Page 40 of The English Queen

Rita watched Vanna begin to meltdown.

“Maggie, be fair,” Sabine said, annoyed. “Are you accusing Vanna of being dishonest? Last I heard, she wasn’t a jewel thief.”

“Yes, at the end of the day, I have access to the royal vault to my heart’s content, why should I even bother?” Vanna wondered, annoyed.

“Well, technically, you own nothing since it is Robert’s to divvy up for occasions. It is his—”

“Well, I think Robert trusts me and has no time to invest time into tiara situations. Would you have asked Keir about jewellery?”

“Well, Your Majesty should I ask you for your permission to wear a tiara then in the future? God forbid I am ever well enough to wear one,” Maggie said.

Oh, the claws were coming out now.

“Wow. Uh, I never said that. Nor would I ever but… okay? Let us throw the gauntlet down. Maggie, you cannot accuse me of being a thief. That’s unfair.”

“Well, I don’t know what Louis would think of it. That’s all I was saying—”

“Oh. My. God. Louis is my friend!” Vanna declared. “Jesus fucking Christ. No. You must not accuse me of things. Don’t dance around it. I know you hate me, Maggie, let us not mince words. But I have turned my world upside down to make sure you are laser-focused on getting better. And I have tried to be everything…”

Vanna’s voice broke as she went from anger to tears, “Everything to everyone. And… God, it is hard. It’s fucking miserable sometimes–for both of us. I get it. I’m a piece of shit. I can’t do anything right. Robert should have married someone better. Blah, blah, blah.”

“No one forced you to marry my son. If you really think it is so trying… well, you have options, don’t you? There is no prenup.”

Vanna’s lip quivered and she burst into tears.

“Oh, go on and cry then. I am always the evil queen and you the beautiful, innocent princess who does no wrong!”

“I don’t have to take this. Not from you. Not from anyone,” Vanna said.

The only thing heard as Vanna packed up her notebook and computer was the sound of tears. She left. Rita and Sabine stared at Maggie.

“Margaux!” Sabine said sharply.

“Oh, she’s always crying. She takes everything so personally. Watch her run to Robert and bat her eyelashes!”

Rita scoffed, “You accused her of thievery! Aunt Margaux, I love you, you don’t believe what you said. Moreover, she is struggling with depression largely because her schedule is a mess, Robbie needs her to manage everything, and she is feeling downright sick over leaving her baby eight hours a day before she felt ready to do so. Give her a break.”

“I don’t hate her. We do not see eye-to-eye about anything. She and I are different people. She’s being haughty. She thinks she is owed things. She is the definition of entitled.”

Vanna swooped in to grab the phone she left on the table. Rita looked on in horror as her friend hurried out. Maggie, now aware her daughter-in-law had heard this rant, looked panicked. Suddenly, this tough gal wasn’t so tough. Vanna returned to the office suddenly. She was still cried, a look of sheer admonishment on her face—the look only a mother shot at her child.

“I have spent the last decade and a half being good, supporting my husband, and popping out babies even though none of it was simple or easy. I married him despite the fact I knew you didn’t like me. You hated me enough to try to derail our marriage. It was only the first of many attempts, Margaux. And yet, when you got sick, all I could think about was how hard it must be to knowing you will leave the Earth knowing you will miss milestones with our children and maybe even Beth’s children altogether. As a mother, I felt for you. As a woman widowed by cancer, I felt for you. I felt deeply for you. I dug in. I fought my own urge to mother my children so, largely, we could mother you. I told myself this was right. But you know what? Fuck it. And fuck this and just… fuck you!”

Vanna left and The Queen looked stunned. The four remaining women at the table sat in silence as if recovering from a bomb blast.

“I… uh…” Maggie said. “I should go. I should… I should head back. I’m feeling… knackered.”

She left.

Izzy remarked, “It’s always the quiet ones. I think Auntie has miscalculated. What did she mean?”

“I don’t know,” Rita said. “But I think Vanna just quit The Firm.”

?????

Robbie arrived at Kensington Palace to find his wife missing. It was disconcerting. The children were gone as well.

“When will they be back?” Robbie asked. “Vanna, Paul, and Kiersten?”

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