𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟸
The stud at Windsor was one of her favourite places.
Especially in spring when there was a new influx of foals prancing around the fields. It wasn't unusual for Bella to go with her granny, she had a feeling that The Queen was trying to subtly pass along her love of racing and breeding to her, and if she was honest, it was working.
Today though, her grandpa had decided to accompany them which was unusual. She became even more suspicious when they walked immediately into the stables, right down to the end one which held a gangly grey yearling in.
"What do you think of him?" Philip asked as he leaned over the stable door to stroke the horse that had perked its head up at the intrusion.
"Nice." Bella replied, opening the door she walked in a big circle around him, "probably end up a good height with nice proportions."
"That's what we thought."
She turned back to her grandparents, smiling suspiciously at them. "So, is he your new racing prospect?"
"No, his dam is an Irish Sport Horse." Elizabeth replied, "I do own him though."
"Oh." Bella was trying not to look at her grandpa who was smirking at her with a glint in his eye.
"Antarctic Emperor." He said, nodding towards the horse who had wandered towards his new stable mate and was proceeding to prod her with his nose. "Rio they called him in Ireland though."
"Right."
"You know," Philip continued, his smile getting wider as he did so, "Brazil are apparently trying to bid for the Olympics, according to Michael they're wanting it to be in Rio."
"Nice." She replied as she scratched at the yearlings neck. He would turn out to be a beautiful horse she thought to herself.
"What do you think Lilibet, these two competing in Rio?"
"You're joking?!" Bella exclaimed, looking at the two of them with a huge grin on her face.
"No." Her granny replied, "he's yours if you want him...he's got good bloodlines, hopefully he'll make a nice eventer."
"Just needs the right person to get him there." Her grandpa winked at her.
"Oh my god!" She gushed, "thank you!"
"Just don't expect a horse every birthday." Phillip quipped back to her. The two of them watched with delight as Rio nuzzled in to Bella as she spoke to him softly. Hopefully they'd make a good team.
♔♕
𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟸
Bella was sat cross legged on a chair in the kitchens at Clarence House, cradling a mug of steaming hot chocolate. She had thought about having a coffee to sober her up but considering it was three in the morning she had gone against it. To be fair, the events of the past few hours had sobered her up enough.
She only noticed the presence of another person when the door to the kitchen squeaked open. As she turned to see who the intruder was, Bella absentmindedly thought of the butler's horror when he found out that the door squeaked. There was no light on in the corridor, but the soft light of the side lamp by the door that Bella had left on illuminated the person enough. Camilla.
"Sorry...did I wake you?" Bella asked, coughing slightly to relieve her hoarse voice.
Camilla jumped at the sound of her voice, "oh, god." Placing a hand on her heart in shock she continued, "no, I'd didn't know you were here."
As Camilla stepped into the kitchen, Bella turned back to her hot chocolate, staring at the swirls of steam that were working their way into the air. "I couldn't sleep." Camilla began as she poked her head into the fridge to retrieve the milk, "thought perhaps a warm milk with a drop of whiskey might help." As she stood waiting for the milk to warm up, Camilla turned back to Bella, frowning slightly at her quiet form. "What are you doing up?"
"Just got back from Harriet's." She replied, still staring down at her drink.
"Oh, was it not good?"
"No, it was fine." Bella swallowed thickly, her gaze still not moving.
Camilla gave a small nod in reply, turning back to her milk, she began to make the drink up, moving to sit opposite Bella when she had finished.
They sat there for a few moments in silence, Camilla working out whether or not she should press Bella for more information. It was obvious something had happened, but she wasn't sure if she would be the person she would want to tell.
"What is it?" Camilla asked softly, watching as Bella sighed and then lifted her gaze, looking her in the eye for the first time. When Camilla met her bright blue eyes, it was the glistening surface and slightly red rims that told her she had done the right thing in pressing for more information.
"There was this boy." Bella began quietly. Ah. There it was, Camilla had been almost expecting it to go something like that.
She didn't say anything, trying to keep her face as still as possible she waited, waited for Bella to say more.
"And...and I liked him...and I thought he liked me, in fact, I knew he liked me, it was obvious."
"Okay." Camilla said quietly.
"And then tonight," Bella took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh she looked back up at Camilla, "I overheard him saying that he was only pretending to like me because his mum told him too."
"Oh darling."
"And I really liked him!" She exclaimed, laughing despite the tears that were beginning to fall, "how pathetic is that."
"No, no." Camilla replied as she stood up and went to stand behind her. Placing an arm around her shoulder, she crouched down and pulled the crying girl in close, comforting her as best she could.
After a few moments Bella gathered herself, she sniffed and pulled away slightly from Camilla who had moved down to kneel in front of her. Taking hold of Bella's hands, she clasped them tightly in her own, "he's not worth it...not worth you wasting tears on him."
"No it's not that." She replied, pulling her hand free she gently wiped under her eyes before placing it back down, "well, not all of it."
"It's just," staring up at the ceiling, Bella took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she voiced her fear, "what if this is my life? What if everyone I meet is only ever interested in me for who I am, not actually who I am...does that make sense?"
"Yes, yes it does."
"I know I'm lucky I do, but sometimes I just think, wouldn't it be nice for people to talk to me because they were actually genuinely interested in what I had to say, not because they think being friends with me will make them look good, or how much money they can make for selling a story on me."
"And the press are starting to get worse as well." Bella continued, "it's like before I was this cute little bird that everyone fawned over and now I'm this thing that people peck out." She chuckled to herself briefly, a small smile gracing her lips, "that didn't even make sense did it."
"Not really." Camilla replied, smiling back to her. "Come on." She said as she patted Bella's knee and then stood up, pulling the teenager up with her, "it's the middle of the night, you're tired, upset and still a bit tipsy I think...go to bed, everything will look better in the morning I promise you."
Bella just about managed to stop herself saying, 'that's what my mum used to say to me', instead, she smiled back at her and replied, "apart from the bit where I found out that my almost boyfriend doesn't actually like me, he was only doing it because of his mum..."
"Yes." Camilla said, placing an arm around Bella's shoulders, she squeezed the young woman in and continued, "I'm afraid that will probably still hurt."
"I thought it might be like that."
♔♕
𝗔/𝗡: 𝘀𝗼 𝗶 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.
𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝘀𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲!) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱! 𝗫