Third In Line

Chapter Forty Seven - Visiting Hours

Norfolk was beautiful this time of year, deep in the English countryside and far away from the hustle and bustle of London. Kate could smell the sea air as the train rolled into Watlington station, the penultimate stop on their journey. The air quickly triggered all of the memories she'd built up of the girls playing in the sand over the years, and just how short a distance it was to drive to the beach.

"We could go to the beach." She said quietly to herself, glancing around at her dozing family. The girls seemed to take after their father in that they couldn't stay awake on a long train journey. The repetitive sounds of the wheels crossing over joints in the rails, the engines low humming when they were travelling and the calming powering down sound it made when they slowed to a stop. It all combined together to make them sleepy. Usually the girls would stay awake with their chatter, but they and Will were all talked out by that point. Four days in and out of the hospital to see her, along with all the worrying they were doing. Will was better the third time around, but the girls were a mess. Always telling her what to do as if they'd suddenly grown up and felt like they could act like her mother.

It bugged her, but she got on with it. Constantly reminding them that she knows what she's doing, and that she knows her body and what it can take better than they do.

Kate rubbed her forehead and stared out the window, soothing herself once more. They'd decided as a family to leave their frustrations and worries back in London while they relaxed for a couple of weeks in Norfolk, at least until the HG moved on. It just helped to be in a peaceful place and out of sight after the pregnancy announcement hit the news, so she could get through the worst of the symptoms in private and then return to the spotlight relatively fresh faced.

She scrolled through Twitter on her phone, awkwardly using her left hand whilst her right was wrapped around Alex, whose head was in her lap. The news was still going haywire, even after four days.

@KensingtonRoyal @BritishMonarchy @MailRoyal @GerHoward What treatments is she using to get preg at 40+? And when has the palace ever used emojis?

@KensingtonRoyal OMGGG I THOUIGHT THEY'D JUST HAVE THE TWO!! MORE GORGEOUS BABIES FOR US!! UUUUHHHHH SO HAPPY!!!

@GerHoward Guess they remembered they have room in their MANY PALACES! Antiquated and pointless, get rid!

We should have left our phones in London too. She mumbled and put her phone down on the table, then glanced out the window at everyone on the platform opposite. It looked like everyone was heading out on a summer vacation, without a care in the world. They'd all flipped a switch and suddenly all they were focused on was getting away, leaving their work and life as far behind as possible.

They used to do it more when the girls were younger, in fact Amner was their proper home for several years until they had to move back to London full time. With the grandparents getting older there was more work to be shared around, and with the more frequent health scares for the Queen and Philip the entire staff spent most of the time on high alert in case the unthinkable happened. It was a tough move on the girls most of all, spending most of their formative years in Norfolk and then having to adjust more permanently to London.

We raised them to be country kids, like us. She glanced across at Will and smiled, he was already dressed up like a farmer with his flannel shirt and boots. The tweed cap was somewhere nearby, she knew it. Ellie was curled up in her seat, back against the carriage window and her legs across Will's lap. Both of their heads were arched back, mouths wide open and ready to drool. Ellie already was. So ladylike Elle. Kate wanted to lean over and close their mouths for them, but decided against it. If ever there was a time for them relax like this, it was now.