The Prince's Tutor

When the sun peaked through the curtains the next morning Callie was already awake.

She didn’t sleep well the night before and the thought of facing Harry was making her dread the day ahead. She contemplated going back to bed and sleeping it off when she heard a knock at the door.

She rose from her bed and was surprised to see a royal servant standing in the hallway, clothing wrapped in his hands.

“Lady Katherine has asked me to lay these clothes out for you, miss.”

Callie stared at the dress in his arms, beautifully wrapped with a bow.

“For me?”

“Yes, miss.”

“But I packed my own clothes, Andrew.”

The servant smiled shyly before extending his arms out carefully.

“Yes, miss. I was told this outfit was selected especially for today’s brunch.”

Callie took the bundled material and after thanking the servant, dressed into what she was given.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and wondered how she even came to be in this situation. Here she was- in Switzerland, with the Royal family, wearing expensive clothing for brunch.

Brunch.

Back at home there was either breakfast or lunch. Why do rich people always make up their own words?

Callie walked into the hotel’s sunroom on the tenth floor. Kate and Will were already seated and seemed to be engaged in a conversation. Will caught sight of her and immediately stood out of respect as she came towards the table.

“How did you sleep?” he asked. His eyes were warm with a new curiosity as he looked at her dress and the hat perched on top of her head.

“Fine, thank you.” Callie replied, taking a seat at the table. A server immediately appeared at her side, a silver tray in his hand.

“And for you, Miss Bellhart? Will you have one or two sugar cubes for your tea?”

Callie faltered a moment, but quickly covered up her mistake with a small smile.

“Just one, please.”

Kate smiled at her from across the table and leaned in casually, her large hat framing her heart shaped face.

“This must all seem strange to you.”

Callie picked up her teacup and gently brought it to her lips.

“I’m doing better than before. I think I scared my maid yesterday while she was cleaning my room. I was trying to explain to her that I’d rather do it myself, but I think I just confused her.

Will set down his coffee, his brow furrowing just slightly. “I can ask her to refrain from visiting you, if you’d like.”

“Oh no, that’s fine.” Callie smiled, taking jam and spreading it on her bread. “I think I should let her work. But thank you for the offer, Your Royal Highness.”

William and Kate exchanged a glance for a moment. “Callie, I want you to feel comfortable around us. Please just call us by our names.” William said, his smile warm and welcoming.

There were suddenly voices coming from the hallway. The trio turned their attention to Harry as he walked in the room, a disheartened maid running after him.

“Your Highness, I was asked to deliver this to you.” She said, a formal outfit laying in her grasp. Kate must have asked Harry’s maid to give him clothing for breakfast as well.

“Thank you, Rose. Please set it in my room.”

“But sir, you are supposed to wear it for-”

Harry turned to face the young woman, a charming smile set loosely on his lips.

“Rose,” he said slyly, inching his way towards her.

“Yes, sir.” The woman looked down at the ground, her cheeks reddening.

“Sweetheart, would you kindly return this to my room?”

The woman gave a short nod and left the room briskly. Harry turned his attention to Kate, taking a seat next to his brother- directly across from Callie.

“When are you going to stop picking out my clothes?” he said, grabbing a knife and reaching across the table to dip it into the jam. He kept his gaze on his plate as he violently smeared the knife across the bread.

Kate kept her calm demeanor and gently raised the teacup to her lips, murmuring her response. “When you finally choose to wear what I give you.”

Harry raised his eyes from the plate for a moment and looked at her before smiling to himself. He continued to cover the bread with an enormous amount of jam. Callie watched as the small loaf became smothered with the red jelly, a horrified expression on her face.

Will noticed Callie’s expression and laughed. “You’re drowning your bread, Harry. I don’t think it’s edible anymore.”

Harry’s gaze met Callie’s for a split moment but quickly averted his attention back to Will.

“So!” he said with a newfound energy. “What are we all doing today?”

Kate turned her attention to her fiancé, who smiled at her affectionately. Callie kept her gaze focused on the tablecloth as she drank from her cup. She most definitely did not want to do anything with Harry today. She didn’t feel strong enough to face him just yet.

“I want to go shopping with Will today in the city. Harry and Callie, will you join us?”

Immediately, Harry looked to Callie. She could feel his stare as she sipped from her cup, but she didn’t dare look at him. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears; her fingers were no longer steady as she held the cup.

Strangely, the tea no longer tasted normal. Every sip she took, she remembered Harry’s lips on hers. She felt the soft, round lips moving against her own. The taste of him as he was deepening the kiss and-

Callie set her teacup down with a shaky hand, making a loud thud against the saucer.

Kate jumped slightly at the sound and leaned toward Callie, her brow furrowing in concern.

“Are you alright, Callie?”

Callie hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to reject Kate’s invitation. She felt that if she said no right now she would seem bratty and childish. They had invited her to Switzerland to spend time with them and here she was thinking of ways to exclude herself. But she could feel the intensity of Harry’s stare and accepting their offer wasn’t right either.

Harry clearly had the wrong idea about the two of them and going on a shopping spree with the Royals almost seemed like a double date. No, she definitely didn’t want to create further confusion. She had to be upfront about this or she would pay for it later.

“Actually, I don’t feel very well. Thank you for the offer, Kate but I don’t want to slow you down. Perhaps, later?”

“Are you sure?” Kate replied, her voice apprehensive. “Alright, if you change your mind I will give you my cell phone number. Call me and I’ll send a driver to pick you up, okay?”

Kate took a sheet of paper out from her purse and scribbled the digits onto the sheet. Callie reached out an unsure hand toward Kate, taking the small note into her grasp.

“Go rest up, Callie. You’re shaking.” Kate said, her beautiful features darkening slightly with worry.

Callie nodded her head slightly and opened up the handbag that was given to her this morning. She gently slipped the paper inside, and waited to be excused. She felt Harry’s eyes watching her carefully. How is it that her heartbeat could increase solely by his stare? These kinds of things were not normal.

Will finally turned his attention to Harry. “And you, mate? Are you coming with us?”

Please say yes. Say yes. I don’t think I can handle spending the day knowing you are only three doors down from me.

“Well…” he began, his tone uncertain.

Say yes, damn it.

“I’ll come,” he said, his eyes finally pulling themselves off of Callie. “As long as I don’t have to go through Kate trying on all the clothes, again.”

The trio laughed in unison and Kate smiled at her future brother-in-law. “I’ll spare the both of you. Just this once.”

Callie couldn’t help but smile. Kate was so cool. She was calm and collected, yet maintained this glow about her. She was one of those people you felt drawn to. Her attitude, her smile- there was something radiant about her. No wonder Will fell for her. Who wouldn’t?

After saying goodbye to Will and Kate, Callie rose from the table and left the room. She forced herself to look straight ahead as she passed by him. She knew that if she were to look at him now, she would hate herself.

When she was safely in her room, she locked the door and slid down the wall.

Flashes of the night before entered her mind unwillingly and she saw Harry, his red hair vibrant against snow. His eyes were serious and pained, like he had been suppressing something despite knowing he was not able to.

And then she felt it again. Just like with the tea. They were round, soft, and full -moving slowly against her own. He was bringing her body closer to his, his tongue parting her mouth and-

“Miss Bellhart, housekeeping is here.”

~*~

Callie spent the whole day locked away in her room. Her food was brought to her because the others had left. She watched as Andrew lowered her second cup of tea and set it down next to her.

He bowed his head politely and was turning to leave when a question popped into her head. She considered letting the question slide, but she felt a strong urgency to know its answer.

“Andrew, have you worked for the Royal family a long time?” she said quickly.

Andrew stopped walking and turned around slowly. When he met Callie’s gaze, she could see the wariness in his eyes. He had a right to be cautious. He did not know her, and it wasn’t common for servants to talk about the Royal Family.

“Twelve years, Miss Caroline.”

“Please call me Callie,” she said. She wanted Andrew to feel comfortable around her, to be able to trust her. “What was Harry like when he was little?”

Andrew smiled at her for a moment before answering. His gray hairs seemed to adorn his square face sweetly. He had rosy, round cheeks and a delicate smile. There was a rare warmth about him that wasn’t easily found in people.

“Well,” Andrew said slowly, “he was much more cheerful than what he is now. But I don’t think that’s what you are asking.”

Callie smiled shyly and Andrew’s facial features began to relax. He took a seat next to Callie and she could tell that he was trusting her with this information.

“If you’re wondering if he has always been a troublemaker, then yes. I’m afraid he’s always been rather hot-tempered. But I enjoy Master Henry’s company. He has always treated me with kindness and he has a very good sense of humor.”

Callie curled her hands around the tea cup and leaned her body forward. She spoke barely above a whisper, fearing that if she asked too loudly she would scare him away.

“Do you think you could tell me more about him?”

Andrew smiled a knowing smile before pursing his lips and slowly beginning his storytelling. He chose his words carefully, paying close attention to detail. His words were vivid and colorful and Callie could picture each scene clearly in her head.

He talked about Harry and Princess Diana, about Harry’s relationship with his father, about William. He covered every detail about what he knew about Prince Harry; all the while Callie sat and listened, fingers curled around her cup of tea.

“He started to change after Princess Diana died, but so did the rest of us. I think he just didn’t know how to cope with her death. His entire world had changed and he felt completely alone.”

“What about William and his father? They were going through the same loss,” Callie said softly. “Why didn’t he reach out to them instead of pushing them away?”

“It’s his coping strategy, Miss Caroline. He feels the pain of other people around him. In that way he is very similar to Princess Diana. He would rather suffer alone than to let others know what he’s going through.”

“Oh, I see,” Callie lowered her eyes, “I’ve never thought of it that way. He’s a strong person.”

Andrew eyed Callie carefully for a moment before forming his next words.

“He’s a very compassionate person, Miss Caroline. Even if he does everything to try to conceal that part of him. I think he just needs something to help him realize the good in him.” Andrew smiled softly. “Or someone.”

Callie looked up at Andrew and caught sight of his face. He was smiling as before, but his eyebrow was raised and his eyes held a bright curiosity. He meant her.

Callie opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. The world felt suddenly very strange, almost surreal. How could he be talking about her? How much did he know?

Andrew took notice of Callie’s reaction and smiled to himself. He took her silence as his cue to leave and stood to excuse himself.

“The maid will be here shortly to change your sheets, Miss Caroline.”

Callie realized that he was leaving and stood as he turned to leave. “Andrew?”

He turned around once more, his eyes attentive. “Yes, miss?”

Callie faltered for a moment, unsure of how to show her appreciation.

“Thank you,” she said slowly, “I’m very grateful to you, Andrew.”

“It's no problem, Miss Caroline. Shall I bring you another cup of tea, then?”

“No, not for that. For telling me about him." Callie said slowly, "I needed to hear it."

Andrew looked at her for a moment before giving her a small, polite nod.

“You’re welcome, Callie.”

And after giving Callie a small smile, Andrew turned and left the room.