Making History

With Richard III about to be laid to rest (again), here's a topical, humorous little snippet from Claimant Commitment, primarily a story of Bedroom Tax troubles and sanctions, currently being serialised as often-free Kindle ebooks (all three episodes published so far are free to download on Sunday 29th March).  It's not all doom, gloom and austerity, however.  Find the first part here:

SPOILER ALERT (if you haven't read/finished Severe Discomfort and Continual Supervision, and don't want to know whether Hilary Carrington finds herself a man!).

It's the evening of Monday 4^th February 2013.  Tom Appleby is completing a banner for a newly-formed protest movement while waiting for his beloved wife to come home from work... 

Listening to the radio, he followed the breaking news avidly.

He was tidying the sitting room and putting his paints away when he heard her car pull into the drive.  He opened the door for her as she entered the porch.

‘Have you heard?’ she exclaimed, letting him take her coat and kissing his lips.  ‘After all this time!’

‘I know!  It’s extraordinary!’  It was indeed incredible that a body unearthed in a Council car park had proved to be that of England’s last Plantagenet king.  ‘It’s almost too good to be true!’

‘I honestly don’t know how he thought he could get away with it,’ said Hilary.  ‘People expect certain standards of their political leaders.’

His wife was no historian, but of course everybody knew the tragic tale of the Princes in the Tower.  Tom poured a glass of wine for Hilary and another for himself, and started ladling out their beef casserole supper.  

‘He ought to have told the truth at the beginning,’ Hilary continued.  ‘It would all have blown over soon enough!’

Tom glanced across at his wife, somewhat taken aback.  ‘I don’t know about that, my love.’  He was surprised to find her taking such a tolerant attitude of something that, even by the ruthless standards of the Renaissance, was regarded as a heinous felony.

‘But plenty of people survive much worse scandals.’ Hilary persisted.

‘That’s as may be,’ Tom said, placing their meals on the table and taking his seat.  ‘But if you commit cold-blooded murder, even if there are sound political reasons for it…’

‘Murder?’ she queried.  ‘It was a driving offence!’

‘Eh?’

‘And perverting the course of justice, arguably the most damaging aspect of the case.’  Hilary peered quizzically across the table at him.  ‘What on earth has murder got to do with it?’

Naturally, Hilary would be focused on the politics of the day rather than those of the fifteenth century.  Archaeological revelations apparently came a very poor second.

‘Sorry, my sweetheart,’ Tom laughed, feeling slightly foolish.  ‘I thought you were talking about Richard the Third, not Chris Huhne!’

‘Oh Tom!  You are such a silly old boffin at times!’

But she evidently still loved her silly old boffin, as she leaned across the table and kissed the end of his nose.