Chapter 30
The arrival of Smith in Jeff and Crystal's apartment made Archie and Terri nervous; he could obviously hear them so his presence silenced everything. There was no more chat, as there was when Jessie went about her work, everything shut down and sulked until he left, but he was in an out all day, every day; he never seemed to have a day off.
Archie suggested they say something to Jessie who, since her holiday in Paris, was wearing a look of contentment and expectation and becoming more absent minded every day, putting Crystal's things in the wrong drawers and leaving the bath running,
'She's in love,' Terri said.
Archie suspected it was true and wished her well but they needed her help, the presence of Smith was making everything very unhappy. When they explained the problem to Jessie she understood they didn't want him to hear them but said a surprising thing,
'Don't you think he's a sweetie? Those curls...' and wandered off to the laundry with an armful of Crystal's clean clothes.
'Not very helpful,' Terri said.
'We'll have to speak to Crystal,' Archie decided.
Crystal liked Smith and said so. She also agreed it was difficult for the things in the room. Terri asked her,
'Where did he come from?'
'He was my uncle's valet for many years but they didn't really get on. Smith enjoys the ceremonial, the dressing up you know, but my uncle was always trying to go out in an open neck shirt and a jacket. He tried to wear jeans to a reception once. Poor Smith, he was nearly in tears with him at times.'
'So he likes Jeff?'
'He seems to because Jeff is trying so hard to get it right. He knows that people look forward to seeing us and there's an endless fascination with what we wear. The tiaras and uniforms mean something as well; we have to put on the glad rags and jewels; we can't let people down. Jeff's wonderful in that way.'
'But what can we do about Smith?' Archie asked.
'I think we can trust him.' Terri and Archie baulked but she picked them up and gave them a hug, 'I know what you went through when that dreadful man took you, but Smith isn't like that at all. Anyway, I think he and Jessie are having a thing.'
'Really?' Terri said, instantly alive to a romantic tidbit.
'Really,' Crystal said. 'Let's get her to handle Smith. His name's Reggie by the way, Reggie Smith. I'll have a word.'
The next day Jessie introduced them to Reggie Smith, who smiled and said,
'I'm so pleased to meet you. I don't want anything in here to feel constrained because I'm here.'
So you know...'
'Oh yes,' Reggie said, 'Always have, well since I was a child. You just have to ask nicely. I just didn't know who to ask, I wanted to give you time to get used to me.'
They had a chat and he went away to make Jeff's clothes even more immaculate than they already were.
Terri said to Jessie, who followed him with her eyes as he went away,
'He is cute.'
'Very,' Jessie said.
The enormous change that had occurred in Crystal and Jeff's lives had brought Crystal's studies to an end and Jeff's plan for kids to spend time at Claremore were stalled. Their problem was easy to see: there just weren't enough hours in the day. When they weren't out at a public engagement they were preparing for them or helping the Queen entertain at the Palace. But it worried them both that children like Chloe wouldn't have the opportunity to fulfill a dream as simple as learning to ride a motor bike. Jeff took the problem to his Private Secretary, Sir Robert, who said,
'It's a recurring difficulty we've learnt to solve with a charity. We set one up, your position and prestige raise the money and other people run it with you as patron. You can then be as hands on as your schedule allows. It's not ideal as you probably want to be more heavily involved, but it's better than nothing.'
'How long will it take to set up?' Jeff asked him.
'About a year, including the building work, legal requirements and fund raising.'
Jeff didn't want Chloe to have to wait a year, nor did Crystal, so as soon as they moved into Claremore they sent Chloe an invitation: to spend a weekend with them. Her grandmother and mother were invited but only her grandmother came. It seemed Chloe's mother preferred a week in Ibiza to a weekend in the country. In the end though it was the right thing; Chloe's grandmother lived in the country herself and said to Crystal on the first day,
'If she learns to ride I could get her a bike and she could ride it when she stays with me.'
For her part Chloe was thrilled. Jeff started the weekend with a number of gifts: a set of leathers, gloves, boots and a helmet. Smith had had a wonderful time conspiring with Chloe's grandmother to buy them in Chloe's size, with a little growing room. Chloe, dressed in her biker's gear went out with Jeff for her first lesson. Parked on the gravel in front of the house was a new child size dirt bike. Tears filled Chloe's eyes but they soon cleared as Jeff said,
'It'll only be yours when you can ride it properly. Let's get started.'
She fell off and stalled it but Jeff was patient and she soon mastered the basics of the gears and brakes while staying upright,
'It's wonderful,' she said as they came back for lunch. 'I can't wait to show Gran.'
After Chloe and her Grandmother left on Sunday afternoon with the promise of other weekends at Claremore, Crystal said to Jeff,
'She's such a terrific kid; I hope ours is half as good.'
'Ours?'
'Yes, the one who's due in about eight months.'
'Are you sure?'
'No I'm not sure, but the doctor is.'
Crystal's reaction to her pregnancy was mixed: she did want children; Jeff's children; but she just wasn't ready to be a mother. Having eight months to get used to the idea didn't seem long enough either.
They spent the remainder of their cherished Sunday alone, walking in the grounds. Jeff sensed Crystal's quandary and felt for her - she was carrying the weight of her new role and now the prospect of a child. It wasn't just the fact of the child, who Jeff knew Crystal would love, it was the reality of trying to chisel out time to be a mother. As a royal motherhood would always be a compromise, the child would spend much of its time with nannies and nurses and be left behind at times when they travelled. Jeff didn't like the idea of handing his child over to someone else but what could they do?
'Nothing,' he decided.
As they walked Crystal had similar thoughts and was very quiet but she held onto him and Jeff often kissed the top of her head, giving her his silent support. For himself he was so pleased at the prospect of being a father, he wanted to shout it out, tell everyone. The weekend with Chloe had given him a wonderful experience of making someone else's child happy.
'What will it be like to have our own?' he thought. 'Wonderful', he said to himself, leaving Crystal to her own thoughts.
Crystal's pregnancy wouldn't be announced for a number of weeks and as she wasn't suffering any morning sickness her condition wasn't detected by anyone, even Jessie. Terri however noticed a change in Crystal and said to Archie,
'She's worried about something; I wonder what it is?'
But there was no chance for quiet chats these days as Jeff and Crystal were preparing for their first overseas tour together. They were going to Italy to promote cultural links between the two countries. The trip was to be three days of non-stop activity. Jeff had to resist reviewing the security arrangements; he had enough to do in seemingly endless briefings about Italy's cultural ties to themselves. Sir Robert drilled him with information.
Smith and the tailor fitted him with more suits he thought he didn't need, tails and yet another dinner suit.
'What's wrong with the old dinner suit? I've only worn it a few times,' he asked.
'Nothing sir,' Smith said, 'For here. Italy requires much more style. You'll see the difference.'
Jeff was unconvinced, particularly now when Crystal was unhappy and tense. Finally they flew to Rome and got through the first day and a
banquet in the evening. The next morning Crystal began to fray a little at the edges; her smiles were forced and her responses to the many introductions shorter. Jeff started to worry and was glad when they had a short break in the afternoon to rest and change before dinner.
Crystal spent so long in the bathroom Jeff knocked on the door and then went in. She was sitting on the side of bath looking exhausted.
'What is it?' he asked her.
'I'm bleeding. I had cramps this afternoon and now it's started.' He picked her up and carried her to the bed,
'I'll get the doctor.'
But it was no use; Crystal lost their baby that night. Sir Robert announced the rest of the tour was cancelled because her Royal Highness had flu. They flew home the following afternoon and Crystal was put to bed by Jessie with a warm Archie and Terri against her painful and empty womb. Terri was in tears and Crystal said to her,
'It's such a shame; I never even had time to get used to having it.'
The public were never told that Crystal had lost the baby. As a devastated Jeff said to the Queen,
'It's no-one's business but ours.'
For a time a great sadness descended upon everything in Crystal's room; the objects' sympathy for both she and Jeff and the lost baby was deep. Archie and Terri provided what comfort they could and Jeff was a wonder - he put aside his own feelings of loss and cared for Crystal.
Within a week she had picked up her duties and was as busy as ever but she retained a feeling of guilt that she didn't regret the baby's loss sufficiently. It was all nonsense of course and when she at last went to her grandmother she received the benefit of her wisdom,
'Anyone in your position would have felt overwhelmed. Look at what's happened to you in little over a year - you married and have become my heir when you never expected to be. That alone would have sent some people to the asylum. Be a little gentle with yourself.'
So Crystal got on with life and they settled into a routine: they lived in the Palace during the week and used it as their base but on Friday evening they bolted to the country. They loved Claremore and Archie and Terri found their new home most comfortable. Their city drawer had a country cousin and as the sadness lifted Archie and Terri resumed their happy lives among the objects in the room. Some of them they knew, many they did not.
The house was four hundred years old and although much of its fabric had been replaced over the years some of the original remained. The bedroom mantle was original and growing a little hard of hearing. It wasn't awake much but when it was it tended to shout and woke things up when it talked to Archie and Terri who lived on the other side of the large bedroom. But Archie and Terri just shouted back so it could hear and it usually dozed off quite quickly.
They were enjoying their country weekends although the car was more crowded these days. Jessie and Smith didn't mind, they sat very close to each other in the back seat and spent most of the journey gazing at each other. After one trip Jeff said to Crystal,
'What's going to happen with those two? I don't think I can take much more of the adoring silence. Are they...?
'I think so, aren't they lovely together? Do you know, I saw him hold onto a fold of her skirt as we came in; he seemed to be somewhere else.'
'He must be, he put out tails for me to wear to open that school this morning. Please do something, I hate to admit it but during the week I can't do without him.'
But it was Archie and Terri who, with a small deception, encouraged Smith to propose to Jessie. Archie said to him on Saturday morning,
'Jessie's looking lovely today.'
Smith didn't seem to hear so Archie repeated what he'd said and added,
'I heard the gardener outside earlier, you know the younger one, he thinks she'd like pink roses, what do you think?'
'Red,' a dreamy Smith said, 'I'd give her lots of deep red roses.' What he'd said finally dawned upon him and looked at Archie and Terri who were smiling. Terri said,
'Maybe you should do something, that gardener's a bit of a dish, for a gardener I mean.'