‘She’s very understanding about his grief,’ said Kumari, as they fell into step with one another.
‘She was widowed when she was pretty young, herself,’ said Ophelia. ‘Her husband came off his horse. Wasn’t wearing the proper headgear and . . . it didn’t end well. Anyway, she was wonderful when Mummy . . . you know. So when they finally got together a few years later, none of us were really surprised. They understand that they both loved someone else before and that grief and love never really go away. They just get muted with time.’
They arrived at the ballroom. Ben took Kumari’s arm again and the cousin took Ophelia’s.
The ballroom was opulently decorated. Unlike the saloon, which had a homely feel, this was more formal and looked like someone had gone mad with the gold leaf. The walls were covered with ornate silk wallpaper, which was warm and dark in contrast to the glints of gold on the mouldings. The high ceiling held two huge chandeliers. Everything seemed to glow softly in the light.
An enormous Christmas tree, decorated in red and gold, stood at one end of the room. The table was already set in formal silver and they were led to their seats by a footman.
Kumari was seated in between Ophelia and Helena’s husband, David, while Ben was between Helena and cousin Georgie.
Dinner, all the many courses of it, was delicious. Kumari noticed that there was crumble and custard listed as one of the puddings. Ben would be pleased. She was now used to making small talk with whomever she ended up sitting next to, so with the good food and a glass of wine, she relaxed as the evening wore on. Helena’s husband, David, in a clear attempt to make her feel at home, kept explaining this tradition or that to her. It had the effect of reminding her that she wasn’t part of this close-knit set. Not yet.
After dinner, the ladies withdrew to one of the drawing rooms for coffee.
‘The men get to go and have drinkies,’ said Ophelia. She rolled her eyes.
‘What if you wanted to have an after-dinner drink?’ said Kumari. All she really wanted right now was coffee and a mint.
‘Oh, there are ways,’ said Ophelia. ‘But if you just popped over there, Granny would have a blue fit. She’s very laid-back about some things and a real stickler for tradition about others.’
The queen, looking splendid in a pale-blue gown, was in deep conversation with Helena. Kumari and Ophelia sank onto a sofa a little distance away. An aunt came to join them.
‘How are you getting on, Kumari? Learning the ropes, I dare say.’
‘I am, thank you.’
‘You’ve done a splendid job choosing your dresser. She’s made some inspired choices for you of late. Very impressive.’
This assumed that Kumari had no input into her dress choices whatsoever, but Kumari let it pass. ‘I’ll be sure to let her know you said so,’ she said politely. ‘It means a lot to her.’
‘Benedict seems to be taking to married life well,’ the woman carried on. ‘We’re all so glad to see he’s settled down. He was such a tearaway when he was younger, we were all genuinely worried for him.’
‘Yes.’
‘How are you finding the traditions here at Sandringham?’ She pronounced Sandringham with extended vowels.
‘It’s very interesting,’ said Kumari. ‘Classy,’ she added in her strongest Yorkshire accent.
Beside her, Ophelia gave a snort of laughter, which she covered up with a cough. The aunt gave her a curious glance, then returned her attention to Kumari.
‘Do your parents mind that you’re not spending Christmas with them?’
‘Not at all,’ said Kumari. ‘We’ll be meeting them later in the week. We’ll be spending New Year together.’
Her mother had always worked on Christmas Day while Kumari and her father usually had a quiet lunch together and watched the Queen’s Speech before one of them had to go to pick her mother up from work. They did Christmas dinner whenever Amma had her next day off. If Kumari didn’t go home for Christmas, that was accepted without comment. It was all very laid-back, because it was just a fun holiday to them. The New Year though, that was a symbolic new beginning. They always liked her to be home for that.
The aunt was still talking. ‘Then of course there’s the hunt on Boxing Day, when the extended family show up,’ she said. ‘I’m looking forward to that. It’s a nice bracing walk. And it’s always a good lunch and a catch-up.’
Kumari’s gaze flicked towards the queen. Had Ben told her that she would not be going to the shoot yet? Unlikely, as it hadn’t been mentioned. She wondered why he was so reluctant to talk to his grandmother about it. He hadn’t hesitated to speak to her when he wanted to propose to Kumari and that had been a far bigger issue that risked his grandmother’s disapproval. There must be more to this than he was letting on. She frowned. She needed to get to the bottom of it as soon as she could.
While coffee was a gentle affair, the level of noise went up considerably when the men rejoined them. There was a raucous game of charades, which Kumari threw herself into with gusto. She and Ben were so good at guessing each other’s mimes that they were banned from playing on the same team. Ben had mentioned that the family were competitive, but she hadn’t realised how much. As she watched them good-naturedly tussle to come out on top, she was once again reminded that this was a family that did not like to lose at things. Not even granny racing.
*
Kumari was fuzzy with drink and laughter and practically asleep on her feet by the time the evening wound up. It was around midnight. She and Ben made their way back to their rooms and found Sinead asleep on a chair outside Kumari’s room.
‘Sinead?’ said Kumari. ‘What are you doing here?’
Sinead startled awake. ‘Oh. Oh.’ She shot to her feet. ‘I thought you might need some help with . . .’ Her eyes darted to the jewellery and then to Ben, who had his arm firmly tucked around Kumari’s waist. ‘Oh.’
‘I think we’ll be fine,’ said Kumari. ‘You go to bed.’
When Sinead hesitated, Ben said, ‘I’ll make sure the right bits of jewellery go into the right boxes.’ He gave Kumari a mischievous grin. ‘I might even help her out of everything else.’
Kumari kicked his ankle. ‘Ignore him,’ she said to Sinead. ‘Go to bed. I’ll need you to be alert tomorrow, because I certainly won’t be.’
Leaving Sinead to make her way to her own room, Kumari ushered Ben in and shut the door. ‘Honestly, Benedict,’ she said, with mock severity. ‘Poor Sinead didn’t know where to look.’
Ben turned her so that he could put his arms around her. ‘Oh, come on. I’m sure she knows I’m capable of getting you out of your clothes without help.’
‘She’s just worried about the jewellery. If I lose something, she and I are both going to get it in the neck.’
‘Can’t have that,’ said Ben. ‘Let’s get those packed up.’
She sat on the bed and he removed the tiara. The box was already laid out on the dressing table. While Ben put it away and locked up the box, Kumari removed her shoes and the rest of the jewels. Handing these to Ben, she rolled her head, trying to ease the tension in her neck.
‘Still getting a sore neck?’ he said, rubbing it gently.
‘A little.’ She yawned. ‘I don’t know how your grandmother keeps going. I’m exhausted.’
‘Oh, I don’t think Grandma sleeps very much.’ He carefully stacked the locked jewellery boxes.
She stood up and reached for the zip on her dress.
‘Here, let me help.’ Ben unzipped her dress slowly, making a shiver run down her spine. She shrugged the dress off her shoulders and let it slide to her feet. Now she was wearing only tights and shapewear. There was no sexy way to remove shapewear.
‘Sorry about this,’ she said and started to peel it off herself.
Ben sat on the bed and watched her with an expression of fascination and horror. ‘I don’t know why you need to wear that stuff. It looks bloody uncomfortable.’
‘It is,’ said Kumari, forcing the garment pas
t her hips. ‘But I have to, given that the newspapers are obsessed with the size of my midriff, in case I’m pregnant.’
‘It’s a very lovely midriff,’ said Ben. ‘I love your midriff.’ He reached forward and touched the red lines where the spandex had dug into her skin. ‘I could ask them to leave you alone,’ he said. ‘Again.’
‘I think once was enough,’ said Kumari. She finally peeled the shapewear off. ‘Oh my God, that’s so much better.’ She stretched.
Ben pulled her closer and kissed her stomach. ‘I wish you didn’t have to wear those things,’ he said. ‘You’re beautiful as you are. Soft.’
Kumari sighed. ‘It would be nice,’ she said. ‘But the world demands skinniness.’
‘The world doesn’t know what it’s missing,’ said Ben.
She reached for the brushed-cotton pyjamas that had been laid out for her. Ben caught her hand and kissed it.
‘Oh, come on, Ben,’ she said. ‘I’m cold.’
His gaze met hers and he gave her a slow smile. ‘I’m sure I can think of a way to fix that.’ He stood up and pulled her hard up against him. ‘Might be able to help with the speculation too.’
Kumari laughed. ‘You are so drunk.’
Ben chuckled against her collarbone. Suddenly, she wasn’t quite so tired anymore. She snuggled into him and breathed in the familiar summer and woodland smell of him. ‘God, I love you,’ she said.
‘Let’s go to bed,’ he said. ‘Mine’s bigger.’ And he swung her up in his arms and carried her through the connecting door to his room.
Chapter 34
Cause Celeb Magazine
Princess shoutouts
It’s Kumari’s first Christmas as a royal. What does it mean to you? We took to Twitter to find out (Twitter handles redacted).
OMG, I love seeing a brown girl in the formal royal family photos! Princesses come in all colours!
When I was a kid, I wanted to be Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, but I didn’t like the harem trousers she wore. Now my daughter wants to be Kumari . . . and she knows she can wear whatever the hell she likes. #PrincessKumari FTW
Love the pictures of Prince Benedict hamming it up in an Xmas hat to make #Kumari laugh. Could those two get any cuter?
Looks like Kumari is winning hearts everywhere. We totally adore her. Check out the special where our fashion editor comments on all the outfits Kumari has worn in public since she became the Duchess of Westbury.
They were woken up the next morning by polite knocking. Kumari didn’t want some butler seeing her in her dishevelled pyjamas so she slipped out of bed and back into her room. As the connecting door closed behind her, she heard Ben tell the butler to come in. The maid had already been in her room. Everything was tidy and a tray with a lidded platter and a teapot with a tea cosy over it were on the bedside table.
Kumari poured herself a cup of tea and climbed into bed. Sitting back against the pillows, she closed her eyes and savoured a moment of contentment. She had navigated the family evening without upsetting anyone. Her husband loved her. And now she had a lovely cup of tea brought to her bedside. Things didn’t get much better than this.
With the first sip of tea, she realised she was hungry. She thought about how she’d worked up her appetite and smiled. She could murder a bacon sandwich.
Kumari lifted the lid. Fruit. She looked at it with some concern. That wasn’t going to keep her going until lunchtime, especially as there was a brisk walk to the chapel at eleven.
She popped her head through the door into Ben’s room. He was sitting in bed with a cup of coffee, looking bleary-eyed.
‘I have a plate of fruit in my room,’ she said.
‘Yes. The ladies get that.’
‘What do you get?’ There was no evidence of toast or any other breakfast on his side table. She remembered the gents were supposed to have breakfast a bit later. Downstairs.
‘The full works,’ he said.
‘Can I come?’
He looked thoughtful for a second. ‘Don’t see why not. Ophelia used to come sometimes, if she’d been out riding.’
‘I think I’m going to go for a run first. Want to come with me?’
Ben looked like he was going to refuse, but eventually he sighed. ‘You’re right. That is a good idea. OK. Give me a few minutes to get straight. Let’s do it.’
*
After a pleasant run through the estate with Ben, Kumari showered and dressed in her formal church outfit: a simple woollen dress with a brooch at the shoulder as an accent. Given that she had to walk a fair distance, Sinead had paired it with chunky heeled boots. There was a coat, hat and scarf to complete the outfit, which she would wear later. Ben knocked on her door and they went down to the breakfast room together.
Ophelia was there, still in her riding gear. Apart from that, the room was full of men and boys, all tucking into a fried breakfast. Kumari loaded up her plate and sat down.
‘Eating for two?’ said David.
Kumari caught Ben’s eye and saw him trying not to laugh.
‘No,’ she said. ‘This is all for my little self.’
‘Don’t let him get to you,’ said Ophelia. ‘He’s just getting his own back from all the pressure when he and Helena got married.’
David grinned. ‘You think it’s bad for you. Imagine being responsible for bringing the next heir into the world.’
‘Well, it’s not like you had the difficult bit, is it?’ said Ophelia.
‘Suppose not,’ he said. He gave her an evil grin. ‘I can’t wait until it’s your turn.’
‘Hmph,’ said Ophelia.
‘Well, it must be coming around soon,’ he said. ‘You and Dominic have been together for a while now. He must be ready to pop the question soon.’
‘All in good time,’ said Ophelia. ‘I’m not in a hurry.’
David was suddenly sober. ‘Is he feeling the nerves? Would you like me to have a discreet chat, man to man?’
Ophelia didn’t respond immediately, but finally said, ‘No, thank you. It’ll be fine. As I say, I’m not in any pressing hurry. You’ve done your bit producing an heir and a spare, rather takes the heat off me.’
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Ben’s uncle sat down. ‘Will you be joining us at the church today, Kumari?’
‘Yes, I will,’ she said. While she herself had no problem with going to the church service, she had made sure to check that Ben’s grandmother and the local priest would have no objections to someone who didn’t believe coming to the service. Neither had minded.
‘You are . . . Buddhist?’
‘Lapsed Buddhist, I guess. More or less agnostic.’
She braced herself for a predictable set of questions about how her lack of faith clashed with being married to one of the royal family, who were meant to be Defenders of the Faith.
‘I see.’ He ate a few mouthfuls thoughtfully. ‘Fascinating religion Buddhism.’
‘Yes.’
‘I met a chap once who discussed the teachings of the Buddha in terms of atomic physics. Astonishing stuff, really. He was an astrophysicist and a monk, so I imagine he knew what he was talking about.’
Kumari was taken aback. She hadn’t been expecting that. Ben’s family had a habit of doing this. Just when she felt she understood what they were about, they threw a curve ball at her. The work they did was more than a mere task to them. They worked in such a wide variety of areas that sometimes they came across things that chimed strongly with them. So they all had sections of their work that they were passionate about. ‘That does sound interesting,’ she said. ‘Do you remember who it was?’
‘Not off-hand, but I’m sure I can get my aide to dig out the information for you. I read a couple of his newspaper articles – the more accessible stuff, if you like. Genuinely amazing.’ He smiled at her. ‘How are your projects going? You had an interesting project educating girls in Africa, I believe?’
‘That one was going really well, actually,’ she said. ‘But it�
�s just had its funding pulled. It’s very upsetting.’
‘I can imagine,’ he said. ‘I suppose they must wait for the next round of funding from the foundation now to get help.’
‘Oh, is that the Lesotho programme?’ said Ophelia.
Kumari brightened up. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘They’re going to apply to the Foundation.’ Ophelia was on the committee. This was the perfect chance to bring it to her attention. ‘Did I show you the report they sent a few weeks ago? They’re doing great work. Not only on the project, but in the local area too.’ She gave them a quick outline of it.
‘Sounds like it would be a real shame to see it close,’ said Ophelia thoughtfully.
Kumari felt a spark of satisfaction. At least one member of the decision-making committee was on side. She glanced across at Ben. He would probably have to abstain from voting too, given that his wife was closely linked to the project. But what would he think of making a private donation to cover the gap between the end of one funding stream and the start of another?
If she went through with her plan of making an anonymous donation, she’d run the risk of someone finding out. If that happened, she’d have to beg for forgiveness, which, given the number of warnings she’d had, might not be given. Still, it would be worth it. Wouldn’t it? What’s the worst that could happen?
She glanced at Ben. The royal institution being annoyed with her, she could deal with, but she wasn’t sure she could cope with Ben being disappointed in her.
Ben misunderstood her expression and patted her arm. ‘I’m sure something will come up, my love.’
She gave him a half-hearted smile. ‘Yes,’ she said weakly.
*
It was a grey day with a sharp chill that bit at ears and noses. Even bundled up in her warm coat, hat, scarf and gloves, Kumari could feel the cold. The brisk walk and the hearty breakfast helped a lot. If she’d relied on the platter of fruit that was sent to her room, she’d have frozen to death by now.
People lined the path leading to the parish church, despite the chill in the air. The royal party walked as a big group, with Ben’s father at the head. Kumari walked hand in hand with Ben. People waved to them as they went past and shouted Christmas greetings. Ben seemed to recognise some of them. Apparently, there were those who came every year. One, an old man in a wheelchair, was greeted by name by several members of the party. A retired employee of the ‘big house’.
Christmas at the Palace Page 30