by Nell Stark
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Kerry’s tone radiated relief.
Sasha nearly embraced him again, but the stiffness of his body language seemed to indicate that another such a display would be unwelcome. He began to move toward the door.
“I will instruct Bloom to cancel the press conference, and—”
“Wait, please.” Sasha hoped this wouldn’t be a major disagreement now that they had finally reached détente. “I still intend to speak today, Father.”
“About what, exactly?” he asked, clearly suspicious.
“The country has seen photographs of me with Kerry. I believe they deserve to know where we stand and that they should respect her rights as a private citizen.”
For a moment, it seemed he might protest. And then, to Sasha’s amazement, he inclined his head. “Very well.”
She turned to Kerry. “Ready?”
“Whenever you are.”
After bidding her father good-bye, Sasha briefly stroked Kerry’s cheek. “Time to disturb the universe.”
Her answering smile was brilliant. “I love you.”
“And I love you. It’s time they all knew it.” She double-checked the alignment of her necklace. “Stay close to me,” she murmured, before preceding her through the side door connected to the press room. It was filled with photographers and reporters who immediately quieted at her entrance. As she approached the mahogany podium set against the backdrop of Commonwealth flags, she felt nervous but not afraid. This was her moment—her chance to say everything in her heart. Everything that none of her father’s speechwriters had ever put down on paper. When she faced the crowd, Sasha held up one hand and the hubbub subsided. A forest of microphones surrounded her, punctuated by telephoto lenses.
“Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.” She looked at each camera in turn, imagining her audience. The majority of them thought her a spoiled brat. A few probably felt sorry for her. She didn’t need to change their minds, but she did need them to see her for who she really was.
“Now that my brother is on the road to recovery, I am turning my attention to my own personal affairs, which, for some reason, you all seem to think are your business.” She paused to let the dig sink in. “My primary purpose in speaking today is to introduce someone to you who has become a very important part of my life. Many of you may believe you already know her, but I can assure you that you do not.” Sasha moved closer to Kerry, allowing their shoulders to brush. She felt so good. That incredible chemistry was just as strong as it had been at their first meeting, but now it was undergirded by love and respect and shared purpose.
“Kerry Donovan is not only the most intelligent person I know—she is also one of the most generous and compassionate individuals I’ve ever met. I love her. I am in love with her. And since she has forgiven me for abandoning her to your invasive and inappropriate scrutiny last week, I would venture to say that you’ll be seeing much more of her in the future. I am not going to ask you to afford her the same courtesy you do me. I’m going to demand you do much better.”
She paused for a moment to let the words sink in. “In addition to loving and supporting me, over the past several months, Kerry has helped me understand what it means to be honest. I don’t need to tell you all that I have made quite a few mistakes. But the most significant of them all has been dishonesty. I haven’t been forthright with you, and you deserve that from me, especially because of who I am. Honesty isn’t always comfortable, and it isn’t always pleasant. But it always sheds light—often on subjects that have languished too long in the dark.
“The honest truth is that I am a woman who loves another woman. I am also a British princess. Our great nation provides civil unions to citizens like me, for which I am very thankful. But there is still much progress to be made in a world in which hate crimes, school bullying, and discrimination in the workplace persist. These and other related issues must be resolved. And so I pledge to every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex member of this Commonwealth that I shall be your champion in the years to come.”
Camera shutters clicked and microphones rustled, but otherwise, the room was silent. Sasha spared a brief moment for exultation. Even the seasoned reporters were eating out of her hand.
“But Kerry’s gentle lesson in honesty has extended far past the closet of my sexual orientation. She has also taught me not to be ashamed of my learning disability.” A low murmur rose up from the throng, and she waited for it to die down before carrying on. “When I was seven, doctors diagnosed me with moderate dyslexia. I have tried to keep it hidden for years, because I was ashamed that a task as basic as reading was so difficult for me. But Kerry has helped me understand that I have nothing to be ashamed of. My brain simply works differently. By covering up my dyslexia, I have only helped to reinforce its stigma, and I won’t be party to that any longer. Instead, you will see me ardently campaigning on behalf of the British Dyslexia Association in an effort to help children manage their condition within traditional education environments.”
Sasha brought Kerry’s hand to her lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her fingertips. “Speaking of education, Kerry is a Rhodes scholar. She is here to study and learn from one of the greatest institutions of higher education in this country. In the days to come, allow her to do her work. Respect her. Respect us. And please continue to pray for Arthur as he recovers.” With a gentle tug at Kerry’s hand, Sasha turned and walked toward the door. As soon as she found herself inside the greenroom, she slumped in exhaustion. Kerry shepherded her around a corner until they were out of the line of sight of the front door, then pulled her into an embrace.
“That was a very brave thing you just did,” she said quietly. “Are you all right?”
Sasha allowed herself to be held. She rested her cheek on the lapel of Kerry’s suit jacket and breathed her in, taking comfort in that knowledge that she would never have to hide their embrace again.
“I’m fine. Just a few nerves.”
“You were so poised. So eloquent. Every word was perfect.” Kerry’s grip tightened momentarily. “I just fell in love with you all over again.”
Sasha looked up to find Kerry’s eyes bright with unshed tears. “Do you know what I enjoyed the most? Holding your hand in public.”
Kerry laced their fingers together again. “Believe me when I say you can do that anytime you like.”
“Why don’t you plan to hold my hand as we walk back to the car, then?”
“Oh? We’re not staying here?”
Sasha shook her head and began to move toward the door. “Now that you’ve been introduced to my father, I want you to meet the rest of my family.”
*
Less than an hour later, Sasha led Kerry down the pristine corridor toward her brother’s room, eager to show each off to the other. Arthur had improved in leaps and bounds since regaining consciousness, and there was even talk that he would be discharged within a matter of days.
“May I see him, Robert?” she asked the nurse before he could so much as greet her.
“Certainly, Your Highness. Ms. Dunning is in with him at the moment.”
“Oh, perfect.” Aside from her siblings, there was no other person to whom she wanted to introduce Kerry more.
Despite her excitement, she opened the door to Arthur’s room slowly, not wanting to startle him. She entered to the sight of him sitting up in bed, Ashleigh holding his hand. A broad smile lit up his face as soon as he saw her, and she felt relief at his ability to recognize her instantly.
“Hello, Artie,” she said, unable to keep herself from mirroring his expression. “You’re looking well today.”
“I thought I told you—”
“Never to call you that. I know.” She winked at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you yesterday, but I had to run a quick errand to retrieve something I had very foolishly allowed to go missing.” Looking over her shoulder, she beckoned Kerry into the room. “Arthur and Ashleigh, this is Kerry Dono
van. My girlfriend.”
As Ashleigh crossed the room, Kerry put out her hand, but Ashleigh ignored it and embraced her instead. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
“Likewise, Ashleigh. Sasha’s told me so much about what a wonderful friend you’ve been to her.”
Ashleigh released her and reached for Sasha’s hands. “We just want her to be happy.”
“I am,” Sasha said, her voice suddenly quavering with emotion. “So happy.”
Meanwhile, Kerry was regarding her brother. “You’re looking very well, Your Royal Highness. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice still hoarse from so many days on the ventilator. “And thank you for putting that smile on my sister’s face.”
Sasha began to move toward him, intending to give him a very careful hug, but he immediately waved her aside.
“Just a moment.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kerry. “Come closer, please.”
Clearly puzzled by the request, Kerry moved a few feet nearer to the bed and stopped, but he continued to beckon.
“Closer still.”
“Arthur—” Sasha began, but he shushed her.
“I’m trying to see it. Give me a moment.”
She and Ashleigh shared a suddenly concerned glance. What was he referring to? Was he having some sort of relapse?
Only when Kerry was standing just a few feet away did he finally allow her to stop. After scrutinizing her carefully from head to foot and back, he squinted again. “I just don’t see it.”
“Arthur?” Sasha asked, trying not to betray her growing alarm. “See what?”
“You don’t look like a bloke to me, Kerry.”
At the jest, Sasha’s trepidation faded and she exchanged an exasperated glance with Ashleigh. Even from his sickbed, Arthur was determined to keep them on their toes. When Kerry laughed, Sasha froze the moment in her head. Her brother and her lover, sharing a joke. Had she even dared to dream of such a moment?
“I don’t think you were really expecting one, were you?” Kerry said, smiling as she looked between them.
“No, indeed.” Arthur stretched out his hand toward her and grinned. “It’s a pleasure and an honor. Welcome to the family.”
Epilogue
Sasha reclined on the lawn chair next to Ashleigh’s, sipping a vodka tonic and enjoying the warm July afternoon from beneath the umbrella that sheltered them from the sun. It simply wouldn’t do to get too much color on the day before her brother’s wedding.
A family football match had sprung up on the adjacent lawn, which they were watching with quite a bit of interest seeing as Arthur and Kerry had found themselves on opposing sides. Various cousins rounded out the teams, and the King himself had seen fit to officiate the match. Sometimes, when Sasha reflected on how much had changed since the previous year, she could hardly believe she was living in the same reality.
It hadn’t taken nearly as long for her father to warm to Kerry as Sasha had feared. After a few rather strained meetings, he had happened to overhear her chatting with Raymond Fletcher about some obscure architectural movement during the Victorian era. And just like that, the ice had thawed. “I like her intellectual rigor,” he had later told Sasha gruffly.
The sound of Arthur calling for the ball turned her attention back to the lawn. When he received it, he moved quickly down the left flank of the makeshift pitch, toward the opposition’s empty goal. It looked as though he might be unopposed until Sasha saw Kerry on a mad tear across the field, determined to intercept him. At the last moment, she slid for the ball and knocked it cleanly out of bounds. Arthur somersaulted dramatically forward onto the ground and lay there, clutching his ankle.
Ashleigh sat up with a start and pulled down her sunglasses to glare at Sasha. “If your girlfriend has injured him on the day before his wedding—”
“Are you mad? That was a clean tackle!” Sasha cut her off. “He’s a dirty diver!”
“Well.” Ashleigh crossed her arms. “Your father will sort it out properly. Look.”
King Andrew had joined both players as Kerry offered her hand to Arthur. He made a big show of limping as she helped him to his feet and Sasha stood too, rolling her eyes.
“Quit those theatrics, you cheat!” she hollered, hands cupped around her mouth.
“What happened?” the King asked them.
“I’ll tell him what happened,” Sasha muttered beneath her breath.
“She took me out,” Arthur panted.
“Kerry?”
“You saw it, Your Majesty.” No matter how many times he had told her to call him Andrew at private gatherings, she had never managed to do so. “You be the judge.”
He looked between them, then smiled and shook his head at Arthur. “Your sister is right, son. That was a flop if ever I saw one. Free kick to Kerry.”
Sasha turned to regard Ashleigh with a triumphant grin. “See?”
As Ashleigh huffed out a sigh and settled back into her chair, Kerry beckoned her teammates down the field. Her kick was beautiful—a long, arcing ball that was easy pickings for one of the cousins, who headed it down between the cones.
“Nicely played,” her father called as the team huddled in congratulations. “Now, we’d best get cleaned up. It’s nearly time for tea.”
As Kerry and Arthur approached them, Sasha pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.
“Admit it, Arthur. You dove.”
Arthur grinned and clapped Kerry on the back. “All right. I confess. I tried to get one past the old man, but apparently, he’s still too sharp.”
Kerry perched on the edge of Sasha’s chair, smiling broadly. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Even after many months, Sasha’s heart fluttered whenever they were close. “You were brilliant.”
Kerry shrugged. “I was all right.”
Suddenly, Ashleigh squealed. “Arthur! You’re dripping sweat on me!”
Sasha reached up to pull Kerry close, lips caressing the shell of her ear. “They must not have very good sex,” she whispered. “I never mind when you drip sweat on me.”
Kerry’s shoulders shook as she tried not to betray her laughter. “Hush! That’s your brother you’re talking about—the future King of England!”
“I’m just saying.”
“Just saying what?” Ashleigh looked over at them suspiciously.
“She was just saying how much she loves me,” Kerry said impishly. “Right, Sash?”
“I do.” Arching one eyebrow, she looked up into the bright blue eyes of her beloved. “How do you like the sound of that?”
About the Author
Nell Stark is the Chair of English, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at a college in the SUNY system. She and her partner live, write, and parent a rambunctious toddler just a stone’s throw from the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City. For more information, visit www.nellstark.com.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
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The Awakening: A Sisters of Spirits novel by Yvonne Heidt. Sunny Skye has interacted with spirits her entire life, but when she runs into Officer Jordan Lawson during a ghost investigation, she discovers more than just facts in a missing girl’s cold case file. (978-1-60282-772-1)
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