Yet she had to get a look.
Quickly, she peered through the gap, smothering the gasp that came out of her lips.
The gown was stunning. Decked in gold and pearls, it was at once a decadent, regal garment, an imposing piece of jewellery, and a priceless artefact.
But it wasn’t just that. It was Elizabeth herself. Although she was just twenty-six, there was something almost luminous about her, a stillness that overrode her size and stature. Her face was attentive, her eyes focused. It was as if this role brought with it the most immense personal resources, and she intended to dedicate not only her life, but her whole self to her duty.
It felt incongruous that so young a woman – not long married and with two small children – could be in charge of not just a country but also an empire. Yet she looked as if she had been created for that very purpose.
Miranda found herself wondering if she had been wrong about Elizabeth. There was far more to her than she’d thought.
She tried to take in the details of the gown, wishing she’d had time to grab her camera. Perhaps she’d be able to jot down a sketch once she was back at her desk. She’d have to work on Caroline to let her see it another time, keep her camera closer to hand.
A rhythmic tap came from a door on the other side of the dressing room, and Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. ‘Come in!’
The door opened and in walked Philip.
Miranda had never seen the queen’s husband close up and was surprised at how tall he was. Muscular yet slim in his smart dinner jacket, there was an angularity to him, a defined shape to his handsome face, his blond hair receding slightly from his temples. She’d heard someone say that he looked like a movie actor beside the old advisors, and that was spot on.
A smile caught the side of his mouth, and he leaned down to kiss Elizabeth, making her smile with delight before she playfully pushed him away.
‘We’ve got to be careful with the gown, darling! They’re just about to come in to fit it.’ She looked down at it, and then turned to him, her hand lingering on his chest.
And something about the look in her eyes stopped Miranda’s breath. Deep in the recesses of her mind, a thread of a memory surged to the forefront. The sensation behind that gaze was love, a love so deep and dear that it made Miranda tingle with longing as her mind drifted back to Connecticut, the summer before Jack left for the war. They’d been so deeply connected that it was unspoken that they would be together forever.
With a gentle laugh, Philip pulled Elizabeth back into an embrace. ‘Then we’ll have to steal a kiss before they arrive.’
Miranda watched them, not as royalty but as two ordinary human beings entwined in a kiss, lingering, passionate, as if in conversation about a more intimate act. That feeling of headiness came back to Miranda as she remembered how that felt, the closeness, how she and Jack belonged together.
After they pulled apart, Elizabeth showed off the gown, lifting the skirt a fraction and swooshing it from side to side.
Philip strolled around her, eyeing her form. ‘Magnificent as ever, darling.’
‘And you’re looking very smart. Where are you off to?’
‘My equerry has organized a lunch of sorts.’
Her face fell. ‘Out gallivanting again?’
He made a long sigh. ‘Now that your advisors have stopped mynaval career, I have to fill my time somehow. First they took away my navy ship, then my desk job, and now they’re insisting that we change the name of our children from Mountbatten to Windsor. There isn’t a single man in this country who can’t give his name to his own children except me. I feel like an amoeba.’
‘I thought you knew what it was going to be like before we were married.’
He pulled away. ‘But I wasn’t expecting this barrage of nos. You always let them win, don’t you? If you’re not careful, darling, you’ll end up being nothing but their puppet. They’ll make the decisions, and you’ll be wheeled out to smile and wave.’
‘That’s not true.’ She looked at her reflection in the mirror. ‘I have to do my duty, to put the monarchy first.’
‘I know that,’ he said gently. ‘But why can’t you be the one to say no to them every once in a while? You are the queen, after all.’ He took her hands in his. ‘You need to have confidence, make your own decisions. Don’t let them bully you into thinking they know best.’
‘I do say no to some things. In any case, they’re only trying to protect the monarchy. My uncle’s abdication caused a constitutional crisis. We can’t risk any more mishaps.’ She straightened herself. ‘I need to be that safe and stable pair of hands.’
Philip frowned. ‘Edward has a lot to answer for. What’s that awful nickname he has for you? Shirley Temple? You have to stand up to these people, show them who wears the crown.’
There was a knock at the door, and the queen, exasperated, looked at him. ‘That’ll be Hartnell to do the fitting. We’ll have to finish this later.’
He took her hands and pressed them. ‘Left to your own devices, you’d make the very best decisions for the country, far better than those ancient advisors.’
His eyes pierced hers for a moment, and then, with a smile, the queen released her hands. ‘Go to your lunch, darling, and I’ll see you later.’
