A Growing List of Names.
Beats would return to New York feeling much happier about the situation in Ohio; his parents seemed to be coping with the demands of the circumstances they now found themselves in and the children were not overwrought by the death of their mother. He supposed that latter situation was down to the fact that she had spent so little time with them over the last few years, her focus being entirely on her own pleasure. That their father had now returned to be a part of their lives was a bonus, but the situation there remained, in his opinion at least, a case of wait and see what happens. He had said all of the right things and had made certain promises, but words were easy, and it would be his actions in such things as the frequency and duration of the video calls he had promised that Beats would judge him on.
They had allowed the children's father to spend some time with them alone the previous evening, Mrs Harper, Elliott and Flint staying in the kitchen. Mr Harper and his son had left and headed over to the place that had once been the kids' home. They went there for one reason alone, and that was to search through the paperwork they might find there, ideally to see if they could find the records of her bank accounts since the time that her husband had left her. A search in the small home office revealed a locked box in one of the desk drawers, and that was naturally of interest. There was no key, but when they 'accidentally' dropped it from a height onto the concrete floor of the garage it opened quickly enough…
What was contained inside made for depressing reading for father and son. There in black and white was the evidence to show that her estranged husband had indeed been telling the truth. A printed statement showed that there had indeed been $20,000 in a savings account on the day that he walked out, and she had immediately begun to plead that she was destitute. Beats said nothing on the subject to his father, but Mr Harper could tell that his son was seething with rage, thinking of all the things he had been forced to give up on, all of the prized possessions he had been forced to sell, because he had given up his college money to save her from a fate that wasn't hers. He could not blame him, the fact that it was his own sister that had conned him out of the money making it all the more painful…
It was only once they were well on their way home, in the state of Pennsylvania, that Beats finally told his husband and best friend about the deception. "She had money all the time, she just wanted more," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "She took my college money, half of my parents' savings and had she had her way, she would have had them re-mortgage the house or cash in my father's pension fund. Fortunately, they refused to do either of those."
"Someone that could do that to their family has no shame," said Flint sadly.
"At the same time, she was denying her children all that they needed to have a good start, citing poverty. Every cent she obtained was spent on herself and on entertaining her friends. Then there was her gambling habit, wasting thousands online every month. Ironically, in a twist of fate, one of her riskier gambles actually paid off, probably the very last one she made before she left the house the night she passed away. There was a credit for $50,000 in her account, paid in minutes before she died…"
There was silence for a moment, then Elliott spoke from his position behind the wheel. "It is just as well that it was paid in before she passed, because had it not been, they might actually have demanded the monies back, as a dead person cannot win a bet."
"Dad wanted to give some of it to me, but I said no; I told him to put the whole lot into the college funds of the kids, because I am secure in my finances these days, and you don't miss what you haven't had," replied Beats, who then paused. He closed his eyes, then said, "There was a big part of me that was so mad with my sister when I found out she had the money all the time, but when I thought about it, maybe she did me a favour. I had to be so careful with money, and having to be like that, having to fend for myself much more made me the person that I am now. Yes, I had to become - and let's call it what it is – a sex worker, but I am not ashamed of it…"
"Please never utter that sentence in front of my mother. She might have managed to get used to the fact that I was a stripper, but that is only because she sees it as a form of dancing; if she actually heard it described as sex work… I think she would have multiple strokes and seizures at the very notion!"
"I promise never to say it in front of her, unless you or your dad ask me to," quipped Beats in a sincere tone, which set Elliott laughing in the front of the rental car. "Actually, I think I would do it if Izzy asked me too as well…"
Flint looked at him, then wagged his finger at him. "Don't even say that to my dear wife in jest, as she might call you up and ask you to tell my mom that every time she says that she is coming to pay us a visit…"
The group of three parted company at the Newark Airport station on the mainline. It made more sense for Flint to take the Amtrak train that was arriving first as that would convey him directly to Penn Station, and it was a short trip to his place on the Upper East Side from there, whereas Beats and Elliott would take the local train that would connect them to the PATH train and hence more or less directly back to the West Village. As the long-distance train approached the station, Flint found himself enveloped in the arms of his best friend.
"I can't even begin to thank you for everything that you have done for me this week. You came to the airport to break the bad news, then came to be at my side for the funeral of someone that most people would understand you despising. I don't know how I can ever repay you…," said Beats.
"You do not need to repay me at all; being your friend has taken me to so many places that I have never been and given me experiences I might never have had otherwise. Thanks to you, I have a beautiful wife, so if anything, I still owe you," replied Flint with a grin.
Beats laughed, then let his friend board his train and speed of to the heart of Manhattan and the lady in question. At his side, Elliott smiled too, seeing the great bromance played out in front of him once again…
Once they boarded the PATH train, Elliott found himself sitting by the window as his husband leaned into him. "I don't know what I would have done without you this week, Ell. You put up with so much for me…"
"That is what husbands do for each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Beats smiled, then said quietly, "I know, but if there had been trouble and my folks weren't able to cope, and I had needed to give up my current life and move back to Ohio to help them…"
"Then I would have been there at your side. Where else would I be? In any case, it came to my attention that Zanesville could do with a decent diner…"
"Well, I am pleased to say that it isn't going to come to that, thankfully. Mom and dad are coping, and the kids are going to be okay," his husband replied. "I'm glad, because if I had needed to go back, then she would have won one more time in death, and that would have killed me…"
On Monday morning, life returned to normal for those in the West Village and their friends across the city. Nobody had asked how the funeral had been and the only person that had heard anything in connection with it was Ethan, who had received a message saying that they would not require his assistance in finding the children's father, as he had returned of his own volition. No more information was forthcoming in the message, and Ethan did not ask for more, as when it came down to it, it was not any of his business. He had issues of his own to consider in any case, as the Trust had received a letter in response to the feelers that they had put out to the friars at St Joseph's.
In it they stated that they had heard of the Mackenzie Trust, but that they had never considered that the work they undertook could come within the criteria of the activities that the Trust supported. They were therefore open to discussing the possibility that they could be funded, at a time that was mutually convenient. There was a reminder that Lent began on the Wednesday of that week, given that Easter that year was on the 25th of March, and as such they were entering a busy time of year. They suggested that there could be an opportunity at the start of March, if that was convenient, and that ideally the meeting would be in the evening, as the friar who was most involved in the works the Trust was interested in was occupied for most of the day.
Ethan had replied to the letter with one of his own, using pen and paper as the brothers had, stating that he understood and that if it was convenient for them, then Monday 4th March would be ideal; he knew that it was an evening on which neither of the groups that Brother Flynn was involved with met. He said nothing to Drew about the letter however, as until he received a response to his letter, there was no guarantee that the meeting would actually ever go ahead…
On Tuesday evening, everyone was invited to Nick and Jeff's home for pancakes; it was the traditional food of that day, the last before Lent, and although none of them were particularly religious, it was a good excuse to gather in each other's company and enjoy the culinary skills of Nick. All of them were quite surprised to see that he had an eager assistant in the preparation of the pancakes this year in the shape of his son, who seemed to have inherited his father's skill for making wafer thin, crepe like pancakes.
He was not, however, allowed to toss them, and that seemed to annoy him, at least until his Uncle Mike took him aside and told him in a whisper about a pancake day before he was born, back in the loft in Bushwick, when his eager papa had tossed a pancake with such velocity that it had hit the high ceiling, and promptly stuck. Given the height of the room, it was not an easy job to just climb up and scrape it off either. The kitchen had been abandoned then by everyone other than an annoyed Nick and his apologetic sous chef. Jeff had looked so cut up at the loss of his pancake, and was upset at just how angry his husband appeared to be at the fact it was now stuck to the ceiling…
The rest of the gathering had been in the living area, eating their pancakes, when they had heard a squeal. They had run back into the kitchen to find Nick with his back to them, his shoulders shaking as he tried his hardest not to laugh, and Jeff with a pancake stuck to his head… "So, you see, what they say is true; what goes up, must come down. Unfortunately, it came down with a splat on your papa's head…" Mike finished. "Your papa had to go and wash his hair immediately, but his absence let your dad finally laugh out loud. Had it been the other way around, however, I suspect that there would have been a distinct absence of hilarity at the situation…"
Wes nodded then, and replied, "I can see now why dad doesn't want me to toss the pancakes, and it also explains why papa is sitting right across the room, holding Caleb. It would be bad if another pancake landed on papa, but even worse if one landed on Caleb…"
After they had all eaten their fill of pancakes, which admittedly took some time, Jeff stood up and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming here today. It has been quite a start to the year for a lot of us, both on a personal level and also on an international one. Now, you have all probably heard that they have chosen a date for the Coronation of King Charles III this morning, the event scheduled for Saturday 7th August. Now that this is confirmed, I can let you all in on a little secret. I have been asked to be one of the official artists at the ceremony…"
"That is a great honour," said Drew, slightly in awe of his younger friend. "I take it that means what I think it does?"
"If you think it means that Nick, Wes and I will be in Westminster Abbey to witness the formal crowing of the new monarch, then you are correct," the blond replied. There were a few gasps from around the room, but the biggest of all came from Wes himself, who had just found out that he was going to be there at that moment too.
"Now, we are trusting you all not to repeat what I have said outside of the confines of this room, as it will only be you and the rest of our close friends and family that will be informed of this," added Nick. "The last thing we need or want is a press invasion…"
"Of course, there is one of our friends that you will not need to tell," mused Beats. "Given where he works, Trent probably knows all about it already."
Of course, Beats was correct in his assumptions; indeed, Trent had been aware that two of his fellow musketeers would be in attendance at what was promising to be the global event of the year for almost as long as they had known. It was not to be the huge event that the funeral of the late Queen had been - there was no guest list comprising the leaders of half the nations of the world on this occasion. However, there had been an open invitation sent to the Oval Office, requesting that the United States should send a representative to the Coronation, although the Palace did understand that it might not be possible for either the President or the Vice-President to attend given how quickly their diaries filled up.
As it happened, both of the senior members of the executive were engaged elsewhere on the day of the Coronation; the Obamas were due to be in attendance at a global conference that had been organised by the former President's own foundation, and the President was scheduled to be in attendance at a milestone moment when one of his major manifesto commitments came to fruition, at the launch of one of the new high speed rail links that he had promised and was now delivering well ahead of time.
It had been Trent that had cautiously suggested the name of the person that they should send instead, a logical move given that they were next in the chain of command for the governance of the nation. Trent would not be in the room himself when the President asked, although it was actually more told, Burt Hummel that he and Carole would be the representatives of the United States at the event, a show of the solidarity between the two nations. From what Trent was later told, the congressman from Ohio had been left quite speechless, but had nodded in agreement after a minute. There was a part of the speechwriter that told him that Burt had probably heard the sound of an angel squealing, then telling him he would be stupid not to attend as he pondered the request…
Rory was of course able to inform Trent exactly what Burt's reaction was when he returned to his own office at the House later, and also what Carole's reaction had been, as he had overheard her screams down the phone at her husband when he told her that they were to be attending the event. Of course, her major concern at first was what she should wear to a Coronation, but not long after Burt had informed her, she received a call from the First Lady, who informed her that her own personal dressmaker would be at Carole's disposal, and that she should bring any design ideas to the man in question as soon as possible. Overhearing that, a certain angel was suddenly even more pleased, and began to make sketches of what he felt would be ideal for his stepmother; something that would sit well amongst the pomp and pageantry of the ceremony, but would not draw attention away from the outfits of the numerous royals and aristocrats that would be in attendance…
It was that design that let Jeff know that he and his little family would not be the only members of their circle of friends that would be present in Westminster Abbey in August; Kurt came to see him with his rough sketches, and asked the blond artist if he would draw them up properly as he had done with his other designs before, telling anyone that asked that he had done so at Carole's request, having listened to her thoughts on what she should wear. Of course, the designs could not be as detailed as those that had formed the basis of the KEH Collection. Jeff was the last person to see the designs, Kurt having taken them firstly to Isabelle and then to his stepmother.
The editor of Vogue had voiced her approval of the design, promising not to tell anyone that she knew Burt and Carole would be in attendance; she then confessed that although it was not yet official, she would also be in London for the event, ensuring that the extensive coverage that would be published in the magazine would be full and accurate, given that it was still seen as the fashion bible of the world. She also confided in Kurt that there were rumours, the truth of which she was not privy to, that her predecessor as editor, Dame Anna Wintour, was advising the Queen Consort on her outfits for the various events that would take place around the Coronation itself, to ensure that she was attired in the most appropriate and yet very fashionable way. It would later be confirmed as true, and she had also suggested to her that she should engage the services of both a personal hairstylist and a trusted make-up expert for the period around the major event…
On the second Friday of February, Pam Anderson arrived at her counter at Bloomingdales a little early, as she needed to prepare for another busy day ahead. Ever since she had been invited to advise the then Duchess of Cornwall on her make-up back in November, her services had been in demand as never before; her personal advisor appointment list was full three months in advance these days. The situation had worsened when the lady in question had become the Queen Consort; her clients that day included a stalwart of Broadway who had made audiences smile for decades, and the wives of two of the biggest names on Wall Street.
She was therefore a little put out to find that there was a memo on her counter from the head of the department, asking her to come up to the boardroom on the administration level as soon as she arrived. She sighed, and after a quick check to see how much time she had before her first client arrived, and a brief word with her colleagues on the next counter to inform them that she was heading upstairs and shouldn't be long, she made her way up in the elevator.
When she entered the boardroom, she was shocked to find that the CEO of the entire company was waiting for her, along with the majority of the store's senior management team. They asked her to take a seat, and then delivered the news that shocked her to the core. Once she recovered her composure, she asked if they were pranking her, which made them laugh, before the CEO handed her the official letter, the letterhead on it alone making her gasp. She read it, shook her head, then read it again, before placing it on the table before her and just staring at it.
"It most certainly isn't a prank, Mrs Anderson. We thought the same ourselves when it arrived, but we contacted the consulate, and it checks out. You have been asked to go to London in August and oversee the make-up of the Queen Consort for a period of five days over the Coronation weekend. It is a great honour, and in all honesty, I do not see any way that can refuse to do so…"
Cooper was in the last week of rehearsals for The Sound of Music before they moved to the theatre proper, and as such he had a night off. Grace had a late appointment with a client, but that was not an issue for the actor; he had made plans and was preparing a romantic supper for the two of them, one that they could enjoy alone together by candlelight. Nils was only too pleased to agree to take care of the twins upstairs to allow his employers to have a quiet early Valentine's meal together. He had just placed the main course in the oven when the doorbell rang; on going to answer it, Cooper was quite surprised to see his mother on the threshold.
"I am sorry to arrive unannounced like this, particularly as you will be having dinner shortly, but I need to talk to you about something that happened at work today. It won't take long, and I am afraid that it is a matter that cannot be put off for my sanity," said Pam as he allowed her to enter.
"Well, I am expecting Grace home any minute, and I had planned for us to have a romantic supper together," her son replied, but then he realised that his mother seemed quite stressed. He realised something then, and he could almost hear Blaine in the background repeating what he was thinking; that this was how their mother had used to look before she started on a drinking binge. "Look, come through to the kitchen; I can finish of my preparations as we talk."
Pam nodded, and joined her son in the kitchen, where she accepted a glass of iced tea from him, which she sipped as she watched him make the finishing touches to the soup that he had simmering on the stove. "I had to talk to someone, because the most extraordinary thing happened at the store today. I was called up to the boardroom, and the CEO of the business was there waiting for me. Naturally I feared the worst, but he was just wanting to tell me about this instead…"
Pam stopped talking, and extracted the official letter from her purse, before passing it over to her son. She watched as he read it, his eyes widening as he did so. "Oh, my Lord! Mom! If this was the first of April, then I would assume this was a cruel and elaborate hoax. Has someone checked in the with British authorities?"
"They have, and it is genuine. I heard that she wasn't going to have a full-time dresser like her late mother-in-law, but that she would choose me to work for her at such an important time…"
Grace would agree that it was quite something when she arrived a few minutes later, the plans her husband had made for a surprise romantic dinner now put on hold. "I trust that you will be saying yes; it is a massive honour to even be asked to do something like this, and I see here that whilst you will be working non-stop for those five days of major events, they intend to accommodate you in a hotel in St James, which is a really nice area of central London, for a fortnight in total. It can be your summer vacation, one that someone else has paid for. You can explore the sights of the city, and even take a day trip to Paris, as it is only a couple of hours away on the express train. I can guarantee that Bloomingdales will not be upset about this either, because this is the sort of publicity that money just cannot buy…"
The lawyer paused then, before deciding she could go on to tell her mother-in-law a certain secret. "Strictly between us, you will not be the only person that I know that will be in London for the Coronation; Nick called me about an hour ago and told me that Jeff has been asked to be one of the official artists for the event. He has accepted naturally, because you really cannot refuse them, and so he, Nick and Wes will be there as guests. On top of that, he also told me something that Trent told him when he passed on their news. Burt and Carole will be attending the Coronation as the official representatives of the United States…"
Cooper looked flabbergasted at the news that his brother-in-law and his family, and the man he saw as a father figure and his wife would all be in London for the event of the year. Pam was thoughtful, and then said, "The fact that Carole will be in town is a comfort, because it gives me someone to talk to that is nearby. Do you think that there is any possibility that the Hummels would consider a European vacation at the same time? I am at an age were travelling alone is less appealing, but if I had them at my side, then it could be fun."
"Well, political needs will be an influence on Burt," said Cooper, "but I do happen to know that Carole has always wanted to see more of Europe and London in particular; perhaps the two of you could vacation together?"
Pam would take her leave shortly after that, the decision made that she could not possibly decline the request. Her son was then able to light the candles on the table and dim the lights, all of which made his wife smile. As she sat down, he said, "I know that I am not the most romantic of men most of the time, but I do love you so very much Grace…"
"I would hardly call myself a romantic either," his wife responded, "but the feeling is very much mutual. I must confess that after the events of today, I do feel a little deprived, as it would appear that the two of us and my mom will be the only members of our close family that will not be in London for the Coronation…"
Cooper brought over the soup, then sat down across from her. "I have to be honest and say that whilst I expected Jeff to be asked to do something, and there was every chance of Burt being given the honour if the President and Vice-President were busy, my mom getting the invite and the role she has been offered is a shocker. I mean, your brother-in-law has bonded with the family so much I would have been shocked to find out his services weren't wanted!"
Grace chuckled at that, then went on, "I have a feeling that your mom is probably on the phone to Carole right now, which will surprise the latter, as nobody is supposed to know yet that she is going. I can also see the two of them making quite a time of a trip to London though…"
Cooper smiled, and replied, "London will not quite know what has hit it with those two! In all honesty though, I don't think mom would have accepted the role had the others not been going to give her company. I am so glad that this has happened for her though; she had been through so much in life, and this is a reward for the changes that she has made in the last few years that turned her life around. I am certain that Blaine will approve too, and it gives him an excuse to be in London over the Coronation period as well…"
The moment that she had arrived home, Pam had found the number that she had for Carole and had called her. It had been a long time since the two women had called each other; they had last done so regularly in the aftermath of Pam's divorce, when Carole had been a godsend as she struggled with all that had suddenly changed in her life. It had been Carole that she had called when she had felt the need for the thing that she had used as a crutch to get through the day had been strongest, and she attributed the fact that she had stayed sober to the encouragement of the former nurse.
Carole was a little surprised to hear from Pam that night, and that surprise grew markedly when she told her why she was calling her that night. Carole could understand of course why the other woman was worried, as she had more than a few concerns herself about just being a guest at such a huge event; it would be much worse for Pam. All that she had to do was accompany Burt to a couple of receptions and Westminster Abbey; Pam would be in the background at every single event that the new Queen Consort would attend, and worse, her appearance at them all would be judged by the entire world…
"I don't think that refusal is even an option; not because of what it means for Bloomingdales, but because it is for The Royal Family. The problem is that I am getting a trifle old for big new adventures…"
"I know that feeling," Carole replied. "I wish I wasn't going, but it is a big deal for Burt to be asked to represent the nation. I will also be honest and say that he is thinking of standing down from Congress at the next election and this might be the pinnacle of his time as Speaker. Of course, it would appear that there will be a vacancy in the Senate for Ohio at around the same time, and they are trying to persuade him to stand for that post…"
Pam smiled at that, before speaking again. "The reason I have called though is to ask if you would consider staying in London for a week after the Coronation, as I will still be there, all expenses paid, for that time. It would be nice to spend some time in London as a tourist after the work is done, and it would be better with company. I could ask for a twin room so you wouldn't have to worry about accommodation costs."
"Well, I would have to talk to Burt, because I know he has a full diary, but I am pretty sure he could cope without me for a week. It would be fun to do a bit of sightseeing and shopping, and you would be the perfect person to do it with," replied Carole. She resolved to speak to her husband at once, as the idea was now in her head, and she could do with a break…
