The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 159

The first thing Maddie did when she arrived at Highgrove was head outside. After her bags were stowed away in Harry's old room—their room—she pulled on her sunglasses and began her journey around the grounds. It was a beautiful day; rolling clouds, light breeze. As she pulled in breath after breath of fresh air, she could almost feel her mind begin to settle.

She had walked right out the back door and angled off towards the Cottage Garden. After rounding through the roses and taking the long walk down to the Laurel Tunnel, she made a direct route to her favorite place. Moving through the wildflower meadow and into the Sundial Garden, she found it. This lovely, large, old bench that sat right in the middle of a blanket of delphinium; her own personal sanctuary.

This was as close to her father as she could get—and the very fact that it was here, nestled into Charles' property, made it that much more poignant. Both of her fathers surrounded her as she took her seat on the bench, took a deep breath and let it out.

This was exactly what she had envisioned when she had left London that morning. She had known Harry would be shocked, that he might take it poorly, but she needed this. This space, this air, this particular set of surroundings. This was where she could clear her mind of all the chaos that Cassandra had injected into their lives and get back to the core of it all.

Her and Harry.

"Okay Forrester," she took a deep breath. "What the hell is going on?"

Looking out at all the beauty that was laid before her, she took deep breath after deep breath and she let it all begin to settle; let it all begin to work out.

Cassandra had made some serious accusations; laying claim to so much more than a kiss. She had set up a relationship; an intimacy full of secrets and understandings. Maddie had heard clients or friends who had been cheated on say that the emotional stuff had been so much harder to take than the physical. And though deep in her heart, she knew that Harry hadn't done the things he was being accused of—couldn't have done the things he was being accused of—she had felt a sharper kick to the gut at the idea of him telling Cassandra all those details than she had about this one wayward kiss Harry had spoken of.

It had hurt to hear the things Cassandra had said, it had killed her to sit with the uncertainty as she had waited for him to come home. But as mad as she had been at him, as mad as she still was about his omission, she believed him.

Sighing, her head tipped up to the sky, her eyes scanning over the clouds, her lungs drawing in deep breaths. She believed him. With a huff of a chuckle, she looked out over the land. Then what was she doing here? Why had she left?

Because her heart ached. He had still kept something from her, something big, something that had probably fueled this drive in Cassandra to call her up and say the things she said. And she was confused. Though she believed Harry, believed that he hadn't told Cassandra any of those things about them, her mind was having a hard time reconciling it all.

How else would she have known?

Maddie didn't know. And that left her sad and confused—that's why she was there, to handle those feelings, to sort that out.

"And you're going to do that alone?" She asked herself; amused at the situation. "Ah, Maddie..."

She knew better than that, or at least she had. She had spent the night before in their bed alone; her mind working it over and over again. She had battled and battled with herself; was she being naïve by trusting his word? She really didn't think so. But she had known so many people who had ignored blatant evidence in front of them. Did she think that what Cassandra had given her was that? No. But she hated not having an answer; wondered if she ever really would.

She had thought that by leaving the city, by getting out into the middle of nowhere with nothing to cloud her thoughts, she might be able to get down to the basics of it all. So she settled into her seat, looked out at the world that surrounded her and did just that.

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It was well into the afternoon before Maddie finally moved. Stretching her arms up over her head and letting out a wide yawn, she made her way back to the house; going the long way through The Woodland Garden, to The Stumpery, past the Temples and over to the Tree House. The sun was beginning to fade into the horizon and her stomach was making her hunger abundantly clear. But first she wanted to do this. She climbed the rungs and moved onto the platform of the treehouse; sitting down and leaning back against the wall. Sighing, she looked out around her and smiled.

"Hey there baby..." Her hand ran over her stomach. "This is where your daddy used to play when he was little..." Maddie's smile pulled higher. "And it's where we ended up on one of our very first dates..." She sighed and rubbed her belly. "And someday you're going to come out here and run in the flowers and play in the house and you're going to be just...surrounded by your grandfathers."

Almost as if it were responding, her stomach growled and Maddie laughed.

"Okay, okay...." She groaned as she moved to her feet, as she climbed out of the house. "We'll get some food little one."

Already feeling leaps and bounds better than she had the night before, or even that morning, she made her way back to the house in search of food and something to drink; and the beautiful library she loved so much.

And that's where she was when her phone rang. Fed and satisfied, she was curled up on a couch with a leather-bound book, when the phone in her pocket sounded out, pulling her from her make-believe world.

When she saw his name on the screen, her heart skipped in her chest; nervous and excited. With a light roll of her eyes, she took a breath, swiped her finger across the screen and answered.

"Hello."

"Hello," on the other end of the line, he was pacing the length of their living room with sweaty palms and hair that was twisted and pulled in every direction as he had debated this exact decision. "You uh...you made it okay?"

"I did," Maddie nodded, putting her finger in the pages and closing the book in her lap. "I've been here for a while now."

"Reading all the books in the library?" Harry joked, not knowing just how close to the truth he was.

"Just one," she smiled, loving so much how easy this was—even after the last twenty-four hours. "I went for a long walk, sat in the delphinium."

"Good," he nodded, biting at his fingernails as he took a breath and closed his eyes. "Maddie, there's something I need to tell you."

As her heart jumped up into her throat, she sat up straight; every cell in her body standing on alert. "Harry," she warned, not sure she could take another hit from him.

"It's nothing...bad," he shook his head, eyes cast to the floor as his hand rubbed at the back of his neck. "I mean, it's nothing that I..."

"Why don't you just tell me," Maddie's voice was short as she cut in; not wanting to beat around the bush anymore.

"Cassandra's called me," his shoulders stressed as he said the words. "I haven't answered once but she's called."

"What?" Maddie's forehead scrunched as she moved on the couch. "She's called you?"

"Seven times," Harry exhaled, pinching his eyes shut as he finished up. "And she's sent a handful of texts."

"And what exactly does she want?" Maddie could feel the venom rise in her throat, the hair on her arms standing.

"I don't know," Harry shook his head. "I haven't spoken to her or answered a text. I didn't want to..." He sighed. "She wants to talk to me. I haven't responded to her at all but...I thought you should know. I thought you would want to know."

"I..." Maddie swallowed back the lump in her throat. In truth, she didn't want to know. She didn't want any of this settling into her mind. But he was trying to be completely honest with her; laying it out in front of her—just as they both knew he should have with the kiss. "Thank you," Maddie whispered. "Thank you for telling me."

"Yeah," Harry let out a breath, turning his eyes upward. "Maddie...I'm so sorry about this."

"I know," she nodded, rising to her feet and leaving her book behind; her peacefulness momentarily thrown by this new revelation. "I know you are. I...this isn't your fault. You don't need to be sorry about this."

"Okay," he chuckled in a humorless puff. "But for everything else..."

"Yeah," she moved to the windows and looked out. "I know."

"Are you okay?" He had to ask; had to put voice to his concern.

"No," she shook her head, light tears springing to her eyes. "I mean...yes but...God Harry..." She sucked in a breath. "I keep trying to sort out my feelings, to understand how I can be mad about you not telling me about Monday and still believe you about everything else..."

"You believe me?" His voice was soft and quiet and so vulnerable that it made Maddie's emotions swirl.

"I..." She blinked and took a deep breath. "Over this woman who means nothing to me? Yes...I believe you."

On the other end of the phone, Harry halted; the sudden rush of joy and relief flooding his systems and shutting them down. His hand pressed to his chest over his heart and he had to fight tears. "I don't know what to say," he whispered.

"I don't either," Maddie shook her head; her mind moving on to this new information as the feelings of upset and anger drifted back in. "I don't either." The way her voice wavered, drew Harry back from euphoria to this moment and he cleared his throat.

"Is there anything I can do? Anything you need from me?"

"No," she smiled at his offer; small and sweet. "But I think I'm going to go now. I'm going to...take a hot bath and have some tea and try to get some sleep."

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"Thank you for calling Harry."

"Thank you for letting me," he didn't want to let her go, wanted to listen to her talk or breath for the rest of the night.

"You'll call tomorrow?" She lifted her eyebrows; abandoning her book in the library as she moved down the hall to their room.

"I will," he loved that she asked.

"Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight Maddie," he bit his lip. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered; her eyes shining and her chest tight. And with a click he was gone.

But the tension and the stress and...Cassandra—they were not gone. They were very much present and very much at the front of her mind. Even as she slipped into the hot tub, even as she closed her eyes and tried to clear her brain; they were still there, eating at her emotions.

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That night Maddie's body had won out over her brain. Despite the scenarios and words that were still running rampant through her mind, her body needed sleep. She had found that since she had started growing a baby, her body would at times simply take over; take whatever it needed in order to provide for the creation and sustainment of this new life. And this night, her body needed sleep. So not long after her hot bath, not long after her cup of tea, she was sound asleep in her bed; the fresh air drifting in the open window.

She slept in that morning; a few hours later than normal. And when she finally woke, she felt much better. She had a light breakfast and went for a walk around the grounds, taking in the things she had missed the day before. She was trying to gain back the peace of mind she had felt the night before. And to some extent she had. Talking to Harry had done wonders for her; hearing his voice, connecting with him—even over the phone. It had eased the tension she carried. It had helped her take another step forward. And even though she knew that being at Highgrove was the best thing for her, that the air and the space and the surroundings would center her faster than anything else—she missed him.

Feeling a little like she needed something else to focus on for a moment, she decided to head into town. Tetbury had wonderful little shops with great antique finds and delicious places to stop and eat. Because she had a Christening gift to find, it felt more purposeful and less indulgent; less of a detour.

But it was on this errand trip that it really hit home; running from the facts, from the thoughts in her mind was no way to resolve this. And being alone—no matter how cathartic it was proving to be—was no way for her to overcome this bump in the road of her marriage. She needed Harry for that. And never was that more clear than when she found the book.

It was after she had stopped off at a few main spots, after she had enjoyed a light lunch, Maddie had sought out some of her favorite spots in search of a gift for Buckie. It wasn't an easy task; a Bible seemed as though it would be repetitive, a child sized flask was way past inappropriate. But eventually she ended up in the perfect little shop; peering into a case enclosing very early editions of a few prized novels—including a very old copy of Winnie-The-Pooh. Something about its weathered appearance drew her in.

"May I take a look at this please?" She had asked the shopkeeper; a warm, white-haired, older woman who reminded her much of her own grandmother.

"Of course dear," she had nodded, giving Maddie that extra glance that told Maddie she was pretty sure she knew who she was but wasn't going to say anything.

Maddie took the book, bound in beautiful leather, and opened it up; her fingers reverent as they moved through the pages. Scanning the words, her lips moved as she read the quotes to herself; remembering exactly why she had always loved this story.

And that's when it happened.

She turned a page, read a line and nearly lost it.

Maybe it was the pregnancy—she would blame that for as long as she could—maybe it was her lack of sleep, or her oversleeping. Maybe it was the book in her hands, after having been passed through so many before her. Or maybe it was the knowledge that this would be read by two people she loved to somebody so very dear to her. Or maybe it was the idea that someday she could read this story to her own child. Maybe it was the stress from the last couple of days or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that she was away from Harry at a time when all she wanted was to be with Harry.

She didn't know.

But right there in that beautiful shop in Tetbury, tears pushed past her eyes and slid down her cheeks; even as she smiled, even as she rolled her eyes. The emotions were coming, no matter what she did. So she wiped at her cheeks and took a deep breath and asked the lovely older woman to pack it up. She would take it.

She made one more stop that afternoon, wanting to find a teddy bear to go along with the book, and then she was heading back to Highgrove.

By the time she had arrived, the tears had subsided but the emotions had not. The words she had read had struck something inside of her; something at the core. Even after she had purchased the book and stowed it away, even after the short drive—all she could think about were the words she read, the emotions they evoked, and...Harry.

She missed him.

It was as plain and as simple as that.

He was her husband, the father of the baby she was growing and as much as she needed the fresh air to help settle her mind, she needed him to help mend it all. So she dropped her bags in the entryway and reached into her purse. Enough was enough.

Maddie stared at the phone for a moment; her eyes blinking as her heart thumped in her chest. But it really only took her half a second before she decided. Chuckling at herself, at the unexplained and unwarranted nervousness, she swiped her finger across the screen and dialed. She barely had the phone pressed to her ear before he answered.

"Maddie," he sounded a bit breathless.

"Hi," she smiled at his voice.

"Hi." She could tell he was smiling and she loved that she knew such things. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

"It is," she sighed as she thought back to the shop, to the book. "I went shopping today in Tetbury."

"Oh?"

"Mmm," she nodded. "I had soup and pudding at The Potting Shed," her smile pulled higher just thinking about it; her hand rubbing over her stomach. "And then I took in some of the shops."

"Sounds like a lovely afternoon," Harry would listen to her tales of her day as long as she wanted to keep talking.

"It was," she nodded, beginning to walk the length of the kitchen. "I arranged for a local florist to send Agatha Taylor some flowers."

"Sorry, Agatha Taylor?" Harry asked, recognizing the name but unable to place it.

"They had to move The Well Child Awards this year so that she could have treatment and recover...."

"Ah yes," he nodded as it all clicked together in his mind. "I remember."

"I signed your name," she stopped at the sink, looking out the window at the land that surrounded her. "I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is."

"I found a Christening gift for Buckie..." She felt her emotions swirling again as she remembered.

"You did?" He was relaxing into their conversation; into the normalcy of it.

"An old edition of Winnie The Pooh," she bit at her lip as she pulled in a breath. "It's old and beautifully bound. I found a bear to go along with it..."

"Yeah?" He breathed; waiting for her to continue, listening to her breath—recognizing the thoughtful pause.

"Hey Harry..." She grew soft and quiet as she looked down at her shoes.

"Yes?"

She inhaled and sighed and in a voice that was sweet and vulnerable, she made his heart skip. "Harry...I miss you."

The line went silent for a moment and Harry wondered if she could hear his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know what to say, what to... "I can be there in two hours." The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them. "I'm sorry. I..."

"Okay," she looked back up through the window.

"Okay?" His voice jumped high in his throat. "You mean..."

"I mean...we should talk, right? We should do this together?" She smiled. "And there's nobody here. It's lovely weather; fresh breeze and...beautiful."

"Are you saying..."

"You should come up." She nodded. "If you want to I mean. You don't have..."

"I'm on my way," he interrupted as his feet began to move up the stairs to their room. "I'll pack and head out within ten minutes."

And she thought about protesting, thought about suggesting he wait till morning, thought about reminding him that she would be coming back to London the next day for the Christening the day after and they could talk then.

She thought about it. But the idea of him being there with her, of his voice and his smile and his warmth and...him—she wanted that so very much. Even if they were fighting, even if it wasn't over.

"Okay," Maddie exhaled, feeling the nervous excitement perk to life. "I'll make something for dinner."

"It'll be like...eight when I get there."

"Have you eaten?"

"No."

"Are you planning on eating before you leave?"

"No," he shook his head vigorously. Do anything other than what was absolutely necessary before he left? Fuck no.

"Then you'll be hungry when you get here."

"Yeah..." He breathed; his heart thumping wildly in his chest. "Are you sure Maddie? You wanted space and air and..."

"I would love it if you were here," she cut him off. "The only way we get through this together is to work through it...together. I..." She swallowed. "I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed..."

"No," he shook his head. "I understood. I understand. You needed..."

"You," she cut in again; a nervous smile on her lips. "I need you."

Harry took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to keep his excitement from going so far overboard it rendered him motionless. "I am on my way."

To Be Continued...