BooksBarbecue
Back The Summer Queen
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. The Summer Queen
  3. Dedication Page
  4. Family Tree of King George III
  5. Family Tree of Queen Victoria
  6. PART ONE
  7. Chapter One
  8. Chapter Two
  9. Chapter Three
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Six
  13. Chapter Seven
  14. Chapter Eight
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. Chapter Ten
  17. Chapter Eleven
  18. Chapter Twelve
  19. Chapter Thirteen
  20. PART TWO
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. PART THREE
  33. Chapter Twenty-Five
  34. Chapter Twenty-Six
  35. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  36. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  37. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  38. Chapter Thirty
  39. Chapter Thirty-One
  40. Chapter Thirty-Two
  41. PART FOUR
  42. Chapter Thirty-Three
  43. Chapter Thirty-Four
  44. Chapter Thirty-Five
  45. Chapter Thirty-Six
  46. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  47. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  48. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  49. Chapter Forty
  50. Chapter Forty-One
  51. Acknowledgements
  52. Select Bibliography
  53. The Summer Queen
  54. By Margaret Pemberton

With the Garibaldis retrieved, Ella sat on the side of May’s bed. ‘I hate this having to make a suitable dynastic-marriage business,’ she said. ‘Luckily, Granny Queen doesn’t have Willy in mind for me; she’s far more keen on a marriage that will strengthen the ties between the new Germany and England.’

‘But how?’ May was bewildered. The only eligible young men high-ranking enough to achieve such a purpose were Eddy and Georgie. Although it was obvious they would one day have to enter into politically advantageous marriages, it had never occurred to her that one of the brides might be Ella. Dry-mouthed and praying the groom wouldn’t be Eddy, she added, ‘And who with?’

Ella brushed Garibaldi crumbs from the front of her nightdress. ‘Eddy. I can’t say I’m enthused. He’s too much of a mystery. You never know what he’s thinking. But after Granny Queen’s death and after Uncle Wales becomes King and he dies, Eddy will be King – although he won’t be titled King Edward or King Eddy, as his Christian name is actually Albert Victor – and as Granny Queen is now Empress of India, he’ll be an emperor as well. All of which means I will then be both a queen and an empress.’ She stood up and crossed over to her own bed. ‘Which isn’t bad for a princess of a little duchy like Hesse, is it?’ she asked, sliding down beneath the covers. ‘Goodnight, best friend May. Sweet dreams.’

May’s dreams were anything but sweet, and the next morning her mood was glum and would have remained glum if it hadn’t been for Alicky seeking her out. ‘I’ve given Nanny Orchie the slip again, so that we can have another nice time on the beach with Cousin Willy,’ she said, taking hold of her hand. ‘He’s gone down to Granny Queen’s sketching alcove to write a letter to Ella and, when he’s finished writing it, I’m to give it to her. He says if he tried to give it her, she wouldn’t take it from him.’

The semicircular sketching alcove had been built on the far end of the beach so that Queen Victoria could sit in the shade and, enjoying the view, indulge her passion for sketching in watercolours. There was a wooden bench built into the curve of the blue-tiled inside wall, and the ceiling tiles were prettily decorated with exotic yellow stars.