Page 19 of The Beach Hut on Plum Island
“It’s because he didn’t have the stress of everything that being king of Joyce Isles comes with,” Harriet commented. “But the dementia has already taken his legs. The doctors say it’s only a matter of time until the rest of his system starts to shut down.”
“I’m sorry, Harry.” Alex’s voice dropped and was filled with compassion. “I know you and your grandfather are close.” He squeezed her hand. “Can I ask you a question about Leon?”
“Sure.” Harriet looked at him.
“If your brother and grandfather got behind you in support of you leaving Leon, why did you stay engaged to him for another year?” Alex asked her.
“Because of the guilt trip my Uncle put me on,” Harriet sighed. “My father was supposed to marry Leon’s mother. The Olive dynasty is from her side of the family. The Gladstones’ largest olive farms surround my grandfather’s small vineyard.”
“That’s not such a small vineyard, is it?” Alex pointed out.
“It’s small in comparison to other wine giants,” Harriet told him. “My grandfather and uncle have been after the Gladstone’s properties for years. But because my father jilted Leon’s mother for mine, Duke Gladstone wouldn’t sell it to them.”
“Wait!” Alex held up his hand. “Leon’s mother’s family name is Gladstone?”
“Yes,” Harriet nodded. “Leon’s mother was Duke Gladstone’s only child and heir, so whoever married his daughter, unless it was a crown prince, had to take on the Gladstone name.”
“Oh!” Alex nodded. “So out of spite toward your father falling in love with your mother, the Gladstones wouldn’t sell the land to your family, and then your uncle tried to procure the property through marriage between you and the current Gladstone heir.”
“That’s correct,” Harriet said. “With the guilt I’ve been shrouded in over my parentage, my uncle managed to manipulate me.” She shook her head. “And he held my grandfather’s health over my head.” She turned toward Alex, pulling her one leg onto the sofa. “And you know how much I adore my grandfather. I mean, the man supported all my crazy antics. Let me run wild. I had more freedom when I went tovisit him than I did at home, and my father was no longer crown prince.”
“I know. Your grandfather spoils the heck out of you. You’re the apple of his eye,” Alex remembered.
“Grandfather always used to say, we may have a title, but that’s just words. It doesn’t distinguish us or give us the right to act like we’re better than anyone else,” Harriet repeated her grandfather’s words. “We’re just people who bleed, eat, and die like everyone else. The only thing we ever hold over anyone is our commitment to our people. To those, we’re supposed to be there to protect those who put us where we are in the first place.” She smiled, thinking about her grandfather. “We must never lose sight of how fortunate we are to have had that trust bestowed upon us.”
“He is one of the wisest men I know,” Alex commented. “His compassion and spirit are why he’s still the most beloved monarch of all time.”
Harriet gave a soft laugh and nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“Do you know that your father once told me that you remind him so much of the combination of his father and mother?” Alex surprised her by saying. “He said that Harriet got the best traits from both his parents and your grandfather. He wished you’d have shown interest in taking the throne one day.”
“Oh, no!” Harriet looked horrified, emphasizing by wiggling her hands in the air. “That is not the life for me. I don’t even want the title.”
“Then ditch it,” Alex said. “You know I’ll support you no matter what you decide.”
“I know,” Harriet said, nodding. “And you can support me in getting out of Plum Island for a while.”
“You mean help you run and hide?” Alex looked at her accusingly.
“Call it what you want,” Harriet told him. “You call it hiding. I call it clearing my head and deciding what to do or how to thwart my uncle while getting a nice tan on a tropical island somewhere off the grid.”
“Harry, before you go running off to hide on some tropical island with the bedsheets pulled over your head, hoping all your problems won’t find you,” Alex told her, “please, just give us a day to talk you out of it, and let us explain the plan we’ve come up with to you.”
“Us?” Harriet looked at him in alarm. “Who is us?”
“Your friends,” Alex said, taking her hand. “You have a lot of people on Plum Island who love you and care for you very much. So please just trust me and give our plan a chance.”
Harriet stared at Alex through narrowed eyes for a few moments before lifting a brow. “I don’t know. You have that look about you. You know the one that you get when you tell me to trust you, and I do. Then I follow you, and clowns jump out from behind doors and alongside a few of those weird little horses.”
“That was your tenth birthday,” Alex said. “And as I’ve told you a million times since that day, it wasn’t my idea. I warned everyone that you didn’t like clowns, and those tiny horses freaked you out.”
“They’re just creepy.” Harriet shuddered. “Like clowns, and then someone put them together for my birthday party.”
“Yeah.” Alex dropped his chin and shook his head, agreeing with her. “It was almost like someone was trying to get back at you for swapping out their chocolate birthday cake for a mud one.”
“I knew it!” Harriet breathed, looking at Alex in disbelief. “It was you that told my parents I’d gotten over my fear of clowns and little horses.”
“Okay!” Alex raised his hands again. “Yes. I did because I was so mad that you’d ruined my party. But…” He turned his faceslightly. “I wasn’t lying when I tried to take it back and tell your parents that maybe they shouldn’t have planned a clown and horse party for you, but it was too late.”
