corner from the charity’s offices. But, though her mother was in a determined mood, there were none of the reproaches that Bella was braced for.
‘Look, Bella,’ she said, ‘Kevin and I have been talking. I know that your father has washed his hands of the wedding. Has he even spoken to you?’
Bella had to admit he hadn’t. ‘But that’s happened before, Ma. You know what he’s like. And I was pretty rude to him.’
‘Good for you,’ said Janet, surprisingly. ‘It’s your life. But anyway, Kevin wanted me to say, he would be delighted to help out in any way. For instance, neither of us feels quite comfortable with the way the Palace seems to have taken you over.’
Bella was startled. ‘Doesn’t sound like you, Ma.’
Janet pressed her lips together. ‘I admire the Royal Family. But it does seem that they are riding roughshod over you sometimes. Whenever I speak to you, you have to break off to take a call from Lady Pansy in the middle of it. And it seems to me you’re rushing from pillar to post, trying to keep up with it all. So Kevin says what you need is a proper, trained Personal Assistant. He says that would take some of the strain off you. And he would like to pay for it.’
Bella was so touched that for a moment she could not speak.
Janet began to look nervous. ‘Is that all right? We don’t want to interfere. I just hate to see you looking so frantic.’
‘Ma, you’re wondrous. And Kevin is undoubtedly the best stepfather in the world. They did say they were going to employ me a PA. But in the end Lady Pansy just hired a couple of girls without consulting me, and they work for her in the office in the Palace. Lottie helps me think and keeps me sane, mostly. And there’s Carlos and everyone at the hair salon. But …’
‘I know,’ said Janet. ‘Everyone’s busy. So is that all right then?’
Bella nodded. ‘I’d be so grateful. I can’t tell you.’
Janet looked delighted. ‘I’ll tell Kevin. He will be so pleased. Um – any chance of you coming to stay at all?’
Bella consulted her schedule. These days she downloaded Richard’s week first and then fitted her own activities around his.
‘Well, Richard’s away on some Schools Sports thing this weekend. I could come though, if you don’t mind just me?’
Janet brightened. ‘That would be lovely. It’s beautiful at the moment. The daffodils are all out and there are primroses along the river.’
For a moment Bella had such a pang of longing it was almost physical. She loved London but she was a nature girl at heart and it was a long time since she had smelled the damp of impacted leaves and the sharp clean scent of things pushing up through the warming earth. Spring was always beautiful in the New Forest.
‘Oh, yes, Ma. I’d love that,’ she said from the heart.
‘Good. I’ll ask Neill and Val, if they’re free.’
‘You won’t get Neill. He’s got his Viking thing on Easter Monday. He’s training every moment he gets.’
‘Well, Val then. She seems much happier these days. And Georgia perhaps. Oh, it will be just like old times.’
Bella put it into her schedule and copied it to Richard and his office.
He texted back at once: Good idea. Wish I could make it. Give Janet my love.
She passed it on, they finished lunch and her mother went back to Hampshire.
Kevin was on the phone within half an hour of Janet’s departure. ‘Don’t know if you have anyone in mind as a PA,’ he said gruffly. ‘But the Head of HR here says they could probably help. Young woman with small children, delighted to work from home, that sort of thing. If you would like, I’ll send you her email. Don’t want to interfere, though.’
Don’t want to interfere. That’s what her mother had said too. How different Kevin and Janet were from Richard’s family, thought Bella. And then thought, no, it’s not his family. Apart from Queen Jane’s outburst in Andorra, none of them had even tried to interfere, and that had been much more about the Queen’s own life than Bella’s and Richard’s.
No, the interference, the plethora of petty details, the comments, the criticisms of anything she wanted to do, that all came from the blasted Private Offices via Lady Pansy, with Lady P herself putting her oar in at every opportunity. Were they making work to keep themselves important?