To distract myself from the tense build-up to Dutch Day, I’d picked up Georgina’s journals again, relishing the peek into the life of a person I’d never known—and a side of Eleanor I’d never seen. At first, I’d simply read and reread the first one, turning its old pages slowly, savoring a diverting look inside the mind of a little girl with a lot of opinions. But then I found two more slim volumes buried in a different cupboard in Sex Den (I had given up correcting Nick on the name). The morning of our royal guests’ arrival, after a night of anxiety dreams that had festered and flourished every hour, the Bex Brigade got me spit-shined and ready fifteen minutes early, and I gratefully spent that time perched carefully on an ottoman devouring the next pages.

Happy birthday to me! We spent it in Durham again. Daddy pretends we come here for the fresh air, but I know it’s because London still frightens him and he thinks the countryside is safer. Once, years ago, we stayed here for ages, and lots of London was ruined when we got home and Ellie and I cried so much that Daddy sent us right back for another month. Henry said that was the Blitz. He’s very clever, so I believe him. He tells us things the grown-ups don’t want us to know.

Mummy thinks the Vanes are a bit common. Henry’s great-great-grandfather was nearly prime minister and his grandfather very nearly was an MP and his father was very very nearly Head Boy at Eton when Daddy went there and now works near Parliament. After a bit too much wine I heard Mummy say into her napkin, “Such a lot of nothing.” But Daddy is happy here. He and the Duke puff out their chests and tell boring stories about the old days, like Daddy is just a normal person. But they tease Henry something awful about not going to Eton or playing sport. He plays croquet with us, but I suppose that isn’t as noble to old men. He doesn’t play with us as much now that he’s nearly a grown-up, too, but we had a bit of fun tonight after dinner. There was a cracking rainstorm and Ellie couldn’t sleep, and I never want to go to bed, so we crept into the library to watch through the window, and Henry was there like he always is with his nose in a big book and looking serious.