Third In Line

Chapter Fifty One - Storm Catherine

Ellie, Will and Kate sat in the car in silence. Kate was furious with both of them but most of her anger was directed at Viola. She'd arrived half way into the dinner, thankfully not a minute later. Ellie swore that if they had been there any longer her father would have been married off to one of Viola's grandchildren, and as for herself, she'd probably be locked in the house forever and henceforth called Abigail. Viola was intent on keeping everyone at her house and even insisted that Kate stay for tea, but Ellie's mother wasn't having any of it. Even with her sickness she drove through wind and rain to come pick them up despite all the RPOs insisting that it was best for them to stay where they were.

She stormed into the dining room, dripping mud and rain all over Viola's plush carpet. The look on the old woman's face was priceless, the look of someone who just saw all her Austrian tea cups smashed at once. Viola was furious at first, wanting to have this intruder shot on the spot, but her mood quickly turned when she realised it was the Duchess of Cambridge. Viola didn't want to show anger in front of her near completed set of royalty, so she played nice and invited Kate for after dinner treats. Kate didn't pay her any attention, only giving Ellie a fierce look that caused her to shoot right out of her chair. Ellie didn't need much more than that to get out of there, a good reason could never come fast enough.

Ellie was thankful, massively so. She could feel the rage boiling within her mother as she moved closer, tentatively pausing to reach in and hug her. She didn't think much about how furious her mother might be with her, only about how much she was saving her from certain torture.

Kate gently patted her on the back, making her daughter feel worlds better. Ellie looked up at her and her look had softened, if only slightly. Without a word Kate nodded her head towards the front door, to the sound of the Range Rover parked outside whose engine was still running, ushering her daughter in the same direction.

It was another five minutes before both her parents joined her in the car, sitting in silence and shutting their doors. Not a word was spoken until they arrived back at Amner Hall thirty minutes later, finally out of the wind and rain which was only just beginning to die down.

"Put your dress in the wash basket Ellie." Kate said as she hung up her coat and headed into the living room. She ran her hands through her hair and disappeared into the sofa before Ellie could respond.

"It's not mine." She mumbled, picking daintily at the skirt of the pink silk dress that Anna had dressed her in. It may have fit her quite well, but it would be a while before the stench of that house had left it.

Will kissed her on the head and nudged her towards the stairs before heading into the living room as well. It was clear to Ellie that they'd had some sort of argument and neither of them we're keen on talking to her, so she headed up the stairs and grappled with the dress on every step. Alex met her at the top, grinning like an orangutan

"They dress like that on the farm?" She asked.

"We didn't get to the farm."

"I know, Mum told me before she left. She sounded pissed."

Alex stopped her, turned her around and pushed her into the bedroom room. Following behind, she started unbuttoning the dress in the back and untying Anna's neatly tied bow.

"She was pissed." Ellie said glumly, staring at the carpet as if she could see Mum and Dad chatting in the living room below. "They were in there five minutes, probably having a shouting match."

"Mum and Dad?" Alex asked.

"Mum and Viola. Dad knows better than to mess with Mum when she's like that."

Alex lowered the dress down Ellie's legs and helped her step out of it, then carelessly tossed it onto the bed. "Not there!" Ellie scolded her. Alex seemed taken aback by her sister's newfound neatness.

"This thing is tainted by Viola." Ellie carried the dress into the bathroom that adjoined their rooms and shoved the dress into the washing basket, hoping that was the last she'd see of it. It had made her feel glamorous for a few moments, but that was the only upside to the evening.

"You think Mum and Dad are fighting?" Alex asked. Ellie listened for a moment, hearing nothing much downstairs. She figured her Dad was probably feeling as guilty as she was, and probably didn't want to push her mother any more than she had been already.

"Nah, probably just watching T.V or cuddling." Ellie answered.

"Want to join them?"

Ellie shrugged and slumped down on the edge of her bed. Alex frowned immediately. "I'm just gonna sleep."

I just want to start tomorrow and forget about this whole night.

"Suit yourself." Alex pouted and turned sharply, immediately making her way downstairs whilst Ellie lay back and closed her eyes. Viola was one of her kind, as much as she wanted her not to be. As a high ranking royal, she'd been around aristocrats and politicians, billionaires and Oxford graduates all her life. They had all been somewhat snobby or posh, but Viola had by far been the worst.

She woke up the next morning, the events of the night before still vivid in her mind. Her Dad had knocked on the door and lightly shook her awake, telling her she had to go down and apologise to her mother.

"What do I have to apologise for?" Ellie asked her bedroom ceiling. Her mother had apparently thought that they had been partying at another palace just to get away from her. She slipped on her robe and slippers and quietly padded down stairs, finding her mother sipping a cup of tea and watching the television, her hand lightly resting over her growing belly. Ellie sat down beside her without a word, and snuggled up against her mother's arm in the hopes of winning her over.

"Last night was the worst" Ellie spoke after a few moments of silently watching the news together.

"Didn't enjoy your fancy dinner?" Kate gave her a stern look.

"It was no fun at all, that old woman was evil" Ellie nodded her head, her eyes wide in fear. "I'm sorry Mum, I didn't want to be there."

"I know dear, I know." Kate's stern look quickly faded, her eyes no longer pointing down at her accusingly. "Your Dad told me all about it, that it was far from a party atmosphere."

"Very very far from it" Ellie agreed.

Kate was still suspicious, but Ellie could tell that her mother wasn't serious. It seemed more like she was just a bit stir crazy, and in the back of her mind she knew it was nothing.

"Eleanor." Kate put her arm around Ellie's shoulder's, encircling her.

"Yes ma?"

"No more private parties." She kissed Ellie on the cheek and hugged her tightly, which was enough to hide the somewhat ominous tone to her words. They spent the rest of the morning nestled into the sofa and watching the morning breakfast shows together.