The Secret Prince

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: 

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine

During  the awkward moment with Helena, Clancy noticed and decided to rescue me from the situation, he grabbed my bags from the boot of the car and decided to take me to my room; which thankfully was right across from Harry’s which were on the opposite side of the castle from Helena and George’s room. Thank God.  

I decided to put away my clothes and take a quick shower to wash away the airplane feel. When I came back down stairs, I was led to the dining room by Clancy. When I got there, Harry, Helena, and George were already seated at the table and eating Harry’s favorite meal; Shepherd's Pie. 

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! I didn’t realize I was taking so long!” I exclaimed while apologizing to everyone. George looked at me and smiled, “That is perfectly alright, sweetheart.” I let Clancy push in my chair as I sat down. 

Once I was sitting down Helena looked at me, “Tell me about your family.” I nodded, “Well, there’s my mother; Elizabeth, my stepfather; Edward, my father; Charles, and my brother; Mitchell. My parents’ are-“I started to say before Helena interceded, “divorced? Do you believe in wasting a marriage even if you fall out of love with the other? Would you ever get a divorce?” She questioned me with her piercing blue eyes. 

I shook my head, “No ma’am. I do not believe in getting a divorce unless necessary. A divorce was completely necessary for my parents. “I told her while looking into her piercing blue eyes. It’s like I could feel her judging me from across the table. 

“Why? Did he cheat on your mother? Anything is fixable within a relationship.” She half asked, half told me.

“Yes, actually he did; several times in fact. My father was a politician and he had multiple affairs that we found out about after the divorce. I grew up extremely catholic and my father sinned many times: most of the time it was adultery. My parents fought constantly, never around my brother and I but that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t hear them fighting every night.  So, in order to protect my brother and me because she wasn’t sure if he’d go get drunk and become violent, my mother divorced my father. I didn’t speak to my father for almost seven years because I was the one that caught him and his secretary. It wasn’t until Harry came with me to Texas to get my brother to have him stay with me for two weeks that I finally spoke to my father. No, I don’t believe in divorce, but not every relationship is fixable as you say, ma’am.” I told Helena while keeping my eye contact with her. 

After I had finished my short little story, Helena began to glare daggers at me again. George looked at me as I felt Harry put his hand on my thigh, “I am terribly sorry God chose you to witness that, sweetheart. But this shows us that you are an incredibly strong soul and a fighter, which is an amazing quality to have, love.” I turned to him and smiled, thanking him. After, I looked at my food; too upset to eat, too upset to speak. 

Harry and George talked small talk throughout the meal, while Helena continued to glare daggers into the side of my head; all the while she slowly analyzed everything about me. I had the feeling that she was judging me by the way I breathed; trying to find a reason for me to be any less perfect. As if I didn’t already know that. There definitely was a gigantic elephant in the room; the tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. 

She made it extremely obvious that she did not like me at all, even though the only thing I said to her was a greeting the minute we stepped foot outside the limo when we got here earlier this afternoon. And even with that she put her nose in the air as if to say, “I’m better than you, why are you here?” This made me feel as if I’m not worthy enough of Harry; which I’m not. I’m just a radio host in New York City, from a small town in Texas, with at least one hundred thousand dollars in school debt that will take me about fifty years to pay off completely.