End of an Era Part IV
For most in New York, Tuesday morning saw business as usual. Nick headed to the United Nations at the normal time, but he had to tear himself away from the images that were being shown live from a snowy Scotland, showing a hearse travelling at the head of a convoy, bearing the coffin of the late monarch as it made its way south from the heart of the Scottish Highlands to the capital city, Edinburgh. What struck Nick most was that, in spite of the weather conditions, the streets of each community that it passed through were lined with people, wrapped up well against the cold, standing there in silent tribute as the cortege passed through. There were no flowers being thrown, as per the instructions of the Royal Family itself.
He noted the groups of school children, some in the uniform of the Scouts or the Girl Guides, all stood unmoving at the side of the road. The last thing he saw before he left the house was a surprising tribute in a field on a remote stretch of road. There, lined up by the wall, were twenty or so farm tractors, the farmers standing beside them with their heads bowed; a tribute from an agricultural area to a woman that had always been one of their greatest champions. There had been a line of horses before, but it was those mechanised machines that struck home; that and the total silence. It touched Nick's heart, as did the way that the road was clear, with the traffic heading in the opposite direction pulled over and stopped, the drivers outside their vehicle and paying respect too.
As he rode across town on the subway, Nick did worry that his son might not get to school that day, but fortunately Jeff was on the ball. He had to be, as he had a busy day ahead of him now that he knew he was going away for at least a week. He had his case to pack on top of the other chores. The basics of the journey had all been arranged now, with Sebastian meeting them at JFK; it made more sense for him to wait there after flying in from Ohio rather than doubling back into Manhattan en-route. Miss Frobisher was only too pleased to accommodate Jeff and Drew, and Adam's parents were able to provide a bed for Sebastian, something he had been happy to accept. Adam had chuckled to himself when he realised that there was a slight element of wanting to meet the multiple Tony award winning actor as well as charity in their invitation for him to stay; he fully expected that his grandmother would be bringing a few of her friends over to visit so that they could meet him too.
By the time that Nick arrived home that evening, the live feed was now from St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, showing the queue of people that were now slowly walking past the coffin of their Queen as it lay in state on a catafalque. It was now after 11pm in Scotland, but still the people waited on a cold winter's night. Jeff welcomed him home, and told him that earlier on, Her Majesty's four children had had stood silently in guard around her coffin for a quarter of an hour, but the guard now was formed by her official Scottish bodyguard, the Royal Company of Archers, and they would remain there, in shifts, until it was time for the coffin to be flown south to London the following day.
"It's fascinating," said Jeff to his husband as he dished up the casserole that had been intended for the previous night. "Looking at them, with their longbow and arrows, and their feather in their cap, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we were watching a scene from some medieval drama series. It all looks like something from the past…"
"It is, but that is something that the whole world acknowledges Britain does best. These people are loyal to her, and it is a mark of their great respect that they are there to guard a woman that served her people with such loyalty and devotion," replied Nick. "On a positive note, unlike in those dramas, there will not be any bloody battles between warring members of her family; the line of succession is secured and uncontested."
"All of it done with a seamlessness that centuries of tradition and planning bring; other countries may descend into rioting and strife when a regime changes, but not Britain," added Jeff.
"My teacher says that we are lucky to be living through this moment of history," said Wes out of nowhere. "I just think that it is all very sad though; she was a very kind lady, and I feel so sad for George, Charlotte and Louis to have lost their great-grandmother. A lot of my classmates don't have a great-grandmother either. I hope that we can go and visit mine again soon…"
"I'll see what we can do about that," said his father in reply, his heart suddenly filled by the impact of the words his boy had just uttered. His grandparents were not getting any younger after all, and his grandfather had suffered quite a lot of ill health recently. He would speak to his mother and see what he could arrange about visiting both her and her parents in the near future, rather than waiting until Christmas came around again…
The following day, Wednesday, saw Nick leave for the office earlier than usual; he would work through lunch and thus be able to return home before Jeff had to head for the airport. He would then take care of Evie as well as his own son until such time as Ethan arrived home from the office. They would reverse that pattern the following day, with Nick starting later to do the school run, and Ethan heading home earlier. On Friday, Mike had a day's holiday, and he had offered to do both the school runs and look after the two children until their parent arrived home. He was only too pleased to assist if it let Jeff head to London to pay his respects.
They would also be having dinner earlier on that Wednesday night so that they could enjoy their meal as a family for the last time in a week. As they sat around the table, the whole Sterling-Duval family felt a little subdued, and it seemed all too soon when a knock came at the door, and Adam was there, swiftly followed by Drew and Evie. Farewells were said, and Nick found himself alone with the two children. He did not switch on the television footage when they returned to the kitchen, as it was repeating the footage of the coffin arriving in London earlier, being driven through the dark and rainy streets of London; those streets were still lined with people despite the weather, and traffic on the opposite side of the road halted, drivers leaping out of their cars to stand and pay respect as they realised the cortege was about to pass…
Instead he supervised the children as they did their homework, acknowledging the text from Sebastian to say that he had arrived at the airport, and was waiting at the terminal for the others to arrive. A knock at the door followed by footsteps indicated that Ethan had arrived, and Nick insisted that he stay for something to eat, as Evie had already had an early evening meal with her dad before he left. He agreed without too much persuasion, and the children left them to sit at the table, heading for the sofa to watch a children's show.
"I was just thinking as I headed home from work that this is the first time that Drew has ever left Evie alone with me for any length of time," Ethan remarked as he ate his portion of the casserole from earlier. "I just hope that all of this doesn't prove too much for them all, and I include Sebastian in that. He might think that this will not get to him as much, and that he will be okay, but we both know that his strong persona is a façade really. On top of that, once we are in the reality of a situation, it can all suddenly seem so very different…"
The taxi journey across the city to JFK was a silent one; the driver did not speak either, having heard Adam's accent as he climbed in, and promptly putting two and two together as to why he was taking the party to the airport. They were not the first group with at least one British accent that he had taken to the international terminals at the airport in the last couple of days from the more affluent parts of Manhattan, and he was certain they would not be the last. He said nothing until they were all climbing out at the entrance to the airport terminal, and then he spoke. "Your Queen, she was a wonderful lady. The fact that she is gone – somehow the world don't seem right anymore…"
Adam could only nod in reply as Drew paid, and then the three of them headed inside, to find Sebastian waiting for them just inside the door. He greeted them all with hugs, saving a particularly long one for Adam, who he suspected needed it most. As he and Drew then got their documents sorted, Sebastian took Jeff off to one side for a moment. "Okay, blondie, now that you and I are alone, how are you really? Nick tells me that you are fine, but that could well be an act by a spouse that does not wish to upset their husband and cause him worry…"
Jeff sighed, knowing that his old friend was on to him, and said, "I'm not great Sebby. I think that is largely because I do not know what to do for the best! If it was any of my other friends that had just suffered a loss like this one, then I would be able to call up, offer my condolences and a shoulder to cry on. I can't do that for them, because of who they are, and it makes me feel like I don't actually care…"
Sebastian smiled, and said, "They will know that you do though, and if they know you as well as the rest of us, they will know you care too much. The fact is that they are going through a very public bereavement; this is a global event. I am sure that the vast majority of their closest friends are in the exact same position as you are…"
"The sad truth is that once all of the attention starts to fade, it will actually be even harder to get in touch, as she is officially a Princess now; everything that she does from now on will be under so much scrutiny from the Palace and the media…"
"We will see what happens when the time comes there. I have a suspicion she will find a way to circumvent all of it for the people she values the most. Right now, we need to go and check in.
The seats that they had booked had been in the Premium Economy cabin, but they quickly discovered that they had been upgraded by the airline; one of the booking staff had seen the reservations in Adam's name, realised that he had just returned from the United Kingdom at the end of the previous week, and had surmised correctly the reason for his swift return to London. The fact that two of the other people in the party were also well-known names had helped to make an upgrade a foregone conclusion. Adam had not been happy at first, wanting to be put back into their original seats, but the young lady on the check-in desk had pointed out to him that the airline's policy forbade an upgrade from Economy to First Class at the desk, and there was nobody else to upgrade. If she moved them up, she could move four Economy passengers into Premium, and that allowed four people on the wait list to board the flight. He had to admit that there was a logic to the move then…
That did not mean he was happy about it as they entered the lounge, the place he had been only ten days ago with Lawrence, on a much happier trip. He walked ahead of the others and took a seat in a quiet corner. Seeing the expression on his face, Sebastian turned to Drew, and quietly asked him to steer Jeff in the direction of the food whilst he had a talk to the Englishman. "If I recall correctly, the cookies they have in here are amazing," he whispered, and that made Drew smile for a moment, before he grabbed Jeff and took him in the opposite direction to where Sebastian was now headed…
"I can get why you feel guilty about being in here," he said quietly as he sat down opposite Adam. "This is not a holiday trip, and by your nature, you aren't an extravagant person. But it is what it is, and thanks to us, there are four people that will now be flying today who might not have been able to otherwise…"
"I know that you are right, but it just feel wrong to take advantage of that in the circumstances."
"Well, the only other alternative was for you to pay the difference between the Economy fare and the First Class fare for those four people," Sebastian replied, and Adam shook his head. "I think that it is deeper than just the money thing and whether you deserve it or not. I was speaking to Russell Tovey online, and he told me that he felt guilty that he wasn't in the country when it happened, with his family. My guess would be that you feel exactly the same way. The problem is that if your aren't careful, that kind of misplaced guilt can eat you up… I know all about guilt eating away at you, trust me…"
Adam looked at him with curiosity, and Sebastian sighed. "I still feel guilty even now for what happened when Kurt had just died. I came back to Ohio from London, and went to see Blaine, and I didn't even think before I spoke about what something meant. It was so obvious now I think back, but like a fool I just blurted words out, and well, I broke Blaine. I would never see him alive again. I know now that it wasn't my fault, that my words were not what drove him to take his own life, but I still feel that I did; no matter how often people tell me otherwise, I still think that if I'd thought first…"
Adam knew the story of what had happened in the Anderson house that night from Cooper, and he knew too that Blaine's brother bore the man opposite him no ill feeling, but he could see why that might not make a difference… "You are right, I do feel guilty about not being there with my folks when it happened. I can't help but think that if I had booked the flight home for a day later…"
Although Adam was still not entirely comfortable with how they had ended up in the lounge, he could see the truth in what Sebastian had just said. He nodded to him, then got up, and after checking the time, he called home. He spoke to his mother, ostensibly just to confirm the flight times. He found himself agreeing that she could come and collect him and Sebastian is she was determined to, but not at the airport itself, as the cost of entering the airport car parks even to collect someone was prohibitive. "I will call you once the flight has landed and we have made it through passport control. That gives us time to sort out our bags and freshen up. You can pick us up at Hatton Cross tube; call me when you are getting close to it, and that gives us plenty of time to get the underground there from the airport." His mother did not argue with him, and finished their conversation by saying that she loved him. "I love you too, mum," he replied, then ended the call.
He headed back to where he had left Sebastian, and saw that the other two had now joined him. There were drinks for them all, and Jeff had a plate stacked with cookies in front of him. He seemed to be reluctant to share them though, and he allowed himself to chuckle at that, almost hearing little Wes doing his cookie monster impression in his head. Then he felt guilty for smiling…
"Now Adam, Her Majesty would not approve of you being so down all the time!" came a voice in his ear, which sounded very much like Kurt. "Trust me, she is very happy, and reunited with her husband and family. Yes, show her all the respect that she deserves, but you can let yourself smile every now and then; it is what she would have wanted…"
Adam kept thinking about Kurt's words as they waited to board the plane. He noticed too that he was not the only person that seemed subdued in the room; the atmosphere was much less joyful than it had been when he had been here with Lawrence on a day that now seemed a lifetime ago. The staff were still as helpful, but they seemed to be carrying out that service in a less intrusive way. As he looked around, he was not surprised to see some faces that he recognised amongst the guests, and he nodded at Daniel Radcliffe when he caught his eye. The actor was sitting across the room with his partner, and he nodded back, but neither made any move to get up and have a conversation with each other, respecting each other's need for space, only too well aware why they were both flying back home…
The other three stayed quiet too, voices low as they chatted amongst themselves, letting Adam have the time he needed to deal with the situation. Eventually, he would break the silence himself. "I called my mum, and she will be picking us up outside Hatton Cross tube station rather than at the airport terminal, Sebastian. The benefit of that is that we can just jump on the Piccadilly Line train together, and the two of us can then alight at the first stop."
"That's good," said Drew, before Sebastian could respond. "We do need to decide though when and where we are going to meet up before we join the queue. Her coffin is back in London now, so that means that they will be opening up the doors of Westminster Hall tomorrow evening…"
"I think that is too soon; tomorrow we just need to recover from the flight and settle in. I would actually suggest that we then join the queue on Saturday. By the looks of it, we will be in line for some time, so perhaps we would be best joining the queue in the early hours of Saturday morning," replied Adam. Then he saw the expression on Jeff's face, and he found that he was laughing in spite of himself…
"Blondie here was never too keen on early mornings, although being honest, he isn't quite as bad now as he used to be," Sebastian mused. "I am afraid to tell him that what you said actually is the most sensible approach. They estimate that it could be a wait of up to 15 hours to get in, so if we join the line at 4am, then we would walk through the doors around 7pm, which is a decent enough time…"
At that moment they were called to board the flight, and so the topic was shelved. It was clear at once that Jeff had decided he would not even attempt to sleep on the plane, and by that means try and adjust his body to having to deal with a very early start on Saturday. Of course, they would have to fit in with what Miss Frobisher wanted to do, as she might intend to join the queue later in the day, and return home in the small hours of the morning. He guessed that would be practical for them in Kensington, but less so for Adam and Sebastian in a suburban village in Surrey. They would have to have further discussion, but he supposed that they had to do what suited Adam best, as it was for him that the journey meant the most. He and Drew were both mere guests attending what was by its nature a very British event. He resolved to try and get a moment on the plane alone with Drew to make sure that they were both singing from the same songsheet…
Of course, Adam was at the same time thinking that he should try and accommodate the needs of Miss Frobisher, as she was the one that lived in London after all. He also had to take into account the fact that it was likely that his family might wish to join him in the line. Part of him was now considering that Sunday might be a better day for them to go that Saturday, as it would make the wait more bearable; it would also let their body clocks adjust better…
Once they were airborne, Adam took advantage of the free wi-fi that came as standard in First Class to send a WhatsApp message to Lawrence, telling him that he was en route to London now, but that he was thinking of him. He did not expect to receive an immediate reply, as he knew his boyfriend was at work, but it came within a minute. He smiled as he read the message, wishing him love, asking him to pass on his regards to his family, and then admitting that he was busy consoling a rather tearful Nurse Crane. The normally stoic and firm nurse had just watched the footage of the funeral cortege making its way from RAF Northolt to Buckingham Palace, and it had all suddenly become much too real for her…
The flight arrived at Heathrow on schedule, and as soon as they were through passport control and into the First Class lounge, phones were brought out and calls made. Adam called his mother, who was delighted he had arrived safely, and informed him that she would call him again when she was half an hour from Hatton Cross, allowing for the heavy morning traffic, and thus they would have plenty of time to get to the tube and then travel to meet her.
Jeff called Miss Frobisher, and told her that they had arrived; he restated their intention to come to the kindergarten as arranged to meet her, and to collect keys to let themselves into her home. He was pleased to hear that her voice sounded a little less down than it had done, and he wondered whether that was because she was coming to terms with it all, or if she was cheered by the fact that they were back in the city and would be company for her. He then found himself stopping Drew from calling Ethan, reminding him of the time difference. He suggested instead that he send him a text or a WhatsApp, the latter preferable as it would not cause his phone to ring or vibrate as it lay on the nightstand. He sent one of the latter to Nick himself, knowing that his husband would be pleased to see it when he woke up…
As in New York, there was a subdued air in the lounge. The television screens were showing images from around the capital, and on one programme, the reporter was talking to the people that were already in the queue, which was almost three miles long as it stood, despite the fact that it would not even begin to move for another ten hours at least; there was another ceremony attended by the main members of the Royal Family and most of the parliament before the public would be allowed to enter. What he did notice from the various camera shots was the black draping in the shop windows, the universal dark clothing, and the fact that there seemed to be a lot of flowers now lying in both Green and St James' Parks. They had been at the Palace gates, but for practical reasons they had been moved nearby, where they would not impinge access to the building for all of the ceremonial. Jeff had seen much of it before for the Duke, but he suspected that this would be an even more sombre affair…
The text message from Mrs Crawford eventually came, and they all headed out of the lounge and down into the tube station that served the two central terminals. They did not have long to wait for a Piccadilly Line train that was heading into the city and eventually out to the terminus at Cockfosters, a name that still made the child in them all chuckle. Sebastian quickly made arrangements with Jeff as to when they would call each other again, and then they parted at the first stop the train made at Hatton Cross.
It was not a place that Sebastian had ever had call to visit before, and he could see why as he stepped out of the station into a windswept concrete bus station surrounded by roads and industrial buildings. He followed Adam along the pavement to the spot where his mother would pull in and pick them up, which was away from the various bus stops and the heavily congested major roads. Almost as soon as they arrived at the spot, they heard a car horn sounding, and she was there, popping open the trunk of the car as soon as she stopped to let them put in their bags. Adam went into the front next to his mother, whilst Sebastian went into the back, which did make him feel just a little cramped given his height…
He was no sooner in and his seatbelt on than Mrs Crawford was pulling away again. "The traffic in this area seems to get worse every time that I have to come here," she said, concentrating on the busy road ahead of her, as she circumnavigated a roundabout to head back the way she had just come. "I'm sorry that I was a little later than I thought, but part of the motorway had half the lanes coned off for roadworks. How was your flight?"
"It was okay, mum, but quieter and more subdued than my last one. I think that most of the people on the plane were heading to London for the same reason that we were…"
"I would have to agree with that," his mother replied. "I was speaking to a woman in the village shop yesterday whose daughter works for BA out of Gatwick, and according to her, every flight they have coming in from the USA, Canada and even the antipodes is fully booked, at full fare, right up until the day before the funeral. I think that is why the Prime Minister of Australia has offered seats on the private plane that they have chartered to bring their invited guests here to the governments of New Zealand and the other smaller Commonwealth nations in that region, so that they can all get here easily. As far as I know, they have all accepted…"
Then, as Mrs Crawford pulled onto the slip road onto the very busy M25, the car fell silent to allow her to concentrate on driving. Sebastian could only reflect on how the death of a monarch was uniting the world in grief, and on how nations were assisting each other to ensure they were represented at the funeral. It was just the kind of co-operation that she would have undoubtedly approved of…
