Grace

Chapter 56

It was definitely weird being dropped off at school in the Queen's car. When we got to school, everyone in the car park outside Walpole looked rather shocked too. The press cameras which had been allowed in for whatever reason went a bit crazy and I so very nearly reached for my sunglasses.

"Mental," Mum muttered.

"It's normal," Ben said.

"It's ridiculous."

"It is what it is and we'll deal with it graciously," Maria said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Mum said and looked at the floor.

I looked out the widow before I dared to smile. Ben, sat opposite me, saw and rolled his eyes. He'd done as much earlier when I told him being dropped off by his grandmother was weird.

"She's just Granny," he'd said.

"To you maybe," I'd replied. "To the rest of us she's the Queen."

He's rolled his eyes. This time he smiled a little too. I smiled back and rubbed my foot against his before he sat up really straight to face the music that was the press outside.

The car stopped and the driver, Clint, got out and opened the door for Maria. Ben got out next and then held his hand out for me to take. I took it and squeezed a little as I got out. Apparently this was the single important thing that had happened for a decade. Press people called our names, cameras clicked like they'd never been clicked before. I kept a smile on my face but I really wanted to take my turn with the rolling my eyes thing.

"It's worse than at the dinner," Ben said.

"I'm not even in a sexy dress," I joked.

"Sure about that?" he asked quietly.

I was in a calf length green skirt and a white blouse with a green jacket over the top and, honestly it had been the first bundle of clothes I'd picked up this morning after Ben had more or less pushed me out of bed because I was running late. I mouthed 'behave' at him. He smiled broadly which made the cameras flash even more and me forget how to breathe for a moment.

"Come on, Grace, let us out the car," Dad said.

"Wha... Oh, sorry," I said and let Ben tug me forwards.

As we walked he waved a little to the cameras and I smiled. Behind us Mum and Dad looked a mix of awed and awkward. Maria was already talking to Master Clarke at the door of the house.

"You ok?" Ben asked.

I nodded. "After the last few days this feels somewhat normal. Scarily. Oh look! There's Jess, Tony and Dave."

"Well, they're the only ones not filming us," he said dryly.

I realised he was right. Whilst the gathered press from possibly all over the world had their cameras trained on us, my camera crew were filming them. They were filming all the craziness because they had all the time in the world to film me and Ben. Jessica looked a little bemused and when we got closer Dave caught my eye and rolled his eyes at me which made me chuckle.

We stepped inside and Dame Clarke smiled at us whilst shooing a couple of F blockers up to the boy's dorm to change their clothes which were for some reason sopping wet. I looked around at the old banister, the twirling staircase, the art hung so carefully on the walls and smiled fondly.

I finally felt completely settled without Ben's influence. All the time I'd been in London's centre, apart from last night and early this morning, I'd been on edge. Now, back where I'd first settled properly after the attacks, I felt much more at ease. I felt the tension leak out of my spine and my shoulders slumped a little. For a moment I was incredibly tired, but then Fergus trotted over and I remembered what I had to do today.