Chapter 55
THE INCIDENT
ELOISE
London Daily Times
The Prince of Wales visited a hospital in St John’s Newfoundland today and the timing could not have been better.
A member of his staff, his Social Secretary, was ailing.
She passed out while he was making a speech.
Members of the press would have missed it if not for the audience gasping as they witnessed her crumple over.
“Yes, there was footage of the aftermath,” Leo Hayes, our Royal Correspondent who was on the road confirms. “Since hitting the trail with the rest of the press, I’ve witnessed how dedicated this young woman is.
She is usually very matter-of-fact but looked green all day.
The startled crowd gathered around her, immediately concerned. ”
The Prince hopped off the stage during a speech.
His dramatic reaction was caught on a video with millions of views within minutes of its posting.
It appears The Prince’s Private Secretary caught his colleague and several people helped lower her to the ground.
By now, The Prince was there along with several doctors assessing her health.
“But curiously,” Leo Hayes notes, “The Prince was overly familiar with her, referring to her as Ella and physically carrying her to a stretcher. Now, people are scratching their heads. Could love be in the air? And what is causing this illness? We will have to wait and see.”
“Miss Mills, are you there?”
My eyes fluttered to see John bent over me. And before I knew it, there was Duncan’s face, too.
“I… hurt. What happened?”
“You passed out,” John answered. “I caught you.”
“Thank God,” I said, voice barely there.
I felt so faint suddenly.
“Ella, just stay calm, okay?” Duncan was there, too.
“Okay,” I said.
The pain radiating through my midsection was unbelievable. I passed out again, waking as they wheeled me down a hallway. I looked over to see Duncan, looking nervous on one side of me. John was on the other. They talked amongst themselves. A nurse was behind me.
“Am I dying?” I asked.
Duncan looked over. “No. Certainly not. Are you back with us now, Eloise?”
“I am,” I answered. “Thank God you all offer BUPA with overseas cover.”
He and John snickered.
I ended up in imaging. I got star treatment but was in terrible pain.
“Miss Mills,” a nurse inquired, “can you verify the date of your last period?”
I groaned through the pain and shook my head.
“We will need to know or we’re going to have to get a urine sample and—”
“Right now.” Duncan said.
The nurse looked at him, confused.
“Duncan!” I gasped. “Don’t.”
I already wanted to strangle him. I didn’t need him outing what was most definitely nothing right now. He put the nail in the coffin. I didn’t need him to leak our relationship to the press on top of everything else.
“Well, you bloody well are! Pun not intended. Sorry.”
At least it didn’t bother him.
“It was,” I said. “There is no way I am pregnant.”
“Great, so we can give you the good stuff. Looks like it is probably your appendix.”
“God, really?” Duncan asked.
Another nurse administered pain medication.
“The doctor will confirm it,” the nurse said. “But my uneducated opinion is it’s likely. Are you the boyfriend?”
Duncan looked deer-in-headlights. “What? Me?”
“Well, I guess no?”
“No, I… I am,” Duncan said. “Sorry. I’m flustered. I don’t know how to answer. This is confidential right?”
“She’s his social secretary,” John said.
“And his girlfriend,” Duncan insisted, sounding more confident.
I glared, then softened as the medications took over. I wanted to slap him, but had no energy. Why was he so insistent we were A Thing? He never mentioned it before to anyone, and I was livid about the situation with Nessa. Thankfully for Duncan, my immediate circumstances kept my anger at bay.
“Cute,” the other nurse said. “Sir, I’m going to ask you to leave. Only one support person is permitted back here before surgery.”
John looked at her. “Oh, goodness. Are you alright, Miss Mills?”
“Yes, John, thanks.”
“Is there anyone I can ring?”
“No,” I answered.
“Ring Mum’s people,” Duncan said. “Say she’s okay but likely going into surgery and I’m not going anywhere until she’s out and safe. However you want to massage that is fine.”
John nodded.
“John, can you manage the reshuffling of engagements?” I murmured.
“I will make it work,” John patted my foot. “Focus on recovering, okay?”
I nodded. “Thanks, John.”
He left the room and I looked over at Duncan, high as a kite. He wrung his hands nervously.
“I need to tell you how sorry I am, Ella, but… it can wait until you are well. Just know that she means nothing. Not like you. And… it was all out of context.”
“Duncan, I don’t know what to say or if I can trust you. The phone—”
“Give me time to explain, love,” Duncan said. “It was… stupid to try to talk her off the ledge. She called me and I worried it was another scandal. Then it turned into her feelings about our previous anniversary and I set a boundary.”
“Yet she continues to text you?”
“I didn’t ask for that. I care about you. I need you to be well—regardless of if you ever accept my earnest grovel or not.”
I wanted to believe. He never looked so worried. If he didn’t care about me, he fooled everyone right about now.
“Later. But you owe me a full explanation.”
“Why didn’t you say something, Ella? Like… immediately?”
“About Nessa and your texts? Because I trusted you and needed you to perform well.”
He shook his head. “No, my love. No the pain.”
“I just thought it was cramps,” I groaned. “It just got worse and worse. No one noticed right? You were doing such a great job.”
He chortled. “Yeah, no one noticed except every single camera following us. That includes our crew. You are about to be super famous.”
“The amazing fainting girl,” I said, weakly.
I was stuck with him now. One way or the other, I would always be tied to The Prince of Wales.
As I drifted into a pleasant, painless sleep, I couldn’t fight the feelings I had for this man.
Wayward as he was, at least he protected me.
And no matter what, I struggled to separate myself from the man I wanted to believe he was deep down.