The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 109

"Ugh..." Maddie groaned as she stepped out of the car. "That flight was brutal. I feel like I need another ten days on the beach just to recover..." Her eyes danced as she smiled at Harry over the top of the car.

"Well get back in the car baby," Harry patted the top lightly. "Let's do this."

"Such a tease," she scowled playfully.

"Only one way to find out," he winked at her. Maddie sighed deeply and let it go, her grin still in place as she rounded the car to him. Claiming his hand in hers, she looked towards their door.

"Come on Wales, we only have a few hours before Will and Kate are here for dinner and I am in desperate need of a shower."

"Yeah?" He sighed and pushed away from the car. "Are you in desperate need of a shower companion?"

"I am," she nodded, trying to remain serious as a smirk pulled at her lips. "Desperately."

"Excellent," he kissed her hand and, with a new pep in his step, pulled her towards the house. Maddie giggled, despite herself, and followed.

God she had married the right man.

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Though they were still very much newlyweds, they did manage to shower and dress and feel the tiniest bit settled before William and Kate were stepping through their door. There were hugs all around as they greeted each other and made way for the dining room. Bernard, happy to be back at service, had prepared quite the spread and Maddie couldn't wait to dig in.

"So...how was the Maldives?" William asked as he took his seat at the table.

"Oh yes!" Kate sighed happily; longingly. "The beach, the water...how was it?"

"The Maldives?" Harry smirked, shifting confused eyes to Maddie. "Did we go to the Maldives?" She caught his wink and narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Was there a beach there?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. "Maybe we should have left the bedroom one day..."

"Maybe." Maddie grinned while Will grimaced, shaking his head. "At least half a day..."

"Maybe next time," Harry shrugged.

"Probably not," Maddie's smug confidence oozed from her pores and Harry wanted nothing more than to hurry his brother and sister from his house and take her back upstairs.

"I told you we shouldn't come to dinner so soon," Will groaned; nodding his head towards his wife who was giggling; her hand resting on her belly.

"Leave them be..." She sighed, smiling sympathetically at Maddie across the table. "They just came home from their honeymoon."

"Yeah, yeah," William rolled his eyes at the group but sent the smallest of winks in Maddie's direction. "So tell me. When are you heading in to receive your assignments?" He turned his attention to Harry.

"Day after tomorrow," Harry swallowed a sip of his drink. "We have a meeting at St. James with Thomas and I'm sure he'll have an itinerary all lined out for us." Maddie watched the two brothers exchange looks and she knew; her life was about to get busy.

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"Henry..." It was later that night, long after Will and Kate had gone home, and Maddie was standing next to their bed as Harry finished up in the bathroom.

"Madeline..." He stepped from the bathroom, leaning against the door frame.

"What's this?" She looked up to him, her fingers dancing over a gift and a card sitting against her pillow.

"I don't know," he shrugged; his eyes offering up a completely different response.

"Of course you don't," she sighed, lifting the card from the box and pulling it from the envelope. On the front was a quote written in soft strokes. Maddie smiled as she read it.

"The same sun that rises over castles and welcomes the day
Spills over buildings into the streets where orphans play
And only You can see the good in broken things
You took my heart of stone, and You made it home
And set this prisoner free"-Bethany Dillon

"Harry...that's beautiful," she glanced up at him as her fingers slid the card open. He was smiling now; not at all trying to hide the surprise. Maddie opened up the card and read Harry's words. "Thank you for being my home." She sighed and pulled the card to her chest. "Harry..."

"Maddie..."

"What's in the box?"

"Only one way to find out," he pushed away from the door frame then, moving closer to her as she scooped the package up and began unwrapping. Tossing the lid to the bed, she parted the tissue paper and, with a gasp, her hand flew to her mouth.

"Harry." It was a whisper this time; her eyes shiny with unshed tears as she looked from the beautiful picture frame to him.

"It's one of my favorites from that day..." He stood behind her, looking at the photo from over her shoulder, one of the first private ones they had seen. "The dancers had just finished wrapping us, making our marriage official in Bendal. And you have this smile..." His words trailed as he bent his head, dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

"This is beautiful," Maddie ran a finger over the frame.

"You are beautiful," he grinned against her skin.

"Hmmm...come on," she leaned to sit the frame on her bedside table, loving the image of the two of them together, loving that he had thought to do this for her. Taking his hand from her shoulder, she pulled him to her. Her lips tilted up to meet his and, with no more words necessary, he followed her into their bed.

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"Harry!" Maddie's voice was giddy as she hurried down the stairs. It was their last day before work began. The very next day they would be rising early and heading into meetings. But tonight, this last night, they were still free and relaxed and waiting for Ella to arrive for some much needed free time. "Harry! The gate just called and Ella's here! She's on her way now..." She rounded the corner and stepped into his office. "Harry!"

"I heard every word you said," he smiled up at her from his chair, his bare feet propped up on the desk as he flipped through a few folders that had been waiting for him when they returned the day before. "Ella's here." He had actually planned on meeting Bishop that night but was postponed, because Bishop's father had sent him off on business, until the following night.

"She is."

"Did you need me for this or can I come say hello and leave you two to your gossip?"

"Gossip?" Maddie rolled her eyes as Harry moved, his feet dropping to the floor, the folders shifting back to the desk. "We don't gossip."

"I have ten in my pocket that says you're gossiping within the first five minutes," his arm stretched around her shoulders as they walked from his office.

"You're on," Maddie held her hand to him; shaking on the bet. Magnificently timed, they stepped into the foyer just as a knock rang out. Maddie clapped her hands excitedly as Harry shook his head, amused, and reached for the doorknob.

Wisely, Harry stood aside as Ella bound through the door, Maddie instantly enveloping the petite brunette in her arms. He shut the door as the two hugged and kissed and, he was pretty sure, squealed the tiniest bit. And then Ella turned to hug him.

"Welcome home," she smiled wide.

"Thank you," he grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"How was the trip?"

"Relaxing," He answered.

"Good. Good." She nodded and turned to Maddie. "I bet it was paradise."

"It was. It was." Maddie agreed with a nod before she took a deep breath and went for it. "Okay. That night...after the reception...what happened with you and Bishop?"

"Wow." Ella laughed. "Just going right for it huh Maddie?"

"I've known you too long to prance around it," the blonde shrugged with a smirk to the brunette—who knew she was speaking the truth.

"And..." Harry nodded to his wife. "You owe me ten. Ella, come on in. Can I get you something to drink?" The three of them moved into the living room; the two girls getting comfortable on the couch while Harry went for wine.

"Okay..." Maddie swallowed a sip from the glass Harry handed her. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to wait till I see Bishop next?"

"No, no," Ella smiled. "I'll tell you." She took a deep breath and glanced over at Harry who had settled into a chair with his own glass and some folders he had retrieved from his office. "We talked."

"You talked." Her voice was flat.

"We talked and..." Ella's cheeks grew warm, a bit rosy, as her eyes shifted down to the glass in her hand. "And he told me that he loves me; that he still loves me, that he's..." Ella took a shaky breath, her eyes still averted from Maddie's. "That he's always loved me." She looked up then, a soft, sympathetic smile on her face; her eyes meeting Maddie's with just a hint of sadness. "And I told him that I love him. And I do." She nodded firmly. "I do. I love him...more than I could possibly love somebody else." Maddie glanced up at Harry, who was paying more attention than he would ever admit out loud, and then she watched her best friend; knowing there was more.

"But?" She lifted her eyebrows.

"And..." Ella countered with a small smile. "And then I told him what I'm going to tell you." Her eyes locked with Maddie's. "If I were in any way at all near wanting to be married and settled and having babies, Bishop would be it. End of story." Her voice was clear; firm. "I would drag him to the nearest church and marry him. We would buy a house and have a family and..." Her lips pressed tightly together; trying to stop the tears that welled behind her lids. "He would be it. No doubt."

"But..." Maddie's voice was a whisper.

"But Maddie...I'm not there. I'm not even close to there. And if I pretend to be there because I adore him and because he's the most amazing man I know and because I'm afraid to lose him...that's not fair to anyone."

"Wow." Maddie was stunned and sad; for both of them.

"Yeah..." Ella looked at her glass and took a breath before she smiled and looked back to Maddie. "Of course Bishop told me he didn't care, laughed at the shock on my face, and proceeded to unzip my dress. So..."

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Let's just say..." Ella sighed with a shrug. "You weren't the only one's getting lucky at BP on your wedding night."

"What?" Maddie's eyes flashed wide.

"Oh God I didn't need to hear that," Harry groaned, his head shaking despite his bemused smile.

"You had sex at Buckingham Palace." Maddie huffed into a laugh.

"I had sex at Buckingham Palace." She nodded, unable to help the smirk that spread across her lips. "I mean...how perfect is that? I tell Bishop that we're not going to work out right now and instead of being upset or...I don't know...he helps me check off one of my bucket list items."

"You're so twisted," Maddie shook her head, relaxing back into the couch as she took a long drink from her glass.

"It was awesome," Ella grinned.

"You're welcome, by the way." Harry nodded to her from across the room, his own raucous spirit emerging to show appreciation.

"Thank you," Ella lifted her drink to him. "And then he and I said a very sweet good-bye and...and..." Her eyes grew slightly shaky as she looked away from Maddie then. It did not go unnoticed by the quick blonde that this was the first time in the entire conversation that Ella had seemed nervous; unsure.

"Hey..." Maddie's hand reached out to her best friend. "Ella?"

"And I gave him the news." She let out a breath.

"The news?"

"I'm..." She took a shaky breath in and met Maddie's eyes. "There's a doctor at the hospital who I've been working pretty closely with. She's amazing; cutting edge. She told me that she's been setting up this service—something of a private flight service—what I'm doing now but not just for emergencies, for lesser stuff but in places that it's hard to get into or areas that are incredibly private and elite, for people who want to have private care."

"Oh?" Maddie's mind kicked into gear. "That sounds interesting." And Maddie knew that if it was something that drew her interest, it most certainly sparked that in Ella.

"It is," Ella nodded. "It seems like she'll spend about seventy percent of the time helping really wealthy people receive private health care services and about thirty going into remote areas where people don't have the means and ability to get into health care. So it will be a nice mix."

"Wow..." Maddie smiled. "I had no idea that such a thing existed here in England."

"It doesn't."

"What do you mean?" Both Harry and Maddie looked to her in surprise.

"I'm moving." Her voice didn't waver once. "In a little over a month. To New York."

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"Good morning," Harry tipped his lips up to capture Maddie's as she moved behind his chair at the table.

"Good morning," she leaned down to kiss him; careful not to let her sleeves dip in coffee or tea or a pastry. They were headed into work soon, to a meeting with Thomas Smith who would be giving them an incredibly detailed itinerary for the next few weeks of their lives.

"You look great," Harry's eyes scanned her appreciatively; loving how incredibly sexy she looked—dressed up, casual, professional—working with her was going to be more difficult than he had thought.

"Thank you."

"How are you feeling this morning?" He watched her carefully as she sat in the chair across from him.

"I'm great."

"Still upset about Ella?" He lifted one eyebrow, careful of the smirk that pulled at his lips.

"I'm not upset about Ella. I wasn't upset about Ella. I was just..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I was a little...sad...and shocked. You were shocked too!"

"I was shocked," he agreed with a nod. "At first I was shocked but...Ella's history seems to point towards nomadic life. I suppose it's not terribly crazy that she's moving again. It's been a few years here..."

"I know," Maddie sighed. She did. She had known Ella for a long time and she knew better than to be too surprised by her traveling ways. "I know she is a bit of a wanderer. I just thought...I don't know. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here and..."

"Sorry," Harry cut in with an arched eyebrow and smug eyes. "If it weren't for her?"

"Well and you..." She waved her hand at him dismissively.

"Wow..." He chuckled as she continued.

"She was just a large part of it," Maddie looked down at her cup of tea with a bit of a frown. "And I'll miss her. I'll miss her a lot."

"For just a moment I'm going to pretend that you didn't just wave me off," Harry leaned in to grab her hand. "I know you'll miss her baby. I'll miss her too. Everyone will miss her..."

"Yeah," Maddie took a sip and met his eyes. "Speaking of which...have you talked to him yet?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'm waiting till tonight. Did you decide if you're coming with us or not?"

"I don't know. I don't want to mess with boys' night."

"It's not boys' night," Harry rolled his eyes. "Bishop asked if you would come."

"Well...if Bishop wants me there," Maddie winked at him as he shook his head with a warning.

"Yeah, yeah..." Harry finished his drink and sat back in his chair. "I think you should come too. I think you'll need a drink after we finish with Thomas."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm..." He nodded. "I mean...I know I'm not the reason you're in London or anything..." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "But I do think I make a decent consolation prize."

"Aw...come here muffin..." Maddie's lips pouted out slightly, her expression going soft as she moved closer to him. "You know you're what keeps me in London."

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes, but let her pull him in for kiss.

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Maddie had visited Saint James Palace before; many times. She had come in when Harry was her boyfriend. She had come in while they were planning the wedding; having many meetings with Joan along the way. This wasn't the first time she had walked through the doors, through the halls—but this time it was a bit of a different experience.

She was a Duchess now.

The men who would smile politely and nod to her before, now stood aside and bowed. The women who would offer her a warm greeting and a sweet face, now rose to their feet—a slight curtsy. It wasn't completely new to her—there had been quite a few curtsies the night of their reception—but it did cause her the slightest moments of pause. With a knowing smile, and a steady hand at the small of her back, Harry followed her into the meeting room where Thomas was waiting with Anya, Harry's Assistant, and another young lady who Maddie was certain she recognized from one of the offices. All three rose instantly to their feet as Thomas came around the table to greet them; shaking Harry's hand first before doing the same to Maddie—his head bowing both times.

As Harry moved to say hello to Anya, Thomas guided Maddie over to the other young woman.

"As was requested before the wedding, we have gone about securing your staffing. While I'll still maintain as Chief of Staff for both you and the Duke, you will both have your own assistants. We were happy to keep Ms. Tellington as your stylist, Ms. Wharton for hair and makeup and Ms. Ellis as a preferred designer. The one position we needed to fill was for your assistant. There was a large pool of applicants who requested to be transferred to your office."

"Oh?" Maddie was surprised to hear that.

"After an extensive process, we have selected Libby Florence." He smiled sweetly at the woman standing next to him. "She was previously on staff in the Duchess of Cornwall's office and comes with the highest of recommendations. I am quite certain you will be satisfied with our selection. Ma'am, please meet Ms. Libby Florence. Ms. Florence, Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex."

"Good Morning Ms. Florence," Maddie extended her hand.

"Your Royal Highness," Libby took her hand, dipping into a curtsy.

"Hmm..." Maddie smiled, despite the strangest sort of feeling in her stomach. "Would there be any way I can convince you to call me Maddie?"

"Ma'am?" She looked the tiniest bit nervous as her eyes flashed around the room.

"We'll work on it," Maddie tried to ease the moment. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Florence. I'm very happy to be working with you."

"It's an honor, Ma'am." And this time, her smile was genuine, her eyes meeting Maddie's. She had been hoping and hoping that her request would be granted; she was quite entranced with the new Duchess and was drawn to her spirit and personality.

"Have you met my husband?" Maddie turned to Harry.

"Sir," Libby dipped into a curtsy.

"Good to see you again Ms. Florence," he shook her hand; considerably more at ease with the formalities than Maddie was. As introductions and hellos drew to a close, Maddie took the seat Harry pulled out for her at the table. And, as she sat, everyone else followed. With a nod from Harry, Mr. Smith began.

"Here we are," he handed over a leather bound folio to each of them. Harry's was well-worn, signs of use evident in the roughed up cover and the pad of paper inside that held many of Harry's doodles. Maddie's was fresh, pristine; a blank canvas awaiting. Mr. Smith placed a piece of paper in front of each of them; thick, weighted paper with a list of dates, times, locations. With a polite smile, he looked up to them. "First I want to go over a few solidified dates and discuss a few future events." Harry and Maddie nodded and he continued. "This Saturday is The Trooping of the Colour. Next Friday is the announcement of the Duchess's patronage of Walking with the Women. The two of you will be attending a reception where the Duchess will give a speech. There will also be a photo call." He glanced to Ms. Florence to ensure she was taking notes.

And she was; meticulously so.

"Ma'am," Mr. Smith looked to Maddie. "Would you like us to schedule some time for you and the Palace speechwriter to meet in order to prepare something for you?"

"Actually," Maddie's hands moved from where they were folded in her lap to the bag she had brought along. "I already wrote something."

"You wrote something?" Mr. Smith tried to control his surprise but the wide flashing of his eyes brought out a tampered down chuckle from Harry. He wasn't the least bit surprised.

"I did," Maddie smiled, sliding a folder across the table to him. "I was able to do a great deal of research and preparing during the engagement and I had the chance to write down a few words. Perhaps you could pass them onto the speechwriter for suggestions or notes?"

"Of course Ma'am," he took the folder from her and slid it into his own bag. "I will have it back to you the Monday before?"

"That would be perfect, thank you." He nodded and moved forward.

"The following week is the Royal Ascot." Maddie glanced to Harry who smiled and offered a wink. "Now. Looking forward into the summer, we have the beginning of your Polo season."

"Yes," Harry nodded; amused at how at ease Maddie seemed—how ready she was to go to work.

"The Charity Match you're playing in in July would like for the Duchess to present the prizes to the winning team." Both men turned to Maddie who smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"Excellent," a few notes were taken.

"We also have the London premier of the new James Bond movie in July."

"Oh..." Maddie grinned, her eyes flashing to Harry who narrowed his territorially. She laughed lightly as she reached for his hand. "Can we go?"

"Of course," he nodded, pulling her fingers into his.

"On a more serious note, Ma'am, we would like to begin to meet regularly with you and Ms. Florence in order to begin to make bigger and more decisive strides towards the work you would like to be involved in; the charities you would like to support, the events you would like to attend. Of course there will be assignments that are passed down, but we would like to tie those in with those more befitting your interests."

"That would be lovely, thank you," Maddie was truly, truly happy to be going back to work—that was evident to everyone at the table.

"And finally..." Mr. Smith reached for two new sheets of paper, sliding them in front of the young couple. "They are sending you on your first royal tour together; abroad."

"When?" Harry leaned forward.

"Where?" Maddie pulled the paper into her hands.

"August, this year," Mr. Smith nodded to Harry then turned a smile to Maddie. "The United States."

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"My God, you were right," Maddie sighed as she slid into the backseat next to Harry.

"About what?" He watched her with a grin as she stretched her neck from side to side.

"I do need a drink."

"I told you!" He laughed, pulling her hand into his. "Jim!" He called to the front seat. "We're heading out. Let's go pick Bishop up at his office and get my lovely wife a drink."

"Yes sir," Jim smiled to the driver before he radioed to the car behind them.

"I cannot believe we're going to the states," Maddie sighed, turning so that she could look at him while her head rested on the seat behind her.

"I'm not terribly surprised," Harry shrugged, loosening his tie a bit. "Like Thomas said, we're at a popularity high with the Americans right now. It would make sense for us to go."

"New York..." Maddie smiled. "Washington DC..." She went through the list, images of the events Thomas had briefly mentioned popping into her head; polo matches, galas, state dinners, plays, concerts. "And. I love that you requested some time in Colorado."

"Well, it makes no sense for us to travel across the pond and not stop over to see family. Even if it is just for a few days."

"I appreciate that," she pulled his hand to her lips for a kiss.

"And just think. When we're in New York, Ella will be there too." Harry pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket and squeezed her fingers as he answered. "Bishop. Absolutely. We're right outside. Down the street. Yes she's coming. No. No she's not going to do that. You know, I would like to remind you...Get out here. Now. Maddie needs a drink. Let's go." Harry disconnected the phone call as the car pulled to a stop outside of Bishop's place.

"She's not going to do what?" Maddie grinned up at her husband as they waited.

"Nothing," he shook his head, his lips tipping up at the corners.

"Aw come on Captain..." Her hands teased at his waist. "She's not going to do what?"

"Ha!" He snatched her hand up into his. "If you think that looking at me that way and using that voice and...if you think that's going to get you anywhere with me..."

"I know it is," her voice dropped an octave as she slid closer to him and, just as her lips reached his neck, the door to the backseat flew open and Maddie sat up straight up. "Bishop." She turned in his direction, completely unable to be angry with him.

"Well, well, well," he looked in the car, his head shaking slowly with a smug smirk on his face. "If it isn't the Duke and Duchess of Sus-sex-y."

"Oh God..." Maddie groaned, leaning into Harry.

"Get in here man," Harry rolled his eyes as Bishop laughed loudly; sliding into the car with them. "You cannot just stand on the street and say shit like that."

"Madeline love, I'm so happy to see you." He turned his charming smile to Maddie.

"You too, Bishop," she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"But did you really have to bring grumpy along for the night?" Bishop jutted a finger in Harry's direction.

"Well it's his car," Maddie shrugged.

"I have a car all my own," Bishop wrapped an arm around her shoulder as the car began to move. "What do you say we let him take this one back to the palace and you and I can go out and celebrate."

"Sounds like a deal to me." Maddie giggled at Harry's scowl, her fingers reaching to pinch his cheeks. "Bishop, how are you?"

"Smashing," his hand left her shoulder to pat Harry's. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Smashing," Maddie mimicked his voice; her laughter fading just a bit as their eyes met. "But really. How are you?"

"Ah...She told you?" He raised his eyebrows, his humor wavering as he looked from Maddie to Harry. There was a moment of seriousness that passed between them where tears threatened at Maddie's eyes and truth at Bishop's heart. Harry saw both and made an executive decision. If they started in this early in the night, he knew they would both be crying into beer much too soon.

So he was taking them in another direction.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "She told us. She told us all about the way the two of you committed treasonous acts together in the Palace and I have to tell you...I'm compelled to report this to Her Majesty."

"Well then..." Bishop's mind transitioned away from the sad; a smile tugging at his face. "I suppose if it's my last night as a free man, we had better hit it hard."

"I suppose we had." Harry agreed. "To the White Ox?"

"To the White Ox." Bishop nodded.

"To the White Ox." Maddie echoed.