End of an Era Part VII.
They stood and observed the area around them, and the others in the queue, in silence. And then…
"Drew? Drew Symons?"
The woman's voice that had just called his name was familiar to Drew, and he paled instantly. He had been so worried that Lucy would somehow be in the country; would find him and make his time back in England difficult and intolerable that he had failed to consider this as a possibility…
"Drew, are you okay?" Sebastian whispered in his ear.
"Yeah, it is just a voice from the times that I have tried to forget," he replied, before he took a breath and waved to the person that had just spoken to him, who then turned to explain what was going on to the people she was with. "Look, I need to go and speak to her, now she has spotted me, or there could be problems. Take the food back to the others, and I will be back with you all soon. She isn't any threat to me or my happiness; in fact, she was always the exact opposite."
Sebastian looked at the lady and sighed. "Okay, if you are sure, but if you aren't back with us in fifteen minutes, then I will be returning with reinforcements, okay?" He looked at the cardboard tray the stallholder had given him to carry all their purchases, and he carefully selected one paper bag and handed it to Drew. "And make sure that you eat this whilst it is hot!"
"Okay mom," said Drew sarcastically as Sebastian walked away, ignoring his friend replying that he had heard that. He took out the bacon sandwich, and bit into it, savouring the delicious flavours, and then walked over to the source of the voice. The lady smiled at him as he ate another mouthful and shook her head. Drew chuckled, and then said, "It is good to see you again." Then he was laughing, as the older lady had said the same words almost in unison with him, and he noticed that she was too.
When they both stopped, he let her speak first. "I have to admit that seeing you here is quite a shock; of all the places I expected that I might possibly see you again, it was not here in London, even at this sort of event. I was so glad when they told me you had managed to leave, and even more pleased to discover that you had left as the victor, and not with your tail between your legs. I had the courage to say as much at the time, and I have not heard from my lovely granddaughter since – or her mother for that matter. I have to admit that it does not bother me, and my life is much happier now that they are out of it."
Drew nodded, then replied, "I must admit that I never thought I would be here in London again either, but when something like this happens… A good friend was coming, and I just felt that I should be here too. There were happy days here in the United Kingdom too, and good people as well." He dug in his pocket then and pulled out his phone, before bringing up a picture from the gallery and showing it to the lady…
"Evie is growing up so fast," Lucy's maternal grandmother said with a smile. "I am going to say that the man that is with her in the picture is Lucy's nemesis, Ethan."
Drew smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is; we live with him in Manhattan. He has also adopted Evie, so that she has two loving parents, and that has changed everything for both of us…" He paused, then said, "What is your mobile phone number. I would like to keep in touch with you now, as there is nothing she can do to me now. The truth is that you were my one ally against her, and the one person that loved Evie as she deserved to be in that family; she loved you every bit as much…"
"I would like that very much," she replied. They swapped phones and typed in each other's number into the contacts. Then, as they handed the phones back to each other, she suddenly chuckled. "I am going to hazard a guess that the man you were with earlier was one of your fellow singers from high school – the 'Bird Cult' as Lucy referred to it. He is back, and he isn't alone…"
Drew turned round to see an apologetic looking Sebastian hurrying along behind an anxious looking Jeff, and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, they both are. We are a very close brotherhood, and I guess I can understand that they are concerned, annoying though it can be at times!"
He beckoned them over to join them, but was left shocked and a little embarrassed when Jeff gasped, and blurted out, "The lady with the sad expression in the hospital bed!"
Fortunately, Lucy's grandmother just laughed, and said, "The one and the same; still very much alive!"
That response set Sebastian laughing, and Drew had to chuckle too. He made proper introductions, and then, with a promise that he would call her the following day so that they could talk properly, he turned back towards his spot in the queue, with his two friends by his side. His mind was still reeling from the encounter he had just had, because what where the odds, but he was very glad that it had occurred…
On arriving back at their spot in the queue, Drew spotted the look of concern on Miss Frobisher's face and he immediately sought to reassure her that all was okay. The only way that he could do so was to tell the entire story to them all in full. "I really am fine; she was always kind to me and from what she told me, she is now estranged from Lucy and her parents. She certainly looks much happier now than she did when I first met her."
He then turned to the three members of the Crawford family, who were unaware of the full story of his past, and said, "I just met my ex-wife's grandmother for the first time since I left this city in great haste for New York on one of the most glorious days of my life. That day only came about because of a chance encounter outside Miss Frobisher's kindergarten with Jeff, and the subsequent intervention by his husband Nick into my life. I loved Lucy with all of my heart, and she rewarded all of my love and devotion by beating me up on a regular basis. I lived in Holland Park, in a beautiful house that she suggested we buy outright with all of my money, but I did so in a constant state of fear. I thought that if I loved her, I could change her, you see, but I was wrong…."
He paused, then went on, "She takes after her grandfather apparently, the late husband of the woman that I just encountered; the woman that told me more than once, starting from the first time that I met her, that I should run from Lucy whilst I had the chance… I didn't listen because I was a naïve idiot. What Lucy put me through will never leave me; it has left me less trusting of people, but that in the world we inhabit today is no bad thing… There was one compensation for all that I suffered though, the best thing living here in London gave me, and that is my daughter, Evie. She was the light in my darkest of days, and honestly, if I could go back I would go through it all again for her sake – well, maybe I would take the opportunity to use my escape route as soon as she was born…"
"It takes a brave man to admit that he is being battered by his wife, especially when we live in a society that refuses to accept that such things ever happen, and that it is always the other way round," said Joan at that moment, filling in the pause in Drew's speech. "The truth is that it has always happened, and I think it does so now even more. I take it that she never hit your daughter?"
"No, she never laid a finger on her, the child she refused to love; had she done so, then I would not be here now, because I would be in Wormwood Scrubs, or some other prison, serving time at His Majesty's pleasure for murdering her," replied Drew. "In case you didn't guess, Evie is not Lucy's child; she told me that when we were married, we could have children, and then, once we were, she told me it was never going to happen. The world should be grateful for that decision, and the fact that those genes will not be passed on. The worst thing of all is that she is a doctor, a paediatrician; a highly respected surgeon in her field…"
"She wouldn't be the first doctor with a history of violence either; the first doctor to think that they can do whatever they wish. They think that they are God with all of the power of life and death that they possess…" said Annie sharply.
"Mum was a nurse before she married dad and had children, so she speaks from experience," explained Adam.
"Fortunately for me, I had a very good friend that knew exactly what needed to happen for me to see sense. As soon as he knew where I was, Nick called Ethan, and he was on a flight from New York about six hours or so after he was told. He came and rescued me; got me and Evie clear of the house, and then took Lucy apart. He basically threatened to ruin her career in a way that only he could…" Drew paused, looking at the slightly confused faces of the older Crawfords, then said, "Did I not mention that Ethan happens to be the only son of the people that started a little thing call the Mackenzie Trust?"
Rather disappointingly, the Crawfords did not know anything about the Mackenzie Trust and all that it did. Therefore, as they walked on slowly through the streets of the city, passing by Tower Bridge and coming in sight of St Paul's Cathedral, they listened as Drew, with a little help from Jeff and Sebastian, explained exactly what the Trust was, and the role that Ethan now played within it. They talked of course about the significant donation that had allowed the new children's cancer unit at Great Ormond Street to go ahead, and had given him his leverage over Lucy, and went on to mention their funding for the first of what would hopefully be many refuges for battered husbands…
"Now I have heard about that place, and when I did, I thought it was about time!" said Annie. "There is so much talk these days about the equality of the sexes, but there are some that seem to think that their sex is more equal than the other. They want all of the little benefits they have had to stay, whilst taking everything that the other sex had."
"Would I be right to assume that your friend Ethan is happily single?" asked Joan, attracting a glare from her grandson.
Drew saw that, and chuckled. "It's okay, Adam… Yes, he is single, and he has no intention of ever taking a wife or husband for that matter – he is asexual. That is one of the reasons that he wanted to adopt Evie…"
Drew said no more, but the penny was quick to drop for Miss Frobisher, whose eyes widened. "He has to have an heir for the considerable family fortune, and she is that heir!"
"Exactly. In years to come, my daughter will become one of the most eligible spinsters in the world…"
They would stop for lunch in the shadow of the National Theatre, although they ate a little later than normal. For Sebastian, the place was familiar ground, as he had performed there on his one foray into the world of the West End. Of course, the most special of those performances had been at the request of the lady whose coffin he would be walking past later. As he thought about it, he felt a tear starting to form in his eye, but he quickly blinked it away. Like the rest of the group, he took advantage of the restrooms, and the free coffee that was being provided by the theatre.
Then he made his one mistake.
He stopped to look at the display of photographs which showed all of the occasions that Her Majesty had been in attendance at the National Theatre, and was so engrossed in studying the older pictures, picking out the great stars of British theatre in their youth, that he failed to notice that he was standing in front of a full size print of the last time that she had been in the building, when she had come to watch someone portray the most famous Danish Prince…
That was how he was recognised, and soon found himself busily signing autographs. That he was okay with, but then he was accosted by a reporter with a cameraman, and the credentials of the BBC…
When he did not reappear quickly, Jeff and Adam went in search of Sebastian, but promptly fled from the building when they saw that he was now talking to the two people from the television channel. That left it up to Drew to head in and wait for his friend, listening in as he heard Sebastian tell the reporter exactly why he had come to London to join the queue, although what he said was not quite the whole unvarnished truth, with no mention of the rest of the group. Then Drew heard the reporter say "They want us live on the news channel in five minutes, if that is okay with you, Mr Smythe?"
Sebastian had no choice but to agree, and Drew found himself immediately typing out a hurried text message to Thad, the most practical person in the circumstances…
Drew was fortunate in that it was by now 1pm in London, and thus a perpetual early riser like Thad Harwood was already up and about in his apartment at Dalton Academy. He read the text from Drew, and in just a few seconds, he had composed a text that he sent to the Warbler message group, to inform them all that in just a few minutes, one of their number would be interviewed in London on the BBC News Channel…
Of course, the message in question beeped on Jeff's phone as he tried to hide himself in the relative anonymity of the queue. He read it, showed it to Adam, and then went online with the Wi-fi from the National Theatre, bringing up the live channel on his phone, with the volume turned down low. True, he lied and claimed that he had a television licence, but if anyone asked, then Miss Frobisher did, and he was a guest in her home…
Thousands of miles away, his husband was also sitting in front of the television, the relevant channel being shown, with their son sat at his side. They were still in the middle of breakfast, and the rule that Nick had about always eating at the table had been abandoned this once. The fact was that Thad had only stated that one of their number was about to be interviewed and he hoped that it wasn't the man that he loved…
In New Jersey, thanks to Peter's inclusion in the Warbler group chat, and a rapid call from the boy in question, Julian Smythe was also watching the news channel, his wife at his side. Like Nick, Peter had no idea which of the people that had crossed to London it was that the BBC were interviewing, but he had deduced from where the interview was taking place that it was most likely to be his uncle…
"And now we go over to our correspondent at the National Theatre, who is with someone that performed for Her Majesty in the last command performance she ever requested…"
Nick let out a sigh of relief, then worried how Sebastian would do with the unscheduled interview. He crossed his fingers and then focused, like everyone else, on the screen before him.
"Yes, I am here with the Broadway actor Sebastian Smythe, whose performance as Hamlet created such a sensation that the late Queen requested that he perform for her. Now, as someone that lives on the other side of the Atlantic, and who has retired from the stage for the moment, what has spurred you to come to London, and more importantly, to take a place in the queue?"
"Well, the news that Her Majesty had passed greatly saddened me, and so many other people that I know from my schooldays and subsequent career. A few of them decided to come here to London to pay their respects to her, and there was something that just compelled me to join them. For a boy from Ohio, being asked to perform for one of the most recognised and respect women in the world was an honour, and I would go so far as to say that it was the pinnacle of my career so far. She was so kind to me, and so interested in what I had done; she had an ability to just put you at ease… Being here just feels right. It is the least that I could do for her."
"That is indeed a sentiment that we have heard from so many people that we have spoken to over the last few days; people that have come from every corner of the world to mourn the loss we all feel…"
The interview went on, but as they listened, they all looked in vain for any sign of Sebastian's travelling companions in the background. Nick eventually sent a text to his husband; it came up on the screen of his phone as they all watched the interview, so Jeff asked Adam to send a response on his behalf. On reading it, Nick chuckled to himself as he pictured his husband and the Englishman running away from Sebastian. The one consolation to him was that he now knew exactly where his husband was in the queue, and based on the calculations on the government website, Jeff was around five and a half hours from his destination.
When Sebastian eventually returned to join the others in the queue, in the company of Drew, both Jeff and Adam anticipated he might be annoyed with them, but he wasn't in the least. "I actually didn't mind giving the interview once I started, and I was also gratified to feel my phone vibrate a few times before and after the broadcast. I am thankful to Drew that he overheard what was going on and let those back stateside know that I was about to be live on air. I just hope that someone had the good sense to let Julian know, and hopefully he or Isabelle will have spread the word to dad and my maman…"
He pulled out his phone then, and checking the messages, he smiled broadly. "Both my maman and my dad have sent me a message, so someone must have done. However, the fact that I have a message from François is a surprise, as neither Julian or Isabelle has his phone number." He opened the message, and read it, then continued, "He just happened to be watching the news channel, because the death of Her Majesty and all that is happening here is a source of great sadness and fascination in Paris too. He says that now he will be able to tell all of his acquaintances that he knows someone that was present at this event, and that will go down well with all of them… He asks also that I message him when we are due to enter Westminster Hall, although he does hope that we manage to get there for around 7pm, given what is happening at that time… What does he mean by that? What is happening then?"
The others around him shrugged, none of them aware of any significance in the time. As Drew was about to suggest they Google it, they heard Jeff's phone buzz, and then, as the blond read the message, he paled and gasped. As they all stared at him, he turned the screen of his phone towards them, showing them the message that Nick had just sent…
Just heard on the BBC that there is to be a Vigil of the Grandchildren, like the one with her children, at Westminster Hall tonight at around 7pm. As you might well arrive there at the same time, I thought you should know so you can be prepared. All of my love, your Nicky xxx.
"I guess that means that the new Prince of Wales will be there, and his wife might also be there on the dais…" said Jeff quietly.
It was a thought that would dominate their conversation as they continued their slow progress along the route of the queue. As the news spread, they heard people try and predict exactly where they would be when the moment came. All of the indicators seemed to show that their little group had chosen the best moment to join the line of those wanting to pay homage; they would be able to experience something even more moving than the coffin set high on the catafalque. For the four eldest members in their group, and for Adam too, it felt like an even greater privilege to be able to witness in person the moment that her 8 grandchildren paid the most public of tributes to the woman that was both an icon of the world, and their grandmother. For Drew and Sebastian, it was an added bonus, a chance to witness first hand a moment of great pageantry of the sort that the British did so well, something they would probably never see again in their lifetime.
However, it was different for Jeff; he greeted the prospect with rather mixed emotions. He still felt immensely guilty that he had not reached out to his friend, now the Princess of Wales, and her husband in their moment of loss. There was now the chance that he would be in her company but unable to speak, and thus convey just how sorry he was for their loss. He did not tell the others, but Nick had sent him a second message not long after the first; he had told Jeff that he was sure that they would understand why he had not communicated and would see his presence in London as tribute enough. Jeff knew that his husband was probably right, but he wasn't completely certain on this one…
They continued to move along slowly, passing their destination on the other side of the Thames, although they all saw that as a sign that they were coming towards the final stage of their long journey. They had now all been on their feet almost continuously for a little over 12 hours, all taking a turn to sit in the two folding chairs as they waited, but giving the most time in them to Adam's grandmother and Miss Frobisher; of course, there was usually a wall to perch on or lean against as well. The light of the day was now fading in the west, the bells of Big Ben now much louder; they marked the fact that the world was marching on. No-one's death could stop the relentless march of time.
Jeff had taken to passing his time, and keeping his mind off his worries in the process, by making sketches of some of the characterful people that were in the queue around them. He asked their permission first, of course, and once he had completed them, he happily handed them over to them. To his great surprise, people actually seemed to know who he was; the moment they saw his JS-D signature in the bottom corner, their faces lit up, as they now possessed a genuine Jeff Sterling-Duval portrait of themselves.
Seeing that going on, Adam also decided to accept the inevitable, and removed the glasses and hat that he had worn since they started their journey. With that little bit of disguise gone, he was recognised almost immediately, and there was soon a queue forming for selfies with him. Realising that it could easily tune into a scrum, his mother took to supervising the line for those images, much to his father's amusement…
Sebastian watched it all from his place at Drew's side with a grin, and couldn't help but wonder if there was some way that the show could mention that his character had returned to England to attend the vigil as Adam was; it would be very much something that his character Clive would also do. It would be exactly the sort of thing that Ms Kudrow might actually do, he mused – or possibly the death of Her Majesty could be used as an excuse for Clive to finally take Darrin to London as he had been hinting at doing for some time. He almost laughed out loud as he suddenly imagined the look on Sam's face if that became an actual plot, because it would be filmed on location, and it would be the first time that Mr Evans had ever been to Europe…
Then his thoughts were interrupted as an older lady asked him if she could have a selfie with him, as she had seen him in Hamlet and her friends would never believe how close she had been to the man that had graced the stage so magnificently that day…
Meanwhile, Nick and Wes had spent their Saturday morning much as they usually did after they had finished their breakfast. They had headed out to the subway and crossed over to Brooklyn to do their usual supermarket shop, and Nick was glad that his son was now able to carry more of the shopping given that he was on his own. They did this chore conscious of the fact that they had to be back home by around 1pm at the latest; the Vigil of the Grandchildren would take place at around 2pm their time, and there was every possibility that the third member of their little family would also be making an appearance on their television screen at around the same time…
Even with that deadline, they still made a detour on the way home to call in at the green market in Union Square, Nick buying fresh fruit and vegetables and artisan cheese from the stalls there. The market had become something of a regular haunt for them on a Saturday too, but usually in the afternoon, and the fact they were there earlier than normal and that Jeff was not with them attracted the attention of the stallholders they regularly visited. Nick also purchased some venison burgers from one of the stalls, which would be a different thing to have for their evening meal. Both he and Wes had eaten venison before and had enjoyed it; Jeff refused point blank to consume venison, associating it in his mind with Bambi. The fact that they would be eating it that night was therefore a naughty treat that they could enjoy secretly whilst he was many miles away.
With their market purchases completed, they hastened over to 14th Street, and found a bus pulling up at the stop just as they arrived there, and in no time they were back at home. They put away all of that day's purchases apart from the cheese, as it would join some nice honey roasted ham between slices of bread that Nick had baked that morning for lunch. Their simple repast was very satisfying, and left them with very few dishes to clean and put away. That task done, they sat down at opposite ends of the table; Nick caught up on his work e-mails as his son did his reading homework. As was often the case, Wes would finish his task first, and he went over to watch the footage on the news channel again as Nick carried on with his task.
The coverage had once again shifted to outside Westminster Hall, where a queue snaked across the Victoria Tower Gardens. He watched in silence for a while, and then his keen young eyes spotted someone very familiar. He shouted for his father, and Nick came running across, his own eyes able to see him too, and the man beside him. Jeff and Sebastian had reached the home stretch… That was when the knock came at the front door, and Nick hastened up to answer it. He was not in the least surprised to see Ethan and Evie there, and he invited them in, taking them down to the kitchen to join him and Wes in front of the television.
"Drew sent me a message to say that they were now in the final stretch and could see the Hall ahead of them. I didn't know if Jeff would do the same, and in any case, I thought it would be nice if we could all watch it together," said Ethan as he sat down. Nick nodded, then heard yet another knock at the front door…
Within twenty minutes, the kitchen in the West Village house was full; Beats, Ty, Dex, Mike and Artie had all joined them. Of the other neighbours, both Tina and Kitty were busy with other tasks at home, plus they had children to supervise; Elliott was at work at the Spotlight; and Dante and Lachlan were spending the weekend in their own little apartment in the back garden of the home of the latter's parents. As for Lawrence, he was at work, as Drew was keen to explain.
"They were short of a trainee doctor to work in the maternity department this weekend, and he volunteered to do the overtime. He knows that they are all nearing the end of the queue, and he told me that he should be able to sneak into the staff room and watch. He says that things are going steadily, there have been no complicated births to preoccupy them, and he is finding time to keep Nurse Crane company too. He says he is doing it as part of the normal process of shadowing an expert in the field, but he also tells me that she is rather upset by all of this, which doesn't come as much of a shock when you think about it."
"I can imagine," replied Nick, knowing how much she loved London, the place she had been raised and trained as a midwife. He made tea then, and handed out cookies to the little gathering…
As they watched, they were all unsurprised when the BBC film crew managed to spot Adam, and he, like Sebastian earlier, gave them an impromptu interview. They could all see Sebastian in the background, and there might also have been a mop of blond hair hiding behind the actor, which made them all laugh. The camera then moved and they all saw Drew, which made Evie smile…
