by Jenny Frame
Chapter Thirty-one
The Queen stood alone in one of the smaller sitting rooms in the castle, waiting for the prime minister to be shown in. Since this was her holiday, she didn’t wear anything formal. Just some jeans and her trusty old cricket jumper.
There was a knock and Bodicia Dixon was shown in. She curtsied, and George invited her to sit on a tartan-covered armchair.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope you’re having a pleasant holiday.”
“Very much so, Prime Minister, and I hope you will enjoy your few days here with us.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
George laughed inside. She knew Bo was not a country woman in the slightest, and she could just imagine her trying to walk the Balmoral estate, and attend their many picnics, in her short skirt and the highest of high heels.
George listened to everything the prime minister said with great interest and asked pertinent questions when she felt the need to. When they had finished with all the political business, George took the opportunity to speak to Bo about her own situation. “Prime Minister, I am sure you are aware that Miss Elliot is staying here with my family,” George said very seriously.
“Yes, Ma’am. It’s all the media can talk about, and I understand it’s the main topic of conversation with the public up and down the land.”
“Well, I’m pleased to inform you that I have asked Miss Elliot to marry me, and she has graciously accepted.”
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your cabinet and your government will be delighted for you, Ma’am.”
“And the rest of the House of Commons, and the House of Lords?” George smiled as she asked.
Bo gave a soft laugh. “I’m quite sure the vast majority will share your joy, Ma’am. After all, it puts both the government and country at ease to see the succession secure, and your marriage is the first step towards that.”
George chuckled. “Indeed, Prime Minister, although I hope no one points that out to my fiancée. She has a tendency to see these matters—of, shall we say, dynastic concerns—unromantic.”
“I can certainly understand that, Ma’am. The realities of our system of government can seem very dry to some ladies.”
George found the prime minister a very hard one to read. At times she was convinced she was gay, and at other times she saw her use her sexuality to influence the men she met. She supposed that was the prime minister’s great skill; she was all things to all people.
“Quite, and my people, Prime Minister? Do you believe that public opinion has sufficiently changed? Will they accept her?”
“Oh yes, Ma’am. The work that both Sebastian and my man Felix have done to counteract the adverse publicity has changed the public’s mind. I understand the latest polls are ninety percent for, ten percent against. A politician would give their right arm for those numbers, and I can assure you, when you announce your engagement, the country, if not the world, will go royal-wedding crazy.”
“Excellent. There is just one thing though. Is there time to organize a wedding before the coronation? I think it’s very important that my consort is crowned with me at the ceremony, in order that she be legitimized in her role as royal consort, and as mother of the future monarch. Particularly because we will be the first gay couple to sit on the throne of Great Britain, there must be no question that any offspring from our union come from two royal parents.”
The prime minister nodded in understanding. “I agree with you, and I have no doubt that we can put together a magnificent royal occasion before the coronation. After all, ceremonies and pageantry are what we do best. Leave it with me, Ma’am, and I’ll have my team put together a plan in conjunction with the Lord Chamberlain, the Duke of Norfolk, and your man Bastian.”
The Queen stood and extended her hand in thanks. “Many thanks, Prime Minister. Now I believe we are expected for a hike followed by a picnic. I hope you’ll enjoy the fresh air of Aberdeenshire.”
“I can’t wait, Your Majesty,” Bo said with little enthusiasm.
*
Bea had been a nervous wreck before her parents arrived at Balmoral. She supposed all couples would be nervous at their two families meeting, but this was even more nerve-racking. Her very ordinary mum and dad from East London were meeting the in-laws, who just happened to be the royal family.
After letting them rest and settle in after their long journey, Bea led them down to the drawing room to have afternoon tea with the family. They decided to keep the meeting to just George’s mother and granny at first, so as to not overwhelm Sarah and Reg. The dogs, of course, were allowed to be there, as they always were.
As Bea watched her mother and father chatting with Queen Sofia and Queen Adrianna, she knew she shouldn’t have worried. Both women possessed the great skill of putting people at their ease very quickly. Bea looked at George and smiled. George had assured her that the meeting would go well, and it had.
George, again very smartly dressed in her kilt, stood and indicated for everyone to stay seated. She gave Bea a wink, and then turned to Reg. “Mr. Elliot, would you like to see our gardens here? I think they would perhaps interest you.”
Reg put down his teacup and said nervously, “Yes, Your Majesty. That would be nice, thank you.”
Bea rolled her eyes; she knew exactly what George was up to. A part of her felt she should be annoyed that her fiancée was asking her father’s permission, but she just couldn’t be annoyed with George. It was who she was, old-fashioned and terribly traditional, but that was one of the many parts of George’s character that made her unique and so loveable.
At least when the Queen returned, she could tell her mother the good news and they could all start talking weddings. She’d purposely not worn her engagement ring so she could surprise her mother with the news, after George had spoken to her father.
“The gardens are beautiful, Dad. You’ll love them,” Bea told her nervous-looking father, who nodded and followed George out of the drawing room, followed be Baxter and Shadow. Rexie, as he usually did these days, stayed at Bea’s feet.
*
George led Reg across the large lawn and into one of her favourite parts of the formal garden. A large square of flowers and plants was set out to follow a pathway leading to a central fountain. The dogs ran ahead, playing together and roughhousing.
Reg hadn’t said a word since they left the castle, and George was keen to put him at his ease. “Bea has told me a great deal about your landscaping work, Mr. Elliot. I’m very much an outdoors person myself, so I greatly admire anyone who works with the land for their living. I hope you approve of our gardens here.”
“Oh yes, Your Majesty. It truly is a beautiful garden. Sarah and I have always enjoyed walking round your gardens at Windsor Castle, so it’s a privilege to see your gardens here.”
George stopped beside the fountain and said, “Mr. Elliot, if we are in private, please call me George.”
Reg’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure, Ma’am?”
“Of course. I hope we can become friends,” George said with a reassuring smile.
“I would like that, Ma’am…George, and you must call me Reg.”
“Thank you, Reg. Shall we?” George indicated for him to walk on. “We have a wonderful greenhouse further down, with some beautiful exotic flowers I’m sure you’ll appreciate.”
“Oh, I’d love to see that.”
They walked onward and George decided to take this opportunity to broach the subject of Bea. “Reg, I wanted to have a bit of a chinwag with you about Beatrice and myself. I expect you know that we have very strong feelings for each other.”
“Yes. Apparently my wife suspected that Bea had feelings for you for some time, but Bea wouldn’t talk about it, and I didn’t know for definite until that day it went all over the news. She was very upset.”
George sighed, remembering the pain and trauma of that day. “It was extremely unfortunate the way it came out, and I’m deeply sorry for the effect it had on your famil
y, but I do hope you know I took steps to help, and to find out why it happened.”
Reg nodded. “Bea told us, yes. I was worried that your family shared the same opinion of my daughter as Viscount Anglesey, but then I met the Queen Mother and Queen Adrianna today and saw that couldn’t be true.”
George stopped stone dead and said, “I want you to know, Reg, that no one else in my family shares that opinion. They all greatly respect and like Bea, and because of Viscount Anglesey’s actions he has been relegated to the outer reaches of our family circle.”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t want Bea to be hurt like that. She’s had a lot to deal with in her young life. Has she told you about Abby?”
“Yes, she did, and I’m very sorry for your loss, Reg.” George saw the pain on the older man’s face and said, “Let’s have a seat here.” She indicated the garden bench by the path.
When they sat, she said, “I went with Bea to Abigail’s grave a few months ago. I was honoured that she would share that with me.”
Reg nodded sadly. “Sarah won’t go. She still hurts too much to face seeing the grave. She wants to remember her as the lively, playful little girl she was before. But I make myself go. As her father, I think it’s my duty to take care of her, even though she’s no longer here. Does that make sense?”
George nodded. “Yes. Duty is something I understand well, Reg.”
“It isn’t much, but I plant and tend the flowers around her grave, keep it tidy and clean. It’s all I can do for her now. Things were so different when the girls were young. A lot of dads secretly hope for a boy, but not me. I couldn’t have been prouder of my two daughters, and I used to refer to Sarah, Abby, and Bea as my three girls. I couldn’t have been happier. I’m telling you this, George, because I want you to know how much I love my family, and how much more protective I am of Bea, now that Abby is gone. You might be the Queen, but Bea will always be my princess. Do you understand?”
That was a very polite warning you got there, George. “I totally understand what you’re saying Reg, and I respect you for saying it to me, face to face.”
Reg shrugged. “When you have children George, you’ll understand you would stand up to the devil himself for them, no matter the cost. Bea is a very modern woman and she may appear tough, but she has a soft, romantic heart and doesn’t deserve someone who isn’t prepared to give their all to her.”
George turned slightly so she could look Reg in the eye. “I want you to know that I adore your daughter. I adore, love, and respect her and would never give her anything but my all. So to that end, I would like to ask for permission to marry Beatrice.”
“I’m not quite sure what to say, Your Majesty.”
“Just tell me the truth, Reg. I want there to be no awkwardness between our families. Please tell me how you really feel.”
He took a breath and said, “I would never stand in the way of my daughter’s happiness, and it’s obvious she loves you.”
“I feel a but coming,” George said with a smile.
Reg looked very uncomfortable. “You’re from very different worlds. I was a great admirer of your father the King—he had good principles and worked hard for his people. I know you will be the same because he always showed how proud he was of you. But in the past, outsiders who came into the royal family didn’t fare too well, and they weren’t even ordinary girls from a working-class background.”
“I understand your fears, but I can promise you, I and all my family will protect and guide Bea as she learns the ropes. I am very loyal to those I love, and I promise you that I would never do anything to disrespect your daughter, our marriage, or her position as Queen Consort.”
Reg smiled at her. “Not many people, man or woman, would ask a father’s permission in this day and age. I can see that you really are your father’s daughter.”
“Tradition is very important to me, Reg.”
The older man extended his hand to the Queen and said, “Then I would be delighted to give my daughter away to you in church, Your Majesty.”
George mentally punched the air with delight. She took Reg’s hand. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”
“You do realize what a feisty young woman she is? Bea doesn’t have a high tolerance for the establishment.”
George laughed and patted her future father-in-law on the back. “That’s exactly what I love about her. She challenges me to think about things in a different way. She will be a wonderful consort.”
Reg shook his head in disbelief. “My little girl, the Queen Consort. It’s unbelievable.”
George stood and said, “Let’s go and have a look at the greenhouse and get back to the house. I know Bea is anxious to tell her mother.”
*
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so happy for you.” Sarah threw her arms round her daughter.
“Thanks, Mum. I couldn’t wait to tell you,” Bea looked up adoringly at George. “We’re really happy.”
Sarah went to embrace George but pulled back, suddenly realizing who she was about to hug. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
George immediately leaned in, kissed Sarah on the cheek, and said, “Please, Mrs. Elliot, we are going to be family now. I told your husband the same thing, in private please call me George.”
“Beatrice? Are you going to show your mother your engagement ring?” Queen Sofia said.
“Oh, of course. Can I have it, Georgie?” Bea said.
Everyone sniggered as George pulled the ring box out of the sporran in front of her kilt. “What? The sporran is the closest I get to a handbag.”
She took the ring out, insisted on placing it on her fiancée’s finger, and gave her hand a kiss before Bea held her hand for her mother’s inspection.
Sarah clasped her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my, that is beautiful.”
“It belonged to George’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Mary. I absolutely adore it, Mum.”
Two pages came in with silver trays with champagne for the guests. Queen Adrianna took one and said, “Thank the Lord. My mouth was as dry as my old bones.”
Once everyone took a glass, the Dowager Queen knocked her stick on the floor, bringing everyone to attention. “I would like to say a few words that I’m sure my son Eddie would have done if he were here today.”
George put her arm around Bea and smiled over at her mother.
“George, ever since you were little, we all knew you would be a remarkable monarch. You’ve been dutiful, hardworking, and as your father did before you, put your country first, but your mother and I know that the role of sovereign can be a lonely one. We all prayed that you would find that special someone who would ease that heavy burden of your destiny, and seeing the way you look at each other, we know you have found her. Beatrice, I know my son would have welcomed you into our family with open arms, and so will the rest of our family. You two will be the first couple of your kind and will be remembered for generations. I have a feeling that, together, you will lead this family and the country with distinction. To Her Majesty the Queen, and her future consort.”
As the family toasted them, George pulled Bea into a kiss and said, “I love you, my darling.”
“I love you, Georgie.”
“Put her down, Georgie.” Theo came sauntering into the room with a huge smile on his face.
Reg and Sarah bowed and curtsied to the prince.
“Mr. and Mrs. Elliot, delighted to see you again. Wonderful news, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it is indeed, sir. Reg and I are delighted.”
Theo leaned in and said in a stage whisper, “Theo, please. I’m not as stuffy as the rest of them.”
Bea’s parents laughed and were immediately put at their ease.
He snagged a glass of champagne and greeted his sister and Bea, giving them each a kiss. “So you managed to catch a girl at last, eh, Georgie?”
George simply pulled Bea closer to her and said, “I was waiting for perfection, and I found her.”
“Well, well, very smooth
, Georgie. Welcome to the family, Bea, we’re a loony bunch, but very loving.”
“So what’s next? When are you announcing the engagement, George?” her mother asked.
George indicated for everyone to sit down, and she did herself, taking Bea’s hand in hers. “Well, we realize we have to do a press call and interview, but Bea is quite keen we do that in London, not here.”
Bea gazed at George with a dreamy look on her face. “Yes, this has been such a special, private time for us here at Balmoral, and I really don’t want to invite the press into this sanctuary.”
“I’m glad you think of it that way, my dear. It’s an important place for the family,” the Dowager Queen said.
“The Ghillies Ball will be our first semipublic engagement. We want to go to that as a couple, so I’ll have Sebastian liaise with Number Ten and announce it the morning of the ball. Then I’m afraid we’ll have to head to London to meet the press. I hope you all don’t mind cutting the holiday short.”
Bea looked confused. “What do you mean cut it short? I thought the ball marked the end of your holiday here?”
“No, we normally take a week’s cruise around the Scottish Islands on the royal yacht.”
“Oh, well don’t—”
“Of course we don’t mind,” Queen Sofia interrupted. “This is much more important, my dear one.”
“Thank you, Mama. Theo? Could you find Aunt Grace and our cousins? I’d like them to meet the Elliots and share in this.”
Prince Theo winked at his sister. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Bo Dixon closed the top-secret file she’d been reading on her tablet and held her head in her hands. Felix walked into her office and said, “You’ve read it then?”
Bo nodded and remained silent. The projected screen on the wall showed pictures of the Queen and her fiancée dancing at the Ghillies Ball in Scotland. The newly engaged couple’s interview was due to go live at any moment, and the news channels were filling up time with all the footage they had of the pair.