August 2027: The First Visitor from England.
Nick did not have to work the following day, having taken a day to recover from the flight, and thus not expected back into the office until Wednesday; as Jeff had surmised, he had a big day of baking and meal preparing planned. By the time that Thad came down into the kitchen for breakfast on Tuesday morning, rising later than his hosts because he had gone to bed much later, Nick already had two batches of cookies cooling on the racks, another in the oven, and was mixing the batter for a red velvet cake, which made the Head Warbler smile, as it was one of his favourites.
"We will be having it at teatime this evening," said Nick firmly as he saw the glint in Thad's eye as he saw it; he then went on to explain exactly when he meant with the term teatime. "Adam and Lawrence are arriving back today, and I have invited them to come around for tea when they get back, which will be at around 5pm; that way they will not have to prepare anything for themselves when they are tired from their flight. I will also be making British style sausage rolls, once Jeff has my pastry made…"
"I will attend to it just as soon as I am finished eating my breakfast, Nicky," came the blond's reply; Thad looked over to see him finishing a huge stack of pancakes, which Nick had also presumably managed to make. "Would you like some pancakes this morning, Thad?" he went on…
"No, I will just have my usual cereal, thank you," Thad replied, knowing that although Nick would not have said anything, he was much too busy with his cake to do what his husband was requesting, and if he knew Jeff, he would probably offer to help eat the fresh batch too. Turning his attention back to Nick, he said, "Would you like me to do anything for you today? I have nothing planned for the next two days, so you should take advantage of me before I have to head back to Dalton."
"Well, I know that Wes wants to go and see Evie, so maybe you could take him along the street to see her, as that would free me up to get on with my cooking. I need to restock the freezer with a few stews and casseroles," answered Nick.
"It would also let me get on with my drawing, after I've made the pastry naturally," added Jeff.
"Doing that will not be an issue at all," Thad replied, then started to eat his cereal. He watched as Nick poured the cake batter into his baking pans, then expertly removed the batch of cookies from the oven before slipping in the cake pans…
In the end, Nick did not completely finish his cooking until just before 4pm, although he had headed out in the morning to the market, leaving his stews in the oven on a timer. As he wandered amongst the stalls, he suddenly spotted apples on sale at a huge reduction in price, as a result of them being slightly imperfect or bruised. He arrived home in the West Village with so many of them that Jeff, who had popped down to make himself a sandwich, wondered for a moment if his husband had lost his mind, then asked as much…
"Not at all; I intend to make an apple pie for a start, then some apple and cranberry preserve and a spiced apple chutney, which we can have with crackers and cheese in the winter. I have also seen a recipe for an apple frangipane tart, so I will put the best ones aside for that and try making it at the weekend."
Jeff did like apple pie, so he decided that all of those apples were no bad thing at all. When they arrived back from Evie's, Thad and Wes found themselves helping to sterilise old jars that Nick kept boxed up in the storeroom off the kitchen, peeling off the old labels and finding the correct lids for each of them. Wes was allowed to sit and watch as his dad filled the jars with the freshly made preserve and chutney, which were then left under a fly screen cover to cool down sufficiently that they could have the lids placed upon them.
Nick had also made his apple pie, but it was not placed in the oven; Nick did not intend to place it in the oven until the two returnees from England were safely back in the West Village, so he could serve it hot, with either ice cream or English custard…
Adam and Lawrence would arrive back a little earlier than planned, thanks to a favourable tailwind in the skies above the Atlantic, but such was Nick's skill as a host that the sausage rolls were fresh from the oven as they settled down at the table. As they ate, Lawrence was the most talkative of the two, his memories of Paris still so warm, fresh and treasured. "I actually think that I would like to go back to the same hotel for our honeymoon," he announced, which did come as a slight surprise to Adam. Nonetheless, he had to concur that it would be a perfect spot for that occasion, although he had actually been planning on taking him to Scotland instead…
After they had left, Thad came back down to the kitchen to find that Nick was baking once again, much to his surprise. "I decided that I would make an apple and cinnamon cake to take along to Drew; I had actually forgotten until Lawrence mentioned his family that there was a vistor coming to see him tomorrow…"
"Ah, yes, the grandmother," said Thad with a slightly concerned tone. "I just hope that he knows what he is doing by inviting her here. She might well be an innocent party in all that happened to Drew, but she is still a living link to the darkest period of his life."
"From what Ethan has told me, she always loved Evie, when nobody else in that family did, and how can he deny her the chance to spend time with the little girl she sees as her great-grandchild? She may not be a blood relation in any way, and the marriage that saw Drew tied to her family is now dissolved, but love is a bond that is stronger than most…" replied Nick. "Don't worry though; we will all be keeping our eyes open for any sign of Lucy, or indeed strangers of our parents age hanging around."
Thad nodded, then decided that he could let Nick know a little something... "Between us," he whispered, "there is no need to look out for the lady in question; from what I have heard she is otherwise detained at the moment and will not be able to travel to New York." Nick looked at him curiously, but he had a cake to put into the oven, and thus no more was said. As soon as his cake was in the oven, Nick excused himself, as he had to prepare his briefcase for the next day…
As he watched him head upstairs, Thad realised suddenly that Nick might well be the hardest working of all of the brotherhood; he had a tough job, where his actions could have global repercussions; he had a home to manage, and he also had his two children to look after. Somehow, he never looked tired, nor did he ever complain. He doubted that he could be as organised in life as the brunet was…
The next morning saw Nick head off back to his office at the United Nations. He fielded multiple questions about every aspect of the Coronation, which he had of course expected. He was also able to be completely honest when he was asked what he knew about the rumoured link up between Carole and The Princess Royal in connection with Save the Children and say that he knew nothing at all. The fact that Burt's wife and Pam had joined Princess Anne for a private tea party the previous afternoon was indeed news to him, as was the suggestion that the First Lady might be coming on board with them too; apparently, she had received a personal letter from the Princess via Burt Hummel…
He left the gossip to go to the one-on-one briefing that he had arranged with Miss Worthington to catch up on what had happened whilst he was away; that done, his news that he had talked to the two senior leaders of the main Christian churches in the United Kingdom after the Coronation and that they both wished to work with the UN to improve human rights for those around the world left her speechless for a moment. Then she was overjoyed at the prospect that she could be meeting with the two senior clerics very shortly, even if it was only online.
"We have always had the tacit support of the established churches for the work that we do, but they have never acknowledged it publicly in writing. The Cardinal is being used by Rome as an emissary, or so it says in the note that he sent to me via yourself; as for the Archbishop of Canterbury, he is the titular head of the Anglican communion around the world, which does include the Episcopal Church here. My predecessors have tried to organise a meeting of this kind for years, but to no avail; it would be quite the feather in both of our caps if we were able to deliver it now, even on a small scale."
Nick smiled, and then rose to leave the room. As he was about to open the door, he heard his boss speak again. "Oh, can I also thank you for the swift way that you dealt with those packages that you requested be placed on quarantine in the mailroom; I take it that the contents were indeed as rumoured?"
Nick froze for a moment, then said, "It was the case, and as per the instructions of my contact, I removed them from the premises to see that they were safely destroyed."
"I am glad to hear it, but next time I would appreciate being told about it by yourself rather than finding out about it through gossip around the log of packages delivered that they keep in the mailroom…"
Back in the West Village, Thad found himself once again taking care of Wes and Evie, the latter sent over to allow her father and Ethan to finish getting everything ready for the arrival of her great-grandmother. It wasn't as if the house was untidy or dirty; it was just that Drew was starting to panic about the whole thing and wonder if inviting her to visit had been a bad idea after all. The fact that Ethan had found out that morning as he checked through his messages that Lucy was in all likelihood going to be tried for the murder of her third husband had not helped his state at all. Ethan wished that he had not mentioned it, of course, but the fact was that both Drew and eventually Ethel would have to have been told at some point, and it was easier to do them separately…
Now he had to deal with a stressed-out Drew that was wanting to cancel the whole thing. "Whilst I sympathise, she is already on the plane and airborne over the Atlantic," he said, "and before you suggest it, I doubt she would believe that we had contracted Dengue Fever if you told her that. It will all be fine, just trust me on this one; we will break the bad news about Lucy to her on Sunday, then we could go down to St Joseph's and light a candle for her…"
Drew looked at his friend then as if he had completely taken leave of his senses, but then he nodded in understanding. "I suppose that we might just meet up with a certain Brother Flynn when we do, and Ethel would catch a glimpse of the grandson that she knows is somewhere in the city without her even knowing that she is doing so…"
"Yes, we might well do, and that will be that; neither of them will ever know the truth."
At that moment, Ethan's phone began to ring; he looked at the screen to see who was calling and then excused himself for a moment, leaving Drew to ponder his other dilemma. Part of him wanted to tell Ethel that Brother Flynn was her long-lost grandson, or at least allow her to find out from the city records office, but then it would be awful for her if the man did not wish to know her…
Then Ethan returned, looking pale. "That was my mother," he began, and the way he said it and his colour made Drew fear that something had happened to Mr Mackenzie. Ethan saw the worry on his friend's face and said, "My dad is fine; she wanted to tell me that she is going to be in New York this weekend, and she wants to see Evie. That means…"
Drew shuddered at the prospect of what it meant. They had not intended for Ethan's parents to even know that Ethel Prescott was paying them a visit, and now they could not possibly avoid Mrs Mackenzie meeting her…
As they headed to JFK later on the subway, Evie was very excited at the prospect of seeing the woman she thought of as her great-grandmother again and could not understand why her dad and Ethan both looked so worried and stressed. It wasn't as if it was the wicked witch that was coming from London, and what made it all the more exciting was the fact that her Grandma Mackenzie was coming too. She did hope that they would get on with each other, but you never could be sure with grown-ups, and maybe that was why her dad and Ethan looked so worried…
Evie led the way into the airport terminal and was soon eagerly scanning the arrivals board; she found the flight in no time and was eager to point out that it said landed beside it. She knew that meant that her first visitor would be with her very soon. Beside her, Drew stood with his eyes fixed on the door from the baggage claim area, feeling sick to the pit of his stomach, still wondering if this was a good idea at all. Beside him, Ethan was also feeling uneasy, but not about the imminently arriving visitor; no, he was more worried what his mother would say when he had to tell her that Lucy's grandmother was in town…
They did not have to wait long for their visitor who emerged from the doors of the baggage claim area looking just a little bewildered by it all. She spotted Drew and smiled, and there was something so sincere in that smile that he couldn't help but smile back. He stepped forward, Evie taking his hand in a rare moment of shyness as she saw the woman that had been the one member of the wicked witch's family that had ever been kind to her. For her part, Ethel also looked worried as she saw the girl, concerned that she might not be remembered by her at all after so long. However, Evie suddenly broke loose from her father's hand and ran forward to hug her, and following on behind, Ethan could see that the tension in the air had just decreased markedly in one moment.
"My, how you have grown since I last saw you," Ethel said to the child she saw as her great-granddaughter. "In fact, I would say that you have grown since the last photographs I was sent of you were taken!"
Evie giggled at that, then said, "You look younger than I remember…", which made them all laugh.
Looking directly at Drew, Ethel went on, "It was so good of you to allow me to come here and visit; I have to admit that I feel like a little girl, excited about her first trip abroad! Admittedly, it is the first time that I have ever flown in such luxurious surroundings, and it is something that I could get used to very quickly. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff at the lounge at Heathrow, and they offered to assist me to the gate when it was time; it wasn't necessary, but it was lovely nonetheless of them to do it. The food they served on the plane was beautiful and although I didn't take advantage of it on this particular journey, I think that the lie-flat seat will be a great boon when it is time for me to head home."
"Well, you can thank Ethan for that; he has contacts in the airline industry thanks to his parents' business," replied Drew, and then he formally introduced them to each other; two people that had never met but knew so much about each other already. That done, he continued, "Shall we head for home? You must be tired after your flight," and went to take one of Ethel's bags. Ethan took the other, and they led the way out to the roadway where the towncar that they had ordered was waiting to take them into Manhattan.
Ethan had requested that the driver take them into the city over the Brooklyn Bridge; the older driver could guess why. From the moment that they had stepped out of the terminal he had treated Ethel like a filmstar, opening the door for her and calling her ma'am, which had left her smiling all the more. Evie had chatted away to her as they headed through the suburbs and into Brooklyn itself, taking the route along Atlantic Avenue. Ethel's eyes had been drawn outside to the city passing by; the houses and the rail tracks elevated above the road at one point, which Drew pointed out were the Long Island Railroad, not the subway.
Evie fell silent though as they turned the corner that would take them onto the Brooklyn Bridge approach, and they all heard Ethel gasp as she saw the famous bridge and the iconic skyline beyond it that all the world knew was the southern tip of Manhattan. The driver smiled, knowing that it was the view that every first-time visitor to the city just loved to see. Ethan named each of the buildings they could see for her, and when he got to the Woolworth Building, she started to laugh, which made him curious…
"Well, I finally get to see Head Office," she explained. "When I was 14, I had a Saturday job at the big Woolworths in town, and I recall the lady that was in charge of the staff, who I suppose was the equivalent of a Human Resources manager today, saying that if we worked hard then we might get to visit it one day…"
"It is a mix of apartments and office space for several firms now," Ethan responded. "I do know that a lot of the original features have been retained in the public areas. I actually have a work associate that lives in an apartment in the building, so I could have a word and see if we could go and pay them a visit, so that you can say that you have been inside 'Head Office'.
Ethel looked at him and smiled broadly. "That would be quite the experience, and as I am still friends with several of my colleagues from that time, something to show them too. If it was possible, I would be very grateful…" Ethan nodded, and made a mental note to call the woman in question; the fact that she actually occupied the penthouse at the very top of the building was something that he would mention later on…
Eventually they turned into the street in the West Village they called home, and Ethel shook her head in disbelief. "This street is like every one they show in every film or TV show set in Manhattan; a quiet tree-lined street with those antique style lampposts, the homes the traditional brownstone style… The kind of homes that we all know full well that the protagonists in the film or show could not possibly afford to live in…"
Ethan and Drew looked at each other and burst out laughing, because they knew that what she was saying was completely true. Of course, they both also knew that Ethan could afford to live in one in an even grander part of town if he chose to; that fact was not one that they were sure they would be sharing with Ethel quite yet…
Once they had shown her in, they showed her the bedroom she would be using, Drew jokingly saying that he would suffer having to share a room with Ethan whilst she was here. She shook her head, and after she had freshened up, she joined them in the living room. Drew had borrowed a teapot from Nick and Jeff, and so they had afternoon tea, with sandwiches and Nick's cake to the fore. Ethel was most appreciative of the latter, and when they explained that it had been baked as a welcome gift by their neighbour, she asked to meet him at some point to thank him in person.
"He will be in his office at the UN just now, setting the world to rights," Drew explained and that led to a discussion of Nick's work in the field of Human Rights. Evie then told Ethel all about his son, Wes, who she said was okay for a boy… Ethan was the one to mention Jeff, and at his name, Ethel's face lit up…
"He is such a talented artist, and of course he was at the Coronation, recording it for posterity in his own style. The portrait of the late Queen that he produced for her last birthday was inspired. I am looking forward to meeting him again, having briefly made his acquaintance already…" Drew nodded, reminded of the time that he had spent in The Queue for the Lying-in-State, where he and Ethel had met once more.
Their conversation then moved on to the rest of the neighbours, and whilst it was no shock that she had heard of Adam Crawford, she surprised them by knowing the name of Mike Chang. "I am very fond of the ballet, and I have seen footage of his performance in Swan Lake, and he performed his role to perfection. It would be nice to have an chat with him at some point in my visit too."
The light-hearted conversation continued until Evie excused herself to use the restroom; the moment that she had gone, Ethel turned to her hosts, and said, "I know. I am sure that you will know as well. I know exactly what Lucy has been accused of, and where she is now…" There was silence for a moment, but then Ethan nodded, and Ethel continued. "I don't blame you for wanting to know what she was up to, and I trust that you checked me out thoroughly before inviting me too."
"How do you know?" asked Drew.
"My daughter got in touch with me two days ago via my mobile telephone; she doesn't know my current number, so she can't actually call and speak to me, but I arranged with my service provider to have texts sent to my old number forwarded to my new one. She informed me that Lucy is in the Middle East and is being charged with murder, and that she wanted me to travel with her immediately to help support her. She also wanted me to lobby my MP, the former Prime Minister, to demand that she get the government to immediately protest the fake charges levelled by a male dominated state and insist that they be dropped. She wanted Lucy freed at once, because she had been framed…"
Ethan shook his head in disbelief at her words, wondering at the gall of the woman. Ethel nodded, then went on. "Now, normally I do not respond to her, but then she sent another text, telling me that it was my duty as her grandmother and that it was the least I could do for the family I had otherwise abandoned, and well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back… I told her the truth in no uncertain terms; that if she cared for me at all then she would have done something when she was aware that her father was abusing me, would not have been violent and abusive to me herself, and would not have allowed her daughter to carry on the trend. She needed to respect me and my opinions now, and in my opinion, Lucy was more than likely guilty of whatever charges they had levelled against her, and she knew it; that she had form for it with her previous husbands. I told her that I would not be coming with her as I had other plans of greater importance…"
"Good for you!" said Ethan, with a grin.
"Oh, I won't repeat what she threatened me with in her next message but let us just say that it was sufficient vile that given the empowered state I was in, I contacted the police and reported her for the threats she made."
"Good," said Drew, now smiling like Ethan. "It is what they deserve after the way they have disrespected you for so many years. In answer to your question, yes, we did know, but we had decided that we wouldn't tell you at once so that it didn't mar your entire trip."
"Perhaps you can tell me all that you know once Evie is safely in bed this evening? I slept a little on the plane, so I should be able to stay awake for long enough. Some people would say that she is my grandchild and thus I should show more concern, but those people do not know her the way that we all do. As I said, I think that she did exactly what they are claiming she did, and that she would have done it to you in the end…"
No more was said then as Evie came back in, thus ending the conversation for the moment. She had brought back with her one of the photo albums that she had showing her life since she arrived in New York; she was eager to show it to Ethel and as she did so, Drew started to clear things away. Ethan immediately offered to help him take everything through to the kitchen; as soon as they were both in the room, he closed the door quietly and waited as his best friend took a deep breath…
"I can't believe that after all of our worry about her not finding out, her daughter had already done the job for us! It is so typical of that family to do something like that; they pushed her aside and out from their orbit, but then the minute that they think she is useful to them again, they try and drag her back in!" said Drew.
"The fact that she already knows does take the weight of responsibility off us; we no longer have to find the right moment to tell her and potentially ruin her visit. She has also just demonstrated that she is more than capable of dealing with her family now," replied Ethan, but then his tone softened. "However, I don't think that your indignation is the reason that you needed to get out of the room just now. That little revelation isn't why you are upset, it is what Ethel said about what she felt Lucy was capable of that did it…"
Drew sighed and nodded. "I guess that it just hit home when she came out and said it; she is right, Lucy would have killed me in the end. I'd have done something wrong, angered her too much and that would have been it for me. I was such a fool to have ever thought that I could fix her; she is a psychopath. Maybe I shouldn't just have run when you came; maybe I should have stayed and reported it all, had her charged with assault back then. She could have been dealt with much sooner, received the treatment she needed…"
Ethan shook his head. "No, we did the right thing; you needed to break away from her and that was all that mattered. As I see it, life is full of maybes; with them and all the if onlys the world is virtually overrun. The fact is that we will never know for certain what would have happened; you believe that she would have been charged, sent for treatment, and the three men she came into the lives of afterwards would have been unharmed. The reality is that she was just as likely to have been released; she might have lost her position over it, but she would still have ended up hurting other men. You were my priority then, and you still are now. Let's be honest, her two subsequent husbands knew what she was when they married her…"
Ethan left the room then, not giving Drew the chance to reply; he knew that his friend needed time to reflect on what he had just said and let the sense of what he had said sink in. The last thing that they needed now was for Drew to start feeling that he was responsible in some small way for the death of Lucy's third husband; he was a tiny factor in that much bigger picture. If Drew was responsible, then her second husband had to shoulder even more of the blame; he would point that out to his friend if that was the road he decided to travel down. No, far more fault could be laid at the door of her parents and grandfather; they had their own violent tendencies, and they had done nothing to discourage Lucy's…
He returned to the living room just in time to catch Evie showing Ethel a photo of herself with his parents… "Daddy always said that Ethan was a Prince that would come to rescue us one day, so when I first met them, I thought they had to be a King and Queen. They're not, but they do live in a very big house; I think that they might be really rich…"
"Evie, I don't think that we should talk about money like that; it isn't very polite," said Ethan.
"Well, I just thought that seeing as your mum is coming to New York tomorrow and will be wanting to see me I should mention it," replied Evie innocently. She turned to Ethel then, and added, "She is really very nice…"
"Well, in that case I look forward to meeting her; if nothing else, I can thank her for raising a Prince…"