Running Around Royal (Prince Harry #4)

Chapter Ninety

The birds chirped outside and hopped from one branch to another. Through the white curtains, Meredith watched the brightly colored birds. Through the curtains, she also saw that it was going to be a cloudy day. She didn't mind.

The windows and doors were closed, but the waves crashing against the shore was heard clearly in the beach house. After yesterday's morning swim, Meredith had wanted to go swimming again. A soft patter of rain started against the window, so that wasn't going to happen today. However, tomorrow was a whole new day.

Harry, who slept beside her, got chilly and pulled the blankets a little higher around himself. Meredith also felt the chill, but she welcomed it. She loved the warm weather, but she had always been a winter-woman at heart.

There was still time left on the alarm clock, but she moved anyway. Like yesterday, her body woke her up long before she wanted to get up. At least, Meredith didn't feel any morning sickness, so she won something at least. It didn't feel like much, but it was something.

After a shower, she still had time before the alarm clock was set to go off, so she put her hair up in a towel and settled beside her husband in the bed. Harry stirred a little, peeking through his light eyelashes. Seeing that it was his wife, Harry went back to sleep.

"Or," Meredith leaned close to him, "we could have sex?"

"What time is it?" When he saw the time on the alarm clock, he asked, "Are you bored?"

"I would be reading." Meredith did miss reading because she hadn't been doing that a lot recently with jam-packed days. There was only so much to do when someone was pulling at her hair and painting on her face. "Come on, Harry."

Usually, he was a little quicker about it-- after all, Meredith was pregnant. "Didn't you just take a shower?"

"I can take another." Meredith slid her fingers through his orange hair, which she liked to call "African sunset." She let her fingers trail down his neck, and Meredith leaned down and kissed him on cheek. Her warm breath made goosebumps rise on his neck.

"We have an off day tomorrow?" Harry suggested.

Meredith backed off and sighed. "Who knows what mood I'm going to be in tomorrow?" She slipped under the covers. Harry laid his arm around her stomach, but she removed it. If he didn't want to, then she didn't want to be touched.

Harry took his arm back and curled up again, falling back asleep.

Grabbing a book in the never-ending pile of books that she wanted to read, Meredith opened it and started to read. She knew that she was up way too early, and she didn't want to up this early. Sleep was her friend. Harry was known to be an early riser; it was the military training in him. Meredith, on the other hand, felt that the bed was the one of the best places to be.

She was twenty pages in when the alarm clock went off, and she turned it off. Having already been in the shower and out, Meredith continued to read. Harry didn't move beside her, and unlike her, he didn't need to wash his hair every day. When Jessica came in, Meredith was sixty pages in and hated to stop.

Harry was ushered into the bathroom while Meredith was sat in front of the vanity and had her hair and makeup done. The stylists straightened her hair, and then they decided, after going through all that trouble, to just put her hair back in a bun. Meredith liked her hair back in a bun because then it wasn't in her face.

At breakfast, Meredith ate, which Harry was both relieved and happy that she did so. However, she ate so much that he thought she was going to throw up. Meredith hate quite the appetite, and she wanted to eat everything. It was nice to see his wife no longer wanting to vomit her guts out.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor arrived at a monument. He was in a full suit with honors dangling. The duchess was glowing again, even coming out from under a clear umbrella. Her blue dress was matched with a blue pillbox hat, something that the Duchess of Cambridge was known to wear. In fact, if they stood side by side, then it was possible that the two duchesses were matching for that day. The Duchess of Cambridge was attending an event in London with Prince Charles.

Along the roads, people crowded together, waving Belize and United Kingdom flags. The crowds were deep. People stood on roofs, and people pushed out their windows. As the caravan of cars passed, people waved and cheered. The duke had always been a favorite here.

Over the years and the conflicts, British soldiers had died on Belize soil. At the monument, the duke and duchess met with the governor-general, who was the queen's representative in the country. The duke and duchess also addressed the honor guard, who played "God Save the Queen" and Belize's national anthem.

With the duchess at the bottom of the monument, the duke carefully laid the wreath at the base. He backed down the stairs without turning his back. He rejoined his wife at the base, where a moment of silence hung in the air.

When the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were seen again, they were back in their matching outfits: tan boots, khakis and white shirts. The duchess' hair was still pulled back into a tight bun that rivaled Crown Princess Victoria's of Sweden. People who were so used to seeing the duchess' blonde hair had to grow used to not being able to pick her out a crowd so easily.

They traveled to a Mayan city within Belize. Thankfully, it was a chilly, windy and rainy day for a hike, which was better than the normal heat. The royal couple arrived at Xunantunich, which was a city of stone pyramids, palaces and temples. They were abandoned sometime in 950 to 1000.

The duke and duchess were given a tour of the ruins. Other tourists were about, but the royal couple were given a private tour. They started at the base and moved upward. The duchess looked through some of the palaces, where the royalty used to live. The royal photographer followed them as they made their way up Xunantunich.

As part of the private tour, the royal couple climbed up to the site's highest pyramid, El Castillo. The duke or duchess stopped ever so often to ask questions about the place. Once they reached the top, the view was breathtaking, and the history was even more incredible.

Next time the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were seen again, once again, they had changed outfits. The duke wore a relaxed button-down short and jeans, but the duchess wore a brightly colored dress. The royal couple traveled to Belmopan.

In Belmopan, the duke named a new road Queen Elizabeth II Boulevard after his grandmother. He gave a speech about the importance of Belize in the Commonwealth. However, when his speech ended, the real fun began.

Music started up, and people moved onto the streets. The royals' bodyguards had a hard time keeping up as the duke took the duchess by the hand, and they zigzagged through the crowds. Children ran around, and the adults danced to the music. It was easy to see the duchess wanted to dance, but the duke leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, the duchess was excited now. They disappeared into the crowd.

"This way." Harry led, and Meredith kept up with him easily. It was off the main stretch, and they had long lost their keepers. Soon, they were going to be back, and Meredith was going to dance the night away. But, he promised her good food, so that was the first stop.

At the local restaurant, the family who ran it was happy to see Harry again, and they welcomed Meredith in with a hug and kisses. At the table, food was already set up, and Meredith's mouth watered. Harry and Meredith spoke with the family as they ate, and the royal family said they were coming out to the street party too. It was probably a good time to come back.

When the duke and duchess arrived again at the street party, it didn't feel as if they left. Cheers erupted as they came in, and the duke and duchess shone with happiness. They danced and drank with the locals. The duchess showed off her dance skills, which were graceful but occasionally wild. Still, her skills were much better than the duke's, who did his best to try to move his hips like everyone else. He failed, though.

The rain started up again, and the duchess let her hair down. She was a blur of bright colors in the rain as she danced.