was a new experience for Nick and Jeff, almost like entering a modern day episode of Downton Abbey…
They followed the butler into the dining room, in which the staff were laying out the final dishes of hot food. Nick chuckled quietly as he saw his ever hungry husband lick his lips. He knew that he would be feeling hungry, as was he for that matter, and he hoped they might be able to eat soon. He guessed, however, that they might well be obliged to wait on their hosts…
As if on cue, they arrived, greeting them as old friends, with no ceremony at all. It transpired that the children would not be joining them, and soon Nick found himself chatting away to the man that would one day be a King, once his own father's reign had finished, of course. They sat and watched as the Duchess and Jeff gossiped, talking about their children, their mutual friends, and those that were the hot topic of the gossip columns in equal measure. Then William turned to him, and in a low voice, he said, "So, Nick, do you have any idea what your husband's submission to the portrait competition is like?"
"I do, but I am bound by the secrecy that spouses agree to on such issues, sir," came his reply.
William laughed, then said, "That is exactly the answer that I expected to hear. I have to admit that his work is the one that the entire family is anticipating, but we will just have to wait until my grandmother has the first view tomorrow. She is looking forward to it immensely; the perfect event for the final day of her nineties…"
After breakfast, Nick and Jeff were shown up to their room, where they discovered that their luggage had been unpacked for them. They took the opportunity to shower and then change into fresh clothes, their immediate need for sustenance past. Having done so, they returned downstairs, ready to accompany the Cambridges into Windsor itself. The town next to the castle was bedecked with bunting, shop window displays set aside for poster that wished the Queen a happy birthday, alongside an image of the lady herself. Security in the town was already very tight; the monarch and her family were always at risk from madmen, and given how close it was to the landmark occasion, the risk was much amplified. It thus came as no shock that even they were stopped as they approached the entrance to the castle, and the ID of the two visitors was carefully checked.
"I guess that they have to check that we aren't holding you hostage and forcing you to drive us into the castle," mused Jeff. He earned himself a scowl from his husband for his words, but laughter from the royal couple.
"If we were in a different vehicle then we would still have been stopped for the exact same reason. This is actually mild compared to what things will be like tomorrow, and on Tuesday in London. It will be like half of the leaders of the world have arrived in town," replied William wryly.
"So what you are saying is that it will be an absolute nightmare in June when the official celebrations are held?" asked Nick.
"I believe that Westminster Abbey is being closed to the public not long after Easter is past, and it will then remain so until after the service of thanksgiving. Every Commonwealth head of government, pretty much all of the European leaders, and even, possibly, the President of Russia… We have been asked to keep him as far away from your President Kennedy as possible. The Archbishop of Canterbury will be in charge; had it been possible, I believe that Her Majesty would have loved to have Archbishop Tutu, but alas, we have already lost that great man. Of course, the Pope might join us; she is such a respected figure that everyone wants to mark this event."
At the castle, Jeff's first priority was to check that his work had arrived unharmed, and he used Nick as a distraction for his hosts as he did so. He then checked that all the equipment that he would require to display it was available, and that there was suitable cloth on hand to cover it over for the big reveal. By the time that he had done so, he realised that it was almost 12.30pm, and that he was getting to the point of being late to call his son. As he rejoined the others, he was pulling out his phone, telling Nick what he was about to do. The Duchess shook her head, and then guided him to a landline phone, as she refused to have them run up a huge cellphone bill to contact their son…
Wes was awake, and was happy to hear from them, informing his papa that Caleb was also well, and that he had been made cinnamon toast by his grandmother for breakfast that morning. "I used to love that for breakfast too when I was little," replied Jeff, with a sniff, a tear forming in his eye. Nick instinctively placed a hand on his husband's shoulder, knowing that even after all of those years, little sudden memories of his childhood before he had been abandoned at an orphanage by his father could really upset him.
Wes did not notice, and went on to describe their plans for the day. As it was sunny, they were going to take a walk over to Union Square, and go to either Barnes & Noble or the Strand bookstore to pick up some new books. Then Elspeth came on the line, as she had just brought her grandson another piece of cinnamon toast. She went on to say that she intended to bake a chicken pie for dinner, and let Wes make some cookies for their dessert. Nick voiced his approval of the menu, and then, conscious that they were running up someone else's phone bill, he rang off after a quick bye with their son.
"I used to like her chicken pie very much as well, when I was a little boy… It is funny how I only remember things like that when she mentions them now," said Jeff sadly.
"Well, it might explain where your talent for savoury pastry making stems from," replied Nick, meanwhile making a mental note to e-mail Elspeth and ask her to make a pie for them on the day they would return to New York. Jeff would never ask her to, but Nick was certain that the gesture would mean a lot to him…
They spent the rest of the day strolling around Windsor itself, watching as the town got ready for the big event. Banners with pictures of Her Majesty at a variety of ages had been hung from the lampposts, and there was a general air of rejoicing and celebration. They would make their return to the Cambridges' home eventually, a chauffeur again picking them up at an arranged time. They arrived in time to join the family at afternoon tea, and they were made welcome at once by the three children, who all asked after Wes…
After tea, the Duchess took her children and Jeff into the main sitting room, where she played the piano, and eventually the former Warbler started to sing along with the tunes that he knew, to much hilarity. William however had requested a chat with Nick on more formal lines on the subject of the UN; as ever, Nick was well prepared, and had made a point of finding out exactly how the environmental mission of the organisation was getting along, knowing that the area was one in which the Duke and his family took a close interest.
"There is progress, but much more is needed," the Duke said when Nick finished. "My grandfather was one of the first people to make comment on environmental issues, and my father followed in his footsteps. We are luckier here in the United Kingdom than most, but we are not without risk if the globe warms up too much."
"It is a concern to me as well; I often wonder what sort of world Wes will grow up in, what kind of planet he will know," replied Nick. "I have offset our flights here for this event, but even with that, recycling everything I can, and not owning a car of any kind, I wonder if I am doing enough."
"We do what we can… I have to admit that the idea of a totally vegan diet is unappealing…" Nick nodded, and then found that the subject was changed to a discussion of Artie and his new role as the co-director of the Bond franchise…
The next morning would see them all back at Windsor Castle. Jeff went off straight away to join the other artists in setting up their works for inspection, whilst the Duchess took Nick on a stroll through some of the more private spaces in the castle that the public did not usually see. She chose places that would appeal to his interest in architecture, and also to his passion for food. That was how they ended up in the historic kitchens, much of which was still in use for the original purpose, although with the most up to date equipment.
As they walked, he realised quickly that he was the only partner of an artist that was present at the event, and it did make him feel a little awkward and out of place. He turned to his hostess, and expressed his concern, but she just smiled and replied, "They were all given the right to bring a guest with them, but they all chose not to do so, which is their loss in my opinion. I think some of them thought that having others here would influence things, but the fact is that the decision is Her Majesty's and hers alone. The plan was that they would all be on this tour, and as such, there would be no direct contact with her until after she makes her choice."
There was nothing else to be said, and Nick could only nod, and enjoy the tour. After the kitchens, there was just time for the Duchess to show him a well concealed door in a dark, dusty service corridor. She explained that it lead to a passageway and thence a tunnel that burrowed its way below the estate and emerged a distance away in a secluded spot. "It was originally constructed as an escape tunnel for sieges in medieval times, and was rediscovered in the 1930s. It was then upgraded and strengthened, and was used as a store room for some of the most important documents during the Second World War. Of course, it was also an escape corridor then, for use if the Germans had been at the gates, so to speak…"
"I bet that they had known about this when they were making World War Z" mused Nick with a grin.
Kate smiled, and replied, "When we heard that according to the film, Her Majesty was holed up here, fighting off zombie hordes, well, we all agreed that if the circumstances were real, that would be exactly what she would do…"
They would arrive in the room where the judging was to take place just moments before Her Majesty arrived, and they took their place next to the Duchesses of Wessex and Cornwall. The husbands of the three Duchesses were already in place, and stood to attention as the door opened to admit the monarch. The Queen stepped in slowly, with her daughter behind her. To Nick she looked remarkable for her age, only the stick that she now used to aid her walking a sign of her advancing years; her eyes still sparkled and observed everything keenly, and she still engaged in conversation as animatedly as ever.
There were ten presentations for her to judge, and the sheer numbers worried Nick, at least until they began to be unveiled. He stared at the first work revealed in shock, as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to the woman now standing in front of it; a cartoon version of her wearing a tiara with the number 100 set in it. Had he been presented with a similar image of himself, he would not have reacted well at all. In his head he heard a phrase echo, one allegedly much favoured by the lady's great-great grandmother - "We are NOT amused!" And yet, showing her skill, the Queen did not flinch, but smiled politely and chatted to the artist, who gushed on about their inspiration, and their wish to show the more comic side of life…
The next few pieces were as bad, if not worse; some looked as if a child had drawn them, not the artist standing there. The loudest gasps were reserved for a portrait in which Her Majesty was all but naked, and Nick was sure he heard someone whisper, "Verging on treason!" amongst the gathered family. The chat with the monarch was a little shorter, but there was no reaction in the style of the Queen of Hearts, no screams of 'Off with their head!' either.
Finally, last of the ten, and after a series of more pedestrian images, she came to Jeff. Her Majesty smiled a little more on seeing him, and he bowed deeply. As he watched, Nick suddenly heard his husband's voice, saying the words that he had said all of those years before at the memorial at Dalton for Wes Montgomery. He wondered if they had actually planned it, so that they saved the best 'til last…
Jeff smiled, then carefully lifted up the bottom of the cloth that was covering his work, and that revealed the big secret. "It's not one canvas!" said Kate quietly in Nick's ear.
He nodded, and replied, "He had an idea in his head, and it worked best as a triptych."
Then he lifted the central portion of the cloth up on its own, and revealed the portrait of Her Majesty he had drawn; one that was reflective of the lady as she was, but none the less a flattering image. He then lifted up the cloth on the left, revealing a picture drawn in black, white and tones of grey inbetween. There were gasps then as they all saw her four immediate predecessors to the crown, lined up behind her. On the face of the monarch a smile that had been there before began to grow as she studied the faces of two men she had known as they lived, her father and grandfather…
It was then that Kate once again whispered in Nick's ear. "So the image on the left is in black and white as it is in the past, and it represents the way that photographic images of the time tended to be…" And then she stopped, as she realised what had to be on the right…
Jeff lifted the cloth on the right to reveal a much more colourful image, three more faces stared back, two of whom were currently in the room, and the looks on their faces showed that they were as stunned as everyone else. Nobody caught quite what Her Majesty said to Jeff at that point, but they all heard his reply.
"I wanted to portray Your Majesty as the link between the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty first centuries, and the future that stretches off into the twenty second. I wanted to show you as one of the most remarkable figures of our times, a person that everyone in the world recognises, the constant figure in so many lives…"
It came as no surprise to anyone when Jeff's work was chosen as the winner of the competition; even those that he had been competing with had to admit that his piece was inspired and novel, and it had been produced in great detail, love showing through every stroke of his pencils. Then there was the versatility of the work; the central portrait could easily be displayed as a stand alone piece of art. The fact that he also moved from monochrome to technicolor was also an illustration of how the moving media had changed during her reign, especially television.
Nick was allowed to join his husband then, and after Her Majesty and the majority of the family had departed, the media was allowed in to see the winner. Jeff was grateful for the presence of his husband then, as he still found the media attention difficult at times. It would be the third of his works that would attracted great global interest, but Nick could sense that some of the journalists from the higher end publications wanted to go further than a quick interview now. This was confirmed when the reporter from The Guardian approached as the media scrum began to pack up, and asked if he might have a longer interview, once they were back home in New York, at which he would showcase Jeff to his readership.
"I was fortunate enough to be in New York at the time of your exhibition, Modern Families, and I though then that your skill was immense, that The Judging Angel would not be a one off. You have a great talent to use the most simple of materials, pencil and paper, to create works that are powerful and full of meaning. The audience here knows about your main works, but I think they need to know more. Perhaps a piece in our Saturday Arts supplement, or in our sister paper, The Observer, on Sunday? It would be an excellent introduction for them all. I am also sure that there would be galleries here in London that would willingly host a rerun of Modern Families, should that ever be something you might consider…"
Jeff said nothing, just nodded in agreement. As Nick began to go into more detail, his husband was left with serious food for thought. Maybe it was time for him to have a new solo exhibition…