The Fremont Saga
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 13 

Hail to the Queen

We arrived at the gallery at five minutes until nine and I was dumbfounded by the queue that had already formed.  We went to the side entrance and were admitted immediately.

Mr. Johnson met us, “Brian, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve decided to put these latest pieces up for silent auction.  The auction will run through closing tomorrow at six in the afternoon.  This may be a big gamble, but I’m guessing that once the patrons see Tanner and Timmy and recognize that they are the persons involved the paintings, the paintings will bring more money than if we were to sell them outright.”

We had just enough time to look around before the doors were opened to the public and the entire focus of the room had been changed.  The only thing that hadn’t been changed was the painting of me on the rock by J.R. announcing the exhibit to meet the artist, Brian Benson.

Highlighted at the front of the room as patrons walked in were the two paintings of Tanner and Ron, the two paintings of Grandmother and Timmy, the one of the Chinese checker game and the one I had done of Mr. Butcher and Justin. 

I handed the four charcoals, I had done during the night, to Kelly and he looked at them and yelled, “Why didn’t you give these to me last night?”

I hugged him, “Because I didn’t do them until this morning.  Throw them in the trash, if you want.”

Tanner was overwhelmed as Timmy was showing him around.  When he saw how the pictures of him and Ron were highlighted, he came to me, “Brian, please make them take those paintings of me and Ron down, especially the one that you called The First Kiss.”

The people started to arrive and Mr. Johnson took me to an area that was labeled Meet the Artist.

I thought my hand was going to fall off because I shook so many hands.  I took a break when I saw Vicky arrive with a young lady and a young girl.  When I approached her, she grinned, “This is my friend Gwen Chamberlain.  She had to bring her sister Maggie along.  I figured it would be okay since Maggie and Timmy are about the same age.”

I got Tanner and Timmy’s attention.  They came toward us and I introduced everyone.  We were talking when there was an announcement, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, and her escorts, Prince William and Prince Harry.”

I went to greet them.  I recognized Prince William even though I had not met him before.  After I greeted them, I introduced them to my friends and my Dad.  The people in the gallery were in awe as Vicky and I showed the members of the royal family around the gallery. 

A reporter from the BBC was following us around and listening to the queen’s comments.  Queen Elizabeth said, as the royal party was getting ready to depart, “We’ll be expecting you for tea at four thirty.”

I walked the royal party to their awaiting limo, I shook hands with Prince William, since I didn’t really know him.  The media picked up on the fact that I high-fived Prince Harry.  I grinned, “When I return next time, we’ll have to have our grudge croquet match.”

Dad came up to me as I was walking to the meet the artist spot.  “Son, you never cease to amaze me.  When did you do those four charcoals that they have just put on display?”

Dad just shook his head and walked away after I explained when and I why I had done them.

It was nearly two o’clock when Mr. Johnson approached, “Brian, I realize that you probably weren’t too thrilled about spending five hours here today, but  people are going to continue to come to see the exhibits especially now that they realize that you keep adding new things all the time.  The fact that Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Prince Harry were here adds to your stature as an artist, as if you really needed that.  I must tell you that the new works are drawing rave reviews from the art critics.  It will be interesting to see what they write in the papers tomorrow.  I’ll save you copies of them, since I understand that you’re going to be leaving for France later tonight.”

I thought to myself, ‘I guess I should have let Uncle Reggie tell me what the schedule for the entire weekend was.  There is no way that we can get everything done.’

As we were leaving at two o’clock, Kelly and Shelby came and hugged me.  Kelly whispered, “We’ll be ready for the next pile of junk on Monday.  I bet you can’t top this last pile of crap.  I love The First Kiss.  Tanner and Ron look as if they were made for each other.”

Jamie was waiting for us with the limousine when we exited via the side door.  Timmy commented as we were pulling away, “Look at all those people waiting to get in.  I’m glad we don’t need to talk to them.  I’m really getting hungry.”

As we were driving back to Maxim’s, I informed everyone, “We’ve been invited to have tea with Queen Elizabeth and her family at Buckingham Palace at 4:30.  She said that we were not to get dressed up, so the clothes we’re wearing will be fine.  We need to eat a light meal now, since I have no idea what type of food we’ll be served.  We can always eat an early dinner if we get hungry.”

We exited the limo and Jamie nodded, “Rafael, will be escorting you to Buckingham Palace, since he has the proper credentials.  Shamus and I will be waiting for our instructions when you return.”

The Maitre d’ came out of the restaurant, “Messieurs and Mademoiselles,  Monsieur Stewart awaits your arrival inside.”

I went to sit beside Uncle Reggie, “The schedule just got interfered with.  Her Highness, Queen Elizabeth, has invited us to tea at the Palace at four thirty.  I hope that won’t cause any problems?”

Uncle Reggie laughed, “That probably is for the best, because I was concerned as to what you young people would be able to do.  I’ve invited the Masons and the Chamberlains to join us for dinner at seven.  Gwen and Maggie, your parents are going to be bringing your cousin Kate with them.”

Vicky leaned over to me, “If you need a date for Ron, Kate would be a good person since she and Gwen are more than cousins as I gather Tanner and Ron are more just friends.”

I sat back in my chair, “Why Lady Victoria, I can’t believe you said that?”

Vicky grinned, “I can see it, now, ‘Three British Chicks the Hit of the Fremont Homecoming Dance.’  Wait until you meet Kate.  She’s a knockout.”

I chuckled, “Gwen is a nice looking chick, but I still think you’d win the beauty contest hands down.”

After lunch, we went to the flat to take care of our needs.  Timmy and Maggie were watching a show on television and we teenagers were talking.  Gwen commented, “I never dreamt in my life that I would meet the queen, and here I’m going to go have tea with her and her family.  Maggie and I will be the first in our family to have done anything like this.”

The conversation was interrupted by Uncle Reggie, “Rafael called and said he’s on his way.  I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

We arrived at the palace just before four thirty.  We had tea or warm cider and some light snacks in a room that was similar to our family room back home.  It was only Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip and Prince Harry who were there with our group.  I figured we would be out of there in thirty minutes at the max.  It was six o’clock before Dad suggested that we needed to leave, since we had dinner plans for the evening.

When we were departing, the three members of the royal family escorted us to the exit.  Queen Elizabeth took me aside, “Brian, your two new brothers are both very special.   Timmy is so innocent and Tanner, for lack of other words, seems so beholding.  Besides he and his friend make a lovely couple.  Brian, I need to commend you, once more, for what you have done for the poor and homeless children of country with your contributions.”

I smiled, “Timmy is trying to make a difference back home as well.”

I explained what happened last weekend with the money we received for mowing lawns.

I was the last person to get into the limo and Prince Harry hugged me, “Brian, today is the longest that I’ve seen my grandparents so enthralled for a long time.  Make sure you let me know when you’ll be back.  My Grandmother is completely taken with young Timmy.”

Dinner was an interesting affair.  This time it was Gwen and Maggie’s turn to be excited over what had happened.  Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were astounded that their daughters had actually had tea with the Queen of England.

Kate turned out to be a stunning young lady and there was no question that she was not interested in males.  When Vicky asked if she would like to go to my homecoming dance the next weekend, Kate responded, “Vicky, I don’t think my parents can afford for me to go.”

Reggie answered, “I’ll make the arrangements for you three young ladies to go.  Brian, will you be able to find suitable accommodations for them?”

Timmy answered before I could, “Me, Tanner and Brian will sleep in the basement and the ladies can have Ben’s and Brian’s rooms while they’re there.  That’s okay, isn’t it, Daddy?”

Dad had been pushed into a corner and what could he say but okay, “Yes.”

After dinner and everyone had departed, Uncle Reggie announced, “We’ll be leaving for Paris in ten minutes.  Jamie is standing by to take us to the awaiting coach.  Your luggage has already been loaded into the limousine.”

When we arrived at the coach, Shamus and Rafael were waiting for us, and before we knew what was happening we were in the outskirts of Paris landing at the chateaux.  When we arrived, we were met by Archie and Will.

Archie started to give us a hard time, “It’s about time you got here, we thought we were going to turn into statues waiting for you.  Good evening, Timothy, it’s good to see you again.  I see you brought your troublesome brother, Brian, with you.  It’s good that you brought his Dad and Mr. Stewart along to keep him under control.  Who’s the other punk?”

Tanner jumped out of the carriage, “My name is Tanner Tailor, if you must know, Mr. Larceveque and Mr. Overmeyer.  I recognize you people from watching your games on television.  I still don’t understand why the two of you quit playing in the prime of your careers.  What right do you have to talk to us like this?”

I stepped in front of Tanner, “Tanner, these people work for us.  Don’t upset them.”

Tanner threw up his hands, “How come you didn’t warn me?  I don’t know how many more surprises my heart can stand.”

Some attendants came to get our luggage.  Reggie thanked them and said, “Just, leave the bags at the foot of the stairs.  We’ll sort out who is sleeping in which room.  We need to decide what’s going to happen in the morning.”

Timmy spoke up, “Can we please go to the church where we had the celebration for Grandpa Nappy before we do anything else?”

That caught everyone’s attention.  Reggie had tears in his eyes, “Of course.  They have an eight o’clock service.  You guys will have time to run and take a shower and we can have a late breakfast before we take care of the rest of the business that we need to take care of.  Mr. Fourcault is scheduled to be here at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon to talk you three young men.”

Needless to say, Tanner was, for want of a better word, flabbergasted when we went into the chateaux.  He stopped and looked around, “Is this one of the houses that Timmy and Brian own?”

Archie answered, “Yes, and you’ll get to see the other two tomorrow, if you guys can get your act together.”

When we went to our bedroom, Tanner dropped his suitcase and sat down on the bed and started to sob, “Brian and Timmy, I don’t belong here.”

Timmy put his hand over Tanner’s mouth, “Yes you do, or you wouldn’t be here.  Let’s go to bed so we can go running in the morning before we go to church.” 

We brushed our teeth and went to bed without taking a shower because we were exhausted.  I woke up about four in the morning and looked around and there was an easel with a full set of oils.  I heard a voice,  ‘Brian, things are going as planned.  Timmy and Tanner were sent to you for a reason.  Now would be a good time to capture how loving and trusting they are.  It’s too bad you can’t paint yourself into the painting.’

I took that as a challenge and indeed painted a picture of the three of us in bed and there was no question who we were.  I titled the picture Three Trusting Brothers.

When I finished, I hid the picture and awakened the other two guys, “Get up, you laggards.  We’ll be late for church if we don’t go running now.  What are Archie and Will going to think of us?”

When we arrived downstairs, there was no one there but we were joined before long, not only by Archie and Will, but Jaime and Shamus as well. 

After our run, the four senior citizens in our group were too pooped to pop,  Will complained, “You didn’t tell us that we were going to be running a marathon.”

Timmy turned around, “Stop complaining and go get ready for church; we don’t want to be late.”

When we were seated, Timmy looked at the envelopes that were in the pew racks and he saw one that showed a hungry child.  He looked at me, “Brian, do you have any money that we can put in the envelope?”

I shook my head no, “Timmy, I never thought to bring any Euros which is what the people spend here in France.  I don’t think we can use my card here in church.”

Archie heard the conversation and handed Timmy a 10.00 Euro note, “Here you go, Timmy.  You can pay me back later.”

“Thank you, Mr. Archie.”

As we were departing the church, Timmy asked, “Can we drive to the place where Grandpa Nappy’s ashes are, so we can show Tanner?”

Reggie nodded, “Of course, Timmy.”

We stopped at the mausoleum and Timmy pointed to the door where we had placed Grandpa Nappy’s remains, but nothing was said.  The limo ride to the chateaux was very quiet.  When we arrived at the chateaux, the staff was waiting to serve us brunch.  Tanner chuckled, “If we continue to eat like this, the carriage won’t be able to lift off.”

After a wonderful brunch, Will announced, “We have just enough time to visit your other houses before we are to meet with Monsieur Fourcault.  For those who will be joining us on the whirlwind trip, you need to dress very casually and you might want to bring a sweater or jacket if you have one.”

I spoke up, “Will, will sweat shirts be okay?”

Archie answered, “They’d be perfect.”

Reggie, Jamie and Shamus opted not to go, saying that they needed to return to London to prepare for the night’s meeting.

As we entered the carriage, Will commented.  “Our first stop will be the Villa in Nice.  It's too bad you didn’t bring your swimming suits with you.”

We landed in an empty area on the beach and Tanner asked, “Why did we land here where there are people all around?  It’s as if the people can’t see the carriage and the horses.”

Will answered, “They can’t see them.  The carriages and horses can only be seen by selected individuals.  It can be awkward at times when it seems as if we are appearing out of thin air but mostly no one even notices.”

We entered a mansion that was directly on the beach.  We were greeted by a handsome gentleman.  Archie took charge, “Marcel, these three young men are the new owners of the Nice Arms Bed and Breakfast, Mr. Brian Benson, Mr. Timmy Benson and Mr. Tanner Tailor.  The handsome gentleman with them is their father Mr. Beau Benson.”

After the introductions, Marcel explained, “We have eight  guest suites in addition to the owner's suite that we rent out by the week at a rate that includes breakfast.  We do provide lunches and the evening meal, but they are not included in he rate.  The new occupants for the owner’s suite are not due to arrive until later tonight. They are a honeymoon couple who are coming from the United States.   Let me show you where you would be staying if you were to come for a visit.”

We took a lift to the fourth floor and went to the suite that was in the center of the building.  Marcel explained, “This suite has a personal butler assigned.  It has it’s own kitchen and dining area as well as a living area and large bedroom.  The balcony looks directly onto the beach.”

As we looked around, even I was flabbergasted.  Dad asked, “How much do guests pay to rent this suite for a week.”

Marcel smiled, “It depends on the time of year.  The young couple who will be arriving tonight have prepaid 7000 euros for two weeks.  The other suites are a little over half that. We should take in over 13,100 euros this week.  We’re completely booked for the remainder of the year.”

I asked, “Does the staff ever get any gratuities from the patrons.”

“Monsieur Brian, the staff is adequately compensated and yes, most of our guests are very pleased with the service that they have received and reward the staff.”

Timmy had wondered off and came skipping towards us, “Brian and Tanner, you gotta see this.”

He started pulling us toward the balcony.  He pointed, “See, the people aren’t wearing swim suits.  We wouldn’t need swim suits to go swimming.”

Marcel laughed, “You will, unless you change the rules.  Right now we require that our guests be dressed so they will not offend the other guests.”

We thanked Marcel for showing us around and started toward where we were to meet the carriage.  Dad asked, “Archie and Will, what are the property payments on the Bed and Breakfast?”

“Beau, that’s what’s so great about the property.  The boys own the property free of any mortgage payments.  That is one of the biggest moneymakers in the boys’ portfolio.”

We climbed into the carriage and no one seem to notice.  The next thing we knew we were arriving at huge complex on the side of a mountain.  Timmy asked, “Where are we?”

Archie answered, “This is Chalet Lafontaine.  This is where Will and I live.  This is the third of the houses you own.”

I started to laugh, “This is not quite what I envisioned that the chalet was going to be.  I have always thought of a chalet as being a place like Heidi lived in.  This place is more like a castle.”

We were greeted by a young couple, Will introduced them, “Johan and Gretel, these are the new owners of Chalet Lafontaine.  Johan and Gretel are the people who keep this place going and making you some money.”

Dad asked, “Isn’t this a big facility to keep open when there isn’t any snow on the ground?”

Johan smiled, “Mr. Benson, we are busy all year round.  We were absolutely full this past week with a large convention. We have the facility reserved this week by a corporation who is having a leadership training session.  They are scheduled to arrive in an hour.”

I looked around, “How are they going to get here?”

Johan nodded, “We have two buses waiting at the airport to transport them here.  Let me show you what your accommodations will be when you arrive in December.”

We walked into a wing of the huge building, “This is where the young men in your party will stay.  It will provide you with the basic accommodations, since you’ll be eating your meals in the main dining room.  You will note that there will be two young men in a room.  Two rooms share a bathroom.”

I started to laugh, “I wouldn’t exactly call this a bunk house type facility.  I can see why groups would want to come here.”

Gretel nodded, “The young ladies will have similar facilities on the opposite side of the building.  Let’s take a look at the owner’s suite where Mr. and Mrs. Benson will be housed.”

We walked in to the main part of the building and Gretel opened a suite that looked very similar to what we had seen in Nice.  Timmy walked out onto the balcony that looked up at the mountain,  “Brain and Tanner, you gotta come see how high the mountain is.  Are we going to ski up there?”

We were joined by the others in the group, Johan explained, “Timmy, I don’t think that you’ll be ready for that run yet.  I think it will take you some time to get that good.  We have four ski trails and that one is for the experts.”

Archie interrupted, “Guys, I hate to disrupt your fun, but we need to get back so we can meet with Monsieur Fourcault.”

I looked at the group, “So, you’re telling us that we not only have properties but businesses to worry about as well.  I’m surprised that we don’t have something happening at the chateaux in Paris.”

Will took a deep breath, “That’s something that Monsieur Fourcault will be discussing  with you, this afternoon.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I am afraid I took a little longer than I had planned, to edit this chapter.  I was out of town and didn't get my e mail, for some reason. I had a cataract operation on my right eye.  It all went well, but I was out of town for over a week, as I had to have a follow up exam a week after the operation.  The other eye is scheduled to be operated on at the beginning of April. Because of my eye condition, they want to give it plenty of time to heal completely. 

 This was a very good chapter. 

I wonder what all the stuff about the properties will be about. I would guess that we will find out next time.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 03/05/10