‘She will need you.’

‘Possibly, although perhaps I may be more of a hindrance than a help.’ She smiled, cocking her head like a bird. ‘Queen Mary is jubilant to think she will be a great-grandmother.’ She clasped her hands to her knees, her diamond rings sparkling. ‘Crawfie, you have been marvellous here, and we shall be very sorry to see you go.’

‘I shall be sorry to leave. It has been my privilege to serve you and to share some wonderful times.’

The Queen nodded in agreement, then added warily, ‘I hear you have met Mr and Mrs Gould – the American publishers?’

‘Yes.’

‘And that you are to share with them some light stories of your time with us?’

‘Well, yes – if you are happy for me to do so.’

‘I can trust you not to discuss anything too personal, I am sure.’

‘You can, ma’am.’

‘And you understand that you are to be entirely anonymous? Your name must not appear anywhere.’

‘I do understand that, yes.’

‘It might not seem as if you are doing anything of great service to the King, but my dear, it will help him a lot. My husband and I wish to share our gratitude with the American people for all they did for us in the war. Our two countries have a special relationship, both personally and politically, and I am persuaded that Mr and Mrs Gould’s popular magazine will demonstrate our feelings.’

‘I see.’ Marion was both flattered and worried. ‘You will be reading everything that I offer them before publication, won’t you?’

‘Lady Astor will make sure of it.’

Marion smiled. ‘That makes me feel so much better.’

‘Just one more thing before you go.’ The Queen hesitated. ‘The King knows nothing about this yet.’

Buckingham Palace, October 1949

‘Come in, my dear, come in.’ Tommy beamed as Crawfie came into his office. ‘Sit down and tell me how you are.’

Crawfie took the seat he had offered. ‘I must say, now that the decision has been taken and accepted, I am rather looking forward to retirement. George was the catalyst.’

‘Was he? Gentle persuasion rather than an arm up the back, I hope?’ Tommy chuckled at the thought.

‘No. Of course not.’ Crawfie was immediately on the defensive. ‘What makes you think that?’

Tommy was surprised at her reaction. ‘Just a silly figure of speech.’

‘George is thinking only of me.’

‘Good. Good.’ He smiled. ‘I expect you are wondering why I have called you in?’

‘A little.’

‘It would not normally be something I would deal with but I wanted to make sure that your retirement settlement was done properly. Therefore, I have made it my business to oversee the paperwork.’ He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and passed it to her. ‘This is your pension.’

Crawfie looked at the figures carefully. ‘This is more than I expected.’

‘Don’t worry, you haven’t been given special treatment. You have earned it. As a long serving member of the household, that is your rightful due.’