"I'm going to need you to push harder than that, Claire. You can do this," the calming voice of the doctor lulled through my ears.
The delivery room was spinning. The beeping from the monitors around me were fading and the bright lights above me were slowly becoming dark.
"Claire, come on! One big push and we can get the baby." I did my best to pick my head up to look at my doctor. He had his face mask on with his round glasses, looking at what I didn't want to imagine. How could I have let this happen? It was only one night.
10 months earlier:
I had met the man in the shops. The small villages of England have many, which make it easy for people of status to want to run towards them in hiding. The zig-zags of the roads, the hustle and bustle of the streets and the perfect decor in the windows are hard to ignore.
I worked in a small storefront bakery where I was able to smell the sweet cinnamon rolls and tart lemon pastries bake. The aromas were intoxicating as they would fill onto the street. The scents would bring in everyone. Tall, old men to the smallest of children; the poor who could only afford a half of one pastry, to which I'd slip in an extra two for good keeping and savoring. But on this day, we had attracted the rich. Rich in money, rich in status and rich with his words. His vocal elegance flowed like the smoothest velvet you could imagine.
"Excuse me, do you happen to cater?" The man asked as I brushed my flour covered hands on my apron.
"Yes, you'd need to fill out a fo-" I responded before being cut off from my boss.
"No need to fill out a form, Your Majesty! She don't know what she's on about! Just let us know that you need and we'll be happy to oblige!" She said, her white hair flapping away on the top of her head. I looked at the man as he darted his eyes away from me. I had no idea he was of royalty.
"The cupcakes. The lemon ones. They're to die for. I'd like those at the banquet this weekend, if you please?" He asked, his beautiful smile coaxing my boss into a frenzy.
"Absolutely! Claire, dear! Get to filling out that paperwork! I'll handle the rest of the store!" My boss barked, shoving the clipboard and pen at me before pushing me towards the man. I shook my head in her direction before turning back to the man.
"She's a fun one, isn't she?" He smiled before looking down at me.
"You have no idea." I said as I clicked the pen and wrote the beginning of the order on the paper. "So lemon cupcakes. Which frosting? And what colors?"
"I'd like a buttercream. A baby blue if you can." I continued to write, not making any eye contact.
"Garnishes? We have sprinkles, edible pearls, sanding sugar?"
"A light yellow sprinkle would be lovely." I finished writing the order. "Could I maybe request a lovely lady named… Claire, was it? Can she bring the cupcakes, or do I get the lovely, loud bird at the register?" He smiled. I looked up at him and shook my head.
"I'm not allowed to bring orders, unfortunately." I shrugged my shoulders and his smiled turned to a flirtatious frown. His blue eyes and brown hair were exceptionally memorable. The blue in his eyes was like ice, but the tension between us wasn't cold in the slightest. His hair brushed over his eyes slightly, making him look mysterious.
"Excuse me, ma'am? I'd like for Claire here to bring the order to the banquet, if you please. Her smile will brighten the room." He said. He looked back down at me, gave a wink and left the storefront without another word.
The banquet came quickly and I was told by my boss that I had to look as professional as I could. I was to represent the bakery with pride. I was granted access to the banquet hall to help set up the dessert display of the cupcakes. They had come out just like he wanted and there were hundreds of them. Our small kitchen of chefs had worked tirelessly to make sure they were complete perfection for Prince Andrew. I had three stands which would fit two sets of fifty cupcakes and one set of one hundred. The long dining table would then have every cupcakes filed in beautiful lines as if the most behaved children were walking into primary school on their first, nervous day. I was placing the cupcakes on the table when I heard the click-clacking of dress shoes approaching my direction.
"Claire, they look lovely!" Prince Andrew said as he approached me. I turned and took a bow.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I answered, standing up straight.
"Oh Claire, please. You can just call me Andrew right now. No one's around." He smiled and I returned with one of my own.
"So what is this banquet for tonight?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"It's my like… fifth cousin's birthday or something. I don't try to understand my ridiculous family tree. But he wanted the cupcakes so I went as my gift to him to get them." Andrew explained.
"Cupcakes are the sweetest of gifts, so I think you made a lovely choice." I smiled as I turned back to the table to arrange the rest of the cakes.
"Ah, yes. The sweetest of gifts. Luckily tonight, I get a gift of my own." He laughed. "I get to see a beautiful, working woman do something she's passionate about." I looked back at him.
"Oh? Is there another working woman here?" I asked with a smirk on my face.
"No, just you." Andrew blushed. "Hopefully when things die down tonight, I can see you on less borrowed time and more leisurely time." He said before taking my hand and giving the lightest kiss to my skin.
The night was beautiful. Royal women in their gorgeous gowns, the men in their suits and the children trying their damnedest to remain proper in the face of political and powerful people. Andrew owned the room, smiling and engaging in conversation with everyone he encountered. The cupcakes were an absolute hit and by the end of the night, there were hardly any left. The clock chimed so many times that I was unsure of how long the party had actually gone on. It was close to one in the morning and people were just starting to leave, and those were only the people with young children.
I began to clean up my station and take down the cupcake stands when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Andrew hiding behind the pillar closest to my table. He motioned for me to follow him. Looking around to see that no one was looking, I followed and he brought me down one of the grand hallways of the mansion. The hall was dim and freezing on the winter night and I began to shiver. He took his suit jacket was off and draped it over my shoulders.
"So, why did you pull me away?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves, clearly being okay with the temperature change.
"Leisure time, Claire." He said with a flirtatious smile. We continued to walk a ways down the hall, turning the corner to a darker area of the mansion. The leisure time was mostly silent, but the silence was comforting.
"I'd ask what all of this is like, but I can see this is it, apparently." I said quietly. "Lavish parties, beautiful nights, but in reality, you just want to get away from it all sometimes."
"Yeah, you kind of just want to sit in silence and not think for a while." Andrew said, stopping in the hall. He leaned against a doorway with his arms crossed. "And you? A baker with an evil step-mother like boss? A Cinderella story?" He chuckled.
"Yeah, her. She's… a little extreme, but I love baking and it's the only way I could save up for a place of my own." I responded, approaching the same doorway and leaning against the frame like he was.
"She's not actually your step-mother, I hope?"
"No, not at all. My mother was a housewife. My father was a retired engineer. My brother is… a tailor." I smiled, looking at one of the photos of some royal family members on the wall. "The Hart family is full of people who wanted to do things they loved. We were never taught anything less. Why lull yourself into a life you don't truly believe in?" I absentmindedly said before looking over at Andrew who had turned his full attention to me, his face inches from mine.
"Claire Hart, you amaze me." He smiled before placing a light kiss to my lips. My mind immediately began to race. I should have pulled away, but I couldn't. I didn't want to.
He broke the kiss, his eyes flickering between my eyes and my lips. My eyes did the same before we both met halfway and kissed again, this kiss being much more passionate. He opened the door we were leaning against and closed it behind us.
10 months later:
"Push Claire! We're losing her!" The doctor yelled! I snapped out of my daze, let out a scream and pushed as hard as I possibly could. The room was spinning. My head was killing me. I felt blood vessels popping everywhere and my entire body felt like it was on fire. Then suddenly, the pressure I felt had started to melt away. A baby's cry filled the delivery room. It felt as if the boulder I was carrying on my shoulders for ten months had been lifted and hurled away. "A beautiful baby girl, Ms. Hart." I heard the doctor say. I sighed as he approached me with the baby.
"My beautiful little girl," I said, my voice weak. "My beautiful Graydene."
I didn't have to be given a sleeping aid. I felt exhausted and didn't want to move a muscle. The dreams were all so clear. A life with my baby. Being a single mother wouldn't be hard. I'd have the support from the people at the bakery and my brother, Harry. He would surely help me.
The dreams were ever-changing as they were clear. I heard a door creak and suddenly I was in my hospital room. The silhouette looked like Andrew, which I knew was impossible. He wouldn't come to see me. When he found out of my pregnancy, he said we could never see one another again. The figure approached my bed and clicked on the light next to me.
"Hello, my love." he said, his voice still as soft as velvet.
"Andrew?"
"Yes, love. I had to come see her. I was just too curious." He said, looking around the room at the monitors. All the sounds sounded so real. The room was dim and fuzzy. Why couldn't I move in my dream? "This will be our last meeting, my love. I love you, Claire. Truly." Andrew said as he went over to the sleeping Graydene. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. And suddenly, everything went black.