The Prince and the Girl

Gillian woke up smiling the next day, early in the afternoon. Her white curtains waved gently from the breeze that came in through an open window. It was another beautiful day. Gillian rose from her bed and threw her curtains open wide, admiring the gorgeous weather outside.

Gillian threw on her bathrobe and grabbed a towel from her linen closet and then filled her bath with warm water. With some classical music playing softly, she slipped into the tub and immediately felt her muscles relax.

Gillian spent a good portion of the afternoon in the tub, relaxing, reading and thinking about her night. She reflected happily on the events, occasionally giggling to herself at some of the things Harry said. Around 13.00, she dressed and she ate lunch out on her patio. Iris came out to talk to her about some potential customers.

“Jill, we’ve got a huge list of new buyers who want to reserve bottles of our next vintage. Business has been fantastic since Kate’s party,” She informed Gillian as she sat down next to her.

“Okay.” Gillian responded absent mindedly. She looked over at Iris who returned her gaze suspiciously.

“Did something happen last night that you’re not telling me about?” She inquired.

Gillian blushed and smiled. “Maybe.”

Iris gasped and demanded, “Tell me! I’m your best friend, come on, you have to tell me.”

Gillian coyly looked over at her and shrugged. “You’ll find out sooner or later. Anyways, I need to go into town to pick up a few things. I’ll be back before dinner, and maybe we can talk then.”

Iris gasped as Gillian rose out of her chair. “This isn’t the end of this!”

•••

Gillian made her way between racks of clothing in a Harvey Nichols store in London. She had been thinking about what George had said: that she could either be with Harry or not; there was not in between. If she was to be Harry’s girlfriend, she was going to need to dress her part.

“Can I help you with anything?”

Gillian looked up to see a sales clerk standing next to her, a smile being wiped off her face by a look of surprise.

“You’re her!” She exclaimed.

“Excuse me? I’m who?” Gillian asked.

“Harry’s girlfriend!” She gasped. “Do you need an outfit for a date with Harry? Do you think he’s gonna propose?”

Gillian’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

The clerk looked confused. “Come.” She walked behind a cash register and from one of the shelves pulled out a magazine: a tabloid. Plastered across the front cover were pictures of Gillian as she was leaving Kate’s party, accompanied by George. Beneath the photos, it read:

HARRY’S NEW MYSTERY GIRL: WILL THERE BE ANOTHER ROYAL WEDDING?

“This is ridiculous.” Gillian muttered under her breath before looking up at the clerk. “Thanks for your help.”

Gillian handed her the magazine and quickly left the store, the clerk calling after to remind her that she could return anytime. She rushed to the nearest newsstand and stood, immobilised with horror at what she saw. Spattered across the cover of many of the British tabloids was her picture, most of them accompanied by headlines inquiring into her identity and her relationship with Harry.

Gillian was officially in the public eye.

•••

Gillian returned home to find that Iris had gone out to talk to some potential customers. She had left a note saying that Kate had called to schedule a lunch date, for which Iris had suggested the coming Friday. Kate had apparently agreed for lunch at 11.30 on Friday; she would call later to organise a location.

Gillian sighed, smiling. It was exactly like Iris to organise this for her.

Kate called the next morning and suggested that they take lunch at the St James, so as to avoid any exposure to the media.

“That would be so wonderful.” Gillian sighed with relief.

“I saw your picture on some tabloids. I figured you would want to avoid any further exposure.” Kate said sympathetically on the other end of the line.

“Did everyone see those?” Gillian asked with her head resting in one hand.

“Well, it was the British media... Harry was rather upset.” Kate replied.

“He was?” Gillian raised her head.

“He absolutely hates it when the media bothers people he knows, especially those he cares about. He feels responsible, I suppose.”

Gillian blushed. “He cares about me?”

“Don’t be silly, of course he does.” Kate answered pointedly. “You can see it in the way he acts around you, all huggy and cuddly. Like a little boy, that one is.”

Gillian laughed. “I would say that’s a staple of his personality, not just when I’m around.”

“Well, I suppose that’s partially true. Anyhow, I know how hard it is adjusting to living in the public eye, and I have a feeling that you are going to be sticking around for a while. So, if you have any questions, please ask me, love.” Kate’s tone was soft and maternal.

Gillian smiled, feeling very close to Kate already. “Well, I do have one question.”

“What is it?”

“What should I wear?” Gillian asked sheepishly.

Kate laughed.

•••

As Gillian emerged from the car that had been sent for her, she was relieved not to see any paparazzi. She did not want to be gracing anymore trashy tabloid covers.

In response to Gillian’s questions concerning attire, Kate had told her to wear a dress that she thought appropriate for the occasion. Gillian had selected a dress from her closet that she had purchased and never worn. She loved it for its elegance and femininity, but didn’t feel it was appropriate for business dealings. A lunch with a friend, however, seemed perfect. The dress was white, with ruffled sleeves and a pleated collar. The collar and ruffles came down to meet at the waist, where they were tied with a bow. She paired it with a beautiful pink leather oversized clutch that folded over and a pair of pale pink peep toe heels.

Gillian had left her hair loose, allowing her natural curl to take over, and her makeup minimal.

She was met by a man whom she assumed was head of house, or some similar position, who escorted her to a room where Kate was sitting comfortably on a regal looking sofa.

“Your highness, Miss Palmer has arrived.” He announced.

A smile stretched across Kate’s face as she rose and crossed the room. “Thank you, Geoffrey.”

The man nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Kate hugged and kissed Gillian and then took a step back, nodding with approval at Gillian’s attire. “Lovely. Very appropriate and elegant.” She smiled.

Gillian smiled. “Thank you. I might say the same thing to you.” Kate was wearing a lovely salmon coloured dress, the fabric bunching at her waist. On her feet she wore her characteristic LK Bennett nude heels.

Kate laughed and they seated themselves on the sofa. Gillian set her clutch down on the table in front of her as she and Kate made conversation. After about ten minutes, Geoffrey returned to inform the girls that lunch was ready. The two of them rose and followed Geoffrey to a small dining room where a table was set for two. Kate and Gillian seated themselves and immediately, a waiter appeared to fill their water glasses.

“So,” Kate said with a questioning air, “Tell me about that night when Harry didn’t come home.”

Gillian nearly choked on her water. “You know about that?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. He got quite the flack from his father when he arrived home.” Kate waggled her eyebrows. “So, what happened?”

Gillian laughed. “Nothing. I just showed him around my property.”

“Oh, your property, huh?” Kate smiled mischievously and continued waggling her eyebrows.

“Kate!” Gillian laughed.

“I’m sorry, that was inappropriate. Please, go on.” Kate’s expression returned to her normal, mature one.

Gillian sighed and began to share the story with Kate. Kate was extremely pleasant company, her personality ranging from demure to mischievous, as Gillian had seen. They spent the majority of the lunch discussing Gillian and Harry’s relationship, but also talked about what it was like to be married to a prince. As the lunch came to a close, Kate discussed the wedding itself.

“It was rather stressful, I suppose.” She remarked.

“I can only imagine. Harry took me out on the balcony, I cannot imagine what that would have been like.” Gillian sympathised.

“I think you’ll know soon enough.” Kate remarked with a twinkle in her eye.

An expression of such surprise must have crossed Gillian’s face because Kate laughed. “I think Harry’s been thinking about it.”

“We’ve not been dating two weeks!” Gillian exclaimed.

“Yes, and sometimes these things take quite a while. But with Harry ... I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened within a year or two.” Kate said sensibly.

With that, the two of them rose and Kate saw Gillian to the door, kissing her on the cheek again.

“I had a lovely time. Let’s please do this again.” Gillian said and smiled.

Kate nodded in agreement. “Yes, we must! I’ll call you. Or you can call me. Whatever works, really.” She smiled. Gillian gave her one final hug before leaving.

•••

As Gillian was going to bed that evening, she realised that she had left her clutch on the table. She would have to call Kate in the morning to find out when she could get it back.

•••

The next morning, very early, just as Gillian was getting dressed, her doorbell rang. She pulled on a pink oversized t-shirt dress and hurried down the stairs, her hair flowing wildly behind her. She jerked the door open and was shocked to see who was waiting for her outside.

Harry stood looking sheepish. He held out her neglected clutch and said, “You forgot this.”