The Royal Scandal | Prince William |

Play the Game

December 5, 2010

Jaclyn stared down the overstuffed binder like she was waiting for it to pounce on her. The item itself was almost more intimidating than everything else around her.

If she ever felt out of place in Clarence House or Kensington then Buckingham intensified the feeling. She had never been inside, never been past the gates, let alone sitting in the infamous 1844 room with the queen and her top secretaries.

William was perfectly calm beside her, his excitement radiating between them even though they weren't nearly as close as they usually would be. William was used to this, the distance, but Jaclyn could feel her hands itching to grab his as decisions were being made around her.

"If you're set on your final performance being the sixth of January..."

"I am," Jaclyn finished Sir Edwards open ended statement, watching as one of the other men huffed. "Then I'm afraid that will put us on a very tight schedule if you're to be married before the end of May."

Her lips parted with a question, but quickly pulled back together remembering she was under strict scrutiny. Turning to gauge Williams reaction she was surprised to see he was shooting the scrutiny back at the three men.

"Why does it have to be the end of May?" He asked, briefly setting a hand on her shoulder. A show of solidarity.

The Queen cleared her throat, a delicate smile across her lips. The woman was impeccably put together, dressed in a soft purple, and like always the perfect picture of pleasantness. It's almost more terrifying, to always see her so composed, and Jaclyn can't tell where she stands with all the occupants in the room. "We've been discussing a royal tour to Canada in June, and your father thought it would be a splendid opportunity for the both of you, but to do so you must be married by May."

"Which means our announcement will have to be done before we leave for Sandringham?"

The woman nods, false pretense melting away leaving behind the warmth of a grandmother, and Jaclyn has to observe the crown molding to keep from showing her shock. She can count the times she's met the queen on one hand within the last decade, and all were cordial but distant.

Then it all makes sense. She's in. She's a few short months away from becoming family, and the drama of the past no longer matters. Where she was once held at arms distance, and had to deal with her image herself, she was now the responsibility of this institution. Because there was a ring, a family ring, sitting in the sock draw of her cramped apartment.

"We were thinking of doing it Friday at five," Sir Edward, continues once again the picture is respect.

Jaclyn visibly cringed knowing she was going to be pushing all their patience. "I have a show, any way we could do it earlier."

A pen clicks in the resounding silence, echoing and damning in a way a pen should never sound, but no one says anything and Edward simply writes her note down. The men in grey, as Diana called them, are more daunting than Jaclyn could've imagined. With Williams family accepting her their relationship is safe, but it's clear that many within the walls of Buckingham Palace still do not approve, and no one can make them.

"Regarding the wedding itself," Williams grandma fills in, opening the binder showing off three very familiar cathedrals. "These are the three venues you can choose from..."

Beside her William tenses enough to rustle the plump cushions they're sitting on. Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and St. George's Chapel stare up at them. Jaclyn doesn't care which they choose, all are far nicer than the local church she was promised in her youth, but Williams been scarred by all three.