A Mess ~ Part Three
by Lise

Then she was alone with him. She wondered what he would have to say. He said nothing. That was odd enough -- politicians usually began to speak before she asked anything, eager to make a good impression. "Could you tell me a little about yourself?" she asked finally.

"But I'm sure you've read it all," he answered with a polite smile. They had given her the sheets, he was sure, and she had read them, because he had heard she was very conscientious about her job. He disliked doing something useless just for politeness' sake. She knew, why should he tell her again?

"Possibly, but I only remember we share a birthday. The other things were too standard. Of course you would have attended that school and that university." He still looked like an upper-class school boy, she thought. Someone ought to tell him to brush his hair.

He had known about the birthday, but he had forgotten it. He studied her face now. Being his age did not exactly give her permission to mock or mother him. Unconsciously he ran a hand through his hair to tidy it and then he straightened his tie. Some superior females got away with anything, especially if they also looked like superior females. This one did and yet she was more superior because she did not act superior. Her voice sounded friendly. He pondered this paradox.

She did not miss his unconscious gestures and they amused her. "Of course your results would have been excellent." She noted a twinkle in his eyes that indicated that his results had at least been excellent enough to know what she meant.

He wondered why she also had to be superior in brains. She was quite right of course. Still, it was a surprise. With her long brown hair neatly held back by some sparkling hair band, her large brown eyes looking at him gravely, and her hands lying quietly in her lap she looked like a beautiful doll programmed to be polite and dignified -- but she was not. Not at all, he noted. From afar she might look like the perfect Queen, but he was now noticing several details that contradicted that image -- a critical mind, a sense of humour and truly perfect queens would not be wearing eight rings on their fingers. That was quite an odd touch, eight rings.

"Of course you would also have excelled in sports and extra-curricular activities." He had the body for it, she could see that. It was only logical for him to have used it. "But it might have been someone writing about me, and I don't think we're that interchangeable!" Most of these things were also applicable to her and a great many other people.

He smiled apologetically, but the twinkle deepened in intensity. He liked sarcasm. "I didn't write it." He would not write it any more than she would write it about herself, even though she said it was also applicable to her. Here was someone who was already taking him with a grain of salt even before he had given her permission to. Perhaps he had a strange sense of humour, but he liked that.

"I'm sure you didn't. I don't need your qualifications. I need your preferences, your ideas," she said in a business-like manner.

Business-like behaviour always brought out the mischief in him. "Did you also remember my name?"

"Yes, Lord Setchley." His question threw her off balance. Or perhaps his whole person did. On television his dark-brown hair had looked tidy, she had not been able to see the exact colour of his eyes or the twinkle in them and he had been serious. Right now he was permanently twinkling. He could not be serious. And what did he mean by asking her if she remembered his name? That was a very irreverent question.

"That's my title. I meant my name."

She narrowed her eyes. "Your name?" He was sabotaging the interview.

"Henry, not Livius, that's my first preference. I had to be named after a grandfather because he was still alive at the time, but now that he is dead, I'd prefer to be addressed by my second name, not that I expect you to address me by my name, because you'll be a stickler for propriety, I'm sure, and you'll use my title, won't you?" He rambled along because he did not want to give her the impression that he wanted her to address him by his first name.

Her eyes had grown wider during his speech. She could not say whether she would use his title or his name. That all depended. On something. She did not know what. "I'll try to remember your name. What I missed in the information about you was your familial support. Why was this left out?" She was ready to feel indignant about this oversight. Women were always ignored and she admitted to being a bit of a feminist.

"Because it doesn't look good in such a report," he replied calmly. The conscientiousness people ascribed to Her Majesty seemed a bit exaggerated if she did not even know he was unmarried. Where did she think his wife had been during the elections? Perhaps she did not care about his private life, he thought, but then he remembered that she had asked a question about it.

This rather surprised her. "Oh. Why not?"

"Casual flirts, Your Majesty, and they generally don't offer any support either." They only wanted status, money and attention.

"C-C-Casual flirts?" She struggled to get the conversation back to something relevant, but she could not think of anything.

"You find that shocking," he noted. Any queen would, he supposed.

"Let's move on to your favourite pastimes," she said quickly. "I find you're quite different from my preconceived image of you."

"As are you, Your Majesty," he said with quiet amusement. She did not appear to allow for the possibility that anybody's favourite pastime was casual flirting. If he was really naughty he could pursue this matter further and try to unsettle her by making her think it was his favourite hobby, but he did not really want her to believe that. She was likeable, very much so.

"I don't want to know about that!" she said a little fearfully.

"But it's not bad at all." Yes, he liked her.

"I still don't want to know!" she said again. He seemed to find that amusing, just like he seemed to find everything amusing. It rather unnerved her. She was not interviewing the new Prime Minister anymore. He was interviewing her.

As they walked back to the car through a narrow alley between a church and a blind wall, Henry stopped Elizabeth. "You may now kiss the bride," he said solemnly and then put his arms around her. He wanted to comment on their luck too, but he had to do this first. After that they would be able to gloat all the time.

"Henry!" said his mother disapprovingly. She did not think one could do this to a queen, but she checked her thoughts. Apparently Elizabeth was quite eager to respond to it.

"I don't mind," Elizabeth said generously. She would not mind if anyone saw her. This was her husband now and she wanted to hold him. She had been wanting to do that for several minutes now and she could not have waited much longer.

"Someone is coming," his mother warned them.

"We'll just have to kiss until they pass," Henry said with a shrug. Life was wonderful when the most agreeable thing was also the wisest. He met his new wife's eyes and saw she had no objections to such a plan. There were quite a lot of things she would not have any objections to, he gathered from the way she was pressing her body against his, but it was best not to consider them where they were now.

"Don't we look silly now," Amanda said to her mother in a low voice when they stood waiting. She did not dare to look at the people who passed them. "I bet they would scream if they found out whom they've just passed. Let's hurry to the car!" She could tell there would be very little sense coming out of either Henry or Elizabeth for the next hour, perhaps even the next day. For all that it had been a fake ceremony, its impact had been deep. They respectfully moved away a little.

A tear trickled down Elizabeth's face. She felt so happy she could not express it. She was now married to the kindest, gentlest, most loveable man on earth -- and all the other superlatives that applied to him.

Henry brushed it away very carefully. He had not thought getting married would affect him so much, but it did. He even found it hard to speak. "You're regretting it already?" he teased.

"Never!" She felt so much, but she could not express it. "You're much better at showing me," she said, hoping he would not think she was not feeling anything. "I sometimes just don't know how."

"I think that too sometimes," Henry confessed.

"That I don't know how?" Elizabeth's face looked unhappy.

"No, idiot. That I don't know how. You do." In fact, he was probably proving he did not right now. He frowned at himself.

She touched his face and his frown disappeared. He had no reason to frown. "You do too."

"Well, then," Henry said and then kissed her again. She could not misinterpret a kiss.

Mr Cox, the Registrar, scratched his head. Lady Setchley -- now no longer the only woman carrying that title, he supposed -- had assured him the Queen's entourage was very good at blending into the background. Well, he had observed the background carefully after they had left, but he had not seen anyone blend into it or out of it. Either they were really good or they were simply not there.

Brazil had never been really out of her mind and it came back to Elizabeth now too. Perhaps if she had said she loved him, Henry would not have turned away. Often she had asked herself why he had turned away and what he had been thinking. She had never dared to ask, but they were married now and there should not be any secrets or awkward feelings between them. If this question plagued her, she should ask it, no matter how difficult it would be. "In Brazil I didn't say anything, do you remember?" she asked tentatively and then bit her lip.

Henry nodded. He did not think he would ever forget Brazil. It was true that she had not spoken, but she had communicated enough.

"Should I have?"

"What for?"

"Would it have gone differently if I had been able to say I loved you?"

"Don't think about that." Henry did not think she had considered speaking anyway. "You had too many other things to handle. Words would have…" he shrugged. "They would not have added anything."

Two large tears rolled down her cheeks and she leant her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry if I hurt you then."

"And I'm sorry if I hurt you too," Henry said earnestly. "In er…any way. You never told me if I did. I often wondered if I should have been more careful with you, but it was only afterwards that I realised that you were obviously er…" He did not know how to put it and he counted on her being intelligent enough to understand him.

That brought the smile back to her face. "Me too."

"What do you mean?"

"I realised I had done something I didn't know how to do," she said humorously. "I was too caught up in thinking that I wasn't supposed to have done it. If I had been fully conscious when it happened it wouldn't have been so easy."

Henry did not know about that. "Mmm…it would have been different, but not more difficult. Actually, I would prefer last night." He looked to see whether Elizabeth agreed with that -- he knew she had some worries about doing things right -- and then looked at his mother and sister, who had become very impatient. "I think they want us to move on," he said reluctantly. It was probably best. They should go back home and have tea and cake to celebrate this.

When they got back to the house Elizabeth checked her cell phone. She realised guiltily that she had completely forgotten about it ever since she had run away from Teddy's house. The only thing that reminded her of its existence was the fact that John was extremely happy to see them return and that he complained to her that he had not been able to phone Henry or Amanda, that his grandmother did not have a cell phone and that he did not know Elizabeth's number. She realised he might in the future be less worried if she gave him her number right now and she watched him programme it into his phone, something he did with amazing speed and dexterity. "Wow, you're really good at that!" she praised him. It was not even false praise. He was only eight and he was better at using a cell phone than she was.

"It's very easy," John said modestly. "Do you have more phone numbers?" He would like to show her more of his skill.

Elizabeth recited her other numbers and watched him enter these into his phonebook with his tongue sticking slightly out of his mouth in concentration. Then she allowed him to add the whole family's numbers to her own phone.

Amanda was looking at this strangely. Apparently John had learned how to write and spell recently. The last reports she had received had said his skills in that area were still extremely poor. While she suspected him of being able to read much better than people thought, he had never really given any proof of knowing how to write. And he was already eight, so this had been a great cause for concern. Everyone had described his delay to the death of his parents, which had happened at a crucial time in his development, or so the expensive experts had said.

The experts had cost a fortune, but John had obviously not liked them. He was not the sort of boy to do something for people he did not like. They should have remembered that sooner. Right now Amanda began to suspect that for some reason he had been fooling everybody. No illiterate child could play with a cell phone like that.

"Send me a message, John," she ordered. He looked up with a guilty and scared expression and she knew she had caught him. Even a shrewd little rascal like John could be found out. It was not important why he had been playing ignorant. It was more important to her to know he could do it if he wanted. She winked at him and he smiled hesitantly. Perhaps she and Henry and all the teachers had been bothering him too much. Elizabeth had not known anything about this problem and John was doing this for her. That had to be significant. She would talk to Elizabeth about it later.

"Oh," said Henry, seeing them with their cell phones. "I think I have one of those things too. People might have tried to call me." He was supposed to be available semi-permanently, even when he was on holiday.

Elizabeth smiled at him. There were some new messages on her voicemail, she could see. "You know people might leave messages on your voicemail. You left some on mine."

"Do you know how long I spent thinking them up? And they all turned out to be very short."

"Your time was not wasted." She keyed in the number of her voicemail and listened. There were some birthday wishes and then messages from her mother and Teddy. "Oh, my mother wonders where I am? She called Teddy and couldn't get me on the phone…and Teddy called me to tell me the same thing -- is this dangerous?"

Henry thought of the impossible promise Elizabeth's mother had extracted from him. "Possibly. She's got it in for me. I don't think she'd take it lying down if she heard you were here."

"The Queen Mother is not a fan of yours, Henry?" Tom asked.

"Apparently not," Henry answered. "I don't know why."

"Really!" his mother exclaimed. Elizabeth's mother must have some inkling of her daughter's feelings, just like she had known about Henry's. She was probably merely being protective of her only child.

"I really don't. She enjoys being nasty to me. I was doing a really responsible thing, taking Elizabeth's expensive necklace back to the Palace and she didn't even believe my story. Where in your house did she leave this?" he said, mimicking the Queen Mother's voice. "I said in my dining room. Then she didn't believe me." All his relatives laughed and he did not see why. "I explained about the necklace and the soup, which was the truth, wasn't it?" he asked Elizabeth.

"It was. I took it off because of the soup."

"And then she said her Elizabeth didn't eat like a peasant. If the necklace was indeed beating against anything, it was not the soup bowl."

"What?" Elizabeth cried.

"Oh, I like your mother," Tom said in delight. He slapped his thighs with mirth. "She's got the sort of dirty mind I appreciate."

"Tom!" his wife said admonishingly. One did not accuse the Queen Mother of having a dirty mind, especially not in the presence of the Queen.

"And I can't believe that Henry doesn't get this, despite his reputation," Tom snorted. "You understand it, don't you?" he asked Elizabeth.

"I think so, yes," she said cautiously. This raised too many questions. How much did her mother know? What had she said to Henry? She knew her mother well enough to know she would have ordered Henry around.

Things began to dawn on Henry. "Alright, she might know, but that doesn't mean she approves. She would have been nicer to me." He wondered about the other things the Queen Mother had said. They had not made enough sense for him to repeat them.

"I'll call her," Elizabeth decided and took the phone into the hall.

She had called the number and decided she would wait for her mother's reaction before she would say anything about her present circumstances.

"Linnie, why couldn't I reach you yesterday? Teddy was being very evasive about it," her mother said in a slightly plaintive voice. "It was your birthday, Linnie. I wanted to congratulate you. Where were you?"

"I was with friends," Elizabeth said just as evasively as Teddy had probably been.

"I hope you had a nice time, dear. Are you still with friends?"

Elizabeth was puzzled. She had at least expected some sort of inquisition as to who her friends were. "Er…yes, I am."

"Speaking of friends, my friend Richenda…"

"Nooo…" Elizabeth whined. She had discounted her mother extensive network of spies and she wanted to bang her head against the wall. Her mother would not needlessly mention one of her friends. She had known her mother long enough to know this.

"Let me finish. My friend Richenda, who lives quite near that rake of a Prime Minister…"

Elizabeth glanced at the wall. She only refrained from banging against it because it would hurt. "Ye-e-es?" she asked in resignation. Trust her mother to have spies in the neighbourhood. What had this Richenda seen or heard?

"Richenda saw he's got a lady visitor."

"Oh, does he," Elizabeth said tonelessly. "Why should Richenda care?"

"Richenda doesn't, dear, but I do. Yesterday I tried to phone him, because I had heard from your security staff that you were not available. Naturally I knew what this meant and I thought the Prime Minister should be informed, but your chief of security told me the Prime Minister had been informed and that the Prime Minister was aware of your whereabouts."

"Oh."

"He told them not to worry, but considering that he's a rake, he's probably too busy entertaining his lady visitor to worry about your whereabouts. Isn't he?"

Elizabeth was silent.

"Isn't he?"

"Mum…I don't like it if you speak that way about my husband." He heart beat very fast in anticipation of her mother's reaction, but she was too honest to keep secrets. "He is not a rake."

Her mother was silent for a while too. "He is not a rake if he is your husband, I agree."

"Is that all you're going to say?" Elizabeth would rather hear disapproval than nothing at all. It could not be this easy to get away with marrying Henry.

"Why did he marry you? Couldn't he stand being in the house with an unmarried woman? Was his conscience in the way? I discovered he's got great problems promising me things he knows he cannot deliver. I must say he's too scrupulously honest to be a good politician, but we all know he wasn't elected because he was good, although you might think he is, but then you'd be referring to something else. Why did he marry you?"

"Because he loves me."

"Is that all?"

"I don't know what other reasons he could have. Maybe because his children like me. Don't you think he's a good politician?" Elizabeth thought he was alright, but perhaps she was biased in his favour.

"He functions well where he is now, but he would not have got there had he been ugly. He's never had to work to get there. I'm not sure if he's good. He doesn't even see through the simplest of schemes -- but maybe that is because he isn't expecting anything in that area."

"I wish you wouldn't always scheme so much," Elizabeth complained. She could not follow this. "Or think that other people should scheme as much as you do. Some of us just don't feel the inclination!" She preferred honesty.

"Says the woman who was married in secret," the Queen Mother said succinctly. "Brazil was nine weeks ago. Something must have changed. Are you sleeping together yet?"

"Mum!" Elizabeth protested with a deep blush. Not even mothers had the right to ask such questions.

Her mother did not care about her audible embarrassment. "Are you?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"So you are sleeping with Livius Oblivious," the Queen Mother commented.

"What does that mean?"

"There might be things he is still oblivious to."

"Such as what?" Poor Elizabeth could not follow it anymore.

"Such as that there are things that you cannot keep a secret. I had guessed him to be the first to discover that, given your outlook on life, but if he hasn't…-- when I called him a rake I was being extremely sarcastic. He doesn't know a whole lot about women, I think. And he's always leaving the feminine topics for you, you said. Give that boy a good refresher course. Because of his looks people are all too apt to think he knows everything about women."

"I don't think there are things he's not aware of." Elizabeth felt she had to defend him. She had married an educated and well-informed man who was continually learning new things because he had to make decisions in all sorts of fields. Perhaps as a generalist he was not aware of all the specific details, but he would know the basics of just about everything -- the economy, trade, warfare, the health system, education.

Her mother sighed. "If you're not aware of them yourself, how could you judge if Livius --"

"Henry!"

That correction was ignored. "How could you judge if Livius is aware of them or not?"

Amanda seized her chance to talk to Henry when Elizabeth was out of the room. John had joined the other boys and they had gone outside to play football. "Henry," she said, sitting down next to him.

"Sisterly chat?" he asked ironically, expecting her to question him about his relationship with Elizabeth. Undoubtedly his sister had some good advice she wanted to share.

"I'll ask you about that later. First I want to talk about John. Didn't you see him programme phone numbers into Elizabeth's phone?"

Henry had not stopped to think about that, but he had seen it in the odd moment that he had taken his eyes off his wife. "Yes."

Amanda decided she had to be more detailed. "If you want to add names, or more numbers for the same person, what do you do?"

"You type that in."

"Exactly," Amanda said meaningfully.

Henry realised what he had just said and his mouth opened a bit. "He did that?" Adding people's names to phone numbers would require a certain level of literacy, something John was not known to possess yet.

"Yes."

"She's got a gift." He was quite willing to believe it. One sweet word from Elizabeth would have made him literate too.

Amanda pulled a face. "No, John's got a gift and not precisely the sort of gift you'd want him to have. He's good at fooling people."

After having got married under false pretences, Henry could no longer say he was not good at fooling people, but he had done it for a valid reason. John had not. "Why? Does he have any idea of how much money we spent on him?"

"It might have helped. We don't know when or where he learned this. From now on I think we shouldn't send him to experts anymore." She changed the subject. "How had you imagined your future? Your living arrangements?" Some more interaction with Elizabeth might do John good.

"We hadn't done that yet," Henry confessed. He felt like a stupid younger brother. It should have been one of the first things they had thought of.

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "Right. You just got married without knowing what would happen afterwards?" She had been suspecting something like that.

"More or less."

"At least Elizabeth knows she married a family. I don't see her moving in with you, somehow. It will have to be the other way around. John seems to be very fond of her and he won't mind. Why else would he do that for her and not for us?"

"I'd do it for her too," said Henry. "He likes her. You should have seen them yesterday morning."

Elizabeth had more phone calls to make. After her mother, she phoned Theodora. "Teddy, I got married!" Elizabeth's eyes shone from excitement, even though Teddy would not be able to see this. Originally she had wanted to keep this a secret, but she found she could not.

"You always have the most exciting holidays, Linnie," Teddy said, not remarking on Elizabeth's absence or her borrowing of the car. "Was this a nice dream, or…?"

"No!" Elizabeth looked at her hands. "I even have a wedding ring."

Teddy paused reflectively for a while. "So which one of you has lost his job?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it Lord and Lady Setchley or Queen Elizabeth and Prince Henry?"

Elizabeth froze. "Er…I don't know. We're both still the same." That was something they had not wanted to think about. She still did not want to consider it.

"You got married in secret and you plan to continue your lives as they were?"

Elizabeth nodded hesitantly. "Yes." She was doubting now. It would be very hard to live apart from Henry. Their weekly meetings would be used for other things if they lived apart. It would not be a very good arrangement, she realised. Could anyone expect them to talk business if they had not seen each other for a few days? It was true they had managed until now, but they had never experienced what it was like to cross the line and now that they had, there was no turning back. Henry would agree with her.

"Why did you get married then?"

"Because we felt like it. Teddy, this wasn't a whim. We've known each other for two years." She knew him very well.

"I'm not saying you don't know him," Teddy said. "All I'm saying is…oh Linnie! You adorable idiot!" she said warmly. "This is the silliest thing you've ever done, but I love it."

"You love it?" Elizabeth was surprised. She had expected a more cautious reaction, warnings against what people might think, but certainly not approval, even though Teddy was insane.

"Of course." Teddy snorted. "Do you think anyone else could have come up with such a plan? How on earth did you get away with it?"

"It was quite easy, actually." Elizabeth told her about it very smugly.

"And who else knows about this?"

"Our mothers, his sister and her husband, Mary… the boys don't know yet. I doubt that they'd be interested." They had been playing outside when they had returned. "We'll tell them eventually."

"Your mother knows? What did she say?"

"She only asked me lots of embarrassing questions," Elizabeth complained. "But I don't think she disapproved." Her mother was usually pretty good at conveying her disapproval. It would not have gone unnoticed if that had been her intention.

"Is it dinner time yet?" Henry asked, lazily running a hand over his wife's body. Grandma had kindly suggested that she, Amanda and Tom take all the children somewhere fun for the afternoon. There was no room in the cars for Henry and Elizabeth, so they had to stay home. The family would return after dinner, but Henry had not really been keeping track of time. Now he had the sneaking suspicion that his family were about to surprise them, before they were dressed and before they had discussed all they needed to discuss.

Elizabeth was lying beside him and she giggled. "Don't touch me and then ask if it's dinner time. It sounds funny."

"I've been touching you the entire time and I never suggested anything about dinner," he protested mildly. "I don't understand how you could think the two are connected."

"Well, you stopped for a brief while."

"Did I?" Henry looked at her in mock concern. "Was it a welcome relief or have I been remiss?"

"Perhaps it was a welcome relief for you," she teased. "You must be tired of my body by now."

"Not really," he spoke truthfully, closing his eyes when she ran two fingers over his stomach. "And I will never tire of your fingers."

"Well, I like your stomach. It's much better than mine."

Henry opened his eyes again and looked at it. He did not see anything odd. "I'll put my hand on it so you won't see it anymore," he offered.

"You're very sweet, Henry," she said with a giggle and she kissed him. It did not really help her much, but she knew that he could not do anything to help her. She would have to eat less and exercise more. Or perhaps it was simply old age.

With his hand on Elizabeth's stomach he wondered what the problem was. It was very nearly flat, with a negligible rounding.

Elizabeth's mother had phoned Theodora as soon as possible. "They got married," she sighed. "What do we do now?"

"I'm amazed that you're taking it so calmly, Aunt Sophia," said Teddy. "I had thought you'd explode."

The Queen Mother did not think she would explode quite as quickly as people expected. She always knew far too much in advance. "I had been chasing after this outcome lately. It just didn't go the way I had steered it. Doesn't matter. The result is the same. Now listen. It's a bit sooner than I had expected and I'm not ready yet. We need to do some things before the word gets out."

"Don't you think they're too likely to be seen together?" asked Teddy. Word would get out very soon if someone saw them together.

"Won't they be staying indoors?" The Queen Mother thought newlyweds might prefer that.

Teddy doubted that. "They've got three children with them. How long do you think you can keep those inside? Two of them are boys."

"That is true. That makes is even more important to act before all hell breaks loose. We've got to leak some good news about him to pave the way for the ultimate revelation."

"What do you want to spread?"

"Something that shows he's got good values. Use the children."

"I heard he phones them every day," Teddy offered.

"Excellent! Blow it up, Teddy."

"Out of proportion?" she suggested with a chuckle.

"Make the man a saint. Do that for Linnie. You have connections."

"I thought you had your reservations." Teddy had heard some of them.

"If I hadn't had my reservations Linnie would never have talked about him. You have to tease her a little." Elizabeth's mother did not have many reservations left. Besides, the mother of a forty-year-old could not be very picky about her son-in-law, especially if she wanted any children to spring from the union. If someone like Henry was available he should be taken, because the rest would certainly be less.

Not only was Henry an acceptable candidate by birth but he also loved Linnie. The only point not in his favour was that he was the Prime Minister. She could not regret this too much, because if he had not been the PM, they would probably never have met. She should ask Henry some time what he had studied or done before he had become a politician. He was not the party's dumb blonde, even if there were things he repeatedly failed to see in spite of the many hints.

When Linnie had told her she had married Henry, she had first thought Henry had obeyed her command to make Linnie marry the man who had got her pregnant, but a little questioning had told her Linnie had no clue about either Henry's promise or her own health.

It was still only the first day after Christmas and her birthday and Elizabeth leafed through the newspaper to see what was written about it. She had not done anything she did not usually do on the day before her birthday, so nobody should find this remarkable. Because her birthday was also Christmas, it was never celebrated especially. Presents were delivered on the 24th and she had received a few in person when she had braved the cold to go to the gates.

She had taken her time to do that. Inside there had not been anyone waiting for her but her mother, so she had not really had anything else to do. People had appreciated that. What they had appreciated even more was that she had actually opened the presents and that they had been given something to drink in the guards' lodge. There had been so few people due to the cold that Elizabeth had thought this could be done. Maybe she should make it a habit. They had liked it, if the eyewitness accounts were anything to go by.

The presents she had received were not always very useful to herself, but it was the thought that counted. And rather than to hand out all the superfluous things among her staff every year, she tried to find people who really needed it. Something, she supposed, that was the real intention of people who gave her a microwave. It had to be. Or maybe she merely had a too idealistic desire to do good. Perhaps this was the only good she could do.

She was probably extremely childish to enjoy unwrapping presents. Elizabeth wondered if she was not the only one. Maybe she could borrow the children to help her. They might like it.

Henry and she had a position that was quite similar in some ways, but the difference was expressed in the fact that he would not be receiving any presents from the people. They would barely know he had aged a year. She agreed that the ageing process was barely visible, but that was beside the point. There was only a small picture of him in the birthday column. It did say he had turned forty and she did not know why this did not give people any ideas. She did not usually try to make matches between people in the birthday column herself either, but this was too obvious. Perhaps other people saw them as two separate entities and they would not know they met often, but Elizabeth saw this quite differently. They were equal, opposite and complementary. They shared all the important features between them.

They could not not be matched. She was glad she recognised this now. It certainly made life a lot easier.

As for accumulating too much power within one couple if both of them kept their jobs, she did not think there was any danger of that. Neither of them was of the sort to abuse power. The only thing that would change was that they would be more honest about each other's stupid ideas. She could imagine that some people might think she would now stop being critical of Henry, so that he would get away with far too much, but they would be wrong. There was very little to criticise in Henry in the first place -- or was this a sign that those people would indeed have a point? She would like to think Henry did not impair her ability to remain objective.

At first she had thought it inevitable that one of them should give up their job, but that had mainly been because people would expect them to. After having considered it in more detail, she could not see any harm in Henry's finishing his term.

Elizabeth was honest enough to admit to herself that she preferred this option because she did not want to give up her position herself. That was unthinkable and it would be unfair of her to expect Henry to do it. Really, the best solution would be if they both stayed in place. They would not get a conflict about that, perhaps only with the people, but at least in a conflict with the people they would be on the same side. She did not want to be on the opposite side of Henry ever again. It was a matter of giving and taking, Teddy had said, but as she could not give anything in this respect, she did not want to take anything either.

Henry was making some dinner, since Elizabeth denied having any cooking skills. He questioned that. "You went to the same school as Mary." And he knew Mary had learned how to cook there, somehow. Not spectacularly, but good enough for ordinary family dinners.

"Must we get domestic?" Elizabeth asked reluctantly.

"I think so and I'm not getting domestic, I'm being practical. I'm hungry and nobody is making us any dinner, so we have to do that ourselves. Nothing is going to happen if we sit around waiting for someone to do it. I must do it, having established that you cannot -- which I don't believe for a second, by the way, because you went to the same school as Mary." Henry gave her an inviting glance, willing her to explain.

"In the twentieth century, not the nineteenth," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Schools in the nineteenth century were probably all about teaching girls useful things like cooking and sewing, but in the twentieth century girls were taught more useful subjects. I doubt that we had a different curriculum from your school. Did you get cooking at school?" She would have been able to join a cooking class after school, but it had never appealed to her, and it would be unwise to tell Henry, since he appeared to have a faulty image of all-girls schools.

"No, we didn't," Henry had to admit.

"So why should I have had it?"

"Because it's a girls' school," Henry teased her.

Her eyes shot fire. "Henry, really! And where did you learn it?"

"I had to feed myself at university, didn't I?" He glanced at her. "Does that mean you can't sew either?" He expected that she could at least do a little of both, since they were basic survival skills. Or perhaps that was only for people who lived alone. He could sew on buttons.

"No, I can't. I can knit."

He laughed. "With a mother like yours I'd be surprised if you couldn't knit. When I last saw her she was knitting yellow baby socks."

"Why baby socks?" Elizabeth frowned.

"It was probably just a statement of sorts. I think she communicates through her knitting pens or something." Henry could see how the baby socks had emphasised their talk, but perhaps he was as batty as the old woman herself. "Does she ever finish anything?" he asked. Perhaps she only ever started things to make statements and then unravelled them after they had served their purpose.

If that was so, Elizabeth had never noticed it, although her mother had told her life was like knitwear or something vague. "At times. She finished my yellow cardigan."

"The famous one, of the same wool. Yes. Your friend Teddy came up to me at a party once and she tried to divine if I had ever tried to take that cardigan off you, because she mentioned that it was really difficult. I said I hadn't ever tried. I understood what she was trying to ask, but I really hadn't ever stripped you of your cardigan, only of your bikini, but I couldn't really say so, could I? I think she guessed anyway."

"When was that?" Elizabeth cried. She coloured when she thought of the bikini.

"When I was still getting all that trouble."

"She's devious." Elizabeth remembered some of Teddy's hints at the time.

"All these people around you are devious. Maybe we're just really obvious," Henry said doubtfully. "None of them seem surprised when we do anything."

"Why did you learn how to cook?" Elizabeth whispered to Mary after she had eaten and the rest of the family had returned home. "Now Henry expects me to do it too, just because I went to the same school!" She was teasing, but in a sense she was also curious if Mary had learnt it for the fun of it, since Henry had once said Mary was becoming too much of a mother to the boys.

Mary laughed. "I learnt because he can't cook."

"I didn't notice anything." It had tasted well, even if it had all come out of one big pot with unrecognisable ingredients. So Henry had been right about Mary, which meant that Mary was probably also right about him not being able to cook.

This made Mary laugh even harder. She looked at Henry challengingly. "Well, it's okay for one time, but if you had Henry cook for you for a entire week, you'd be eating the same thing for at least six days out of seven. He has one recipe. You had macaroni with stuff, didn't you?"

Stuff described it perfectly. Still, it had tasted fine. "Yes." Elizabeth looked at Henry too to see how he bore it. He stoically continued doing the dishes.

"Henry's culinary creativity consists in substituting rice for pasta," Mary snickered.

"Careful, you!" Henry warned her with a smile.

"Henry's idea of cooking is making a really big pot and then eating out of it for the rest of the week."

Elizabeth was enjoying it. Henry did not seem to mind that he was being teased. Perhaps the criticism was correct, because they had had rice with a similar sauce yesterday. "Are we going to take this pot home then, Henry? We haven't finished it yet," she asked, looking into it.

"Don't you start as well!" He came to stand behind her and put his arms around her. "Elizabeth is going to cook tomorrow, Mary." He softly kissed Elizabeth in her neck.

"Oh, that is low!" Elizabeth gasped. He could make her promise him to cook a five-course dinner if he kept that up and everyone knew she could not possibly prepare anything tasty.

"I can't go lower in company, darling," Henry whispered teasingly. He pulled a little at the collar of her blouse.

"Mary, any promise extracted from me under these circumstances is not valid!" Elizabeth warned her with a blush.

His family teased them about it all evening and they insisted on being phoned the following night to hear about the result.

The next day back at home, the boys talked Elizabeth into taking them to the cinema. They had had no success in trying to get Henry to come to Harry Potter again with them, but they figured Elizabeth would be willing because she had not seen it yet. As soon as she had admitted that, they laid the question before her and she could only say yes.

Henry considered the idea. He would go, if the boys insisted on it, but if Elizabeth wanted to accompany them he was off the hook. The only thing was that he was not entirely reassured about her safety. His ministerial responsibility raised its head all of a sudden. "Maybe you shouldn't go alone," he said doubtfully. If he let the Queen out of his sights and something should happen to her, it would be his fault.

"I'll have two brave young gentlemen with me," Elizabeth said carelessly, with a wink at the boys. "They'll protect me."

"We'll protect her, Daddy," David said impatiently. He did not see Henry's problem.

"Oh well, in that case…" Henry met Elizabeth's amused glance. "Can I have a word, David?" He took David aside. "I'm not sure a queen knows how to buy tickets. Could you help her out?"

David nodded seriously, proud that he was asked something as important as that. "Yes. I'll buy the tickets."

Elizabeth presented herself for Henry's inspection before she left. He studied her casual clothing, partly borrowed from Mary. She would not easily be recognised, he hoped.

She had parked the car and the boys showed her the way to the cinema. "I'll pay," David said importantly. "You might not know how."

Elizabeth chuckled and gave him her money. She watched him queue for the tickets while she stood to the side with John. He pulled her sleeve and she bent over towards him to hear what he wanted to say.

"Do queens have to pay as well?" he whispered, thinking they might be let in for free.

"Of course! But do I look like a queen?" she whispered back. She hoped not, but perhaps it was something she could not hide. Her mother always said it was a fact that could not be altered.

He looked at her clothes. "No. And I wouldn't even say so if you did, because Daddy wouldn't want me to," he said confidentially.

Elizabeth wondered what Henry had told them -- if he had told them anything. She was so amused by the boys' attitude. They were so sweet.

David paid and brought the tickets to her. "It was very easy," he told her.

"Thank you." She put her money away gravely and they waited. The boys were very excited and they wanted to tell her what the film was about. "Don't tell me! I haven't seen it yet!" she said and then they were quiet about it for a minute before they began again. She tried not to laugh at them openly, but she was extremely amused. When they could take their seats they became even more excited and they constantly wriggled around to see who else was there. They did not sit still until the film really started and they suddenly did not move anymore.

Afterwards Elizabeth was very glad she had taken them -- or really, that they had taken her, because they were doing everything for her except driving the car and they would have done that too had they been able. The boys had enjoyed themselves so much and she had enjoyed their obvious enthusiasm.

She needed to buy something for Mary after they left the cinema, because she had promised to. It was something she could not let David buy, even though he offered, thinking she had no clue about buying anything. She did feel a little embarrassed buying it, but she had the boys with her and she had to hide that feeling. She should act like a responsible woman.

When she returned home with the boys, Henry and Mary had not come back yet from whatever they had gone to do, so Elizabeth had no other choice but to play football with the boys. That was not only because they asked her, but also because it was too cold to sit still.

Henry and Mary stayed away rather long and Elizabeth was exhausted from running with the ball when they finally came back. She was lounging in Teddy's car with the door open.

"Oh," Henry said in surprise. "That's right. You don't have a key. I forgot. I'm sorry."

"That's alright. We played," she smiled tiredly, looking at the boys who had climbed up a tree. Running was alright, but she would not join them there.

"We went swimming and we went shopping," said Mary. She wondered what Elizabeth had been doing. She looked tired.

"Oh! Talking about shopping," Elizabeth said and took something out of her pocket to give it to Mary. "I got you this."

"Oh, thanks," Mary said gratefully. She quickly put it away.

"What's that?" Henry asked curiously. It had a bag around it so he could not see what it was. Instead of showing him, Mary ran away.

"Girl stuff, Henry. Don't ask," Elizabeth told him, placing her hand on his arm to signify it had nothing to do with him.

"Oh, alright," he said doubtfully, watching Mary run inside. He could guess what girl stuff was. "She and I just went shopping and she never told me she needed anything of that sort."

"She would have told you if I hadn't been there, but it was easier to come to me and ask me if she could borrow some of mine, don't you agree? And so I had to replace that for when I need it."

"Oh." Henry saw her point. He would rather not know all the particularities, so he was glad that Mary beckoned him inside for a phone call.

Elizabeth was glad too. She was married to him now, but that did not mean she felt comfortable talking about everything. Some things would probably always remain awkward. She called the boys down from the tree because she was afraid they would fall if no one kept an eye on them.

Henry stayed on the phone for over an hour. Apparently it was very important. She glanced at him several times, but she could not hear what he was saying. When he finally put it down, he stared at it unseeingly, lost in thought. This did not look good. Elizabeth was afraid to ask anything and she waited for him to tell her. Something told her business had come up.

"They think it would be wise if I went to the Middle East," he said eventually. He wondered why they wanted it to be him. Could anyone else not do it this time?

From his tone she gathered that he was not enthusiastic. "Oh. Right now?"

He nodded. "I'll try to talk to all parties by phone first."

"You've done that before, with very little effect." Elizabeth's feelings sank. There would be more results if he actually went there and he would know that too.

"Don't remind me of that. I'd rather keep hoping I can solve it this way."

"I'm in no position to keep you here and you know it," she said quietly. "This is when I stop being your wife, isn't it?" This was when she became his supportive colleague.

Henry nodded. He felt some relief upon finding her reasonable enough to say that. Fortunately she was not possessive and demanding, although he would have liked it perhaps if she had offered some more objections.

She could see he did not like it and she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't let me stop you from going if you must. Professionally I would say go. I don't matter personally at the moment."

"I hate this," he sighed with his head on her shoulder. "Why are they doing this right now?" He would rather stay with her.

"We've had almost three days," Elizabeth tried to make the best of it. She would hate to see him go too. "And at least you don't have to worry about the children now."

"I'd worry more about the children now," he said, trying to be cheerful. He would return. "You can't even cook."

"What does that matter if we get along? You can leave them with me and they'll be alright."

Henry wished he could have absolute faith in that, but she had too little experience in living alone and unattended for him to be perfectly reassured. "I'd be worried about your safety too. You're all alone here."

"I'll be alright. I'm not completely helpless." She would like to think there were some thing she could do even if she happened to be a queen. What did Henry think, that she never lifted a finger?

"I know you aren't, but I'm just afraid this will end in total chaos because you don't know how to do anything. It's not your fault that you don't, but…"

"I think that in emergencies I have enough brains to figure out how the vacuum cleaner works," Elizabeth said dryly. "I wouldn't spontaneously touch it, no. You're quite right about that. Still, if it needs to be done, I'll do it."

Henry sighed. He just could not visualise Elizabeth doing domestic chores. He loved her, but even Elizabeth's abilities would have their limitations. "I'll try to phone first." He pushed her away gently and went into the study.

Elizabeth's crash course in family management was a lot harder than she had anticipated. She could not stand not being able to do something and she wanted to cry in frustration at the end of the first day because without Henry there were suddenly so many tasks and responsibilities that fell to her.

The children were lovely, but they could also be demanding and unreasonable. Sometimes they expected her to know things she could not possibly know and do things she had no clue how to do. Even Mary could become fed up with trying to help her out, she had discovered. It was only her pride that kept Elizabeth going during these difficult moments. She could and would not give up.

Henry called only after two days. "I'm sorry, but I've been busy. How are you?" He sounded rather strained.

Elizabeth tried to put on a brave face. She did not mention the white sheets that had turned pink or the woollen pullovers that had shrunk mysteriously in the washing machine. She did not mention that John had been inconsolable about the ruin of his school sweater and that none of them had known where to buy a new one. Those had simply been minor stumbles on the road to happiness. She also refrained from asking him why he had not called sooner.

"It looks like I'll have to stay here for another few days," Henry said anxiously. "Do you think you'll manage?"

Soon there would be nothing left to ruin. Elizabeth thought she would manage then. Eventually it would become easier, she expected. "I think so."

"You'll have read we're not progressing much."

"Read! Darling, do you think I have time to read the paper?" she exclaimed ironically. "Every time I want to do that David and John start fighting over their Harry Potter book and I have to supervise their reading to make sure they really give it to the other after finishing a chapter." It did not allow her to do anything else and Harry Potter was all she was able to read.

"I love you for doing it," he said softly. "I hope I'll be back soon."

"I was thinking of taking them somewhere, because quite frankly the housework is driving me crazy," Elizabeth confessed. "But that feels like defeat, not to mention that it would raise so many questions. Maybe I could take them home. What do you say?"

"Do whatever you think best."

"Henry," Elizabeth pleaded in frustration. He should advise her.

"I'm sorry I can't do more from here." Henry sounded genuinely sorry.

"I know. How much longer can we talk?" She hoped it would be another while. She missed him.

"Not much longer," he said regretfully. "But I'll call you as often as you can. I tried earlier, but nobody answered."

Elizabeth felt bad about this missed chance. They spoke for another little while, but she gathered he had to be careful about what he said. People were probably listening.

After four days Elizabeth packed up the children and went back to Teddy's house. Their combined luggage almost did not fit into Teddy's small car.

"Oh, Teddy will need to phone," said Teddy's husband Edward when he opened the door. "But do come in, all of you." He seemed to know who the children were, because he did not ask. "Welcome. Teddy's out shopping, but I'll call her." He showed them into the sitting room. "Just a moment."

Elizabeth and Mary sat down and the boys followed suit. David and John sat close to Elizabeth in this strange house. Mary was more at ease, having already met Teddy once even though Teddy was not here at the moment.

Edward returned. "Teddy will be back in half an hour. It's actually good that you came back, Teddy says. It's New Year's Eve and we're throwing a party people are expecting you to attend."

"I thought so too." Elizabeth was supposed to be spending the holidays with Teddy, after all. She had always planned to return for the party, but then alone. Now that Henry was away she had to take the children with her.

Teddy and her daughter did indeed return half an hour later. "Linnie!" Teddy greeted her friend and hugged her. "You sneaky thing! Congratulations. Hello Mary! And these must be your brothers. Has Linnie been taking good care of you? By the way, I've informed your staff and they'll be here as soon as possible, as if you haven't been away."

Teddy's daughter feigned surprise. "Oh, has she been away?"

"Very good, Alex. See? I've been instructing my family very well," Teddy said in a business-like manner. "Are you strong, boys?" They were too shy to answer. "Will you help me carry your suitcases?" The boys followed her outside to the car. There was only one small problem, Teddy thought, and that was the question of where to put the girl, since there was no extra bed. Maybe she could share with her stepmother. The boys could sleep on the floor. They helped her put the suitcases in the guest room and she wondered what they would think of being dragged from house to house.

When she returned downstairs, Elizabeth was having a chat with the security people who were naturally wavering between relief and anger they could not vent. It was good that they had arrived after the children had. Now they could not exactly be sure whom they belonged to. Still, Elizabeth looked as if she was able to make them accept any explanation.

Fortunately Alex had taken it upon herself to talk to Mary, which was good. Teddy was sure they would get along, despite the few years of difference in their ages.

"I've got my first guests coming at five," Teddy said to Elizabeth when the bodyguards had retreated to the room over the garage. "Do you want to dress up?"

David and John were awed by Elizabeth's black glittery dress and her sparkling jewellery. It was as if she had become a different person. Mary looked impressed too. "Do we have to dress up too?" she asked in a small voice. She had not brought anything as glamorous. She did not even own anything like that. Still, she might have to if she did not want to look out of place among Elizabeth's friends.

"Certainly not, if Teddy has invited any young men," Elizabeth said decidedly. No fifteen-year-old in her care would be dressed up in a sexy dress if there were any young men and bottles of champagne around. "Have you, Teddy?"

Teddy snorted at this motherly concern. "Just Nick and some friends." Nick was her son, but he was still only twenty and therefore dangerous. "I'll have a serious word with Henry if he disapproves of my son."

Mary looked puzzled. "What does dressing up have to do with young men?"

"Henry would kill me if I let you wear a sexy dress," said Elizabeth. "Probably. I'd rather not try it out."

"But I don't even have one."

"Well, I have one with me."

"You do?" Mary was amazed.

Teddy snorted again. "Really, Linnie. Everyone thinks you're too old for sexy dresses."

"Oh, you're in for it now," Elizabeth decided. "Mary, you can wear this one and I'll put on the sexy one." She took Mary upstairs and took off her dress. "Try this one on. I think you'll fit into it. We appear to have the same size."

As Mary changed out of her clothes, she peered at Elizabeth taking the sexy dress from her suitcase. Without her dress on she looked a lot more human. Mary wondered what she would think of the boys, who had followed them. They sat on the bed to watch.

Elizabeth did not think anything of them at all. "I don't have dresses for you. Do you want to do Mary's hair?" she asked.

They giggled and Mary gagged. "No! They're not touching my hair!"

Elizabeth slipped into her sexier dress. It was even more glittery and smooth than the other one and it had two high splits up either side.

"It's torn," John pointed helpfully at her thigh.

She laughed at him. "It's called a split." She wondered if the dress was alright. It covered her shoulders and it even had sleeves, so it probably was, despite the high splits.

Mary got into the other dress gingerly. She felt a little awkward in such a nice dress. "Does it fit?"

"Perfectly," Elizabeth said, admiring her. "Now let me do your hair." She found she liked helping Mary to dress up and the boys soon got bored with them. They disappeared again.

Finally Mary looked quite similar to Elizabeth, with her hair done in the same way. Teddy and Alex admired their dresses. They had changed into something nice as well. "And the boys?" Teddy wondered.

"Pff no use," Elizabeth waved. "Unless you'd like to try." It was too difficult to try and get the boys to change into something neat. It was hard enough to get them to dress in the first place.

"No, thank you."

"Where are they anyway?" She had not seen them anymore and they were too shy to do anything on their own.

"They're playing with Nick's old racetrack."

"Oh, good. I was feeling a bit guilty for taking them here, because this must be so boring for them. But I have to take care of them and of Mary. Don't you dare drink champagne," she said to the girl.

"I don't even want to!" Mary protested.

"Good! Because Henry would kill me."

"Henry would not kill you!"

"Well, I have to treat you according to Henry's rules and I don't know what they are, so I'd better be strict."

"You can make your own rules."

"No, no." Elizabeth shook her head. "I can't play a parent if I'm wearing a glitter dress. Oh Teddy, can I have something to eat? I'm famished."

Mary followed Teddy into the kitchen. "Is it just me or is she really different if she's dressed up?" she asked timidly.

Teddy glanced at her reflectively. "A little." It was barely noticeable, she would think, and she was surprised that the girl had noticed.

"She's more thoughtful if she isn't dressed up," Mary concluded. She could not see Elizabeth talk to her at the party. There would be more interesting people around. "Is this because Henry sort of dumped us with her? She didn't mind when it was just us, but now that she can choose between you and us, she'll choose you?" Her worries were written plainly on her face.

"No!" Teddy said in concern. "You mustn't think that! That isn't true."

"How do you know? It's always like that. We're never people's priority. We always sort of hang in between people." Mary pressed her hands to her face. "Ever since Mummy and Daddy died."

"I really need to eat something," Elizabeth barged in with a plaintive whine. She came to a standstill with a shock when she saw Mary cry. "Is something wrong?" she asked in concern.

Mary choked out a "no."

Elizabeth looked at Teddy questioningly. Teddy shrugged. "Tell her you could have dumped her with just anyone, but that you didn't."

"I should have." Other people would have taken better care of them.

"Noooooo! Linnie," Teddy pleaded when this only increased Mary's sobbing. "This is not the right time to be misunderstood."

"I failed," Elizabeth clarified. "Before Henry went away, nobody fought, the fairies washed our clothes, we got good meals -- everything just went smoothly. He went away and we slowly slipped into total chaos. The boys took their first bath in two days this morning, because I grabbed them physically. They also hadn't changed out of their pyjamas for two days. And it's all my fault." Her lip trembled. "I failed. They were expecting me to be some super-mummy, but I'm not."

Teddy divined that Elizabeth had failed once or twice on a total of about a hundred test cases. She knew her friend's character and her tendency to feel far too bad about her failures. "I'm sorry, darling, but you brought some very happy-looking, well-fed, well-behaved, clean and well-dressed children here. You don't want to know how bad they could be looking after four days. Exactly where did you fail?"

"I just did. If I wasn't failing, I would know how to solve that!" Elizabeth pointed at Mary with a desperate look on her face. She wanted to help, but she did not know how.

"You're going to leave us anyway when you go back home," Mary said gruffly. "Why should you care?"

"Is that it?" Elizabeth hugged her. Sure, they would go to school, but they could still phone her. "Why are you worried?"

"Because everyone always does. They only like us when it suits them."

"It doesn't exactly suit me now, but I still like you." She stroked Mary's hair.

"Why doesn't it suit you?" Mary asked.

Elizabeth sighed. "Teddy's got guests coming over. They don't know I'm married. They'd wonder where you came from." If I talked to you too much, she added.

Mary would think that rather nosy of those people. Where Elizabeth got her children from was her own business. "You can have children without being married."

"Wait. I thought Henry had told all of you that people could not have children without being married." Elizabeth remembered John had said that.

"Duh!" Mary calmed down a little. "He doesn't really believe that himself." And he was probably wishing he had not said it, considering that John now thought that married people automatically had babies. Mary, who believed people had a choice in this matter, did not want to put any pressure on Elizabeth, so she did not mention it. Right now Elizabeth did not seem very inclined to make the choice to have a baby. And she would certainly not do so because John, David and Mary would like it.

"He doesn't really believe it, you say. So does he believe it a little?"

"He'd be quite happy to have David be Lord Setchley later on, but I think if he had an illegitimate son, the son wouldn't be too happy about David, do you know what I mean?" And Mary guessed Henry had lately not been giving the matter as much thought as he ought, because he had David.

Henry asked himself what he wanted. He was stuck here and what was the point of being stuck in a foreign country, in a decent hotel, but without his family and with only men surrounding him? He was longing to see a woman for once. Why had they not brought more women? Why were there no women negotiating? They would have solved this problem long ago.

He stood on his balcony and gazed down at the busy street below. Policemen were on guard around the hotel, just for him. What were the authorities thinking? That he was in danger? The guards made him feel locked up. He supposed it was out of the question to leave the hotel to buy something for the children. Did guests ever venture out on foot? He had seen a gift shop in the lobby. Nobody had to leave the hotel at all. But he was slowly going crazy.

Elizabeth said she was alright. Half of the time the phones did not work and he could not ask her if she was still alright. He hated this place.

Today, on the last day of the year, they would not be negotiating. Henry was due at the Country Club where the expats celebrated the new year. They were thrilled to have him, but he did not think he could celebrate.

Elizabeth preferred to observe at parties rather than join in, although she did not often get the chance to simply observe. Fortunately the first couple to arrive were people she also knew, so she did not have to go through the entire process of getting acquainted, but the fact that they were the only guests so far did not really help if one wanted to start observing.

She was acutely aware of the fact that she owed more to Teddy than she could ever pay back, when she saw that Alex was keeping Mary busy. All she would have to do herself was not talk about Henry, but these people insisted on it -- the poor PM, trying to negotiate peace between parties who did not want peace. Had nothing else of importance happened in the world? Elizabeth met Teddy's eyes, but this would really be up to herself to solve. Teddy was not going to change the subject for her and Elizabeth could not expect her to do it. She could not expect Teddy to hold her hand at all times.

"Why doesn't he just come home?" said the man. "Does he want fame?"

Henry did not want fame. There were quicker ways to fame than negotiating -- as her lover, for instance. Everyone would know him if they made their relationship known. He did not want fame, or he would have pressed her to come out with it. He was doing it for something else. She was proud of him. Yes, she wanted him to come home too, to leave that hopeless situation behind, but she also hoped he would get out of it what he wanted. She straightened her back and looked proud.

"You know him better than I do," the man said to her.

"Yes," Elizabeth said slowly. "I know his worth." Someone who only wanted fame did not have that much worth, in her opinion.

"But he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere."

That had nothing to do with Henry, she would think, but more with the parties involved. She thoughtfully raised her glass to her lips and took a sip. "There is always going to be a break. One party will give, sooner or later. If they truly recognise they can't have it all… Nobody can have it all, not even me. Or rather, if it were possible to have it all, people wouldn't let me. Anyway, all Hen-…all he needs to do is make them see reason, which is tough. And he is slightly handicapped by the fact that he doesn't…er…" She looked for the right words. "Forgive me for saying so, but I am convinced…" It would perhaps sound conceited to say this. "Well, I am convinced that he can do it on his own, but I'm even more convinced that we operate better as a team." That was what she honestly believed, but other people might not understand.

The man stared at her. "You mean he should have taken you?"

"Yes. He improves with my input." She cringed at her own words, but she did not know how else to explain it. She improved with his input as well. They could stimulate each other, but she did not want to put it like that because it would sound suggestive and there was really nothing suggestive about it.

The man did appear to think that conceited. "Really?" He had the decency not to look too incredulous, but his tone conveyed his thoughts very well.

Elizabeth sighed with a wry smile. How could anyone improve with her input indeed? Perhaps that could only happen if he had no base to start from. "Oh, what have I got myself into now?" She should not have gone into this. Now she would be revealing much more than she ought, but then, she had a great urge to come to Henry's defence.

"Does he know about this?"

"Of course he does. I wouldn't be bestowing this honour on him if he didn't know." She could see she was really baffling the man. Apparently it was very odd that she could have a good effect on Henry and even more odd that he should know it and acknowledge the fact now and then. If Henry had denied or ignored the effect, she would not have liked him.

"Honour?" he said weakly.

"I don't say of many people that we operate better as a team," Elizabeth said quietly. She had to mention the team thing lest he should think she was just an interfering female telling Henry what to do. "There are many people who seem to have a missing part of your brain, but usually it's a part you'd rather keep on missing. There are only a few people who enhance your mental performance."

"You enhance Lord Setchley's performance?"

"I do." It sounded funny and Elizabeth had to laugh at herself. "And vice versa. I have a few people who can do that to me too." She had to say that. She was sounding like the most arrogant creature on earth if she did not.

"Lord Setchley is one of them?"

"And Teddy," Elizabeth said, to stress the fact that she was talking about purely mental links here that did not have anything specifically to do with men, or specifically with Lord Setchley.

The man knew Teddy and Elizabeth were good friends. "I didn't know Lord Setchley was that clever."

Elizabeth did not quite see where being clever came into things. Did the man think she was clever? She had not said so herself. Now that she was on a roll she might as well call herself clever too, she thought in amusement, but she decided against it. "He's clever enough for me," she replied. "I don't really care if that makes us stupid or clever with respect to other people. If you think he's stupid, then I'm stupid as well." She smiled politely. "But we connect." He was not going to understand this either, she suspected.

"Mentally?"

Elizabeth hesitated for a split second. "Mentally," she answered with a nod. Mentally, among other irrelevant things. Well, they were quite relevant on other occasions, but not now. "Don't you connect to anyone?"

"Of course, but I hadn't thought the Prime Minister would be one of your friends. I've always understood you didn't like politicians."

That was correct. She did not like them much, but could she call Henry a politician? "A true politician wouldn't be elected because of his looks, would he?"

"But I thought you were talking about mental connections?" It confused the man a little.

"I was," Elizabeth answered. She was entangling herself in a dangerous web. She ought to be careful, but she really liked talking about Henry.

"But now you're bringing his looks into it."

"Just to illustrate he's not a politician-like politician. His looks are quite irrelevant to the matter of connecting." Unless she was talking about physical connections, but she was not. "I mean, I connect to Teddy and she's a woman."

"I heard from Teddy that you're friends," he said. "It surprised me at first. She's older, isn't she?"

"Don't let her hear you," Elizabeth said humorously. It was true that in the very beginning Teddy had been more of a mentor than a friend, being thirteen years older.

"Hear what?" Teddy's sharp ears had been listening to their conversation, in case her interference was needed.

"That you're older."

"Me? Older? I'm only fifty-three and Elizabeth is mentally over sixty. It's not her fault, the poor dear. It's her upbringing," Teddy said in sympathy. Sometimes Elizabeth really acted as though she were over sixty. She was not even exaggerating too much.

"Teddy!" Elizabeth cried indignantly. She smiled nevertheless. "But I'm glad I have a friend like you to keep me young."

"I didn't encourage you to wear that dress, though." Teddy observed the high splits. It would cause some consternation if Elizabeth wore this in public. However, it would be more effective in showing that she was not an old woman than printing that she had turned forty. The mental image of a forty-year-old looked quite a bit older and more sedate than this.

"You know you did."

Teddy smiled angelically. "I said you were too old for it."

"That's what I mean."

Henry had simply gone through the motions at the Country Club to which he had been invited. It was not that he disliked the ambassador or the other embassy people -- he would have amused himself very well with them had this been another occasion. Right now he could not stop thinking about two things: the negotiations and Elizabeth. He would not see her unless he left here and he could not really leave unless he was convinced that he had given it his best try.

The ambassador took him for a walk around the field where a few children were playing cricket. "You are rather preoccupied, old fellow." He had met Lord Setchley on other occasions and the man had been more lively then.

Henry gave a curt nod. In the distance he saw a woman who vaguely resembled Elizabeth and he looked at her until it was abundantly clear that it was not her. A look of disappointment passed over his face, although he knew she could not be here.

"You've got the whole world looking over your shoulder."

"I don't really care about going down in history as the man who couldn't solve this problem. Nobody has been able to do it so far," Henry shrugged.

"My point exactly. Why not relax and enjoy the party?" the ambassador suggested. There was a time to stop working and to leave all worries behind. There were some nice people here at the Country Club. Most of them he had invited himself.

"I had to cut short the holidays I was spending with a woman," Henry replied quietly. "I had to leave the children with her and she can't cook." He hoped that last thing was not too revealing. Most people could cook, he supposed, except the Queen. What he should really say, but could not, was that Elizabeth had no idea how to take care of a family at all. He knew what it was like, not to have any idea, because he had gone through the same thing in the beginning.

"A woman?" The ambassador looked at him sharply. This was the first he had ever heard about a woman and children. He wanted to know about the woman first. He would ask about the children later.

"I thought you'd gathered by now that I was into women," Henry said wryly.

"Oh. Are you afraid of getting into trouble with her now?" Perhaps Lord Setchley had dumped those children with the woman. The ambassador had seen this happen often enough.

He did not think he would get into trouble with Elizabeth. Perhaps that would only happen if he stayed away too long. "No. She understands." He hoped so fervently, because how could she understand if he only barely did so himself?

The ambassador remembered the Brazil case. Who would not? Even here they had followed it eagerly, at least the women had. Personally he had not cared much about it. "Are you afraid of getting into trouble with the press again? I never quite understood the fuss."

"Thank you. Then you were probably the only one."

"But that was before I heard you had children. Didn't you just say that?" The fuss would be greater if there were children involved, he supposed. The first time the children seemed to have been ignored for some reason, probably because they had not met the woman yet, but children were just not compatible with women who were kissed on balconies. They did not like each other and that was a fact.

Henry nodded. "I'm the guardian of my niece and nephews." He could not adopt them, because he was not married. But then he remembered he was married now and that he could adopt them. That was something he would look into when he got back home.

"And you don't have a partner?"

"I do now."

"The woman your children are with?"

"Yes."

"And they don't mind?"

"No, they like her."

"Well, what's the problem then?" the ambassador asked. "Now, about the negotiations…"

Mary was trying to be very careful with Elizabeth's dress. It was too beautiful to spill anything on it. She was glad that Alex was talking to her, because she felt a little out of place among the well-dressed adults. Fortunately her brothers, who would be even less at ease in the present company, were playing somewhere upstairs. Mary suspected Elizabeth of checking up on them now and then, because she had left the room twice in the past half hour. She was proven wrong when John appeared with a bleeding finger, because she distinctly heard Elizabeth ask him what they had been doing.

"I need a plaster," said John helpfully when he discovered that first aid was beyond Elizabeth's expertise.

"Oh…Teddy?" Elizabeth looked at Teddy. She wished Teddy would take the lead in this. She had no clue.

"Come with me," Teddy said briskly, taking John into the kitchen. She rummaged in one of the cupboards for some plasters. It had been such a long time since she had last used them that she did not know where they were exactly.

"Why can't Elizabeth do it?" John asked. He stood waiting, looking at his finger in fascination.

"Because she doesn't know where I keep the plasters." Teddy did not even know whether Elizabeth knew anything about plasters anyway, but this was a relatively safe excuse. John might not like to hear that Elizabeth preferred her to do it. Why was she doing it anyway? She was doing far too much for Elizabeth.

"Why don't you show her where they are?" he inquired.

Elizabeth was feeling very exposed, especially in light of the conversation she had just had with that man. This had to be so obvious. Did John look enough like Henry for him to suspect anything? For a moment she forgot that John was merely Henry's nephew and not his son. For a few moments she said motionless as she was thinking about that. Then she pushed herself out of her chair and went into the kitchen as well.

"Oh, there you are," said Teddy, handing her a box. "I just found them."

People would undoubtedly talk, but Elizabeth decided other things were more important. John had come to her, not to Teddy. She had to do it now. Her fingers trembled as she put a plaster on John's finger. She did not know how to do this, but he did not seem to notice. Perhaps it was really as easy as it appeared to be. He pulled his finger away when she was done and ran off. "Ooooh…" she breathed out. Perhaps she was too sensitive.

"What's wrong, Linnie?" Teddy asked.

"I'm so nervous when I think of what other people might think." For a moment she looked uncertain, then something changed in her behaviour and she looked very composed all of a sudden. "I came here to help you carry the hors d'oeuvres."

Teddy knew the composure was fake. Elizabeth would not say she was nervous if she was only a little bit nervous. It was not like her to say it. "They're in the fridge."

"What? My emotions?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.

"Linnie! The hors d'oeuvres."

Henry phoned at a quarter to midnight. He had begun calling at eleven, when it was midnight for him, but Elizabeth's mobile had been switched off and he had not had Teddy's home number. It had taken him forty-five minutes to get hold of it, because he was not the only one who wanted to use the phone to call relatives and friends. His own mobile of course could not reach a decent network. He was rather frustrated when he finally got through.

"Could you ask Elizabeth to switch on her mobile?" he asked Teddy.

"You idiot! No, I couldn't." She chuckled. "But I'll call her."

She had apparently not told Elizabeth who was calling. "Hello?" Elizabeth asked a little hesitantly.

"It's me," said Henry, a big smile spreading over his face as soon as he heard her voice.

"I hoped it would be," she said softly. "How are you? When are you coming back? Happy New Year, by the way." He was an hour ahead of her in time.

"I'm alright, but not quite." He was more alright than before now, though, after hearing her voice. Still, he wished he could see her in person.

"I know what you mean." She felt the same. Something was missing if he was so far away. He had been away before, but then they had always been able to talk over the phone. "When are you coming back?"

"Do you miss me?"

"Yes, I miss you."

"I hope I can come back soon."

"What's wrong with the phones there?" Elizabeth asked after a brief hesitation. He used to call much more often before they were married. "Are you really busy?"

Henry groaned in frustration. "They never work! Believe me, I've tried."

She believed him. "I was just afraid," she said lightly, "that now that we're married, you felt that you wouldn't have to try to--"

"Linnie!"

"Oh, alright," she laughed. "Just teasing you."

"It's damn frustrating! Also that your phone is switched off, that I didn't have Teddy's number and that about a hundred people wanted to use this phone to wish everybody a happy New Year."

"Did you phone the children?"

"I spoke to David earlier. He said there was a party going on. I asked him to get Teddy's number in a discreet manner and he said he would, but he never answered his phone when I called back a little later."

"Well, they're playing. And did you say discreet manner to him?" Elizabeth chuckled. She could see how David had either forgotten about it or not understood the question completely.

"I might have."

"He might still be wondering what that is."

"I'm sorry," Henry apologised. "I don't always know what they know. How are you managing?"

"Fairly well, I think. It's different from what I had expected," Elizabeth admitted. "Some things are easier and some things are unexpected. Teddy said they looked fine and healthy, so wouldn't that mean I was doing alright?" she asked uncertainly. "I even managed to put a plaster on John's finger."

That made Henry laugh. "Darling, that is a huge accomplishment. I'm so proud of you!"

"Yes, make fun of me!" she rebuked him gently.

Henry realised he would not even get the chance to talk about personal matters, let alone go into detail about work. There were three people waiting for him to lay down the phone and it would be selfish of him to keep them waiting. They had already been waiting while he had been attempting to discover Teddy's number. He would try again at a better moment tomorrow, because he really needed to discuss work with Elizabeth. "Linnie, I'm at the Country Club. We're about fifty people and we're sharing one phone between us…"

"Oh." Elizabeth felt disappointed, knowing what would follow. He had to hang up.

"I wish I could keep talking to you."

"Yes."

"But I can't. I already spent forty-five minutes getting this number and if looks could kill I'd be dead thrice over by now."

"I'm glad you phoned anyway." She hoped he would phone again tomorrow. There was a lot more to be said. "And if people want to kill you, give them to me."

"No, fair's fair. Everybody should get the chance to use the phone. I don't have any more right to it than they do."

Elizabeth sat beside the phone quietly after the call had ended. Fortunately the phone was in the hall, so the other guests could not see her wipe away a tear. She did not know whether it was a tear of sadness or happiness. It felt like both, if that was at all possible. She was happy she had spoken to Henry now, but sad that he was not here with her. But it was no use being sad. It would not bring him back any sooner. She ought to focus on the positive things.

"It was really good of Henry to allow other people to use the phone as well," she said to Teddy when her friend appeared. She needed to convince herself of that and perhaps if she spoke it out loud, that would work.

So Henry had had to hang up, had he? "He's too good for this world," Teddy murmured. She happened to know that Henry had kept the thing occupied for over half an hour. The people waiting at the other end might not agree with his being so very good.

"Teddy!" Elizabeth looked hurt. "Don't you make it sound as if this was a flimsy excuse! I wouldn't believe it anyway!"

"You're not entirely sure what you believe," Teddy assessed quite correctly. "I think you've had too little experience with people whose world didn't revolve around you. Did anyone ever hang up on you before because there were other people waiting to use the phone?"

"I don't know. Nobody ever told me so," Elizabeth answered truthfully. She wondered what Teddy's point was.

"That's what I mean." Nobody would dare to tell the Queen there was somebody more important. Perhaps nobody would even think there were more important people than the Queen. It was not Elizabeth's fault. Teddy knew Elizabeth well enough to know that Elizabeth would not keep the line busy for too long if there were other people waiting to call. It was merely the opposite that had never happened to her and despite being capable of understanding it, she oddly enough could not have absolute faith in Henry. Humans were strange, Teddy thought.

"But I don't understand what you mean!"

"It happens with great regularity, Lin. Whenever there is only one telephone available."

"So?" Elizabeth still did not see Teddy's point.

"The concept is called sharing."

"I'm familiar with that concept."

"But your sharing something is a bit different from someone sharing something at your expense."

"Yes, but it's quite ordinary for everybody to have problems with that," Elizabeth snapped. Just because she had been living in a protected world did not mean she was not familiar with basic values. "I don't understand what you mean. You're talking to me about sharing as if it's the best thing to do, but you don't want to believe Henry could share?"

"I had my doubts about your ability to grasp the concept," Teddy admitted. "Sometimes life is too easy for you, Linnie. There are always people there to help you out. You stole my car to go to Henry's house and when it suits you, you come back with three children you expect me to take care of if they cut their fingers. There are a lot of things I would do for you, Linnie, but don't expect them to do them without questioning them."

Elizabeth felt as if she had been punched in the chest. She sat without breathing, looking at Teddy with wide eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

"There have always been people to clean up your mess, but at some point they won't be there anymore."

"I know. The past few days…" She had had to solve her own problems.

"There were still people. You came here when it became too much for you." Teddy knew she was being unnecessarily severe, but it had to be said for once and this was the perfect moment now that Elizabeth would actually know what she meant.

"Because of the party, not because it was too much for me," Elizabeth protested.

"The party. Exactly! What kind of mess do you think you would have been in if you hadn't come back?" Teddy inquired. "You probably would have left it to me to make excuses for you. It probably didn't even enter your mind to worry about what I might say. You simply trusted me to say the right things to protect you. Just like right now. It simply doesn't enter your mind to think that I could betray you by saying you've been absent for a few days. You expect me to cover up for you. You haven't even asked me to help you! You expect it. I'm not your servant."

"I don't think you are." Elizabeth looked stricken.

"You do! You don't seem to realise how I have to weigh my words in order to protect you. It would have been so much easier to go in there and say Henry's on the phone, but I didn't. I tried my best not to expose you. Did you even notice? Of course not. It's all taken for granted."

Elizabeth's lip trembled. She knew she deserved this and that made it all the more painful. "D-D-Do you hate me terribly, Teddy?"

"No. You were made this way," Teddy said resignedly. "Perhaps I hate myself most for contributing to it and perpetuating it. I should say no for once. Instead I keep going along with it. It's as much my fault as it is yours."

"I don't want to be like that." She would hate herself.

"Then start taking responsibility for your own actions. Don't lean so much on us," Teddy advised in a kind voice. "Please. We like to help you, Linnie, but sometimes we wonder why we're doing it."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and she squeezed out a tear. She inhaled with a choking sound. "Do you mean I should tell everybody I'm married to Henry?"

"Don't go from one extreme to the other!" That was not exactly what Teddy meant. There would come a time to reveal that, but it was not right now.

"Then what should I do?"

"If one of the boys comes to you, you should deal with him and not wish for me to do it, because it was you who got into this thing with Henry -- with your eyes wide open. You knew he had children. You can't suddenly close your eyes to the fact. You can't take all the good things and ignore the bad ones."

"I know," Elizabeth said contritely. "I'll try."

"I know you're trying, but try harder." Teddy knew Elizabeth was trying. She had come to look at John's finger, but not quickly enough. Perhaps it would help if someone told her explicitly what she was already struggling with.

"Are you really angry with me?" Elizabeth asked in a small voice. She hardly ever received criticism and it hit her all the harder if she did. It made her act really childish and she hated herself for it.

Teddy hugged her. This was like back in the beginning, when the difference in their ages had seemed so much greater because Elizabeth had been so young and immature. She had almost seemed Elizabeth' second mother then. Later on they had grown to be friends, but sometimes Elizabeth still slipped back into that convenient role. And who could blame her? Everyone needed someone to comfort them and Elizabeth's mother, despite loving her and wanting what was best for her, was not good at comforting her daughter. Teddy had become aware of this over the years. She could regret it, but not change it. "No, darling. I'm not angry with you."

Elizabeth had vowed to herself she would try to be really good during the remainder of the holidays. She stayed with Teddy until the children had to go back to school and she did her best to be as agreeable a guest as she could. Henry phoned her now and then, whenever he could, and she was glad for it. She wished he could come home, though, but he was flying all over the globe without ever stopping at home.

Henry was such a good family man, according to one article. It was written without the slightest trace of irony and it came across as perfectly serious. He phoned his relatives every day, it said. Fifteen percent of his calls were to his family.

If that was not impressive enough, he also took his nephews to the cinema. There was a picture of that. Elizabeth studied it in concern, but the boys were unrecognisable. All anybody would be able to see was that they were fair-haired. She wondered how people had discovered that they were his nephews, but she guessed that some people were always willing to talk about someone famous.

Since the gist of it was positive, she could not mind much., but it left a rather uncomfortable feeling anyhow.

Their refusal to give in was getting on his nerves. Why was he wasting his time here to help them out? He had better things to do than to witness this charade, Henry thought after another suggestion for a concession was rejected because it would mean one side would make more concessions than the other. Everything had to be carefully weighted and he was getting sick of it.

His temper flared up suddenly. "Gentlemen," he said, pushing his chair back from the table. "I've had enough. I don't see why I'm wasting my time here while both of you are clearly unwilling to accept peace. You are doing everything in your power to sabotage the peace process. I'm wondering why I should devote my valuable time to you. You have ruined your chances. If you had been counting on my country's support, you can forget it. We shall no longer pour any money or support into this bottomless pit of evil." He left the room.

His advisors followed in shock. "My Lord, you shouldn't have done that! You can't just walk away! And you certainly can't say --"

"Watch me," Henry told him. He was not going back, certainly not today. Perhaps tomorrow, if they proved to be sensible men. He doubted it. "I'm waiting one day and then I'm going home. Tell the pilots."

"But My Lord, you can't --"

"I can't? I can!"

"You'd be losing face."

"Losing face? It's infinitely more stupid to wait for either side to make a concession, because they never will. They've got generations of hatred on their side."

In a way it was not unlike the situation he and Elizabeth had been in. She had generations of pride on her side. Still, they had eventually come to progress. He could not really say which one of them had made a concession. Next time he went here he would take her. Perhaps a female perspective would make them see things differently. He wondered if they would take her seriously.

Henry reflected wryly that he had a tendency to walk away from nasty or difficult situations. He had walked away from Elizabeth twice, from his advisors once and today he had walked away from the negotiations. Of course he must have done so before as well, but that was too long ago for him to remember and he had never analysed himself to this extent before Elizabeth.

The headmistress at Oakhurst was observing the arrivals from her window. She could learn a lot from the way in which the girls returned, who brought them and in which sort of car. Not only did she have a better view of everything from her office, she was also free from annoying questions. If she stood outside, she would be besieged by parents with all kinds of unimportant stories and inquiries. The class teachers would handle that now and the really important cases would be sent up here. She had only had one so far.

It was very important to her to know all the girls personally. She noticed which girls were brought by both parents, which girls were brought by one and which girls were brought by none. In some cases this was because they were getting a ride from another girl who lived near them -- the headmistress actually encouraged that. In other cases this was because the girl was brought back to school by someone completely different. She did not encourage that, really, unless the parents had a very good excuse.

A small red car came up the drive, followed by a larger grey one. A mother and daughter in the red car, the headmistress decided, with no father to accompany them. She watched to see if she was right. First three children tumbled out of the car, a girl and two boys. The headmistress narrowed her eyes. This was not Lord Setchley bringing Mary back to school. He drove something bigger and dark blue. She had seen that when he had picked Mary up. Whose help had he enlisted now? His sister's again? But the woman coming out of the car was not his sister. The headmistress wondered if she was seeing this correctly. Perhaps the car was too far away. But no, she had had no trouble recognising Mary either.

She watched them approach the building -- Mary with her suitcase, the bigger boy walking alone and the smaller boy holding the woman's hand. He had been waiting patiently to do that while she had been taking the suitcase out of the car. Her cream suit made her look like a successful businesswoman and one did not expect a little boy at her side. Then the four moved out of sight as they reached the front entrance.

She was immensely curious and lost interest in the other arrivals. There was something going on between Lord Setchley and the Queen, no doubt about it. Why else would she be taking the children back to school? It was strange that there was nobody to accompany her, or had that been the grey car?

Elizabeth appeared at her door a few minutes later, with the boys. Mary was presumably unpacking already. The headmistress greeted her and begged her to take a seat. She watched the smallest boy move his chair as close to Elizabeth's as possible and then he sat down watching his feet swing.

"I understand Lord Setchley spoke to you about something before the holidays," Elizabeth began and then turned aside. "Keep your feet still, John. You're making me dizzy."

It was a bit useless to use the man's formal title, the headmistress mused, if she was on such a good footing with his nephews. Anyone could tell that she had to be on a good footing with Lord Setchley as well and probably addressed him quite differently in private. She waited for Elizabeth to continue.

"He asked me -- and this time he really did ask me," she said with a smile. "He asked me to tell you he was prevented from coming here himself by an unexpected trip abroad." Henry had phoned her to say he would not be back in time and he had asked her if she could take the children back to school. She had been surprised by the question, because it had seemed only natural to her to do that while they were still with her. Henry had asked her and he had explained that the headmistress did not quite trust him.

"He appears to tell you everything, Madam."

"Only what I need to know," Elizabeth replied a little anxiously. "He had to tell me about this trip. I meet the Prime Minister twice a week, you see. And in return for being free during the time of our regular meeting, I am doing this."

"Oh, that is perfectly understandable. I suppose someone ought to do those things that Lady Setchley would have done had she existed," said the headmistress pleasantly.

"Er…yes." Elizabeth coloured. She shifted in her seat and they could hear the sound of a button popping. It had been too loud to be ignored and in a way she was glad for it, because it led the attention away from Lady Setchley. "Oops," she said, inspecting the damage. The button of her trousers was hanging by a thread. "I think I had too much to eat." Both of the boys laughed. "Don't laugh," she said humorously. "I have to walk around like this all day now."

"Daddy says to use a safety pin when your button pops," said David.

Elizabeth stared at him. She was surprised. "When does your Daddy ever pop a button?" If the man had an ounce of fat on his body, it was a lot. He would not be growing out of his clothes any time soon. Perhaps this betrayed too much familiarity with Daddy and she wished she could bite off her tongue.

"When he's wrestling with us."

The headmistress handed her one. "I had one lying around." She pretended not to have heard the boy say Daddy. That word was obviously making Elizabeth rather uncomfortable.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said gratefully, fastening her trousers.

After dropping Mary off without anybody questioning that, Elizabeth drove the boys to school as well. David and John were very enthusiastic about showing her their school. Henry had warned her that John might find her departure problematic, but so far he was not showing any signs of that, even though she kept a close eye on him.

Elizabeth turned a bright crimson when a teacher asked John who she was. "She's my new Mummy," John whispered and hid himself behind her. She looked back the man anxiously, but he was as amazed as she had feared.

"You stupid idiot!" David scolded just as anxiously. "He wasn't supposed to know!" While he did not know the exact reasons, he had gathered that there was something secret about it all. John might have made Elizabeth angry now by divulging this secret. She had been hedging around it at Mary's school too.

John burst into tears immediately and wanted to run away. Elizabeth leant down and hugged him, whispering in his ear. "It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't cry." She felt a little helpless. How was she going to solve this problem? "Do you want me to be your new Mummy?" She glanced at David and he was about to cry too. He would be thinking he had done something wrong now that she was comforting John and he had not. Neither of them had. She pulled him into the hug too. "Stop crying," she desperately said to both, but they did not.

Being their Mummy was tough. How could she make them stop? "Nobody was wrong except me," she tried. "I'm not angry with you. Why are you crying? Are you angry with me?" She ignored the teacher. He was not important. He was a stupid idiot anyway, asking John who she was when he damn well knew.

Both teary faces looked at her. "Why?" David asked.

"Because I should have said I was your Mummy, so he wouldn't have had to ask."

"But you didn't want him to know."

"But lying is bad."

"I didn't want to lie," John sniffed. He had answered the first thing that had entered his mind and that happened to be the truth.

She gave him a kiss. "And I'm very proud that you didn't lie."

"And me?" David asked in a small voice. He had been thinking John should have lied. Elizabeth would not be proud of him now.

"You weren't lying either. It was true that he wasn't supposed to know, but secrets always come out eventually. You wanted to help me. That's very good of you. Or were you ashamed of your wicked stepmother?" Elizabeth teased him to get the smile back on his face.

He shook his head vehemently. "You're not my wicked stepmother!"

"Will you give me a kiss and stop crying, David?" she asked. He did so and she stood up straight again to look at the teacher. She did not know whether he had heard anything. They had been whispering, so she hoped he had not. She smiled at him politely. "They were both quite right, whatever you think of it."

"Does that mean that you and their uncle…"

"Quite," Elizabeth nodded. "They're three very fine boys," she said with a grin.

Part Two Continued...
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