This Cold January

Words by Grove Koger

Art by Sean Bw Parker

28 January, 1934

My Dear Reginald,

I hope that my letter finds you in good spirits this cold January and that your leg is healing reasonably well. 

I write to you with good news concerning our project. Per our plan, His Royal Highness has acted upon his attraction to Mrs. Simpson at long last. I had this information yesterday from a member of his Private Secretary’s staff, who assures me that there can be absolutely no doubt of the matter. 

Given Mrs. Simpson’s talents, which I predict Edward will find increasingly irresistible, and her irreverent attitude, which (I admit, somewhat to my surprise) he appears to have found refreshing, I have the greatest hopes for a lasting attachment. In any case, Edward is a changed man, which many in his circle are already finding alarming.

You will remember that it was Lady Furness whom we maneuvered into introducing the two in the first place, so we now face the delicate task of assuring that the rift between her and Edward remains permanent. I shall attend to the details myself, and am at this moment searching for a suitable replacement for him in her affections. Perhaps the Aga Khan?

I look forward to seeing you and the rest of our group next month, at which time I expect to have more exciting information to share. In the meantime, please notify your contact at the embassy of these developments. I realize that your leg makes such errands a chore, but there really is no one else with your connections.

Is it too much to hope that a meeting between Edward and our Führer—as he shall soon be!— might be arranged within the coming year? Such things take time, of course, but I believe that Mrs. Simpson’s sympathies will ease the operation considerably. She is, I have observed more than once, easily swayed—as is Edward himself, of course. And ascending the throne is unlikely to change his personality. 

Until February then, and with warmest regards,

Your cousin Alec

PS: I must add that the prospect of Mrs. Simpson as Queen is a dispiriting one to me personally, as her tastes and manner leave much to be desired. I suspect that you feel much the same way, Reginald, but such are the sacrifices we make!

PPS: You will, I trust, destroy this letter as soon as you have finished reading it.

About the author

Grove  Koger is the author of a readers’ guide to travel narratives, When the Going Was Good; a chapbook of poetry, Not; two chapbooks of supernatural fiction, including Ancient Afternoons; a collection of experimental fiction, Sun Dogs; and, most recently, a collection of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, Out of Idaho.  

About the artist

Sean Bw Parker (MA) is an artist, writer and musician specializing in painting, poetry, cultural theory, and the media-justice system. After gaining a Masters degree in Fine Art from the University for the Creative Arts in 2003, he lived and worked in Istanbul for ten years, has published a number of books and albums, performed at curated festivals, given a TED talk, and had paintings displayed at London’s South Bank Centre and New York's Times Square. He has received endorsements from Nick Cave, Ricky Gervais, Scott Adams, Alain de Botton and Kristin Hersh, and his 11th book Panopticon (poems) was published through Close To The Bone Publishing in 2025. He was born in Exeter in 1975 and currently lives on the West Sussex coast.