Page 54 of The English Queen

“She’s braver than I am. I cannot imagine getting up in front of thousands of people and performing anything let alone an entire composition. Or writing something people could flat out hate. She’s brave. Natalie thinks she is invincible. That’s the problem.”

“Put her at the controls. She’ll do well,” Keir said. “I’m dead serious. A lass like that, get her in a cockpit. It will give her something productive to do.”

“I wish I could take her up. I had ideas about doing these things with the kids. And then, no.”

“I’m sorry, Robbie,” the Queen was remorseful.

“Well, that’s why they have an uncle who is allowed to do such reckless things with them,” Duncan said. “Two, in fact.”

Paul wandered in, sobbing and talking in a way only Robbie understood. He was mumbling and angry.

“Well, maybe don’t pick a fight with Christine,” Robbie sighed, pulling the boy’s chin up to look his face over. “I don’t see any scars. Nothing is broken. Leave her be.”

“She… hit… me,” Paul sobbed.

“You said she hit you because you picked her up to move her out of the way. You frightened her. You forget how big you are sometimes, Paul,” Robbie said.

“So, I could run through! I did not mean to hurt her. She is older than me!”

“She is smaller than you, too. Be good to her. I know you didn’t mean to give her a fright. You were just trying to get her out of harm’s way, but she reacted as many people do.”

Robbie dabbed the boy’s tears with a napkin and Paul nodded.

“Go, on, find your brother and sister. Go play.”

“She has a good reflex that one,” Duncan chuckled after Paul left. “But he’s got what? A stone on her? She’s a little thing. Takes after her mum.”

“He doesn’t know how big he is. We are working on this,” Robbie sighed. “He will be almost as tall as Georgie in no time at this rate. He’s a foot taller than his peers.”

“I can relate in an almost painful way,” Louis admitted.

“Really?” Duncan said. “I mean, you are tall, so I suppose.”

“All three of you seem tall to tiny people like us,” Maggie said. “Jesus. Put someone the size of Beth or Rebecca or even Vanna next to the lot of you and you look like giants.”

“I was the biggest kid in my class all of my school years. And at Paul’s age, I didn’t realise I was bigger than other kids. I often forget how tall I am until I see a picture of myself next to Beth because she’s so small. She doesn’t seem tiny until you see yourself next to her. I think her personality takes up a lot of unclaimed space otherwise. Anyhow, I couldn’t figure out why I would intimidate some children unintentionally.”

Robbie said, “He’s a darling child. He would not hurt a fly on purpose. In fact, if he hurt a fly, he would probably need a cuddle. He’s quite sensitive. I mean, George can be, too. Natalie is anything but. I wish she had more emotional intelligence. She might be less… combative.”

“He is…” Maggie started and then stopped, as if she thought better.

“No, mother, come on and say it. You think he’s spoiled,” Robbie groaned. “They are all spoiled. Yes, and Duncan’s girls aren’t?”

Duncan burst into a fit of laughter and shook his head, “I do spoil them mercilessly. I am not going to deny it.”

“Well, what good are weens if ya kent spoil ‘em?” Keir bounced a gleeful child on his knee.

Kiersten had everyone fawning over her constantly. She had her life made. Now, Louis realised why Beth, the last child by a wide margin and born directly to the monarch, probably got everything she wanted. This was why Beth was so exacting. She had the benefit of being the centre of the universe. His youngest sister, Marta, closer in age to Beth than she to Louis, also had this benefit. And for that reason, Marta usually got what she wanted.

“Exactly,” Robbie said. “But Mum will have opinions and she won’t lodge them with me. She will lodge them with Vanora who deserves no criticism. We parent as a team, and she is a splendid mother.”

“She seems to set the tone. And she coddles him. She can be weak with him, baby him, is all I am saying. She nursed him for an eternity He was basically attached to her round the clock until he was what? Near three? None of you were on the breast so long,” Maggie shook her head.

“There it is. Mother, it has nothing to do with nursing. He was the only child she could get to nurse,” Robbie said. “Twins are hard—”

“I nursed both of you. And then Elliot for quite some time. And Beth for all too long but not that long. I had things to do.” Maggie rolled her eyes.

“Well, she’s not nursing Kiersten because it’s impossible. It’s a moot point. Nursing a child doesn’t make them… coddled. I mean, really, what are you saying? He’s not boy enough? He’s a pansy?”

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