The Prince and the Girl

“You have been together almost a year now, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Harry replied.

The man grinned. “So, when will you be getting married?”

Harry and Gillian both laughed. “We haven’t really talked about it yet.” Harry returned.

Most of the conversation that evening had surrounded the possibility of Harry’s marriage to Gillian, as well as their having children. Gillian had to admit that the thought had crossed her mind, that she and Harry could get married one day. The thought of having children, however, was very distant in her mind. They still had so much exploring to do together.

Gillian and Kate also spent much of the evening together; William and Harry often had to greet charity partners and potential donors on behalf of their mother. Together, Gillian and Kate fought off the idea that Kate may already be pregnant and that Gillian was possibly already engaged or even married to Harry.

Dinner was extremely pleasant. Gillian was seated in between Harry and an old businessman, and across from Kate. On her left, she and the businessman made plenty of conversation; he himself had owned a vineyard in his youth. They discussed much of the business and the lifestyle and got along extremely well. Gillian often looked across to see Will and Kate’s hands touching on the table, or their sharing of a loving gaze. Below the table, Gillian felt Harry’s knee next to hers, constant touching. He would often reach for her hands which were sitting in her lap as he made conversation.

Following dinner, Gillian and Harry continued to mingle together. They met many of Harry’s family members that Gillian had not already met, as well as some of Kate’s friends. Gillian saw Eugenie and James there together, as well as Beatrice with her long time boyfriend. All of them looked so happy, a sentiment that Gillian felt reflected on her face.

There was even dancing. Gillian and Harry found themselves dancing together; so did Will and Kate, among others. As the music slowed down, Harry pulled Gillian close, stroking her back as he did so. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Do you think they have any balconies here?” Harry whispered before kissing Gillian behind her ear.

Gillian laughed and threw her head back. “I hope not.” She smiled at him.

Harry laughed and kissed Gillian again, this time on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Gillian responded before laying her head on Harry’s shoulder.

After this dance, Harry and Gillian seated themselves together on a small couch with carved wooden legs. They sat together with their hands entwined on Gillian’s knee. They sat in silence, savouring this moment of silence together. The moment did not last long, however.

“Your highness?” Harry and Gillian looked up to see one of the servers standing tentatively in front of them.

Harry sat up. “Yes?”

“There’s someone waiting to see you in one of the drawing rooms.” She replied. “It’s very important.”

Harry reluctantly released Gillian’s hand and stood. “I’ll be right back, love.” He said to Gillian.

Gillian watched Harry as he followed the server out of the room. As he exited, Kate and Will came to stand beside the couch. Kate sat down next to Gillian and Will pulled a chair up. He took Gillian’s hand in hers.

“You’ve done so well tonight.”

Kate took Gillian’s other hand. “Welcome to the family.”

•••

Gillian laughed as she stood with Kate, William and a potential donor. William was absolutely charming and seemed to embody his mother’s mission. He stood at the door, thanking guests for attending as they left for their continued support of his mother’s cause. Kate and Gillian made small conversation with the guests as they shook their hands; this was one of their duties as part of the hosting party. It took some time to thank all the guests as they left; there were so many present. Gillian began to feel very tired nearing the end of the evening.

Finally, as the last guests left near 19.00, Gillian seated herself on the sofa again with Kate and William. They were the only ones left in the room other than the servers, who had begun cleaning up the tables.

“Are these evenings always so tiring?” Gillian asked, smiling resignedly.

Will simply nodded and Kate made a face. They both obviously felt the same way.

Kate placed her hand on William’s. “We should go. I’m absolutely exhausted.”

William nodded in agreement as the three of them stood. “This has been a long evening.”

Gillian walked them to the door and hugged them both. “Thank you both so much for your help tonight, I would not have felt prepared at all without it.”

Both of them smiled.

“You were absolutely wonderful tonight, Gillian.” William responded. “Kate’s first event was not nearly as smooth.”

Kate smiled tiredly before gently hitting William on the arm. “That’s not true.”

Will smiled back before turning to Gillian again. “Have a good evening. Harry will give you a ride home.”

“Where is Harry?” Kate asked as a concerned look crossed her face. “I haven’t seen him since he left to go talk to whomever it was who wanted to see him.”

Gillian’s brow furrowed. “You’re right. I just assumed he came back and I couldn’t find him. But he’s not here.”

“Maybe he’s still talking with them. Why don’t you ask the person who came and told him someone was looking for him?” Kate suggested.

William nodded and the two of them stepped back inside. He closed the door behind him. “We’ll wait here just in case you can’t find him.”

“Thanks.” Gillian responded as she spotted the lady who had delivered the message to Harry.

“Excuse me, but do you know where Harry might be?” Gillian asked.

“I think he’s still with that woman. Would you like me to show you where they are?” The server responded.

Gillian’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Why would Harry be with a woman?

“Yes, please, thank you.” Gillian responded after a pause. The woman set down the tray she was holding and Gillian followed her as she exited the room through a back door. She was led down an elegant hallway with dark hardwood floors and lined with faded red carpets.

The server stopped in front of a door. “In here, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” Gillian said as the server walked away. Gillian slowly and silently turned the knob, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Standing in the room with Harry was a tall blonde woman with her lips planted squarely on Harry’s. The noise of the door opening clearly startled both of them and Harry pulled away in shock. The woman turned to look at Gillian; it was Chelsy Davy.

“Gillian!” Harry smiled, but his face soon turned to panic. “I – It’s not what it looks like, Gillian –“

But Gillian was gone, already making her way away from the room, back down the hall. She could feel the pound of Harry’s footsteps in the hallway behind her. Gillian threw open the door through which she had come, startling Will and Kate.

Kate stood up. “Gillian, what’s wrong?”

Gillian just shook her head, feeling tears run down her face. Harry emerged from the doorway behind her, followed by Chelsy.

A look of shock crossed William’s face and stepped in front of Harry, keeping him from crossing to Gillian. “Harry, what did you do?”

Gillian ran across the room to the door but Kate grabbed her before she could leave.

“You can’t leave looking like that. They’ll eat you alive out there.” She hugged Gillian and whispered in her ear, “Is it what it looks like?”

Gillian nodded, tears streaming down her face now. Kate wiped them off with her hand.

“Just be brave. You need to make it to the car, that’s it.”

Gillian nodded again and wiped her face one more time. “How do I look?”

Kate smiled. “You’re beautiful.”

They hugged one more time and then Kate opened the door for her. Gillian stepped into the blinding mass of flashes, trying to keep her face straight. The distance that had seemed so short earlier that night now seemed endless. She saw George get out of the car and come towards her, helping her to the car. When the car did not immediately move, Gillian could not hold her tears in any longer.

“What happened?” George asked from the front seat. Gillian could only shake her head.

She could see a figure making its way towards the car through the tinted glass and realised it was Harry. Gillian wiped the tears from her face, trying to hide her distraught. The car door opened and Gillian looked away as Harry got in.

“Gillian,” He whispered as he tried to reach for her hand. “Just let me explain.”

Gillian felt an anger rise in the pit of her stomach. She felt her cheeks redden as she turned to shoot a burning glare at him.

“Please.” He pleaded.

“No.” Gillian pulled her hand away. To her surprise Harry sat in silence, what she assumed was shock, for the rest of the ride. As the car pulled up to Gillian’s home and she unbuckled her seat belt, Harry tried again.

“Gillian, it really wasn’t what it seemed. Please just – “

“Harry,” She turned to look at him fiercely. “It’s over.”