August 2027: The Coronation Part V.
As she stepped back into the car, Pam decided that she would have a word with the Queen Consort about what she had witnessed that day in the Abbey, to see if something could be arranged to Jeff's advantage. She did not have long to wait for that moment it seemed, as in no time the car was driving smoothly up the otherwise empty Mall, and passing the familiar frontage of Buckingham Palace, with that balcony that had been at the heart of so many royal moments. She felt a tingle of excitement as they drove into the actual grounds through the side gate, but then…
"We are actually driving up to the back door of the Palace! Kurt will be so jealous of the fact that I am here for this!"
Pam's eyes widened as she heard her son's voice on this occasion, as she was not in an historic church, but in the back of an elegant and comfortable car. If she had made any noise in her surprise then the driver did not acknowledge it, as he continued to the door, stopping perfectly outside it. He made no move to get out, as moment's later a liveried footman was opening the car door for Pam to step out again.
As soon as she entered the Palace, Pam was greeted by a woman she recognised as one of the Queen Consort's attendants; she barely caught her name though as she could hear her son gasping and squealing at all he saw at the same time. Her son fell silent though as she was escorted along the corridors of the Palace and finally into the sitting room in which she would be meeting her client in private. They stopped outside the door to the room, then Pam was left to wait momentarily outside whilst the attendant checked that the lady inside was ready. She glanced about, admiring all of the décor…
"That is a genuine Monet mom, and that is a real Ming vase…"
She shook her head at her son's commentary, and then she was being announced. She stepped into the room, remembering to curtsey as soon as she was in the room and in front of the Queen Consort. "Your Majesty, it is a great honour for me to be here, and to have been asked to undertake this task on such an important occasion," she said, then noticed that the Princess of Wales was in the room as well and curtseyed in her direction too.
"I am honoured that you would agree to travel all of this way and do this for me – and please can we be less formal? I am more than happy to dispense with ma'am and just be called Camilla, and Kate feels the same. Of course, that is only if it is okay with you, Mrs Anderson?"
Pam nodded in agreement, then replied, "I think in that case that you had best refer to me as Pam from now on. I only hope that I will remember the need to revert to the more formal address when I meet His Majesty for the first time…"
Kate laughed, and said, "Yes, he will expect that for the first few minutes in his company at least. Now, tell me, how did you enjoy your visit to the Abbey?"
Pam smiled, and said, "It was both fascinating and awe inspiring, and I got to witness history in the making as the Stone of Scone arrived as I was there. I also saw something else, and I would like to ask something based on what I witnessed…"
Back at the hotel, Nick and Jeff's day had begun an hour later than Pam's; the latter's first gathering at Buckingham Palace to meet the other artists selected to be official recorders of the Coronation events was not scheduled to commence until 1pm. They had enjoyed a cup of tea almost as soon as they woke, Nick making it in the teapot that the hotel provided in the room. There was a supply of fresh milk in the small fridge that was also provided, along with a caddy full of loose-leaf tea. That meant that Nick had to use a strainer as he poured out the cups, and that was a fascination to his son, who was so used to the teabag.
They eventually headed down to breakfast at 8am sharp and were shown to their seats by a smartly uniformed waiter. He then offered them a choice of three different menus - English, Continental or American. They instantly chose the former, which earned them a discrete nod from their waiter, and having handed them over, he left them to make their choice…
"Daddy, why do they have three different menus, and why is one of them an American one?" asked Wes as soon as the man was out of earshot.
Nick smiled, and replied, "Well, we all eat very different things first thing in the morning. For example, a lot of people eat pancakes for breakfast back home, but they don't have them as a rule here in London." His son nodded, satisfied with the logic in his father's statement, and studied the menu closely.
Nick meanwhile turned to his husband, and added, "If Agatha Christie is to be believed, then there was an era when hotels such as this one had American rooms too, provided with things that were not expected by the average British guest, such as an en-suite bathroom…"
Jeff chuckled at that idea, then found it hard to keep a straight face when the inevitable happened…
"Daddy, what is kedgeree?"
As Nick explained to his son that it was a dish of rice and flaked smoked fish, mixed with hard boiled egg and curry powder, Jeff studied the menu briefly and decided to select the full English breakfast, with wholewheat toast. In the end, after much discussion of why people would eat fish at breakfast time, and why kidneys were considered a suitable food for that time of day too, Wes requested two runny boiled eggs with toast soldiers, and a bowl of cornflakes. As for Nick, he decided that he would have the kedgeree, partly because he liked the sound of it, and mainly because he suspected that his two children would want to taste it. It also fitted with his maxim of trying new food on holiday…
He was proven correct as soon as their food arrived and had to spoon a small amount onto his son's plate as Jeff boldly took a spoonful directly. Wes decided that it was actually a very suitable food for breakfast but would be better for lunch or dinner. They all enjoyed the food, with plenty of toast and juice available too, along with coffee for the adults. It was as they were about to leave that they heard a familiar voice, and then the senior waiter was guiding Burt and Carole into the room. Nick waved across at them, and they acknowledged him, before coming across to join them at their generously sized table, the waiter only too glad to allow them to do so.
Nick asked as soon as they were seated how their flight from Washington had been, and Burt replied, "Much more comfortable than I thought it might be, but I am still mighty relieved to be here…"
"He slept through the entire flight after they served dinner," said Carole at that juncture, smiling broadly, "but then I slept for quite a while as well. We had the advantage of those nice seats that turn into virtual beds; they even provided a turn down service and pyjamas to change into, not that either of us did the latter. The best advantage though was being allowed to use the VIP security lane, as there was quite a queue when we disembarked at emigration. The drawback of that was that we couldn't enter the lounge and have some breakfast there, but the hotel is being most obliging in that respect…"
"I had boiled eggs and some of daddy's kedgeree for mine," announced Wes at that point. As Burt and Carole glanced at each other, smiling, Wes went on, "That is fish, but it is really nice…"
At that moment the waiter returned and offered the choice of three menus to the Hummels; after a moment's pause, Carole asked if he could give them all three, so that they could see all that was available, which he proceeded to do without complaint.
"Pam is already out on duty, in case you were wondering where she was," Jeff said, "and I will be heading to Buckingham Palace at lunchtime for a gathering of all of the official artists."
Burt nodded, and said with a hint of a sigh, "I have a meeting scheduled with the Speakers of the Houses of Commons and Lords at 2pm, but fortunately because we have just flown in, they will be coming here. It promises to be very formal and staid, so I was wondering, if you have no other plans, if Carole could spend some time with you and Wes, Nick?"
It was no issue for Nick to add Carole into their plans for the day. He had been planning to take Wes to the Natural History Museum, and she was happy to join them, even if she did think that her husband had a cheek in even asking him in the first place. In return, Burt invited them to join them for dinner that evening at 8pm. They happily agreed to that, Nick taking his husband's phone quickly and setting alarms for both 6pm and 7pm to try and ensure that the easily distracted blond would be back on time. For a moment he considered trying to find the private number of the Princess of Wales on his husband's contacts list, to then send her a text to see if she could pass a message to the palace to ensure that his husband was sent back for that time, but in the end, he decided that was a step too far. Still, he could always text Pam instead, as she would be at the Palace too…
As he did so, he let Jeff and Wes head out to reception, where Lady Alice greeted them like long lost friends. Back in the restaurant, it was the subject of conversation for the Hummels too as they started on their breakfasts… "It just isn't something that you expect to see in a grand five-star hotel – a cat that appears to be in charge of reception!" exclaimed Burt. "A guesthouse in New England maybe, but not here in an historic hotel in the heart of London…"
Carole smiled, and replied, "I will give you that it is rather eccentric to say the least, but she was perfectly sweet natured – and don't think I didn't see you stroking her several times as we were checked in…" That latter statement left Burt blushing a little…
Nick and Jeff would see the Hummels again just before lunch, although the latter was not having lunch with his husband and son, instead heading out to travel to the Palace and attend the reception for all of the artists that had received official certification to cover the Coronation. There would be numerous members of the Royal Family in attendance, along with the King himself. He had been offered a car to take him there, but be had elected to walk the short distance, something that his husband knew was not down to green credentials, but for the opportunity it would afford him to make sketches of The Mall. As soon as he entered the broad throughfare, Jeff could see that all of the decorations were already in place; on each lamp standard there hung a flag, the Union Jack interspersed with the flags of all the Commonwealth nations, and on the top of them all there sat a crown. His sketch book was instantly out to capture the scene…
Shortly after he left the hotel, Nick, Wes and the Hummels followed him through the door, but whereas Jeff had turned left at the end of the street, they turned right, Nick guiding them all to the restaurant at Fortnum and Masons; they were best known for their afternoon teas, but they also had a good luncheon menu at a reasonable price for that part of London. As soon as they entered the restaurant, the maître d immediately recognised Burt, and guided them to what had to be one of the best tables in the place, with a window that looked out over the busy Piccadilly, which was every bit as decorated as The Mall on the southern side of the St James district.
As Wes pointed out the various things that he could see outside to Carole, Nick and Burt had a brief discussion of their respective work, the new projects and policies of the United Nations always of interest to the Speaker of the House. In his turn, Nick asked Burt about the rumours that he had heard of the congressman stepping down from his current role. "I think that the time has come to let a younger person take it on; I only agreed to take on the role on a temporary basis and now it is time to move on," Burt replied. "Yes, they might not find it as easy as me to secure the bi-partisan support that you need to achieve the goals of the nation unless they are very fortunate. Now, between us, I will also say that I intend to step down from my role as a congressman at the next election too, but only if I am successful in being elected for the vacant Senate seat in Ohio…"
As soon as they finished lunch, Burt took his leave, retracing his steps with his security detail following at a discrete distance. As for Carole's guard, she was asked to come and join them at the table as soon as Burt left; she was introduced formally to Nick and Wes, the latter finding the secret service agent fascinating. They made their way out of the building via the Food Hall, the shelves of the ground floor being crammed with every conceivable kind of Coronation themed merchandise. Carole paused to look at it, making mental notes of which items she would come back and purchase for herself when she was alone in the city with Pam the following week. Nick pointed out that some of the lines might well sell out before that, and Carole realised he had a point, so made a list that could be acted upon later that day…
They left the store and headed in the direction of the bus stop to catch the number 14 bus, which would take them out to the museums as it headed to Putney; the journey would be longer than if they simply took the tube to South Kensington, but it was a more interesting and scenic way to travel. Wes was quite surprised to see the secret service agent staring at the red double decker bus when it arrived; he asked her why, and she admitted that she had never been on the upper deck of a bus before, not even on a sightseeing bus back home. From that moment Wes decided that he needed to sit with her, and was able to secure one of the two front seats for her so she could enjoy the view…
That left Nick to sit with Carole in the row behind, and he knew that it was a good time to let her know what had happened with Pam at St Paul's the previous day. As the bus headed west, she listened to what the young man was saying, her expression serious, but when he finished, she smiled warmly.
"I always thought that it was a great pity that she could not hear or see her son any longer. That she appears to be able to hear him now is wonderful, and I hope that it is the first stage of the journey. As for what to do now, well perhaps the best course of action will be to persuade him to return and see her when the two of us are alone in the city next week; I can talk to him, so she understands that she is not alone in being able to hear him. That way she will know that it is real, not a figment of her imagination. My big task will be trying to convince her that she will be able to see him again, given time. If that is possible, it would be best if he first appears to her when I am with her, or failing that, when she is with Cooper…"
On alighting from the bus at the stop across from the museum complex, Wes surprised his father by asking if they could go and visit the V & A Museum rather than the Natural History Museum. Nick agreed, secretly suspecting that his son had asked that solely because he thought that the treasure house museum founded in the time of Queen Victoria would be of more interest to Carole. She had never been to any of the museums, and once inside the vast building, she walked around in awe at all that had been amassed into the collection, particularly as they strolled through the galleries that were filled with gold, silver and jewellery, all of it shining in the natural light that flooded the space.
Like so many people of her age group, she had to smile wryly as she entered the modern design galleries and saw things on display that she could recall as brand new and innovative when she was a child; the fact that they were now museum pieces did make her feel a little old. The fact that there were plates from Woolworths in the gallery, after seeing all of the precious pieces of porcelain in the previous rooms made her laugh…
"I do like the fact that they have items like that in here, the mundane everyday items that filled the lives of ordinary people, amongst all of the treasures. I imagine that plates like those are actually quite rare now too, as many people will just have discarded them when styles changed in the sixties and seventies, or when they got cracked and chipped through everyday use. It all just goes to show you that we can never be sure what item we own today might become a valuable antique in the distant future."
Beside her, Nick had to agree that she made a valid point, and could not help but wonder what items from his own teenage years would already seem like antiques to his son…
As the small group explored the treasures of the V & A in relative anonymity, Jeff was thoroughly enjoying his afternoon at the Palace. He had, as his husband had expected, enjoyed his stroll along The Mall, sketching as he went, capturing all of the little details in the decorations. He had also taken numerous photos, putting all the small details into their context amongst the canopy of trees that lined the road on both sides. He took photos of the statues of the King's grandparents too, and wondered if there might be, in time, a third statue erected to join them, one of their daughter…
He was so engrossed in it all that when he decided to check his watch, he realised that he was running a little late, and so he had to make haste along the street to the arranged meeting point. He was not however the last of the group to arrive, and whilst they waited, the artists made introductions to each other. As it happened, Jeff would be the only one of the group that would be sketching predominantly in pencil; there was another artist that drew in pen and ink, two photographers, a sculptor and three painters alongside him. The last of the artists to arrive was one that created in wood and metal, although that did leave the blond wondering exactly how she would be able to mark the moment…
When they were called into the Palace itself, they were swiftly guided into the public rooms, along a corridor that Jeff remembered walking down with Sebastian a long time ago. In the room that they were shown into, the Prince and Princess of Wales were waiting to greet them. Jeff smiled broadly the moment that he saw them, but he recalled that he needed to show the correct formality whilst they were in the company of the other artists. He therefore bowed like all the rest, then stood in silence as he waited for his turn to be spoken to…
He was encouraged to select food from the buffet by the attending staff, and to explore the room as he waited. It had been filled with objects that dated back to 1953, and the last time that the nation had witnessed a Coronation. There were numerous colour photos of the entire family as they had gathered in the Throne Room after the event, more intimate somehow than the official ones that Jeff had seen before. There was an entire collection of commemorative china, postage stamps that had been issued by the various nations of what was still at that point largely the British Empire, all identical bar the name of the country, and of course, the paintings and drawings that had been done by the official artists at that event.
Those showed the Queen in all of her regalia and during the great procession, along with the streets of the capital city, thronged with people. In the midst of it all there was a list of all the names of those people, all of whom were now deceased; reading it, Jeff recognised a few of the names on it, such as LS Lowry, the man famed for his drawings of the industrial north. He read the details and was fascinated to discover that one of the paintings that he had created now resided in the British Embassy in Washington DC; a part of him was now curious to somehow get into that building to see it and not just the photo that was displayed here.
Then his eyes lighted on a small drawing, done in pen and ink, and he was drawn to it. It was labelled Trafalgar Square (Coronation) and to him it was perfect, its simple lines capturing so much of the atmosphere of that day. The artist was given as a Dane, Ebbe Sadolin; it was part of the government's own art collection, and the normal place that it hung was the Royal Courts of Justice…
"I like it too; I had never heard of the artist or seen any of his drawings until we were preparing for this event. He drew five items in total for that day in June 1953, and one of them is on display in the British Embassy in Vienna. Of course, he has drawn it in pen and ink, which is not your medium, but he has a similar style to yours." Jeff smiled as he heard the voice, and turned round, remembering to bow, to face the Prince.
"I think, your highness, that what is so magical about it is its simplicity. He has managed to capture the joy and spirit of the day, but he has done it without showing the main figure in it all; your late grandmother. We know that it is London, because of the presence of Nelson's Column, and we know that it is the Coronation, because of the banner with EIIR on it, but other that that, the image could be of anywhere at any time. I can only hope that I can create something as memorable myself of the events of the next few days."
William could only smile at the modesty of the blond man before him, as he was certain that what he would produce would be a masterpiece….
Their conversation ended there as a page appeared and announced the arrival of the King, and everyone in the room stood to attention and bowed. He would speak to all of the artists in turn, making his way through the room, and by accident or design, Jeff was the last person that he spoke to. He was thanked once more for all of the work that he had done for the late Queen; the King then informed him that his mother's print of The Judging Angel now had a place in his own bedroom, a reminder of both his late mama, and the presence of God in all that he did…
Jeff then found himself being allotted a time to be in Westminster Abbey on Friday afternoon, when the last of the rehearsals for the Coronation would take place, so that he could see how it would progress and even make preliminary sketches. Then to his surprise, he was also told that he would be able to access the Throne Room after the event, and that Nick and Wes would be welcome to join him. Jeff thanked the King and accepted the invitation on his family's behalf too, although he did wonder how Nick would react to it…
Then the King moved on, the other artists and the Prince of Wales following him out of the room. Jeff made to join them, but he was stopped by his friend, the Princess. "Don't worry about following them all, I have arranged for you and I to have a few minutes alone; it is a relief to be alone with you to be honest, and just relax in the company of a friend. It has all become so hectic, even more so than I was expecting it to be. At least we managed to get George's complaint listened to and resolved in his favour…"
Jeff looked at Kate curiously for a moment, then she explained. "He is to be one of the King's pages for the Coronation, and carry his train, but he refused point blank to wear the traditional outfit of breeches and stockings. He was so worried that he would be ridiculed at school for it. Now normally such things would be ignored, and he would have been told it was tradition and that was that, but his grandfather listened, and agreed to his request. George and the other pages will be wearing trousers, as indeed will all the men in the family, including the King; perhaps there was a degree of self interest in it all…"
She laughed at that, and Jeff did too, before she leant close to him. "Now, I also wanted to give you a little shock. I was with the Queen Consort this morning when she was meeting Pam, and she had a suggestion for us. The long and short of it is this; you have been granted unique permission to be up on the high level above the choir stalls on Saturday. You alone will enjoy the privilege of seeing things from that particular vantage point…"
Jeff stared at her for a minute, his mouth wide open, and then he nodded, his eyes bright with all of the possibilities that such a privileged spot would offer him. "I am honoured to have been given such a degree of access to a moment of history; it was enough to just be asked to be one of the official artists, but the special status at the Abbey and then the access to the Throne Room afterwards is beyond my wildest dreams. I only hope that it will not create any tensions with the other artists."
"I know for a fact that one of the photographers suffers from severe vertigo, so there is no danger of them having objections, and as for two of the painters, they have been offered spots on either side of the chancel from which to draw the sketches that they will use as a basis for their finished work. The beauty of the spot that Pam suggested for you, and which you have now been granted is that you will be hidden from the congregation, and even from the majority of the people that are conducting the Coronation ceremony. The most senior clergy and security will know that you are there, along with a handful of the family, but that will be it. As a result of your seclusion, you will be able to take refreshments up with you, so that gives you a huge advantage over the rest of us."
"I am assuming that crisps are not really permitted, and eating during the quieter points of the ceremony would be a no-no too," replied Jeff, and the Princess chuckled as she pictured the scene, televised to the world, as the sound of Jeff eating crisps echoed around the space during some grand and crucial moment of the ceremony...
"Of course, this last-minute change does create another slight issue for us, namely the fact that this will leave a seat empty in the congregation beside your husband and son. As you had been allocated a seat in the front row, we would much rather that there wasn't a visible gap, so I have been charged with asking if you know anyone that would be available at short notice to fill it? I must stress that there is only one space, and regrettably, it is not wheelchair accessible. I must also point out before you say it that Mrs Anderson has already been allocated a seat in the row behind yours, adjacent to the Hummels. Of course, Pam is not aware of that yet; we are leaving it as a surprise…"
Nick was just leading the three others down the main staircase of the V & A en-route to the exit when his phone began to ring. He dug it out quickly, and on seeing his husband's name on the screen he felt his heart stop for a moment; he hoped and prayed that all was well. He answered the call but wasn't even given the chance to finish saying hello. Jeff spoke rapidly, but what he said was clear, concise and did make sense, although he would need more details in time. Then the line went dead just as quickly as the call had begun.
Nick shook his head, then turned towards Carole and spoke. "I am afraid that I have been given an urgent mission to carry out by my husband, one that I am actually undertaking on behalf of the Royal Family. Would you like to head back to the hotel now, as I know you must be starting to feel tired, or would you like to come and meet Miss Frobisher?"
Carole thought for a moment, and then said, "I have heard a lot about the lady in question from other people since she came into your lives, so it would be nice to meet her. Then there is the fact that your mission is being done for royalty, and that intrigues me no end. Being sent on a secret mission almost makes me feel that we are in one of Artie's Bond films…" Nick smiled at that statement, and wondered if Carole was imagining herself as Miss Moneypenny, or a Bond girl…
They made their way westward again on another bus, and arrived at the familiar gates of the kindergarten just as the children were on their way home from the summer vacation sessions that they ran for the benefit of working parents. A familiar figure was at the gates, and on seeing his old teacher, Wes called out her name and then ran towards her to give her a hug. She smiled broadly at him, and then at Nick, who hugged her as well, before he introduced her to Carole. The presence of the wife of the Speaker of Congress at her kindergarten, along with her security detail, was the biggest surprise of them all…
"It is nice to see you, but I thought that we had arranged to have tea on Friday?" Miss Frobisher said to Nick.
"We still are, and I am looking forward to it," he replied. "However, I have been sent here by Jeff with a very special offer; an answer is required today, and it was best done in person… He is at Buckingham Palace just now, and he was offered a very exclusive spot to do his sketching on Saturday about an hour ago. He has accepted, but that leaves a vacant seat in the congregation next to me and Wes. We are seated in the front row next to the aisle, and a gap there doesn't look good, so they asked if we knew anyone that could possibly fill it… It was obvious to Jeff who he should ask first, and I have to agree with him. So, if you haven't other plans made, would you like to join me and Wes in the Abbey on Saturday?"