August 2027: The Coronation Part IX.
Nick and his son would meet up with Lawrence in Piccadilly Circus, at the statue of Eros. Little Wes was pleased to see the young man, and he chatted away with him nineteen to the dozen as they headed down into the tube station, then briefly onto the Piccadilly Line to Green Park, changing there to the Victoria Line. For his part, Lawrence filled them both in on what Adam and Sam were doing too, saying that the filming was going exceptionally well, and that they had been given the news that morning that they would be filming the crowd scene on The Mall the following day, having been granted a permit to do so.
"I left the two of them talking about how they were going to have to shoot the same scene twice; the first time in the dry, the second time with 'rain' falling on them, so that it can be accurate for whatever the weather is on the day. They have also been told that there will be no filming on the day of the Coronation itself, so we now have to decide exactly what we will do to watch the event ourselves. Adam's family have offered to have the three of us join them, and my fiancé is keen, but Sam isn't quite so up for that; there is a part of him that wants to experience being in the actual crowds. For that reason, he might be joining Artie and Kitty on the day, as they are thinking of heading down to The Mall too."
For Lawrence, Brixton was a new experience, but he heard much about the place from Adam, and it did not disappoint. The decorations for the Coronation were every bit as plentiful there, but there was a less formal tone. He enjoyed every minute of the lunch they shared in the little café that was a firm favourite with Nick and his son, and then it was on by bus to the Lido. By chance, Lawrence had packed his swimwear for the trip, and so he was able to join father and son in the pool, all of them enjoying the cool water on the sunny day. Even the Lido was decorated, the pool itself surrounded by bunting. There was time for an ice cream by the pool before it was time to head back to the city, this time on the bus. Nick had chosen that option, as the number 68 bus would convey Lawrence right back to the apartment he was staying in, and if he and Wes alighted at the Elephant and Castle, they could catch the Bakerloo Line to Piccadilly Circus, which was within a short stroll of their hotel.
Nick was quite surprised to find Jeff sitting in reception with Lady Alice on his lap when they returned to the hotel, as it was just before 5pm, and he had not been expecting to see his husband until nearer 7pm.
"After lunch, I realised that I had plenty of sketches done," the blond explained. "I also had taken a pile of photos to back them up, so I decided to take my leave. I did remember to pick up the passes for the three of us to go and visit the Abbey, although they said that they would prefer it if we arrived there before 6pm, as even though there will be no congregation as such, they will be conducting the usual evening service."
Nick nodded, then replied, "If you could give me 10 minutes to drop my stuff off up in the room, we can head there now, and see if we can find somewhere for dinner nearby after."
"I have already thought of that," Jeff responded with a grin, "and there is a little place not far from Scotland Yard that has been recommended to me by someone in high circles; I have booked a table for the three of us there at 7pm, just provisionally of course…"
Nick smiled, then headed upstairs, leaving his son with his papa. As he came back out of the room he bumped into Carole; she smiled at him, and he asked how her shopping trip with Pam and Miss Frobisher had gone. "It was much as we predicted; we took a good look around all of the stores in Knightsbridge, and all three of us blanched at the prices they were charging, so we decided to head elsewhere. However, we did not end up heading to Oxford Street; instead, we ended up in a place called Sloane Square…"
"Let me guess – Peter Jones. I lived here for a year, and I had quite forgotten that the John Lewis Partnership had a store there…"
"We managed to find Miss Frobisher something extremely suitable there at a much more agreeable price. It had a very good range, and I might have ended up purchasing good winter coats there for myself and Burt, like the one that Rory has been wearing for years now, that still looks as if it was new. Pam and I have also resolved that we will be spending time in the John Lewis store on Oxford Street next week, as it is a bigger store, and we saw so much in Peter Jones that impressed us, particularly the old-fashioned haberdashery department. It is so hard to find replacement buttons these days…"
Nick agreed, and then checked his watch, before taking his leave. "Enjoy the Ball!" he said as he headed for the elevators and his waiting family.
At the moment that Nick said those words, Carole was not sure if she would or not. Burt was not keen on such events, and she suspected that had he not been attending as a representative of the United States and the President himself, he would have called to say he was sick. He was equally reluctant to don the formal eveningwear that was required, although he did not forget to tell his wife that she looked a million dollars when she appeared in her ballgown, which earned him a smile and a kiss…
Had it been winter, the new coat that Carole had purchased for him would have been the perfect way to complete his look. When he saw the price she had paid for it, he had felt his eyebrows raise as it had been expensive in his eyes, but when she had made him try it on, he had felt warm the second he fastened it up. As it was summer though, he merely carried a thin mackintosh that he could put on over his dinner suit if required. His wife had donned the formal evening cape that the First Lady had suggested for the event, and on her head was something that Burt was informed was call a 'fascinator'…
One of the all-electric town cars from the embassy had been sent to convey them to the Palace, taking them in through the main gate and the carriage entrance to the formal courtyard entrance. A liveried footman escorted them up the grand entrance stairs, passing through the throne room on their way to the ballroom itself. They were announced at the door, then went in to be formally greeted by a small party of senior members of the Royal Family. They had met the Prince and Princess of Wales of course, but his aunts and uncle, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh and his wife were all new to the couple. What they did know was that the King's siblings shared the sense of duty that their mother had…
They found themselves being escorted to seats by the Duke and his wife; the former had obviously been well briefed about the circumstances that saw Burt entering politics in the first place, as he opened the conversation with a discussion of the importance that LGBT issues in society today. Burt had to agree with much of what he said, and admired the way that the man was expanding the awards scheme founded by his father and now being promoted by himself, to be more aware of those issues, and to encourage a new openness and equality within the participants…
Not long after they had been left alone in their seats, they were joined by Artie and Kitty, both of whom seemed more than a little overawed by it all. Burt could understand that, as the Palace was a magnificent building, although he knew the film director well enough to know that he would be looking around and plotting for his upcoming movie, picturing 007 in these very rooms, safeguarding the new monarch from some threat or other…
Kitty, however, was a very different story; for her, it all still seemed like some kind of dream. From the moment that she had found out, the whole day had indeed seemed to take on a dreamlike state; the hairdressing appointment had been like none that she had ever experienced before, and the restyle that the man had suggested both suited her and made her feel like a model. Then there had been their journey to the Palace; that they had travelled in a Rolls Royce, and a vintage one at that was something else. As they had been driven through the streets of London, she had started to feel a little like Cinderella in all of her unaccustomed finery…
Now she was sitting in a royal palace, surrounded by priceless objects that gleamed under the light thrown out by the crystal chandeliers, in the company of the great, good and famous from around the globe. She felt a little like an imposter in these surroundings, but she took a breath and tried to relax anyway. All she could do now was wait for the moment when the handsome prince asked to dance with her. After that, she might well have to leave, worried that she would suddenly change back into the ordinary girl from Ohio without warning. Still, if she did, she would try and leave a glass slipper behind…
Having been welcomed, the two couples were shown where to find the buffet, which was one of the grandest any of them had ever seen. Drinks were served, the glasses that contained them the finest lead crystal; the food was placed on fine porcelain plates, and the cutlery with which they ate it was at the very least gold plated. The serving platters were of the same manufacture. The food itself was of the highest quality and varied, all of it prepared by the royal chefs, who cooked to a standard that every five-star hotel in the world wished they could achieve. There were staff on hand at the buffet to tell them what each of the dishes actually was, much of it made with ingredients from one of the farms on the royal estates, which meant that it was also likely to be organic…
They returned to the same table they had been at before once they had collected their choice of food, all of which was exquisite. "I half expected when I went to the buffet to find that it was all caviar and foie gras pate, but it certainly isn't; it is good, wholesome food, prepared perfectly to make it special," admitted Artie, as he enjoyed some smoked salmon that he was informed had been caught on the Balmoral estate.
"The new King has always been a champion of both British farming and good food," added Kitty. "He actually went so far as to start up an organic food business when he was running the Duchy of Cornwall; it is now an exclusive own label range for the Waitrose supermarket chain. He was worrying about the environment and the way the land was farmed a long time before everyone else was, just as his late father was expressing his fears for the world's wildlife long before the rest of society. He will not abandon his environmental credentials now that he is the monarch; he has already pledged to move the royal palaces to net zero as soon as possible and has banned the unnecessary use of helicopters and planes if there is a train available."
Burt nodded at her words, aware of all she said, as he enjoyed the roast beef sandwich that he had chosen…
The arrival of the King and Queen Consort saw eating placed on hold for a moment, as everyone rose to their feet where possible, and bowed or curtseyed. Then the monarch and his wife headed for the centre of the dancefloor and commenced proceedings, waltzing round the floor alone at first, then joined by his sons and their wives, and his siblings and their partners. With the first dance done, the floor was thrown open to everyone. Carole immediately dragged Burt out of his chair, pointing out that he was one of the senior invited guests, and he had to dance as early as possible; reluctantly he realised she was right, and headed off with her. Artie wasn't entirely sure that Burt was as reluctant as he seemed, or whether he had feigned it a little for Carole's benefit…
Artie and Kitty sat by the side of the dancefloor as the older couple waltzed, the latter knowing that she would be asked to dance by someone eventually, but happy to wait until then. It was at that moment that she noticed that the King and Queen Consort were approaching them; she rose to her feet and curtseyed as they arrived, Artie bowing in his chair.
"Mr Abrams, I believe that I am to be referenced quite considerably in the next instalment of the Bond franchise under your direction?" asked the King with a smile.
"Indeed, you are, Your Majesty," Artie replied. "Some might say that using the title On His Majesty's Secret Service is a trifle lazy, given that it apes the title of the 1969 film, but we thought that it was vital to reflect the start of a new era both for the nation and for Bond himself. James will now be driving an all-electric car, and we have been given access to the first of a new generation of electric helicopters too…"
"A greener Bond for the 21st Century… I approve wholeheartedly. Now, my reason for coming over was to ask if your wife would consider dancing with me?"
Kitty felt her cheeks colour and her heart beat faster, but she kept her composure. "That would be a great honour, Your Majesty, although I should warn you that my dancing skills are a little rusty."
"I am not the greatest dancer in the world myself, so I shall ask them to play a slower number for us, just to be on the safe side…"
As Kitty found herself being taken out onto the dance floor, the Queen Consort sat down in the chair she had been occupying next to Artie. "Now, I want to know all of the gossip about the film; I hear that you were in Surrey yesterday and have found a village that you want to use as one of the main locations in the film." Before Artie could respond, she went on in a quieter voice. "I also hear on the grapevine that you will be acting as a photographer for Vogue magazine in Westminster Abbey tomorrow afternoon. That is kind of you, but if you had asked for a pass to enter the Abbey to see it prepared for the Coronation yourself, we would have been happy to have granted you one on your own behalf…"
Artie went bright red, aware now that the Royal Household were as good at spying as the fictional spy whose adventures he now had the pleasure to direct. "I felt that it would be inappropriate of me to ask for one at such a busy time, Your Majesty," he responded, which made the Queen Consort smile.
"Well, we have a surprise for Ms Wright tomorrow in any case. She will still be able to access the Abbey with you at the time that she has been scheduled to attend, but thanks to a change in the timetable due to other commitments, it will be at the same time as the final dress rehearsal for the Coronation is taking place, which the family will of course be in attendance for. I can also state now that you will be permitted to take photographs of the proceedings, on the strict assurance that they will not be published or shared even amongst friends and family until the entire ceremony is completed on Saturday."
Artie had felt his eyes open wide as she had said those words, realising that he would be the first person to take photographs of the family in all their regalia, but he knew what his reply had to be. "I can assure you that I will not even send them to Ms Wright until the ceremony is completed, Ma'am."
"I would therefore encourage you to bring your wife along with you tomorrow afternoon, not that she should be informed what she is about to witness either; that is to remain between us."
Artie nodded, feeling privileged that he alone would now what was going to occur.
"Of course, we have sent Ms Wright access passes for her husband and children; if she mentions that to you, tell her that you think she should bring them along to witness the building before history is made there." The Queen Consort paused, realising that the dance that had been going on around them was moving to a close. "Finally, can I just say that if you happen to be speaking to either Mr Crawford or Mr Evans, could you suggest that they should be doing their filming on The Mall tomorrow at around 11.30am? If they are there at that time, then they will have the added bonus of seeing the gold coach heading from the Palace to the Abbey pass by as they rehearse that element of Saturday's events…"
Artie promised that he would do what he could, and with that, the Queen Consort moved on, the current dance coming to an end as she did. Kitty soon returned to sit beside her husband once more, a smile on her face. "If you had told me back when we first met each other at McKinley that I would one day be dancing with the King of England in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, I'd have told you to stop taking the drugs. Now it has happened, and I must say that he moves very well for his age…" she said, before stopping abruptly as she saw that Artie was sending someone a text message. "I can't believe that you are sending someone a text here and now!" she hissed at him. "This must be a massive breach of protocol, and it is certainly extremely bad manners!"
"Even if I was asked to send this text by our most gracious hostess?" replied Artie with a grin.
"The Queen Consort asked you to send someone a text?" asked Kitty, not really believing him.
"Yes, she did, specifically to Sam, so that I could tip him off about the perfect time for them to be filming on The Mall tomorrow if they want the Gold Coach to be passing by in shot. It would make things much more authentic for it to be in the background, even if it is only during a rehearsal. She also thinks that you should come along with me and Isabelle to the Abbey tomorrow afternoon when we are taking the photos for Vogue."
"She thinks I would want to be there? I guess it would be pretty special to see the place ready for the big event on Saturday…"
"More special than you could imagine probably. Ok, it isn't the same as being in the congregation for the actual service, but it will be something we will be able to tell the kids when they get older…"
Kitty laughed, then looked back at the dance floor, where she saw that Burt and Carole had now become partners to the King and Queen Consort; there were a lot of pictures being taken of that, suitable for the news media on both sides of the pond….
"My dad's dancing skills have certainly come on leaps and bounds since he and Carole married each other," came a voice behind them, and both Artie and Kitty smiled at the knowledge that there were angels in the room.
"Dude, my mom is dancing with an actual King!"
Artie and Kitty looked at each other then, waiting for Kurt to respond that he was not a dude as he had done back at McKinley, but to their surprise, no such retort came…
Down the corridor from the ballroom, in a small ante-room, Pam sat and waited in case her services were required by the Queen Consort. She had been invited to join the other guests in the ballroom, but she had demurred, happy to sit on her own in the little room, out of the limelight; there she could hear the music but was not compelled to dance. She had heard that there would be a film crew from the BBC present at the very least, and the last thing that she wanted was to end up in shot…
She hadn't told anyone, but that lunchtime back at the hotel, she had been informed by the receptionist that there had been a man on the phone that morning, enquiring if she was a guest there; like all good hotels, they had said no, knowing that under no circumstances should the details of their guests be shared at random. They had as a matter of routine made a note of the number from which the call had come, and it had not been made from the United Kingdom. She knew deep down that she should really tell someone about the call, but potentially that disclosure could ruin everything. No, all she needed to do was keep a low profile, and all would be okay…
"I really don't think that will be sufficient on this occasion mom. If he made a call to the hotel, then he knows enough to make him fly to the UK and hang around near the Palace. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he was already on a plane heading here or scheduled to be on board one tonight."
Blaine's voice frightened Pam less now, but the tone in which he had just spoken to her was a different one; the over-excited schoolboy had been replaced by a deeply concerned man.
"So, what would you have me do? I can't leave…"
"I agree, so I think in the circumstances your best course of action is to tell Burt. He has the contacts with the power to prevent him leaving the United States, and if they can't, then there will be people that Burt can contact that liaise with the customs people here to ensure that he does not get in…"
Pam thought for a moment, and then sighed deeply. "I suppose that you are right, and I will need to take that decisive action now. However, there is the issue of how I get in contact with Burt now that the Ball is in full swing…"
"Mom, you forget that you are not the only person that can hear angels; Burt can hear Kurt… Just you stay put, and between the two of us, Kurt and I can have Burt in here in a few moments. Time is of the essence after all; it is getting to that point in British time when the overnight flights from the States are starting to load up their passengers…"
Pam looked up at the mirror that had been set up on the table in front of her, set up there so that she could easily assist the Queen Consort, and indeed the other women of the family if their make-up needed refreshed during the course of the Ball. The room appeared empty in it, and she had the feeling that it wasn't - that her son was present in some form in the room with her, even if she wasn't able to see him. She had time now to think on his words and she knew that he was right. Experience had taught them both that Jonathan was unstoppable once he had made the decision to do something and given all of the humiliation that he had suffered in his life since she had divorced him, he would be only too happy to do something to destroy her newfound success. How satisfying it would be to him to do so publicly in the full glare of the world's media, all gathered together to record what could be the global event of the year?
"Very well, I will speak to Burt if you can get him in here, although I am not sure that you actually can, even if his son can actually communicate with him. I suspect that he is a bit preoccupied at the moment." There was a moment of silence then, before it was broken by the sound of her son's laughter. Her heart swelled a little at that sound, one she had not heard in so long.
"Mom, you have no idea of all of the things that I can do as an angel. I could even just go and tell Burt what is going on myself…"
At that moment, Pam felt a strong draught in the room, and she spun round to see if someone had opened the door, but there was no-one there, the door still firmly closed. There was no window in the internal room, and no air-conditioning fan. Something had to have caused the draught however, and the more Pam considered it, the more she came to one conclusion; that it had been created by her son's wings…
She had no idea why that had been her first thought, but it did make sense if her son was indeed an angel. They had wings; they would create a draught as they were used. If she accepted that, however, then she also had to admit that Blaine had actually been physically present in the room with her, that he wasn't just a voice in her head…
At that moment there was a quiet tap on the door, and then it opened to admit Burt. "I hear that you need to see me as a matter of urgency," he said, closing the door behind him. He smiled at Pam and sat down. "Carole told me what has been going on since you arrived here; it takes some getting used to, but I regard it now as a blessing; we both do…"
"I am starting to see it that way as well now that the initial shock is over. Tell me, was it Kurt that asked you to come here just now?"
"I think you know that it wasn't. He sounded worried and full of concern for you, but he said that you would tell me what was going on yourself."
Pam nodded, then proceeded to tell Burt everything that had been going on since the gallery opening the previous year. She talked openly about the letters that she had received at Bloomingdales before Christmas, and all of the other threats since then, ending with the mysterious phone call that had been made to the hotel the previous day. "I don't even know for sure that it was him, but it fits with the pattern," she concluded.
Burt frowned, and replied, "It seems to fit for me too, and none of it sounds good. I shall make a few phone calls, see what is going on with your former husband. I will let you into a secret; ever since he turned up in New York that first time and invited himself to stay with Cooper, and there was all that trouble, I have had him on a watch list. Now before you say that was unethical, and an abuse of power, I did not do so for personal reasons…entirely. I saw his actions as a potential threat to society in the future given his views on certain issues. All that means that if he is heading this way, if he did call the hotel this morning, we should be able to find out pretty swiftly. Okay, this stays between the two of us for now, and only if it is totally necessary will we involve the security team around the Coronation. One thing I can guarantee you right now, however; we will not let him destroy any of this or ruin your reputation."
Burt turned then, and left Pam alone, heading back out into the corridor, where a footman and a member of Palace security were waiting for him. "I wonder if there is a room somewhere from which I could make an urgent phone call to Washington DC? It would appear that we have a minor issue that it would be in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the United States to get ironed out as soon as possible."
The footman and the security guard exchanged a glance, and then escorted Burt down a hallway, showing him into a small study, before closing the door behind him. He glanced down at the phone that sat on the desk, but he decided against using it, instead pulling out his work cellphone. He entered all the security codes to both unlock it and set up the scrambler, then dialled the number for his contact in intelligence…
Within two minutes, the search for information was on, both at the Pentagon and at GCHQ in Cheltenham, looped in both as a courtesy and a necessity; they alone had easy access to the UK phone records that would identify where the call to the hotel had been made from. All that they discovered was relayed back to Burt by text message within a further ten minutes. By that time he was once more in the ballroom, sitting in a corner at a table for two with Carole, who was none the wiser as to exactly what was going on, or why he had disappeared for so long when he had said he was going to use the restroom. Thus, when he pulled out his cellphone when it buzzed, and then started to read whatever message he had been sent, she frowned, not at all impressed with him, as it was surely a breach of protocol, and certainly bad manners. As soon as he had finished and slipped his phone away, she opened her mouth to berate him…
"Pam received a message at the hotel earlier today that a man had called to enquire if she was a guest there; she suspected that it was Jonathan, and it turns out that she was correct in her suspicions. It would appear that he is none too pleased about the fact that she has had a series of successes in recent times that have all led to her being here, and now he wants to ruin it all for her. He is not in the United States as we speak, but neither is he here in the United Kingdom. He isn't in transit between the two countries either right now. No, he has tried to be very smart, but his phobia of everything that he regards as foreign and un-American has cost him on this occasion. I am not going to be popular, but I need to speak to Rory at once. Fortunately, Trent will understand exactly why I need to call him on his vacation…"
With that, Burt got up and headed out of the room again, leaving Carole pondering what seemed at first to be a riddle of some sort. Then she reached the correct answer. He had decided to fly to somewhere close to the United Kingdom, somewhere from which he could get to London quickly. She recalled that Blaine had told her once that his father hated anywhere that didn't speak English as its main language, so that meant there was only one place he could be…
