But then Henrietta pulled back, whispering furiously, ‘I don’t believe a word of it.’
‘I thought you should know.’ Caroline leaned forward to insist in hushed tones, ‘Perhaps she could testify, if you wanted a divorce.’
The woman lowered her voice, snarling at Caroline, ‘Do you think I don’t know? I have to look after myself, and if that means overlooking the odd dalliance, that’s what I’ll do.’ Her face formed a sneer. ‘What do you know about anything, you – what are you? A maid?’
Stunned, Caroline staggered back. ‘I apologize. I was trying to help.’
And with that, she went to join Miss MacDonald, a servant back in her station. At least she’d told her. But what use was it when some women only wanted to play the game along with the men, pretend that they’re clever for doing so?
It was time for the dressers to get back to work, reattaching the queen’s jewellery. The heavy crown replaced with the lighter Imperial Crown, thank heavens. Elizabeth would also be wearing a pair of pearl earrings that had belonged to the last Queen Elizabeth almost five hundred years ago – a link between the two young queens, both facing challenges of their own.
And as she watched, Caroline nodded with certainty that this queen was ready to rise to the challenge.
Outside Westminster Abbey, the Gold State Coach waited to carry her and Philip through London. The streets were packed with wellwishers hoping to get a glimpse of their new monarch, and Caroline couldn’t have been prouder of the woman ready to be queen.
MIRANDA
THE EXCITEMENT OF THE CROWD WAS ELECTRIC AS THEprocession headed down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace. Miranda had positioned herself in the middle of the stand facing the circle, now dense with people eager to get a glimpse of their new queen.
Scrutinizing her list, Miranda double-checked that everything was in position.
Contrary to expectations, ever since her mad dash to the airport, Miranda’s life had shifted in both direction and gear.
First of all, she’d confessed everything to her friends. They’d been stunned that she was an undercover journalist, especially Caroline, who had placed so much trust in her. But after hearing her story, about how sorry she was, how she wanted to have them in her life, they rallied. With Betty’s insistence, Miranda vowed to stay for a while and to treat the place like home. It felt surprisingly heartwarming to have one after all these years – she’d been wrong about that, too.
And then there was Sinclair. The entire episode had uncovered something deeper, something more lasting between them. She was beginning to see that for the last eight years she had been grieving: the way the human body and mind try to cope with loss. How painful it had been. And now, it wasn’t that she was over it, but rather that she was ready to incorporate it into her new world.
She’d returned to the palace the following day, and with the coronation so close, the bosses were quick to accept her excuse of an illness.
Union Jack flags and banners were out in force, flying high over the three million people who lined the seven-mile procession route.Barriers were put up to stop people from straying onto the road, and extra police were brought in from across the country.
The parade was spectacular. Two thousand troops were taking part, with twenty-nine marching bands, all in elaborate red, gold and black uniforms. A golden cavalry on horseback controlled their trotting horses with practised precision.
The sheer opulence of the event was breathtaking – especially so soon after the war. Britain might have been broken by bombs, debts and rationing, but this was her moment to show the world that she had bounced back, a force to be reckoned with in the new postwar world. And what a statement Britain was making, with her glorious young queen, a truly new era if ever there was one.
The crowd roared with excitement, everyone rising to see the queen as she waved from the window of the gleaming gold coach.
Miranda moved into the seating area and took an empty place beside a man with dark hair and traces of a suntan.
He reached over to take her hand. ‘I didn’t know whether you’d be too busy to meet me.’
‘It’s going as planned for now.’ A bright smile caught her eyes as she looked at him, feeling that joy permeate through to her core. ‘And what a day it’s been!’
‘Do you still mean to write about it?’
She shook her head. ‘Not at all. O’Hara will be livid, but now I have a new article for him. It tells the real story of Elizabeth breaking the mould for women all over the world. I thought I’d title it “The Young Queen Heralds a New Era for Women”. You see, Elizabeth is inspiring. She’s learning to think for herself, to show the world she’s up to the task. Now’s the time for women to find inspiration, to see a young woman in power and take it on for themselves.
‘It’ll delve into some of the issues women face here in London, in the palace itself. Poor Lucy was suckered into beauty pageants and prostitution. Behind the glamour and perfect housewives of this generation, there is a covert sense that women are there to be used, either for making money, for sex, or as household servants. The new queen can influence that. Since she’s been queen, she’s stopped listening tothe men and started listening to herself, to the country, and especially to the women.’
And Miranda went on to describe how the queen herself joined the army during the war, working as a truck mechanic. ‘She knows what it’s like to work. She knows what women are capable of achieving. She knows that she is in a unique position – the world will be looking to her. And well they might. Queen Elizabeth will show everyone that she is more than able for this role: she will lead the way to the future.’
‘Insightful!’ He nodded appreciatively. ‘But isn’t your boss part of the cohort of men who believes women can’t do the same jobs as men? Wouldn’t you lose your job if you want to write articles like that?’
She pulled back. ‘I’ve decided to leave theNew York Gazette,’ she said, uncharacteristically nervous. ‘I don’t want to live in New York anymore – not when there are so many places I haven’t seen. I think this new article will put me on the map, show that I can be a foreign correspondent or even a travel writer.’
A smile crept over his face. ‘Well, how about making your first stop Rome?’ His eyes gleamed. ‘Once the coronation is over, I believe the Foreign Office will be sending a very deserving young man there as a pat on the back for his efforts.’
And as Sinclair lowered his head to kiss her, the parade passed by in front of them, the crowds roaring with celebration. It was as if the stars had finally aligned, and Miranda was at the pivot, the apex, where her life could finally move into its own new era.
