Things We Said Today

Chapter 5 - 17 July 1968

A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm so sorry that it has been sooo long, I really planned for everything to be a bit more organised than this. At first I was really busy at school, and then life kind of got in the way of everything! But I do really want to keep this going, as I do have general plans for where this is going, but anyway thanks for your patience (!), I am slightly nervous about publishing this chapter after so long, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

They arrived far quicker than Jane had expected; it was only a little way down the road, by Hyde Park after all, but what with all the disruption caused by fans and police, Jane half expected for it to take an hour. After they entered, Paul quickly helped her divest herself of her cardigan, blanket contraption, she had found herself getting cold far more easily since the pregnancy, and so they had got into the habit of leaving various warm clothes in their cars, for practical reasons, and helped her into a coat.

The Royal Lancaster was bustling, filled with the harsh clinking of glasses, and the low buzz of conversation. As soon as they entered they were cornered by an enthusiastic waiter, who began pouring out rather large glasses of champagne for the both of them. Jane had to quickly refuse, citing a headache for the reason – which wasn't strictly untrue – not that it would rouse much suspicion anyway, as she'd never been a particularly regular, nor willing drinker, she supposed that would make it easier to adjust. Paul glanced at Jane, and refused a drink as well, she presumed in solidarity, before giving her a grin, and asking.

'Well, who do you want to see first, dear?'

She had momentarily spotted Pattie and George, in a corner by some magnificent wood panelling, and so they began making their way over to them. Stopping every now and again to give a perfunctory greeting to people that approached them – well mainly Paul. Seemingly mostly to congratulate them on their upcoming nuptials. Jane was more than happy to let Paul keep the limelight and attention, which he obviously enjoyed.

Pattie was wearing an elaborate curled hairdo and what vaguely looked like a yellow feather boa around her neck, she was whispering to George, who was bedecked in the extravagant fare of the Apple Boutique – a shop that Jane herself had studiously avoided, much to the others' annoyance.

Pattie gave her a warm smile when she noticed them approaching, and they quickly gave each other with a kiss on the cheek, while Paul greeted George with a nod.

'How'd you like the film?' George asked her, 'Pattie said it was more surrealist than she had expected.'

'Hmm, I liked it, it was very colourful and almost avant-garde, although I shouldn't say that if John's in the vicinity! I couldn't quite get used to the voices though, they sounded very different.' Jane commented with a wry smile.

'Yes, they did sound a little off,' Pattie hummed, 'why exactly didn't you do the voices?'

'Well, it'd have been a right drag, but at least it'll get UA off our backs. And they aren't as awful as those bloody cartoons.'

Jane smiled again, and turned to take a glass of water from a passing waiter while continuing to listen to George rail against them, it had always rather amused Jane, the vehemence with which the boys disliked those cartoons, which although were admittedly based on caricatures, were largely amusing, harmless fun. Jane still remembered Paul on one of their calls when he was on the American leg of their tour, complaining light-heartedly about how strangely the cartoons characterised him.

Paul and George then quickly began talking business, problems at Apple were only expanding, and the Beatles were trying to get as involved as possible with what Paul liked to call "fresh talent", Paul had been very busy with Mary Hopkin, while George was interested in pursuing producing for other groups. All this, not to mention actually trying to fit in time to actually record their new album, meant they weren't going to get much, or any, part of a honeymoon. They vaguely agreed to make plans to have a late honeymoon in October, when the album should be finished, if she could even travel by then that is, she would be around 4 ½ months pregnant by then, and she wasn't sure how long it would take to get out of this stage of pregnancy where she woke up every morning feeling as if she'd run a marathon the day before, she wouldn't particularly look forward to that and having to contend with jet lag. They had worked out when she most likely conceived, probably near the end of May, which would put her due date sometime around the 25 February next year.