Running Around Royal (Prince Harry #4)

Chapter Five

By this time of the day, a few days after the start of the new year, Meredith sweated. It wasn't a common occurrence, even as the cold struck London, but this was her... actually, no one was aware how many dresses she had on today. It had surpassed forty, but it was still under seventy. It was a mixture of dresses from cocktail to dinner to normal to event to gala to state visits. Meredith eyed the state visit dresses, and she groaned internally. Those dresses were heavy and constricting.

Meredith knew she was meant to be happy because pants were promised to her, more than what Catherine could get away with, but it still wasn't enough-- especially because Meredith wore pantyhose or tights under her dresses and skirts.

Not through half of the dresses and outfits, Meredith felt quite ready to give up. The whole budget had to gone already for this tour, just spent on dresses and clothes. Certainly, Meredith didn't need this much, and even then, she was repeating sometimes. These clothes would only get her so far then before another collective group of clothes came in from London.

"Can I get a break?" Meredith finally asked.

Jessica nodded and repeated it to the group. "Her highness would like a break."

Everything just kept moving around.

"Alone," Meredith growled.

Jessica, knowing the Duchess of Windsor well enough, made everyone leave the room. Meredith became the only one in the room, and she sighed. It was all suddenly too quiet. Yet, when they were in here with endless and mindless talking, it was all too much. She didn't need these many people. Exhaustion racked her body, and Meredith thought about sitting down, even with the dress "breaking in" if she sat down.

Since she was about to go on a long tour, Meredith needed a break, a moment to catch her breath, but that wasn't what she got. She was surrounded, like she was going to be on her world tour with Harry. There were moments and days of pause while touring, but those days weren't enough. Harry had warned her it was going to be bad, and Meredith hadn't listened. It hadn't even started, and Meredith was exhausted.

Walking over, Meredith uncapped whatever bottle of alcohol it was, and she poured herself a glass. Meredith strode around the room, looking over the dresses and outfits that had been laid out. At this point, it didn't matter if Meredith liked the clothes; she just had to wear them. This clothes fitting was to make sure they fit correctly, even with the diet that she had been put on.

Harry tried to get her off of her, saying it was unnecessary. Meredith tried to get herself off of it. When Jessica delivered the news, she kept her voice steady, but the Duchess of Windsor knew that look anywhere: There is nothing I can do. Meredith had no choice to accept it, since she didn't even know where the order came from. Certainly the Queen had better things to do that wasn't her granddaughter-in-law's weight.

If Meredith was meant to drop weight like they wanted, none of these clothes were going to fit anywhere.

As she strolled around the room, Meredith found the dresses she was supposedly supposed to fit into. "I guess I'm too fat to be a princess." She took a drink from the glass, and her throat burned. "Good thing, I'm a duchess." Flipping the dress back, Meredith rolled her eyes and walked away.

Her feet clicked against the ground in the heels she wore. Since her feet had gotten so numb to heels, she spent hours in them. When Meredith came upon the shaded window, she looked out, wishing to open it for some fresh air, but she knew the rules. Meredith glanced at the sides, trying to find the sensor, like the coppers might come in at any time, thinking someone is trying to get to the Queen.

Nope, it's just little old me, Meredith thought, but then she amended, large young me. Meredith took another gulp of the alcohol.

"Enjoying your time?"

The glass almost slipped from Meredith's grasp, and with this crystal glass and old floor, undoubtedly, it was going to be expensive.

Whirling around, Meredith found Harry leaning against the door. A crooked smile hung on his lips, and he had a mysterious look in his eyes, which he got when he found Meredith alone.

"It's beautiful," he said, "but not as stunning as the woman wearing it."

"I don't think we should break in this dress that way." Meredith swallowed the rest of the alcohol and set down the glass.

Harry snickered. "I wouldn't think Philip would like you gulping down the good stuff."

"Is he going to haunt me in my dreams now?" she asked. "He'll appear and say something about something, and then the alcohol, and then he'll definitely say something inappropriate."

"What would the inappropriate thing be?"

"Depends what I'm wearing, I guess." Meredith walked forward, and the back of dress slid against the ground. "You don't have to do these fittings, do you?"

"Where do you think I was?"

Meredith groaned.

Harry's blue eyes danced around the room. "Mine wasn't so... much." Picking up a dress, he arched an eyebrow, and then he held up to his wife. "I didn't know you liked stuff like this."

Scoffing, Meredith took it from his hands. "It's not a choice. It's what I'm wearing-- whatever they put me in. I go out; I smile; I wave; I wear this." She showed off her own dress, which was stained with large sweat marks under the armpits. "Say nothing."

"You look stunning nonetheless." He tried to kiss her, but his wife escape out of his grasp.

"Are you heading back to Kensington?"

"Yes, unless you want me to stay."

"And keep me on my best behavior, I think not." Meredith smiled at him. "Get out here. Go get sleep or whatever. You're going to need it."

"For tonight?"

Meredith was ready to throw something at him, and it showed on her face.

"I love you." Harry waved as he left, and the door closed behind him.

Meredith turned her back to the door, and she stared into the mirror. The dress, Jessica said, fit nice on her, but Meredith didn't see it. Her stomach fell out, and black was meant to be slimming. The more she looked at herself, the more she felt gross. All the flaws she found about herself were on point, and these were things Meredith never thought about until someone whispered diet to her. Meredith had been proud of who she was, and now she had no choice but to change.

Tears burned her eyes, and Meredith tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling. She blinked them away. Stop, Mere, stop, she told herself. Snorting, Meredith turned away from the mirror. Her hands ran down her body, as if the push the fat off.

"You're better than this," she muttered.

Flipping her back, Meredith walked firmly to the door, still blinking tears out of her eyes. She pasted a smile to her face and swung the door open. "Come on back in."