"You're in shock," I said.
"I'm angry."
Since I'd found her I'd not been able to let her go. I held her as tight as I could, peppering her face with constant kisses.
"Those bastards better burn for what they did," she said.
"They will..."
I didn't know what punishment would be dished out to them, but I was going to make sure it was severe. Down the road, what looked like a swarm of paparazzi photographers tried to barge passed the police barricade, but they were forced back, disappearing back to their cars in a haze of flashes and yelling.
"How do you live with them?" she asked.
"I try not to," I said. “Hence playing it low key when I met you."
She set her bottle down and pushed herself up beside me.
"I was quick to judge you," she said. "But you've got to understand how easy it was for me when I saw all those articles about you."
"I never wanted to be like that," I said. "I always wanted what we had together. The real thing. I wanted to be like a normal person."
“You could never be normal," she laughed and reached up to kiss me.
I held her for as long as I could, terrified that if I let go she would somehow disappear.
"Well it goes without saying that I missed my flight," she said.
It was amazing how she could remain so upbeat after what she had just been through. I took her wrists and inspected the bruises and grazes. Kissing them gently, I was at least grateful she wasn't injured even worse.
"I love you," I said. "I meant it when I said it before and I mean it now."
"I love you too," she replied. "When I was tied up in there, I had a long time to think about us. I just wish it didn't have to get so complicated."
"It doesn't have to be."
"But you're a prince. It will never be easy between us. How could it be? I'm just a commoner."
"But you don't have to be."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I want you to start a life with me. I want to be with you. Come home with me."
"I couldn't, could I? Wouldn't your family hate me."
"Nobody could hate you," I said.
She may not have had royal blood, but I knew that the idea of me settling down would make my dad happy beyond words. He would love Lizzie regardless of her background, and so would Henry.
"So you'll come?" I asked, praying she would say yes.
For a second, I was terrified she would say no, but then she looked down at her wrists, and her face spread into a smile.
"Of course I'll come with you," she said. "Just try and stop me."
Epilogue
Lizzie
The butler, a gentleman with kind, blue eyes and a calm demeanor, placed the morning's newspaper down beside my breakfast. At first, I didn't pay it much attention, but that was until I saw the face looking back at me.
“Woah, Phil. Have you seen this?”
He was sipping an espresso and flicking through the Financial Times.
“What's that?”
“This headline. Bar manager behind pirate robberies and kidnapping on royal island sentenced to twenty years.”
His eyes widened momentarily before he came to stand behind me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he massaged me gently and looked down at the paper.
“Serves him right,” he said. “And his daughter will be a grown woman when he's out.”
“It's amazing what people can get themselves caught up in.”
I should have been angry at him. After all, if it wasn't for Richard's stupid lie that sent me back to the bar, I wouldn't have found myself tied up in a shack beneath a volcano. But on the other hand, if I hadn't been, then I would have simply got on that minibus, gone home, and never seen Phil again.
“How are you feeling about the whole thing?” asked Phil.
“Actually fine. I mean, I'm still mad obviously but... It brought us together.”
“In a strange way it did.”
He leaned down to brush a kiss against my cheek before sitting down beside me. Stabbing his fork into my plate of smoked salmon, he gave me a cheeky grin and looked out the window.
“Hey, that's my breakfast,” I joked.
He took his fork and raised it to my lips. I bit down, my eyes meeting his.
Could it be any better than this?
The sun was shining throughout the gargantuan room. I was still getting used to the size of the place, the grandeur, the decadence. This small breakfast room was one of the more modest rooms in the palace, but it was still bigger than most people's apartments. I couldn't stop looking at the gold leaf on the ceiling, the priceless paintings on the walls and the marble pillars at the sides of each door.
Outside, the palace square had a small group of guards changing shifts as the clock chimed eight. That was another thing to get used to. Antiquated traditions. They were everywhere. According to Phil's dad, the changing over of the guards played out like this every morning and had done for the last seven hundred years.
I watched as they marched up the square in their red uniforms. It was quite a sight, but so was everything else around here. Since I'd arrived six months ago, there wasn't a single day that passed when I wasn't taken aback and totally overwhelmed by something. Everything from the cutlery to the wallpaper to the soap in the bathrooms was more luxurious than anything I had ever experienced.
At times it all got to me. I didn't really belong here. I grew up in a regular two bedroom house where we had the same thing for dinner every week in front of the TV. My dad bought off-brand cereal, he drove a second-hand car and saved all year round to get me something nice Christmas. I wondered what he would make of all this.
“What are you thinking?” asked Phil. “You looked about a million miles away there.”
“I was thinking about my dad.”
“I'm glad,” he said.
“Glad?”
“Because I've been waiting for a good time to tell you about this.”
“About what?”
He disappeared out the room without saying another word.
“About what, Phil!”
I didn't too much like surprises. Not recently anyway after what I'd experienced on the island. I mean, sure, it toughened me up, made me feel as though I was invincible at times as I relived the memory of raising a gun to my captor. But there were also times when I was always looking over my shoulder, always thinking someone was out to get me.
Phil returned with a large envelope in his hand and came back with a smile that reached his eyes and lit up the room.
“The paperwork was finalized this morning. I was going to tell you about it later today, but there's no better time than now.”
He slipped the papers out the envelope and slid them over to me. I saw the words sailing, foundation, adolescent girls and my head started spinning.
“What... What is this?”
“I know how much you enjoyed sailing with your father so... I created a foundation. A first for me. May as well use my power and money for something good.”
“I don't understand. A foundation for what?”
He tapped his finger onto the first page and said, “A sailing foundation for underprivileged teenage girls. It means every summer they can go away for two weeks, learn all the basics and get taught by the best. And of course I'll cover the costs of everything. Buy all the boats and the equipment. Obviously, I had to name it after your father. I thought it would be a fitting legacy.”
My eyes scanned the page. I just couldn't believe it. I'd never been prouder or happier.
“The David White Foundation,” I beamed. “Oh, Phil it's incredible!”
I flung myself at him, the papers scattering across the table.
“I just don't' believe it!”
I kissed him hard and clung onto him.
“Thank you so much,” I said, my words brushing up against his neck.
“It's the least I could do. Now how about we finish breakfast and
take a walk around the grounds? I've not shown you the secret maze before.”
“Is that a euphemism?”
“It can be.”
* * *
It never ceased to amaze me just how big the palace grounds were. It felt as though we had been walking for hours, but we hadn't even reached the gates at the edge of the property.
“It's so big in here. Like it's own little country.”
“It feels that way sometimes. Well, it did when I was younger. We didn't get to leave the palace that often so me and Henry were kinda just stuck behind these gates most of the time. I guess that's why I went a little nuts when I became an adult. I just wanted to experience everything. Was desperate to not be confined by the palace walls and my father's strict rules and laws.”
We walked on in silence for a while. There was nothing but the sound of birdsong and the crunch of our feet on the gravel.
“Your father,” I said. “Has be come around to the idea of a commoner sharing a bed with his son yet?”
“Will you stop referring to yourself as a commoner?”
“I can't help it.”
“Anyway, there was nothing to come around to. He thinks you're wonderful for me. He tells me every day.”
“He does not.”
“He does!”
He laughed and pulled me into his arms. In front of us, tall hedges shaped into a maze beckoned us closer.
“Wanna see if we get lost?” he asked, his hands moving around my waist.
He ran inside and I gave chase, but he was too quick for me. It seemed that when I was close enough to reach out and grab him, he was always a step away, vanishing behind a corner. We wound our way deeper and deeper into the center of the maze until we were breathless.
I caught up with him, running up behind him and tackling him hard. But I was a bit more enthusiastic than I realized and we toppled over, narrowly missing the rose bushes. I landed on top of him, the two of us not able to stop laughing. It had been this way since we touched down in Molgrovia. There hadn't been a single day that passed without me smiling so much my face ached.
He tickled me under the ribs and I squealed. Taking his chance to overpower me, he flipped me onto my back and kissed me hard. His hands found their beneath my dress and I instinctively pushed him away.
“What if someone sees?”
“No one will. I promise. No paparazzi in here.”
He kissed me again, this time slowly, taking his time to brush his tongue against mine as I let out a soft moan. I opened my legs for him and slid his hands up my thighs to pull down on my panties. There came the sound of his zipper, the feel of him in my hand, the strong scent of roses and freshly cut grass.
His lips never left mine as he eased himself inside of me, an explosion of moans escaping through our kisses. He filled me up with a deliberate slowness that left me wanting more, but he wasn't in a rush. Inch by inch, he entered me, his hands softly exploring my body.
He cupped my breasts and lowered his mouth to my nipples, sucking gently. I tangled my fingers in his hair and held him to my chest. He worked up a slow, but steady rhythm and I opened my legs wider for him.
"Harder," I breathed, but he wasn't in a hurry. "I said harder!"
He moved even slower, teasing me, wanting to take as long as he could to relish every second of being inside of me. When I grew even more desperate, and didn't think he could go any slower, he stopped all together and looked into my eyes. Placing his hand between my legs, he lightly rubbed at my clit.
"You're torturing me," I said.
His touch grew even lighter until it felt as though there was nothing but a feather down there.
"I want to take my time," he said.
"But I don't."
With all my strength, I flung him off me and pinned him to the ground. He landed on his back, laughing with his eyes sparkling in the sun. I straddled him and held his arms down to the ground. He could have overpowered me in a second if he wanted to, but he was enjoying seeing me take control. He grew even harder as I sat on top of him. I lowered myself down onto him with none of the gentleness he had shown me. I rode him hard, grinding against him as I felt the beginning of a hard orgasm approaching.
"Woah, slow down. Slow down! I'm gonna... I'm gonna... Aaaargh!"
His eyes rolled back in his head as his whole body went rigid and trembled. He came hard, a yell ripping out of his mouth as he ejaculated. Just seeing him reach such a strong orgasm, just hearing his voice reach a crescendo drove me wild. I felt myself clench around him, quivering as I came and screaming out as I fell onto his chest. I ripped at his hair and bit into his shoulder as my whole body shook violently. Then we both fell silent, the scent of our sweat and sex lingering in the air amid the roses.
Eventually, I rolled off him and lay on my back looking up at the clouds. Beside me, he was still breathing hard. He reached a hand over me and lay it on my stomach. He stroked me through my dress, the warmth from his skin penetrating the thin fabric.
"It always gets better with you," he said.
He kissed my cheek and sat up. I could sense a peculiar anxiety coming from him as though he wanted to say something but couldn't. There was tension in his face that wasn't there previously, a look in his eyes that darkened the moment.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"You look worried."
"No I'm fine. Do you want to walk on?"
"Erm, sure."
I stood up and pointlessly tried to rub the grass stains out my dress. He took my hand, and we slunk our way around the hedges until we found the exit.
"Thank God you know your way around here. I would have been lost for days."
"It's indelibly stamped on my brain," he laughed, but his voice sounded forced.
What's got into him? Why does he look so nervous?
We carried on walking, continuing up the long tree-lined path toward the palace. But as we got nearer, he began to slow down. At first, I thought there was something wrong, but then he began fumbling in his pocket. There was a slight film of sweat now covering his forehead. Then, when I thought he couldn't act any stranger, he tripped and fell to his knee.
"Oh, my God. Are you okay?"
I rushed to help him up, and it was then that I saw he hadn't tripped at all, but had lowered himself to one knee. From his pocket he presented a small, red leather box in the shape of a heart. It was clearly antique with a tiny brass-hinged lock on the front. He popped it open and I was instantly blinded by the sight of a large diamond that glinted in the sun.
"Oh... My God!"
"Lizzie, you've been the best thing that's happened to me. I love you more than anything. Love you more than I even thought possible. I never thought I could ever experience anything like this. You've made the fairy tale come true."
His eyes were watery, anxious, eager for an answer.
"Yes!" I screamed.
"I haven't even asked you yet."
"I'm saying yes!"
"Lizzie... You're my queen already. Will you marry me?"
"Aaaah, yes. Yes! YES!"
I threw myself at him and we tumbled onto the grass. He took the ring from the box and slid it onto my finger. To my delight, it fit perfectly.
"It's been in my family for generations," he said. "My grandmother wore it, as did her own grandmother and hers too."
I held my hand up to the light and couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"Phil, it's incredible. You're incredible. This whole thing. It doesn't feel real!"
"It's all real," he said. "Believe me. It's all real and this is all yours."
He pulled me into a kiss and I felt as though I was floating away.
We walked through the yard as the ceremony of the changing of the guards came to a close. It all felt surreal, so unbelievable. I looked up at the sky where the turrets from the palace met the clouds, and I wondered if my dad was up there watching me and blessing me with all this good fortune.
“You look so
beautiful when you smile,” said Phil.
I hadn't even realized I had been.
“I don't think I'll ever stop smiling,” I said. “ Not ever.”
As we walked up the steps, the butler was waiting for us at the door.
“More tea?” he asked as we entered.
“That would be great,” said Phil. “And a touch of brandy wouldn't hurt either.”
He gave me a cheeky wink as we returned to the breakfast room where there seemed to be an endless array of food and drink.
“Is every day a holiday here?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said as the brandy arrived. “Every single day.”
Looking out the window, I caught sight of a wisp of clouds floating across the endless backdrop of blue. For a split-second, when the wind caught it, I was certain it was in the shape of a boat.
“Are you okay?” asked Phil.
“I'm fine,” I said. “I'm better than fine. I've never been happier in my life. Now where's that brandy?”
The End
His Hose (Preview)
Hannah
A Few Weeks Earlier - New York City
Fig had to be the cutest little cafe in all of Manhattan. It was my first time there, as the place had just opened about a month prior, but I was instantly blown away by the adorable decor. My best friend, Melody, and my brother, Logan, were already seated on the patio when I arrived.
As I approached their table, I couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t seen me yet, lost in their own little world. Melody’s belly was growing larger by the day, and it was hard to believe she was only four months pregnant. She was a small girl, however, so any weight gain was obvious on her slight frame. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a side bun, loose tendrils falling around her face. It was easy to see why my brother was smitten with her, but maybe I’m biased because she was my best friend. The two of them held hands, Melody’s giant rock glistening in the sunshine as they laughed over a private joke, probably something I wouldn’t understand even if I had heard it.
“I’m sorry I’m a little late,” I said, hustling to the table. Melody stood and we hugged tightly.
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