Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(79)
“Hello, Kat.” Miss Cavendish smiles at me. She has been a great friend of the queen’s and a keen supporter for female education. Her father was a professor at the Royal Institute and is one of the few men in Athelia who allowed his daughter read classical languages and learn advanced mathematics. Without her support, we could not have established Princess College in several months. “It is a pleasure to have you back with us. A few months ago, I had wondered why you stopped coming to our meetings, but now I understand. Let me say that while a commoner becoming princess is unheard of, I welcome the day when you are bestowed the title again.”
“Thank you.” I pull out a stool and sit down.
“I was at High Court yesterday, and I think I speak for all of us that His Highness’s confession was profoundly moving. When will you be married?”
I explain that the marriage can't take place until we receive the decree absolute.
“There won’t be any problem this time,” Elle says. “Katriona has agreed to give up the throne.”
I smile. I haven’t told anyone she was practically forced to step down because of her Moryn husband, but I’m glad she volunteered anyway.
Miss Cavendish takes a sip from her glass. I notice she’s also drinking barley water. “When the Education Act was passed, I had drafted a plan for the date when the school can be re-opened, but with the state of price inflation at the moment, I am afraid that it must be delayed.”
Elle lets out a soft sigh. “It is also happening in the boys’ schools. Several of Billy's classmates are staying at home because they could not have enough to eat, and the teachers are unable to teach when the pupils are falling asleep in class. The health of the children must be taken care of before we can open the school again.”
“Maybe you could use funding from Jimmy’s foundation?” I ask. “We could distribute free lunches so the children will have incentive to come to school.”
“It won’t last long as the demand has grown,” Elle says sadly. “I don’t want the school to suddenly shut down again.”
“What about government funds?” Miss Cavendish looks at me. “Did not the Education Act include a budget for establishing schools?”
“It is put on hold because the government needs to purchase more grain, due to the food shortage.” I look around at the bar. There were people standing on chairs when Liam made his speech about landownership. “I suppose the Commoners’ Union for the Abolition of the Privilege of Peers is no longer holding meetings here.”
“I heard they have relocated,” Elle says. “Because there has been too many people coming to their meetings, and so they need more space.”
I remember the size of the crowds when Liam spoke in the city square, and an uneasy feeling settles over me. Where is Liam, and what is he doing now? The objective of the Union is to abolish the peerage, something that Parliament will never allow, since all MPs are nobles. But if more and more people support the Union’s cause…
Miss Cavendish finishes her glass. “Sorry, but I have to leave now, dears. I need to crochet several shawls and scarves for the queen’s charity bazaar, and this year I have to provide more items.”
“The queen’s charity bazaar?” I had remembered Queen Isolde mention it when I was engaged to Edward, but at that time we were busy preparing for the wedding, and I didn’t have a chance to attend it.
“It’s held every year in the Fairfax Arcade,” Miss Cavendish says. Fairfax Arcade is near the area where the annual flower show is held. “The queen invites the ladies in the peerage to come and sell goods. The proceeds are all donated to various places like orphanages, schools, or hospitals. This year the queen wants a bigger contribution for the food crisis. Usually I share a stall with Margaret Gregory, but she has passed away, may peace rest on the dear soul.”
“Oh.” I wish I can tell her that Lady Gregory is alive and living in the fairy realm, but if Lady Gregory did not divulge the truth, then I shouldn’t be blabbing the truth. “A pity. Her crocheted goods are lovely.”
“I’m also invited to set up a stall,” Elle says. “Mr. Galen has kindly agreed to help me prepare a supply of flowers from the greenhouse.”
Wow, I’m impressed. Galen is known for his intolerance of women.
Elle leans forward. “Kat, would you like to come to the bazaar with me?”
I blink. “Are you sure that’s all right? I didn’t get an invitation, and I’m not a lady. Well, not yet.”
“I’m inviting you, and there’s no restriction that the attendees must be of noble blood. His Highness had declared he wants to marry you, in front of hundreds of witnesses.”
True, I have a lot more free time than when I did when I was princess. Edward is at the palace and Parliament most of the day, and I can’t read novels all day long. I help out Cook now and then, but my assistance isn’t crucial, as there’s Amelie and other maids.
But I can’t help but feel apprehensive when I think of the queen. Compared to the king, she has been more sympathetic toward me, and it’s thanks to her that Edward was inspired to look into Katriona’s past in Moryn. But she can’t be pleased that her only son left his parents in the palace and moved out with a commoner, while he still has a wife in the suite. I’m the cause of a royal scandal—something that the monarchy has been anxious to avoid.