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19
Yes, Your Majesty
“Jane” by Kiselev Andrey Valerevich, ID1224943651 licensed from Shutterstock.com.
I ARRIVED AT THE EMBASSY promptly, got the Ambassador’s photo, and swung back to Arbuckle house to pick up the rest of my family. We packed all our belongings and the limo driver told us he was at our disposal for the week. He said he would be staying in Stockingford and would give us his phone number so we could call on him any time we needed to go somewhere. I thought that was a little excessive, but maybe some of the family would want to do some sightseeing.
It was a little under three hours up to Plympford, so we arrived soon after noon. When the driver pulled up to the porte-cochère, a staid butler approached the car to open the door for us. Before he had it fully open, Jane and Audrey came bounding out the massive main doors. I stepped out of the limo and into their arms. I had to settle them down in order to get my family out of the car. Each of them was greeted with just as much enthusiasm, though perhaps more restrained kisses.
“You came! You came! I’m so happy you were able to get here for the wedding,” Jane said. “I can’t believe you have your whole family with you. You must be Ronda and you Anna. Oh, Patricia and Toni, of course. You’ve added one!”
“Lady Jane Monroe of Plympford, may I present my family, most of whom you have correctly identified. The baby is our daughter Alex. Family, Lady Jane and her um… handmaiden, Audrey.”
“Jane! I’m a handmaiden now!” Audrey laughed.
“And there will be no Lady Jane this week,” Jane said. “I know you are all familiar with the relationship Nate and I have had. I could scarcely be more than Jane to his wives.”
“Thank you, Jane,” Ronda said. “You are every bit as beautiful as your pictures have led us to believe. And you, Audrey. I adore the photo of you at the standing stones.”
“It was such a freezing day,” Audrey said. “I’m so thankful I had Nate and Jane to take care of me.”
“Oh, Patricia, you are also as beautiful as your pictures,” Jane said. “May I please hold the baby? I have so little experience with children and I want to practice.”
“I know you want to hold Nate’s child,” Patricia said.
“Oh, we do need to talk about that,” Jane said, taking Alex from her mother. Toni edged right up beside her to make sure everything was okay. “But not right now. Vincent, please have the Harts’ bags taken to their room,” she said. “We’re going straight to the solar.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the butler said.
“We probably need the baby bag with us,” Anna said. “I know she’ll want to eat soon and she’s probably wet by now.”
Audrey grabbed the baby bag and looped her other hand through Anna’s arm.
“You’re all the moms, aren’t you! That’s so wonderful! Toni, have you ever been in a castle before?” Audrey asked.
“Is there a dragon?” Toni responded.
“Oh my! Has the dragon been fed, Jane?”
“Don’t frighten the children, Audrey,” Jane reprimanded. “Or their parents. We have some dogs, Toni. Will that do?”
Toni clapped her hands and commenced to look through every doorway we passed to see if a dog was there. We went up to the room Jane called the solar on the second floor.
“Oh, this is where you took Kathleen’s photo last year,” Patricia said when she saw the room.
“Yes. Jane took a photo of Damien just over there. You have that hung, Jane?”
“Here,” she said pointing. “What do you need for changing the baby, Patricia? Should we go to the loo or to your room?”
“We might need water, so the um… lavatory would be best,” Patricia said. She and Jane immediately left and Audrey turned to us as substitute hostess.
“I swear, Jane has been working herself into a lather about having a baby,” Audrey said. “Ah, here comes the food and drink. You drove all the way from London? I’m sure you need a little something to hold you until dinner. Angie has some crumpets and your choice of coffee, tea, or fizzy pop. We knew Nate would want coffee.”
We all accepted our favorite beverages from Angie, a thirtyish woman in a starched uniform. I helped get Toni situated with her drink and biscuit. Patricia and Jane returned with Alex, laughing as they entered the room.
“We’ve cured Jane of wanting to be a mommy,” Patricia announced.
“I had no idea such a little tyke could produce such a quantity of… um…”
“Poop,” Toni supplied. “Alex makes lots of poop.”
We all laughed and then relaxed to get caught up on life and the excitement of the wedding.
“Peter will be here for dinner,” Jane said. “As will Mother. Mostly, we’ve managed to be prim and proper, but Peter has spent many nights here at Plympford as we planned the wedding.”
“That sounds promising,” I said.
“We have… uh… experimented a bit. I’m afraid I’m simply not equipped to satisfy his needs and though he has tried, it’s not very satisfying for me, either.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Nothing we didn’t expect. Aside from the conjugal part of our relationship, though, we get on fabulously.”
“It’s not difficult on you, having a um… husband who is…?”
“A fairy?” Jane laughed. “Oh, Ronda, you have no idea how wonderful it is to have a gay boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. He is perfect. He has completely revamped my entire wardrobe. I believe that when I go out, I am among the best dressed women in Britain.”
“Well, he asked me here to take a new set of photos, both of you and of the two of you,” I said.
“He asked you here? What?” Jane said.
“Oh, dear. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”
“My wedding planner has monitored the returns for the invitations and informed me you would be here. I asked that she invite you to stay with us. Are you saying my most incredible husband-to-be had a hand in getting you here?”
“Not that he needed to twist our arms. I intended to be here as soon as we received your invitation,” I said. My wives were nodding.
“I think there is more to this story,” Jane said.
“Perhaps we should save it for when Peter arrives and can defend himself,” I said.
Before dinner, I introduced the family to Lady Madeline Monroe, Countess of Plympford, Jane’s mother. We’d been assured that an informal dinner at Plympford truly meant no one was dressing up, and even the Dowager Duchess was wearing a simple dress. Jane was dressed in slacks and set the girls at ease. When Peter and his friend Derek arrived, they were dressed like they’d just come from a golf course.
I greeted Peter and we were introduced all around to Derek.
“Thank you for inviting me,” I said. “I may have misspoken to Jane when we arrived about being here to take pictures.”
“Ah, well, the jig is up then. We should enjoy a last meal together,” he laughed.
Jane turned Peter to her with hands on the sides of his face.
“Do you think, Lord Peter, that discovery that you managed to get my friend here to take pictures is going to get you out of marrying me? On the contrary, I may have to find a way to reward you. I just want to know the story,” Jane said.
Whatever the seating map magic of the previous night’s dinner had been, there was no such organization at the table of Plympford. Lady Madeline sat at an end of the table and the English contingent of Jane, Peter, Derek, and Audrey were along one side of the table. The American contingent was on the other side with Toni proudly sitting opposite Lady Madeline.
Like the last time I’d been at Plympford, the food was spectacular, even if classically simple. We were served pie and mash, with rich gravy. The meat pie was savory, but not too spicy. Patricia, sitting next to Toni, helped the little girl break the pie up into small bites. Toni was lost in the potatoes and gravy, though—her favorite dish.
“So, I wanted to do something special for my lovely bride-to-be,” Peter finally began the tale. “Derek actually suggested we get Nate here for a photo session and I happened to mention it to Her Majesty when we were chatting at Christmas.”
“We’d gone to Sandringham to celebrate her Christmas address!” Jane said. “It was the first time I’d met her.”
“When she asked me what I planned to give you as a wedding gift, I suggested it would be nice to have Nate come to take photos. The next thing I knew, I had a call from the American ambassador asking if I really wanted you to come and I said, ‘Yes. And his whole family.’ Of course, we’d already had the invitations addressed and I sent Nate’s over to the Ambassador for delivery. That was really all I knew until I found you would be here and we could invite you to Plympford for your stay,” Peter concluded.
“From the time of your mentioning your desire to the Queen, the thing took on a life of its own,” I took up the narration. “It happens that the Ambassador is a good friend of the Queen and when he visited her, she dropped the hint to him. From there, it went spiraling up and then down the chain of command. He mentioned it to the Secretary of State, who in turn talked to the Undersecretary of Management. From there it went to my boss’s boss, the Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs, then to my boss, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Passport Services.”
“Good heavens! Have we started an international crisis?” Jane asked.
“I don’t believe so, but it did spark an internal review of Ronda’s and my positions in the department. When the word got to us, it was that we were requested by the Queen and would function as representatives of the State Department to your wedding. As such, it was decided that our jobs had been drastically undervalued and we got huge pay raises and promotions, retroactive to our date of hire.”
“And another promotion is pending, based on our decision to relocate to London for the next year,” Ronda said. “We really have you to thank for inadvertently advancing our careers.”
“Will you?” Jane asked excitedly. “Will you relocate?”
“We’d like to,” I said. “Part of what we’re doing on this trip is looking for an apartment or house we can rent.”
“We can help look!” Jane said. “Won’t that be fun, Peter.”
“Yes, of course,” he said. “We just need to remember that we have an appointment for a special portrait with Nate on Thursday a week. Aside from that, our time is yours.”
“We don’t want to take any time away that you need to prepare for your wedding,” Anna said. “I feel guilty just being your guests this week. We’ll head back to London on Friday so we can go back to Coventry with the Ambassador.”
“Oh, no!” Jane said. “First, you are no burden. Audrey and I have been smothered by the wedding planners and the selection of our entourage. I’m not sure I even know all my bridesmaids.”
“Audrey will be your maid of honor, won’t she?” Patricia asked, while mopping Toni’s face with a damp cloth a maid brought her.
“No, no,” Audrey said. “I’m more what Nate described when we met. I’m her handmaid. I am not of the nobility.”
“How charming. Derek, would you like to be my handmaid?” Peter asked his friend. Derek blushed.
“My Lord…” he started. Peter stopped that with an arm around his friend and a kiss on the cheek. I glanced over to see Jane plant a kiss on Audrey’s cheek as well.
“I’m afraid the whole wedding spun out of control at the same time. Jane suggested they elope,” Lady Madeline said. “Every lord in England with an unmarried daughter between fifteen and twenty-five called to negotiate a place for his daughter in the wedding party.”
“My father received the same requests from toffs disappointed that their sons had not made the grade with my lady,” Peter said. “We put our foot down to limit the wedding party to four attendants on either side of the aisle.”
“Even then, the Queen wasn’t enthused,” Lady Madeline said. “She remembers only too well how many attendants she had at her wedding and didn’t wish such a thing on anyone else. There were eight on either side for that wedding. She hopes her own children will rein it in a bit when the time comes.”
“When we gave the wedding planners the budget for the wedding, they were distraught,” Jane said. “I’m not sure yet how we managed to reserve St. Michael’s in Coventry on our budget. The planners sniffed and said they would need to limit the number of guests to 250. When Peter and I put our lists together of everyone we knew, we only had 125. Our parents filled out the rest of the guest list.”
“There really aren’t that many weddings of nobility to nobility,” Madeline said. “With such an impressive estate and a title at stake, everyone wants a bit of the glory.”
“Regardless, we don’t want you to leave before the wedding,” Jane said. Peter nodded. “We can come down to London with you after the wedding and help look for lodging for you. Please say you’ll stay with us as long as possible.”
“I think that can be arranged. Our driver is staying in Stockingford. I don’t think he is responsible for the ambassador,” I said.
“We do need to leave from London for our appointments in Edinburgh and Belfast,” Ronda said. “I’m afraid we are on a working vacation.”
“You could just as well fly in and out of Birmingham,” Peter suggested. “There are frequent flights.”
“I should check in with the Assistant Minister for Consul Security before I change the arrangements,” Ronda said. “He plans to travel with us, but I’m sure I can arrange it tomorrow. That sounds perfect.”
There was a chapel at Plympford. I’d peeked into it when I’d been there a year and a half earlier. A rector was assigned to it and several of the tenants of the estate attended this as their regular church. Like everything in the castle, manor house, and grounds, the chapel was kept immaculately clean. So, Anna, Audrey, and I accompanied Jane to the chapel Thursday afternoon. Peter and Derek had both expressed interest in learning more about caring for children. Ronda and Patricia were giving them the course.
Once in the chapel, Audrey scurried around to ascertain that we were, indeed, alone and no one was lurking nearby. Then Jane began stripping as Anna and I set up cameras.
“Does getting married mean you won’t even look at me when I’m naked?” Jane demanded. I turned to find her standing in the nude as Audrey worked on getting white stockings up her legs. I glanced at Anna and she snorted, nodding her head toward Jane.
“My lady, forgive me for focusing on the task instead of on the model. You know, I usually help my models dress—or undress as the case may be—and will gladly focus on you now.”
I bent to work on the leg opposite Audrey, smoothing the white stockings up Jane’s leg.
“You know, Lady Jane, I have a question I ask all my models. Are you here of your own free will, without being coerced by anyone?”
“Oh, Nate!” she exclaimed. She crushed herself to me and kissed me frantically. “I’m so scared! What if we’re making a huge mistake? What if we find we can’t stand each other? I’ve grown to love Peter, even without… you know… his sexual interest. But are we right to make this a lifetime commitment?”
“Jane, hush now, sweetheart. Is marrying Peter what you want to do?” I asked.
“Yes! He’s nice, loving, caring, gentle, smart, and perfect. We just don’t have sex. I’m not a terribly demanding lover. I don’t need sex all the time. We’re British, you know. And my sweet Audrey has become a marvelous companion. And if I can see you occasionally… I don’t think I will even need to find another lover. Um… Anna, I’m not trying to join your family or to be a constant irritant, but will I be able to borrow Nate sometimes?” Jane asked.
“Like when you want to get pregnant?” Anna asked, taking Jane by the shoulders, and kissing her softly. “Is that what you are really asking?”
“That would certainly be one of the times. Peter and I have talked about it and he much prefers the idea of Nate impregnating me than having some anonymous artificial insemination done.”
“You know we’ll want to be a part of your child’s life,” Anna persisted.
“You and Ronda and Patricia and Nate, just as much as Audrey and Derek,” Jane nodded. “There would be no reason we can’t visit you in Stratford each summer. And next year, you’ll be here in London.”
“We need to hear you and Peter say that to all four of us,” Anna said. “Until then, you should answer Nate’s question, which was about the photo session, not about the wedding.”
“Oh, my God! I really flew off the handle, didn’t I? Nate, I want you to take my pictures. I want you to take them while I wear my gown, or before I put it on, or after I take it off. I want a boudoir picture, or one in the solar. I loved the picture you did of Kathleen, but I’d like one of me somewhere in the only modern room of the castle.”
We got busy and took pictures. It took all three of us to get Jane into her gown. It was beautiful and had a train that flowed out behind her. I’d only once taken photos of a bride and that had been Valerie wanting me to take her photo and then to take her in the darkroom. Eventually, we finished in the chapel, got Jane out of her gown, and packed up the equipment. We went to the solar and began plotting out where we would take her casual portrait.
The room was white and we decided on a white sofa in front of an alcove. I set the cameras and then went to work on Jane. She was back in street clothes after the adventure in the chapel. I began loosening them and taking them off, piece by piece.
“Audrey,” I said, “I think we need a drape of some sort so my lady is not just wantonly exposed. It should be in soft compatible tones. Think you can find something?”
“I know just the thing. Be right back.”
“Now, Jane, you know I’m going to take all your clothes away. Do you want me to do that, Jane?”
“Yes, Nate. Take all my clothes away. Get me ready for my lover.”
“Let’s adjust your makeup just a little,” I said, reaching in my bag for my kit. “I want to lighten it… let the soul shine through.”
I laid her back on the sofa with a pillow under her arm, then wiped away some of the more dramatic makeup she’d used with her gown. I tousled her hair a bit and draped it over one shoulder.
“My God! Isn’t she spectacular?” said Peter from behind me.
I glanced around and saw that he, Derek, Ronda, Patricia, Toni, and Alex had all come into the room. They were standing back, but from this distance, I could see a genuine affection in Peter’s eyes. Audrey rushed into the room with a throw in soft tones that I draped across Jane. I leaned forward and kissed her.
“Think of this as the time you’ve been waiting for. The time when your lover approaches you and you know you are about to make a new heir to the Earldom. How will you look at him? How will you greet him?”
I stepped back to the Hasselblad and took the first picture. Jane still looked a little baffled. I liked that and moved slightly to get another shot. Then Jane looked me straight in the eye and I saw her expression soften. She reached up absently to twirl a lock of her hair and started to pull the drape down from her body.
“Hold it. Right there!” I said as I hurried to the Linhof. I composed the image and looked over the top. Jane’s eyes followed me and I gestured for her to stay focused on my eyes. It was beautiful.
I took several more shots on both the Hasselblad and the Linhof. Her expression shifted. The drape shifted. We did some photos of her standing and I approached Peter.
“May I have your shirt, Lord Peter?”
“My…” He glanced at Jane, standing perfectly still and realization dawned on him. He hurriedly stripped out of the white shirt he was wearing and handed it to me.
I slipped it onto her and we took a long series of shots with the proverbial ‘lover’s shirt’ in various stages of slipping off her body. It was a beautiful series. I handed the shirt back to Peter and he pulled it on, as I started getting Jane dressed again.
“Would you two like to go and get started on that heir?” Anna asked softly.
“Oh, no! We can’t do that,” Jane said breathlessly. “I… You know… I’m about to get married. I can’t have a lover this week. We’ll come and visit you in Stratford in a month or two.”
Who could know? In a month or two, they might have succeeded on their own.
Peter was having a blast playing with Toni. It was like he was just a big kid and laughed and giggled as much as Toni when they were playing with the dogs. Jane had a brace of pointers and I found that they actually were used for hunting on the estate. They were kept under the care of the groundskeeper and were very friendly. We further discovered the groundskeeper had a little boy about Toni’s age and the children kept both Peter and the dogs running non-stop until nap time.
“Peter, you’re a natural with the children,” I said when we’d settled Toni for a nap.
“I just love them. I feel like I don’t have to worry about being a grown-up for a while, you know?”
“I do. And it isn’t only the preschooler that is fun. I’ve enjoyed every stage of Toni growing up. And now we have Alex, too. Every day is new.”
“I wish I could just stay here the rest of the weekend, but it wouldn’t look proper before the wedding,” Peter sighed. “Fortunately, we’ll be back on Monday. We’re only spending a night in London after the wedding.”
“I truly wish you and Jane the happiest of lives,” I said.
Peter stopped and turned to me. He was quite shy until you got to know him. Even then, having a serious conversation was reserved for special times.
“Nate, I’m not going to have any children,” he began. “It isn’t just because I’m homosexual. I’m sterile.”
“Does Jane know that?”
“Yes. We’ve talked about it extensively. We are both agreed that we would like you to father our children. I have… surprisingly… I have fallen in love with Jane. She is a wonderful person, witty, compassionate, and tolerant. Derek and I have been together two years and I think we’ll be together a long time. We are… satisfied with each other. Jane and Audrey are good for each other, but they aren’t sufficient. I believe Audrey will eventually find a husband of her own. She craves a masculine presence more than Jane does. What I’m trying to say is that having you with Jane is not a cause of jealousy for me. It would be a great gift to both of us if you could find it in your heart to… love her a little.”
“Peter, Jane is an easy woman to love. My family is getting to know her and Audrey on this trip. I don’t think anyone will have a problem with our relationship. I believe you are quite an extraordinary man. Thank you for inviting me to be part of your relationship.”
Peter pulled me into a hug.
“Peter, are you trying to seduce my lover?” Jane asked as she approached from the hallway.
“No, love. Nate and I were about to discuss the possibility of a twenty-fourth birthday gift for you.”
“That’s in July,” Jane said.
“I thought we could spend a portion of our summer honeymoon in Stratford, Ontario. Don’t you think it would be fun to attend the theatre and see our dear friends?”
Jane kissed her fiancé and then kissed me with fervor.
“Would that be possible, Nate? Could we?” she asked.
“I see the sense in Peter’s proposal,” I said. “I’ll talk it over with the family, but I can’t imagine there will be a problem. And it will be nice to be in the same country in the spring if we are living in London.”
“Oh, I love you so much, Peter. And I still have some love for you, Nate. I hope you will love me a little.”
“You can be assured that I do.”
Peter, of course, returned to North Heddington on Thursday evening. Jane was swept away on Friday to prepare herself in Coventry. Her bridesmaids and Audrey, and possibly some others, were having hair, nails, and makeup done before the big event. We wouldn’t see them again until Monday, except at the wedding.
Our driver picked up the girls to go shopping in Birmingham—only about fifteen or twenty miles away—leaving me with Alex. I found my baby daughter to be perfectly wonderful company as I processed film and printed proofs in Jane’s darkroom. When I emerged from the darkroom with my daughter, I found half a dozen staff hanging around and hoping for an opportunity to help with her.
I’m not sure what I can say about the wedding at 11:30 Saturday morning. Our driver got us to Coventry in plenty of time to meet the Ambassador and join the 250 or so people filing into the cathedral. I gathered that it was a small wedding for the cathedral. But Plympford was almost local. Jane’s guests were seated on the left of the sanctuary and Peter’s were on the right. The Ambassador and I split and sat on opposite sides. We were directed to our seats by a helpful usher.
“Your Highness, may I introduce you to our State Department Photographer and his family? This is Nate Hart, Ronda May, Anna Marx, and Patricia Kowalski. And their children Toni and Alexandra,” the Ambassador said after the service. The family lined up to greet the Princess.
“Your Highness,” I said. “It is a privilege to make your acquaintance.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hart. Your family is… lovely,” the Princess said. “I’m told you are an award-winning photographer. Perhaps we might make use of your talents ourselves.”
I thought at first, she was using some kind of royal we, but then she took a uniformed gentleman’s hand, and I realized she was making a reference to a possible future event.
“I would be honored to assist you, Ma’am. I must note, however, that I am not qualified to photograph events, such as a wedding. I specialize in portraiture,” I said.
“Excellent. Ambassador, after our announcement, we might discuss the matter with you.”
“Of course, Princess,” the Ambassador said. The Princess and her escort departed and the Ambassador turned to me. “I do hope your pictures of Lady Jane and Lord Peter turn out well,” he said.
“I pulled proofs yesterday,” I said. “We got some spectacular photos. Lady Jane might not wish to share some of them, though.”
“Oh. Oh, my. And you are sure you are welcome back to Plympford now instead of to London? Robert told me of the change in plans.”
“The family plans to stay at Plympford until after we’ve made the round of the consulates. Jane and Peter have volunteered to help us find a place to live in London.”
“Well, enjoy your time. Robert will join you at the Birmingham airport first thing Monday morning.”
Much to our surprise, Audrey and Derek arrived at Plympford about the same time we got back. Well, of course. They were friends of the happy couple, but they weren’t part of the wedding party or inner circle. We all relaxed. Toni was happy to get out of her ‘wedding dress,’ and to go outside to play with the dogs and Brian, the groundskeeper’s son. It was a beautiful day and we all sat on the terrace. Drinks were brought by the staff as if they had been pre-ordered.
We received word that we were expected at the manor house for dinner and that we should maintain informal dress. Dinner with the Countess was delightful and we all toasted to the health of Peter and Jane.
I spent Sunday afternoon in the darkroom, pulling prints of Jane’s portraits. Anna suggested that Audrey assist me. Well, that was certainly entertaining. Audrey had been bottling up her sex drive all weekend out of respect for Jane and Peter. Once in the dark, clothes were quickly abandoned and the satisfaction of Audrey’s needs commenced.
Monday morning, Ronda and I were whisked to the Birmingham airport by our driver and were met by Robert, the embassy’s security minister. We flew commercial on the 300-mile hop to Edinburgh and were there in plenty of time to do the training at the consulate that afternoon. Robert had some special instructions for his team regarding getting everyone badged in the shortest possible amount of time. The State Department had issued completion dates of “within ninety days” of training. The embassy wanted the process accelerated to two weeks. The camera would be in use non-stop.
We flew from Edinburgh to Belfast on Tuesday morning. The same situation was made clear at the consulate. After we had trained, delivered our pouch, and taken the required photos, Robert and the Consul General took Ronda and me out to dinner. We had a lovely time and drank one too many of the rich dark Irish beers. We were glad to be spending the night in Belfast before returning to Plympford.
“We’re not questioning your request,” Ronda said, “but we’re all just wondering why you’re insisting that only Nate can come with you for your portrait together tomorrow.”
We were all at dinner Wednesday evening back at Plympford. For the past three days, Jane and Peter had been guiding Anna and Patricia to various possible properties for us to rent for the nine months we’d be stationed in London. When Ronda and I got back Wednesday afternoon, we were inundated with possibilities, as well as the pluses and minuses of each. Peter had reiterated, however, that only I could travel with them for their official portrait. It was to be at a special location.
“I’m sorry to have kept you all in the dark,” Peter said. “It’s been a matter of security that no one was to know where we were going tomorrow. We haven’t told Dora where she is taking us tomorrow, either. And we’ve left Derek and Audrey out of the plan. You see, we are going to Wood Farm tomorrow.”
There were gasps from Jane, Derek, and Audrey. Apparently, that meant something to them.
“I see that doesn’t mean anything to you from America,” he continued. “Wood Farm is a lovely cottage located in a secluded part of Sandringham Estate. It is a favorite retreat of the Queen.”
“The Queen?” Anna exclaimed.
“That would be our queen, yes,” Peter laughed.
“You didn’t tell me! What should I wear? I don’t have a thing!” Jane said.
“Dear, the dress and gloves I bought for you in London are specifically for this portrait.”
“Honestly!” Jane said. “I thought he was planning a secluded place where you’d photograph us nude!”
“I suppose it is not impossible,” he said, “but I think Her Majesty would frown upon it.”
“Uh… I’m not certain I have appropriate clothing with me,” I said.
“You looked spectacular at the wedding,” Jane said. “Yes, I noticed. You would not be required to have anything more formal than that.”
“When I set the ball rolling to have you come for our wedding to take our pictures, Her Majesty suggested that we take our portrait in front of the great fireplace at Wood Farm. It’s truly a beautiful setting, and it is possible she will want us to have a portrait with her. She’s quite sentimental about such things. Nate, she specifically wants to meet you. It is possible that her daughter and future son-in-law will be there for an engagement portrait.”
“Well, now I’m not nervous at all,” I said.
“You’ll be great. Do you need to brush up on your protocol?” Ronda said. “You kind of jumped the introduction to the Princess on Saturday. She was supposed to greet you first.”
“Oh, crap. I guess I got a bit nervous.”
“There won’t likely be a formal introduction tomorrow,” Peter said. “Unless the Queen directly addresses you, you are simply the photographer.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was a two-hour drive to Sandringham. Once we turned into the estate, it was still two miles to get to the cottage. Dora simply stayed with the car. I unloaded my equipment and a staff person at the cottage assisted in carrying my lights and tripod to the lodge great room. The fireplace was as beautiful as Peter had suggested. A fire was burning which made the room more cheerful and would do interesting things for backlight in the portrait.
I directed all my comments either to the staff person assisting me or to Peter. He positioned Jane as I set lights and took light meter readings. I had both the Hasselblad and the Linhof set up and took several sample shots with the Hasselblad. Then we experimented with the Linhof. I put a Polaroid back on it and pulled a couple of sample prints that we looked at and decided what we liked.
“Okay. I think we know what we want now,” I said. “Let’s take the real thing.”
I went through half a dozen sheets of film in the Linhof, both landscape and portrait. I had to use my black bag to remove them to a lightproof envelope and reload the carriers. When I looked up, a third person was with the couple. I was silently in the presence of the Queen.
I know people in the US who are pretty disdainful of anything that smacks of royalty. An accident of birth and the woman had been acclaimed Queen when her father died, right here on Sandringham Estate. It was no big deal to Americans. To Brits she was appointed by God. Well, to a lot of Brits, anyway.
I had to say that her presence in the room literally changed the temperature. I was suddenly sweating. The three of them lined up in front of the fireplace.
“Nate, one with the three of us, please,” Peter said.
“Certainly, My Lord,” I responded. I loaded the camera, then focused. I trusted the lighting conditions were not significantly different, but there was a shadow across the Queen’s chin. Peter realized I was having some difficulty and broke the formation to approach me. “I need to adjust a light. There’s a bad shadow on her face.”
“Of course,” Peter said. He stepped back into place. “We’ll stand here just a moment if it pleases you, ma’am. Nate needs to adjust a light.”
I quickly made the adjustment and returned to the camera. Not knowing exactly how photographers addressed royalty to be sure they were ready, I held up my hand and counted down three, two, one, then took the picture. I immediately flipped the film carrier and repeated the process after checking to make sure everything was properly composed.
“You see, I knew we would encounter you again,” a voice just behind me said. I turned to find the princess.
“Your Highness,” I said nodding to her.
“We’ll start with a mother-daughter portrait if you will,” the Princess said. “Lionel, would you position the Queen’s chair?”
Jane, Peter, and the Queen stepped aside while Anne and the staff guy, Lionel, got the chair positioned correctly.
“How’s this?” she asked. I thought she was asking me and was about to answer when her fiancé responded from over my shoulder.
“Just a bit to the left, dear,” he said. Well, that was the instruction I was about to give. The Queen went to sit in the chair and Peter came to my side.
“Lights?” he asked.
“I need to lower the one on the left,” I said.
He approved and went to suggest a position for the mother and daughter. I ended up with a very sweet photo with the Queen seated and the Princess perched on the arm of the chair next to her.
Then I got pictures of the couple and they rather abruptly left.
“I hope you can get us twenty copies of that before you leave the country. We’re announcing our engagement in two weeks,” the Princess said as she brushed by me.
“I will do my best in Lady Jane’s darkroom.”
“I’ll bet,” she whispered.
I began to break down my equipment when I was summoned.
“Mr. Hart, would you be kind enough to approach?”
The Queen had spoken to me. Without appearing to run, I moved quickly toward her. I nodded my head to her.
“Your Majesty,” I said.
“I understand you are looking for a place to live in London,” she said.
“Yes, Ma’am. I have a large family and it is a challenge to find an appropriate home.”
“Lady Jane, don’t you have a suite of rooms in London?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I seldom use it since I finished school and the place was so big for just me. I think my father bought it, thinking I would be having parties there or something.”
“Well?”
“Oh! Yes! Nate, it would be perfect for you and your family. Peter has a suite in London as well, so we won’t need that batch of rooms. We could let it to you when you arrive.”
“It’s big enough for our family?” I asked.
“Definitely. And I’ll make sure you have staff to maintain it. It’s perfect.”
“I know it sounds terrific,” Peter said. “But we do need to let Nate and his family see the place before we simply call it cricket.”
“Of course. We’ll take you to see it tomorrow!”
I was a little overwhelmed.
“Thank you, my lady. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“That is good,” she said. “Peter and Jane, yes. I approve. I trust you will all have a safe trip back to Plympford.”
With that the Queen departed. We watched her until she was out of the room and then scurried about getting equipment packed. Lionel had already taken down the lights and packed them. He took care of the tripods as soon as I had the cameras off of them and packed them in their cases. Dora was waiting at the door. We packed the equipment in the boot and were gone just five minutes after the Queen departed.
“Wow!” I said as I leaned back against the seat next to Jane. “Thank you both for that great experience. I’ve taken a picture of the Queen.”
“And the Princess,” Jane added.
“And she found you a place to live,” Peter said.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that in the first place,” Jane said. “I even suggested to Patricia that you all live with us in Plympford.”
“I think we’ll have an office at the embassy we’ll have to go to when we’re not traveling,” I said. “Flying from Birmingham when we went to Scotland and Ireland worked fine, but it would be less convenient for the embassy. Besides, we really don’t know where our plane will be based.”
“Based?” Peter asked. “Won’t you be flying commercial?”
“I don’t believe so. The boss wants us to fly with the equipment and have the plane ready to take us to the next assignment. So, we might fly London-Helsinki-Stockholm-London in three or four days.”
“Maybe we can fly along with you on occasion,” Jane said.
“I don’t know the rules about that, but I’ll ask,” I said. We passed the time pleasantly on the way back to Plympford, and arrived in time for dinner.
“And so, we want to take you to London tomorrow to look at the flat I had while in school,” Jane said.
“If it was your student apartment, isn’t it rather small?” Patricia asked.
“My father sent me to school with a staff. You simply can’t imagine what a life of privilege is unless you are used to having people running around trying to do for you when all you want is to lock yourself in the darkroom,” Jane laughed. “I think he believed I would be having parties all the time. And I did have a few, but not all that many. As my staff got bored, I sent them all back home except the housekeeper/cook. The two of us absolutely rattled around in it.”
“When we have had occasion to be together in London, we’ve used my flat,” Peter said. “It is a sensible five rooms with a bath and a half. Unlike Jane’s mansion in a high-rise.”
“Remember, Jane, we’ll have to get our budget approved for whatever we decide to rent. If you really have a mansion in a high-rise, it might be more than we can afford,” I said.
“Whatever your budget turns out to be, I promise it will be enough,” Jane said.
“It was awfully nice for the Queen to approve of it,” I said, relating how she had called Jane and Peter’s attention and told them she approved.
“Oh, Nate,” Jane said. “She wasn’t approving of us renting the flat to you. After all, she suggested it. She was approving you to be the father of our children.”
“I understand Audrey assisted you in the darkroom while we were away,” Jane whispered. “Do you suppose you could use my help in the darkroom tonight?”
“Oh, Jane, do you dare isolate yourself with this man during your wedding week?” I laughed.
“I’m married now. I needn’t remain chaste! We can’t start a baby yet, but I should at least make love once during the week I got married, don’t you think?”
I passed that idea by my wives who all laughed at it, wondering why I hadn’t already jumped all over the idea. And all over Jane. Which I did do. We kissed and undressed in the darkroom, but after we’d finished pulling the proofs of the day’s photos, we continued our lovemaking in her bed.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
