Page 11 of The Gathering Storm

‘I heard. But it was expected, wasn’t it, after he was equerry to him as Prince of Wales?’

‘Hm, yes, but David isn’t exactly known for his deep, abiding loyalty to his chums.’ His eye suddenly fixed on the slice of toast that Emma was holding. ‘Is that my kumquat marmalade you’re spreading about so liberally?’ he demanded indignantly.

Emma’s hand stopped, knife suspended. ‘It’s what they brought in. I didn’t notice.’

‘I do think it’s too bad of you! You know how hard it is to get hold of,’ he complained.

‘I don’t actually. From where?”

‘Corfu. Marina Kent knows someone who has a villa there with kumquat trees. An elderly grand duchess, I believe – some half-Russian second-cousin in exile. She makes it to earn pocket-money. Or possibly gin-money. You know what these exiled royalties are. Anyway, strings have to be pulled to get it to me via Athens. They smuggle it in the diplomatic bag.’

‘I had no idea it was a politically sensitive preserve. Naturally I shall stop eating it forthwith.’

‘Oh, you know I can’t deny you anything,’ he said, but all the same, he took the toast from her and began to crunch it himself.

Philosophically Emma selected another slice from the toast rack, buttered it, and reached for the honey. ‘You were late last night,’ she observed. ‘Good dinner?’

‘Rather,’ Kit said automatically, but then his eyes flew open. ‘Yes, actually, I have things to tell you. Tremendous goings-on – prepare to be amazed! Dinner at Quaglino’s, and Belmont and I had just tottered round to the club for a settler when in came Eddie Vibart. He’d been equerrying at York House and he was simply bursting with news. It seems Ernest Simpson went there for dinner with the King. He took his pal Rickatson-Hatt with him—’

‘The Reuters man?’

‘The very same – and when they’d finished, Simpson says he wants a serious word with HM. So Rickatson-Hatt says, “Point taken, old horse, I’ll stagger off and leave you to it.”’

‘I’m sure he didn’t say it like that. He picked up frightful American slang when he worked in New York, so he’d have been more likely to say—’

‘Hush, don’t interrupt. This is my story! Where was I? Oh, yes – Hattie proposes to imitate a hoop and bowl away, but Simpson says, “Hold on, old thing, I’d rather you stayed,” and gives him a look that says as clear as day, I need a witness. Naturally, Eddie is all agog, thinking the Simp is going to slap the King’s face with a glove and challenge him to defend his honour.’

Emma, who always enjoyed his style, said, ‘He didn’t, of course?’

‘Well, naturally not, but it wasn’t far short. You see – I have to backtrack a bit – Simpson recently applied to join the same Masonic lodge as the King, and Sir Maurice Jenks, who’s the lodge president, turned him down. When the King – who had rather encouraged Simpson to apply in the first place, d’you see? – demanded to know why, Jenks said it was against Masonic law to have a cuckolded husband as a member.’

‘Oh dear.’

‘Yes, rather an “off with his head” moment! But the King then told him – Jenks – that his relationship with Mrs S is purely platonic, so Jenks had to let Simpson in. A mason can’t call a fellow mason a liar. Of course, the story’s got about and no-one believes a word of it, and now it’s got back to Simpson that everyone in London is sniggering about the whole thing.’

‘One can’t but feel sorry for him,’ Emma said. ‘Go on.’

‘Hence the little tête-à-tête,’ Kit continued. ‘Simpson feels things have come to a head. It’s bad enough that the King is openly running around London with a fellow’s wife and lavishing her with jewels, but when people start mocking a fellow on that account, he can’t ignore it any longer. He tells HM, man to man, that dear Wally will have to choose between them, and asks what his intentions are: does he mean to marry her?’

‘He didn’t!’ Emma was appalled.

‘But he did! And here’s the thing, Oh best beloved – you’d think the King would um and er about it and generally look a bit shifty, but in fact he stares Simpson straight in the eye and says he wouldn’t dream of being crowned without Mrs S being crowned beside him as his wife and queen! Says it right out, with Rickatson-Hatt as an independent witness – and him a pressman into the bargain! Poor Eddie almost choked on his own tongue, trying not to intervene.’

‘My God! But David can’t be serious,’ Emma said.

‘I’m rather afraid he might be. He’s absolutely obsessed with her.’

‘But surely he can’t imagine it could ever happen? What did Simpson say?’

‘He said in that case, he would do the decent thing and let Mrs S divorce him, provided the King swore to take care of her. What d’you think of that?’

‘I’m aghast. It’s going cause terrible complications if the King really starts talking about marriage.’

‘Delicious, isn’t it? Just like a penny novelette.’

‘Except that it’s really rather serious,’ Emma said reprovingly.

Kit took her hand and kissed it. ‘I know, darling. But one can’t help seeing the funny side as well. The Hardinges and Wigrams and Halseys at the Palace – all the old guard – are going to be so very, very upset! They’re unhappy with the King already.’