A Royal Wedding

by Trish Morey / Caitlin Crews / Nina Harrington / Raye Morgan

  Dear Reader,

  I am often asked if the ideas for my stories are based on real life events or situations which I have experienced in person and I hate to disappoint them.

  But for this novella I did find my inspiration in the many eco technology projects which are staffed by volunteers in developing countries around the world. Their goal is simple—to give these communities the opportunity to develop a digital future for themselves and their children.

  But it did make me wonder about the sacrifices these volunteers make in order to give their time and energy so selflessly and the reasons behind their decision to leave their ordinary lives behind.

  How wonderful it would be if one of these volunteers was recognised by the tribal kingdom in Africa they call home, and asked to become a village chief? A king? That is exactly what happens to IT graduate Simon Reynolds. But the only person he truly wants to impress is Kate O’Neill. The girl he left behind in England.

  I do hope that you enjoy travelling with Kate and Simon on their journey to discover what and who they truly want in life in the beautiful setting of Ghana in Africa.

  I love to hear from my readers so please feel free to contact me through www.ninaharrington.com.

  Very best regards,

  Nina

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  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘YOU’re sorry?’ Kate looked at him with amazement and something close to bewilderment in the depths of her wide, sad blue eyes.

  ‘After my father died … we were all such a mess that it was hard to think straight …’

  Kate dropped her head for a moment, and Simon’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach at the thought that he was hurting her.

  Her head lifted, but she paused just long enough to tell him that this time she was not going to avoid the massive elephant in the room. ‘You didn’t want to talk about what happened between my dad and your mum, and I understood that because neither did I. But running away with you would have meant leaving my dad and Gemma behind just when they needed me most.’

  ‘What happened between them? Let’s be honest, Katie. They had been sleeping together for months. I would call that an affair. Wouldn’t you? Because that was certainly how my dad described it. Oh—about two hours before he drove his car into a tree and killed himself.’

  ‘You don’t think I remember that? We were together when the police knocked on the door. I went with you to where the accident happened and saw what was left of the car. The investigators said he just lost control, Simon. Why can’t you accept that?’

  The words swirled around inside Simon’s head and he squeezed his eyes tight shut against the blinding heat of the sun as it broke through the window.

  Just lost control.

  Kate moved closer but clenched her right hand, steadying herself for what was coming next.

  He knew that he did not have to explain those images to Kate. He did not have to because she had shared every one of them.

  It was Kate who had taken his hand and stood by his side every step on that day, until she was too exhausted to go on.

  Kate who had slept on the sofa so that she could be with him.

  Kate who had tried to balance out the overwhelming despair which had turned to anger over the next few horrific days.

  Kate who had tried to make him understand that his mother needed him.

  Kate who had taken the brunt of all of his rage against the mother he loved so much but who in his eyes had betrayed his father and caused his death, who he could not bring himself to speak to face to face.

  Kate who had held him when he cried.

  Kate who told him that he could get through this.

  And Kate who had had the power to destroy him when she’d refused to go with him. She had been his only friend, his best friend. And more.

  ‘You made me choose between staying with my family and being with you. It was hard, Simon. So very hard. And you need to know that if it hadn’t been for Gemma I would have packed my rucksack, taken your hand and walked away from all that chaos. And, believe me, I wanted to do that just as much as you did.’

  Her voice quivered with the intensity of her feelings, and it was all there in her eyes for him to see.

  She was telling him the truth. After all these years. And, whether it was absolution or regret that he was feeling, Simon felt as though a spring that had been held tight inside his heart had suddenly uncoiled.

  ‘You wanted to go with me?’

  She nodded. ‘I followed you to the end of the road,’ she whispered. ‘And hid in the neighbour’s garden until you turned the corner and were out of sight. It would have been so easy to run after you and just go. My passport was in my pocket. I had saved a little money in the bank. Yes. Of course I wanted to go with you. But …’

  There was a deep sadness in those blue eyes which reached out and touched him at the very spot where a big black hole called Katie had used to live, and the tiny pilot light he had persuaded himself had been put out burst into action. A gentle orange flame flickered into life, warm and welcome and as unsettling as a forest fire.

  So he had not imagined it after all. Their relationship had meant as much to her as it had to him.

  Simon shuffled two steps closer to her, his eyes fixed on the table where they were standing. Anywhere but on her face. Her face would be too much.

  ‘Were you scared?’ he asked, in a low voice.

  Her answer was a whisper. ‘Not for myself. I had survived a lot more than you knew to earn that place at university. I would have got by. But you hadn’t lived that life, Simon. You had grown up with more than enough money to do whatever and go wherever you wanted, and your parents were always there for you. Then suddenly your father was gone and you wouldn’t even talk to your mother. I was scared for you and what you were going to have to face alone out here. I was frightened for you. But I knew that I had to let you go. And that was so hard.’

  ‘Is that why you told me that you loved me?’ he asked. ‘To try and persuade me to change my mind about going? Or did you mean it?’

  Kate’s fingers pressed against the back of his hand for a fleeting second, and she opened her mouth to answer—but before she could say the words there was a bustle of activity and lively chatter at the door to the boardroom, and Molly popped her head around the door with a broad grin.

  ‘Ah. There you are, Simon. The TV crew will be ready for you in a few minutes. Sorry to interrupt, Kate, but the star of the conference needs to make his first royal speech. See you in a few minutes.’ And with a small finger-wave she pulled the door closed.

  Simon and Kate looked at each other for a few seconds before she took the initiative, reached out and straightened his tie.

  ‘Looks like it’s time to get out there and meet your public, Your Majesty. Your subjects await.’ With one final shake of the head Kate smiled warmly at him and said in a low, soft voice which thrilled him beyond belief, ‘Let’s go and tell them what you’ve been up to these last three years. Partner.’

  Two hours later Kate collapsed down onto a hard chair in the huge ballroom which served as the main conference area and slipped off her shoes, rubbing her poor crushed toes back to life.

  Frenzy had been just about right. As soon as Simon appeared he had practically been mobbed by three teams of TV reporters, all clamouring for interviews and the inside story on what it felt like to be the very first western Prince, soon to be King, of a tribal kingdom in rural Africa.

  He had handled every one of the often daft questions about protocol and the best way to wear a toga with courtesy and style, while she and Molly had run themselves ragged handing out press releases and project reports on the company’s IT products and the current sponsorship programme in this part of Africa. It had almost been a relief that most of the questions had been aimed at the star of the day—all she�
��d had to do was stand next to Simon with Molly for the compulsory photo call.

  When his arm had snaked behind her back, pressing her close to his side, her smile had become even more fixed and professional. No speaking part required, thank goodness.

  Now the media crews had drifted into the dining room like locusts, for the free buffet lunch the company had provided, giving her a precious few moments to catch her breath before the official conference welcome session.

  Shame that she was already exhausted and the real work had not even started. Whimper.

  What made it even worse was that Simon seemed as fresh as ever. She could only watch in awe as he ran through his talk with Paul.

  ‘You are going to be just fine,’ Simon said, and pointed at the projection screen behind Paul’s head. ‘The presentation looks great. One more run-through and we’re done. Okay? Okay.’ With one final nod Simon strolled to the back of the room, sat down next to her, and stretched out his long legs before pointing towards the podium where Paul was fiddling with the laptop.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind but I’ve asked Paul to give the presentation on the pilot study. I think it will mean a lot more if it comes from one of the pupils instead of the project worker who started it.’

  ‘Actually, I think that’s a great idea—especially when Paul is so eloquent. Is he your star pupil?’

  The smile on Simon’s face widened into grin of delight and pleasure, which startled Kate. The affection and delight he obviously felt for this boy was genuine.

  ‘Paul is the son of the paramount King of our area, and probably the greatest natural talent I’ve ever seen. You would never believe that he only touched his first personal computer at the age of twelve. He is already head boy of the local school, and I think he’s a genius. The only thing holding that boy back is the lack of opportunity and equipment. This is where we come in.’

  Katie tilted her head slightly to one side. ‘I think there is more to it than that. Do you want to tell me about it?’

  Simon shook his head before replying. ‘You could always see right through me, couldn’t you? And you’re right. Paul’s father gave me a home when I needed one, took me in, and then listened to my crazy schemes to introduce solar power and digital technology to a village which at that time had only the most basic school building. And by basic I mean no educational materials at all. No books and certainly no money to pay for teachers. They were doing the best they could, but it was tough.’

  Kate nodded then pursed her lips. ‘Sorry to question your ability, Your Royal Highness, but I can’t see you as a junior school teacher.’

  Simon chuckled. ‘I tried, but there are people better qualified to teach the basics these children need before they can even use a computer. I learned pretty fast that food and clean water and a safe place to sleep are higher up the priority list than a reliable internet connection.’

  Kate sighed out loud. ‘Do you remember the first time you dragged me to that talk on graduate volunteer projects in Africa? I blame you entirely for my whole career.’

  He snorted out a reply. ‘You used to call it my middle class obsession. I certainly didn’t expect that we would both be working in the same field all these years later. Perhaps it is just as well that we can never truly know how things are going to turn out? Although …’

  ‘Although?’ Kate asked, half turning in her chair so that she could face him.

  ‘Don’t hit me, but I was surprised when Andy told me that you had already worked on projects in India and Mexico. After what happened with Dad, I did wonder …’ Simon raised both eyebrows and gave her a gentle closed-mouth smile.

  ‘You thought I might stay clear of volunteer work?’ Kate said with a lilt in her voice. ‘That’s a fair question, and the truth is, yes, I did think very long and hard about working overseas. But at the end of the day this is the fastest way to step up the promotion ladder to head office.’

  Simon nodded. ‘Which means you could live at home?

  Right. That makes sense.’ He turned away from her, as though disappointed.

  ‘Wait a minute, Simon. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t be doing this unless I believed that the work was important. And it is important. That is what this conference is all about—and I never, ever confused the work you were doing with why you left.’

  She leant forward and locked onto his grey eyes.

  ‘Perhaps it’s time to show me what you have been up to these past three years before I read it in Andy’s report? Let’s get this conference started.’

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  CHAPTER SEVEN

  KATE sat back on her heels and waited, hardly daring to breathe but desperate to finally hear Simon’s reply. The silence stretched out between them, so that when he did speak his words seemed to echo around the cool night air and vibrate with the tension in his voice.

  ‘The day of his funeral, I looked into that grave and I saw that all my efforts had been a worthless joke. I had lived my life striving to be the best in class so that he would pay me some attention, and there I was. A first-class honours degree. Graduating joint top of the class. And it meant absolutely nothing. The man I had worked so hard to please was gone. My mother had fallen for your dad and my family was gone for ever. I felt as though everything I had built my life on had been swept away by some giant landslide.’

  The anguish in his words hit her like a physical blow. ‘I wanted to be there for you when he died,’ Kate said, desperate not to break the connection between them. ‘That’s why I decided to wait until a better time, when we could both think straight about how we should build a future together. I didn’t have a second of doubt that we could do it. As a team. Me and you. Only you left before we could talk. And that’s what hurt the most. The fact that you cut me off.’

  His head dropped forward onto his chest and his fingers clutched onto Kate’s, drawing her next to him. ‘I didn’t know who I was any more. And then I turned and looked at you,’ he said, in a sweet voice with a gentle smile. ‘You were standing next to me at the graveside. You were there for me. And I saw someone who put her family first, before herself—and still got the grades by working twice as hard as anyone else in the class. You wanted to work to give yourself a future. And it blew me away. That’s when I knew that I had lost the sense of what I truly wanted in life. The old me was in that grave with my dad, and I had no clue what to do any more.’

  Kate started to speak, but Simon’s forefinger pressed against her lips to silence her. ‘You’re right. I did run away. I ran way to find myself. It was a selfish thing to do, but I knew that if I stayed I had nothing to give you or offer you. Nothing. No home, no money, and not even the job we had both worked so hard for. It was all gone. I can’t even guess at how tough it must have been, but you had always been a fighter. Until that moment I don’t think I fully realised just how much I had come to rely on you for my strength. I loved you, Katie. I loved you and I had not once told you that out loud.’

  His eyes scanned her face as his fingertips brushed gently across her forehead and into her hair. ‘So, you see, you were right to call me a coward. Telling you how I felt would have been a sign of weakness, and the Reynolds family did not do weakness.’

  His laugh was hollow and bitter, and Kate shook her head in gentle agreement. ‘Oh, Simon. I wish you had talked to me about what you wanted.’

  ‘And said what? My dad had promised the village that he would finish the work he had started—they were relying on him! But I knew that was never going to happen. He was gone, and so was the finance. All I could offer the people was my time and my commitment to keeping the promises he had made.’

  He dropped his head back and pressed both hands palm flat against the top of his head as he closed his eyes. ‘I know you, Kate O’Neill. I knew that you would never leave Gemma—especially when your dad had cancer. And I had been to Ghana before. I knew there was no way you c
ould have brought a child out here. Life was tough enough for a single man on his own. I just about coped with finding clean water and food to get by. A little girl like Gemma would have been … impossible to care for. And I was certainly in no state to be a father figure. No. You had to put her first. And that meant you had to stay. And I had to leave on my own. No matter how much it hurt.’

  ‘Were you lonely?’ she asked, after what was probably only a few seconds of silence which had seemed to stretch for hours.

  He nodded. ‘Missed you all like crazy. But somehow being in Ghana helped me mourn my father. This was the one place where my dad and I had been happy working together. The village gave me a home and a purpose in life. A lifeline, if you like, when I needed it. Everything I have done since then has been to repay that debt. They are my family, and now they are going to be my people.’

  ‘You kept the promises your dad made. You should be proud of that.’

  Simon smiled a couple of times. ‘I suppose I did. Just as you kept your promises to Gemma. And you should be proud of that.

  The light had faded now to a dim glow from the white sand, and as he smiled in reassurance Simon noticed the dark shadows that were growing all around them as the final rays of the sun dropped below the horizon, taking the glorious sunset with it.

  Suddenly Kate rolled to one side, away from Simon, and in one movement started gathering together her things and tugging the dress she had borrowed from Molly back into position.

  ‘What is it, Katie? Are you cold?’ Simon asked.

  ‘No. Not cold,’ she replied, with a smile he could hear in her voice. ‘Just sad.’

  He reached out and caught her hand, forcing her to be still for a moment.