Emmy groaned as she woke up, feeling the exhaustion clawing at her eyes, begging her to close them once more and to let her sleep, to let her enjoy the blissful rest. She rolled over, feeling herself collide with something as she did so, but her drowsiness didn't even allow her to react. She grumbled something incoherent, and Harry chuckled down at her. She'd rolled into his legs; he was kneeling beside her.
"Emmy," he said softly, before gently shaking her. "Em? Wake up."
"No," she mumbled, curling into a tight ball to try and get rid of the cold.
"Emmy," he said again, slightly harsher this time, although his voice was full of amusement. "Get up. It's Christmas, don't you want your present?"
"No," she replied, rolling away from him and sighing as she tried to go back to sleep.
He raised an eyebrow at her, pouting slightly, disappointed that she was being so uncooperative, then nudged her.
"Go away," she muttered.
"Nope," he said. "You have to get up now, anyway. Breakfast's in an hour."
"I don't need breakfast," she said.
"Yes you do," he said. "We've got a long day."
"And I want to spend it sleeping," she complained.
Harry sighed, sitting back on his ankles and staring at the present in his hands. He'd actually been excited to give it to her, he wasn't entirely sure whether she'd like it. But now...He scowled. "Emmy," he said, impatient now. "Don't make me push you out of bed."
"I hate you," she whined into the pillow.
"You won't after you open your present," he sang.
Tired of his pestering, she sat up, her hair a mess, her eyes narrowed and sleepy, her forehead creased into a scowl. "This better be good," she said.
"Wow, someone's not a morning person," he teased.
"I couldn't sleep last night," she answered as an explanation.
"Couldn't stand being so close to my sexy ass, huh?"
"Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "That was definitely it."
He chuckled, letting her come to her senses and brush her hair out of her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them, before he held out the box he was holding.
"I just got a box," he said. "Since I'm so shit at wrapping and all."
She frowned, confused, as she looked at it, then took the lid off. Inside was a Pandora charm bracelet. She gasped.
"Harry!" she hissed.
"What?" he asked nervously.
"Oh my god."
"What?" he said again, eyes wide. "Do you like it? Is it what you wanted? I remember you saying that you loved the idea of Pandoras and I-"
Before he could finish, she'd placed it down on the bed and thrown her arms around him, cuddling him tightly to her, an enormous grin on her face.
"Oh, you're awake now?" he teased gently, before snaking his arms around her tiny form and hugging her back. "You like it?"
"Can't you tell?" she said, laughing lightly and returning her attention to her gift. "Oh, I do, I do, I've wanted one for forever."
He chuckled. "There's something else in the box, too."
Emmy's eyebrows furrowed with curiosity as she gently removed the bracelet from the box and placed it on the bed. Inside, still attached to their tiny black Pandora cushions, were two charms. "You got me charms too?!" she nearly screeched. The first was a crown, not unlike the crown that his own grandmother wore from time to time, and the second was, to her surprise, a stack of books.
"The crown I think is pretty obvious," he said. "But the books, well, I chose the books for two reasons really." He was watching her carefully, worrying that at some point she would realise that it was all too much, or she would decide that she didn't like the gift after all. But she was staring at the charms with delighted awe on her face. "The first time I met you, that first night, I showed you the library and I could instantly tell that you loved reading."
"I do," she agreed in a whisper.
"And the second reason..." He grinned. "You broke my father's bookshelf."
Emmy looked up, horrified. "No!"
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "That was my first thought when I saw the charm. I thought 'remember that time Emmy pulled over my father's bookshelf'-"
"Shut up," she said, giggling.
"And destroyed half his drawing room in the process?"
"Shh!" she hissed, shoving him playfully before ducking her head and smiling to herself, a blush burning her cheeks. "I love it."
"Good," he said. "I was...nervous."
She rolled her eyes. "How could I not love it?"
"I was pretty sure you'd find a way," he said, then shrugged. "What could I say? I wasn't sure what to get you."
"Neither was I," she said, gently placing her new jewellery back into the box before clambering off the bed and dropping to her knees to pull her suitcase out from under it. "I suppose you want yours."
He chuckled lightly, glancing at his phone to check the time while she retrieved his present. Then she stood back up, and held out something rectangular and floppy, a huge smile on her face.
"I hope you like it," she said, before nibbling her lip nervously.
Harry paused for a moment, letting the familiar sense of anticipation that always preceded opening a gift take over him. Then he grinned and ripped it open.
In his lap lay the newest Arsenal football shirt, with two tickets to the third match of the New Year perched on top of it. He laughed in delight.
"Oh wow, Emmy," he said, ecstatic. "How'd you know I didn't have this shirt?"
"I just kind of hoped," she said, watching him, seemingly nervous. "You like it?"
"I love it," he said, peering closely at the tickets then grinning. "Two?"
"I wouldn't make you go on your own," she said, rolling her eyes. "You can take one of your friends."
He placed his presents aside, getting to his knees and crawling across the bed so he could hug her where she stood. She was small in his arms, but he could feel her relief, relieved that he liked her gift, and he squeezed her tightly before moving away and grinning.
"This is awesome," he said, returning his attention to the shirt. "Oh shit, I love it."
Emmy giggled lightly. "I love mine too."
"Thank you for this, Emmy," he said, smiling genuinely at her. "I wasn't expecting it."
"Well, I wasn't expecting mine," she said. "But I love it. Thank you."
He winked at her. "Anything for you," he replied mockingly.
"You had to ruin it," she teased, rolling her eyes, before yawning and stretching, her back curving and her arms reaching for the sky as she woke up muscles. "I better go shower."
"Hmm," he said, too engrossed in his present to be paying attention.
Emmy smiled to herself, delighted that he liked it, and placed her own gift on the bedside table before leaving him to it and heading for the bathroom to shower.
"Can you help me fasten my bracelet?"
Harry looked up from buttoning his shirt to see her holding out her new Pandora, and he hastily finished before straightening up and taking it from her. "You're wearing it today?"
"Is that okay?" she asked, as he took her hand and draped the jewellery round her wrist.
"Of course," he said. "Don't be offended if I don't wear my shirt today."
She rolled her eyes, smiling to herself as she watched his fingers so daintily clasp the bracelet around her. His fingers were huge compared to hers, and she marvelled at how gently he handled it, taking care not to be too rough. Finally, he stepped back and grinned.
"There," he said.
"Thank you," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and turning to check her reflection. "How do I look?"
Harry looked up, having been examining his phone, to see her looking unsure. He raised an eyebrow, letting his eyes rove down her, over her blue and black dress and black ankle boots, her blonde hair that was as straight as silk. He smirked. "You'll do."
Emmy huffed and rolled her eyes at his teasing, toying with the skirt of her dress before fetching her purse. "Do I need to take all my stuff down now?"
"No, you'll be able to come back up and get your coat," he answered, glancing at the clock on his mobile. "We should be going down now, Em."
"Okay," she said, hastily tidying her dirty laundry into a pile and kicking it into the corner of the room. "Just coming."
Harry stood by the door, leaning against the wall, one eyebrow raised, as he waited for her. "Take your time," he said sarcastically.
"I'm trying to make it look tidy," she said.
"Why?"
"Yesterday, I know that the cleaners came in here and tidied up, even though you didn't tell me, and I felt bad."
"They're paid for it," he said simply.
"Yes, but I want to make their job as easy as possible," she said, now trying to make the bed.
"Emmy, come on, we're going to be late to breakfast."
She huffed as she straightened up, puffing air up onto her face to cool herself before, feeling her stomach clench nervously as she did so, she joined him by the door.
"Okay, I'm ready," she said.
He slipped his hand into hers and grinned. "Remember: we had sex last night."
"What the hell does that even mean?" she whispered, as she followed him out into the corridor.
"It means," he said, moving to walk behind her with his arms wrapped round her waist. He could feel her tensing at his touch, almost able to feel the confusion she felt at the physical contact. He dropped his voice to a whisper, his lips at her ear. "You have to look very, very happy and we have to act very, very in love."
She turned, looking petrified, to peer up at him as almost as one they began their journey down the hallway. "What do you-"
"Put her down!" came a taunting call from behind, and they turned to see Mike grinning at them, Zara with Mia in her arms following closely. Harry paused to wait for them. "No doubt as to what you two got up to last night, then."
Harry grinned. "It's Christmas, can you blame us?"
Mike shook his head to himself, smirking. "You are insatiable, Wales, I just hope you weren't too hard on her."
Emmy blushed and ducked her head, grateful for Zara who instantly caught up with her and struck up a conversation.
"Ignore them," she said, as she absentmindedly bounced Mia up and down on her hip. "They're immature."
"I can tell," Emmy said shyly.
"Mike's only playing," she added. "Don't think that we're, you know, judging you or anything."
"No, I didn't mind," Emmy answered, trying to think what she would say if she really had had sex with Harry the night before.
"Just ignore them, Mike's always like this," Zara explained. "Honestly, I can't take him anywhere without him saying something."
Emmy laughed lightly, looking behind her to see where Harry was. It frustrated her how she had instantly learnt to rely on him, how his absence was a worry to her. She couldn't trust herself to keep up the charade without him there, and Zara was getting personal.
Harry noticed her looking for him, so he called out, "You two, wait up!" and the two men hurried to catch up with them. "Don't wait for us," he added sarcastically, winking at Emmy as he reached her.
"We weren't," she said matter-of-factly, then grinned up at him.
"Oh god," Zara suddenly said. "Mike, we forgot Mia's bottle."
"Wow, Zara," Mike said cheekily. "Wow."
Emmy and Harry watched them as they bid goodbye before hurrying back to their room to fetch it, and together they continued to make their way downstairs. Harry's fingers snaked their way through Emmy's, so that they walked hand in hand down the steps.
"You okay?" he asked, as they reached the bottom. "You seem...nervous?"
"Is that even surprising?" she said. "I'm very scared, yes. And Mike didn't exactly help."
"Pay no attention, he's always like that," he said dismissively.
"And you don't help either," she added. "Hugging me like that in the corridor."
"Look, Emmy-" He sighed and dropped his voice to a whisper. "If there is the slightest chance of someone seeing us, then we have to act like we're for real. That's what I was doing. I was acting like we were for real."
"I know, but-"
"What?"
"You..." She hesitated, nibbling on her lip. "You made me uncomfortable."
He laughed lightly to himself. "Remember what I said yesterday?"
"You said a lot of stuff yesterday."
"About you having to get used to the contact," he said. "Remember?"
She frowned, unamused. "Maybe."
Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Beatrice's voice met their ears, ending their conversation and making both of them turn in surprise to see her.
"Wait for me!" she sang, running down the steps to reach them. She sucked in a deep breath as she reached the ground. "Phew, I'm so unfit."
Emmy laughed lightly, while Harry raised an eyebrow at his cousin.
"Don't look at me like that, Harry!" Beatrice said, pouting at him. "Just because you run doesn't mean we all do. Do you run, Emmy?"
"I, uh, I'd like to start," she said timidly. "I have to get in shape for the wedding."
Beatrice scoffed. "You have nothing to worry about, Emmy. Look at you. Harry, tell Emmy that she has nothing to worry about."
Harry looked like he didn't have time for his cousin nor her conversation, but to please her he cast a sweeping glance over Emmy, then smirked and said, "Oh yeah. Sex on legs."
Emmy blushed deeply.
Beatrice giggled. "Yeah, see? Anyway, breakfast!"
She was unbearably bubbly for such an early hour, and Harry let her lead the way, not completely eager to have her giggling in his ear all morning. His hand found Emmy's once more as they followed Beatrice through the house before, finally, they reached the dining room.
"Morning!" Beatrice sang. "Merry Christmas!"
Emmy was surprised by how empty it was. Elizabeth sat at one end of the table, Philip at the other, with Andrew in one of the seats and Anne and Timothy in two others. As the few members of the family who were already there wished the three of them Merry Christmas – which Emmy shyly repeated back with a timid smile – she wondered where everyone else was. Harry seemed to notice her confusion, for his hands on her waist guided her to the nearest empty chair.
"Where is everyone?" she asked quietly.
"Oh, they're all late," Elizabeth replied, rolling her eyes. "Terrible really."
"Disgraceful," Philip agreed, and he caught his wife's eyes and they shared a small smile. "Did you all sleep well? It was blowing a gale last night."
Harry was relieved that Mike wasn't there, because if he had been he was sure that he would've made some immature comment about how it "wasn't the only thing blowing", followed by a cheeky grin thrown Harry and Emmy's way. He knew those comments made Emmy uncomfortable – he wanted to avoid them as much as possible.
"We slept fine," Harry said.
"Although I found it a little cold," Emmy said.
"Mm, it's freezing here," Beatrice agreed. "At least you two can cuddle into each other for warmth."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You should've invited Dave."
"I didn't want to, I was scared he'd say no."
"Uncoo!"
Harry knew that adorable little voice, and his head snapped round to see William enter the room with George sat on his hip. He broke into a huge grin and got to his feet, already reaching for his nephew.
"Hey, Georgie!" he said, cuddling him. George nuzzled into his chest, smiling his cute little smile. "Merry Christmas, George."
"Bah!" George cooed, reaching up for the collar of his uncle's shirt. Emmy laughed lightly at him, attracting his attention. George's brown eyes fixed on her, then he smiled and babbled, "Auntee!"
Emmy's heart melted. "Hello, George."
"Oh, he wants you again," Kate laughed affectionately, as she entered the room and headed for the seat beside her husband.
"Sorry, Kate, I'm stealing your son for the next hour," Harry said, grinning.
"Keep him," she replied. "He's been babbling and running around all morning. Driving me up the wall."
"Have you?" he said, tickling under George's chin and drawing a high-pitched squeal from the baby. "Have you been a pain?"
"Oot," George said, his hand outstretched, wanting Harry's nose. "Mah."
"Do you want to hold him?" Harry asked, as he returned to his seat with George in his lap.
"I'd love to," Emmy replied, a delighted smile lighting up her face as she took George into her arms. "Hello George! Hello!" He cooed and reached for her hair.
"Careful," Kate said. "When he gets your hair he won't let go."
Emmy laughed affectionately as she flicked her hair over her shoulder, out of his reach. George watched her action, pouting, before turning in her lap and reaching for the tablecloth.
"George, no," she murmured to him, prising the fabric from his chubby little fingers. "Don't do that, you'll end up making a mess."
Over the next ten minutes the rest of the family joined them, with James, Isla and Savannah incredibly sleepy, Louise as shy as ever, Eugenie seemingly grumpy due to the early start and Mike as joyful as ever. He sat opposite Harry, bouncing a gurgling Mia on his knee.
Breakfast was surprisingly boring. With George sat on her lap, Emmy munched on the croissants and the jam on toast that was laid before her, nuzzling into his blond hair whenever he cooed for her attention. Harry wasn't oblivious to how well she was with him – he could tell that she adored the little one-year-old, perhaps an adoration that extended to all children. Harry had never discussed children with her – maybe they weren't too different after all?
Before long, however, breakfast was over and the beginning of the first church service was growing closer and closer. More people – official secretaries and protection officers by the look of it – had started hurrying down the corridor outside, evidently arranging and organising their departure. Emmy looked curiously as one of them – a large, bald man – passed the doorway.
"That's Jim," Harry explained quietly, careful not to interrupt the several conversations happening around him. "The head of the Sandringham estate."
"He works over Christmas?" Emmy asked.
"He's paid a hell of a lot for it," he replied, grinning, as absentmindedly he let George toy with his fingers. "They're probably getting ready for us to leave."
"Is it stressful for them?"
"Not this one," he said. "This departure is pretty straight forward. They literally just arrange who's going in what car, you see? And time it so that the cars arrive two at a time. There isn't a large car park there, you see."
"Is there going to be normal people there?"
"No, Holy Communion is private," he said. "Then the second church service is more of a...Christmas service."
"Do we sing hymns?"
"Yes, actually," he said, chuckling. "I'm sure you'll love it."
She rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder once more as another person passed. Then she frowned. "What time do we leave?"
"When they tell us to."
Emmy took a deep breath, sipping her orange juice to try and disguise how uncomfortable this all was making her. They had no power over their own lives? They had everything done and arranged for them? They got to make no decisions for themselves? She let her breath out slowly, returning her attention to adorable George, trying to distract herself. This was all so weird.
Finally, "Jim" came in to ask if breakfast was over and if he could explain the departure procedure. Emmy swore she saw Elizabeth look irritated, or maybe just tired. It turned out that the first two cars would take Harry, Emmy, Beatrice and Eugenie and Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, while the rest of the family came in the following two cars, with Elizabeth, Philip and Andrew arriving last.
"We go for a little stroll while we wait for Granny," Harry explained, as everyone got to their feet to start preparing to leave.
"I'll take George from you now," Kate said, coming over and smiling widely before scooping George from her arms. "Hello, baby, yes, it's Mummy again-"
Harry smirked, reaching for Emmy's hand. "Time to get our stuff."
It was another ten minutes before they found themselves at the front door, waiting with Beatrice, Eugenie and William and Kate. George had been taken by his nanny, and William seemed to be in the middle of reassuring Kate that he would be fine on his own. Kate, seemingly unconvinced, was nibbling on her bottom lip while watching William, wide-eyed.
"What we waiting for?" Harry said to his cousins.
Eugenie sighed. "The cars aren't ready. It's started snowing so they have to put the grips on the tires."
He rolled his eyes. "Great."
Emmy felt so lost as she stood with them, absolutely clueless as to what was about to come but nervous about it nonetheless. She shifted her weight awkwardly from foot to foot, biting her bottom lip and trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. Harry was stood right beside her, but she was still terrified of what was coming.
Finally, their car arrived and the POs were directing them to leave. Emmy, for once, reached for Harry's hand, and she wasn't doing it simply to act in love – she wanted him there. She needed the reassurance his presence provided.
"Just follow me," he murmured to her, leading her from the house. Her boots crunched on the snow that lined the path, the cold clinging to her sheer tights and trying to invade the warmth of her coat. Behind her, Beatrice and Eugenie followed, discussing the white sky above that seemed to threaten more snow.
The car door was opened for her by Rick, and Harry waited for her to slip into the middle of the back seat while Eugenie went round to get in the other side. Beatrice was giggling at her sister's failed attempt at being graceful by the time Harry joined Emmy in the car and Rick got into the driver's seat.
"Oh, Rick!" Harry said, surprised. "Didn't realise you'd be driving me."
"Yeah, why not," Rick said. "Merry Christmas, by the way."
The four of them returned the festive greeting, Beatrice watching in the wing mirror as William and Kate and Charles and Camilla got into the Range Rover behind them. It seemed that they were waiting on them, as only when the sound of an engine starting up did Rick turn the keys in the ignition.
"Here we go," he said, grinning.
It wasn't a long journey, but it felt like an eternity before the snow-covered fields and the icy trees gave way to quaint cottages and villages strung with Christmas lights. Emmy gazed out the window, trying to let the sight of normal people undergoing their normal Christmas Day lives calm her, for her day was being far from normal. Beside her, Harry wasted no time in teasing Beatrice about anything that he could find to tease her about, and Eugenie easily joined in. It seemed like that was their coping mechanism – laughter and banter to take their mind off of what they were really about to do.
Before long, they arrived. Rick slowed the car at the end of a long pathway that led to a charming, picturesque little church. Emmy peered out at it, before her eyes noticed a small huddle of photographers gathered on the green several feet way. Harry caught her looking.
"Ignore them," he murmured, unbuckling his seat belt. "They'll stay away."
She raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Of course, they always do," he said. "If they didn't, the guys would only push them away anyway."
Rick cleared his throat. "There is no reason to worry, Emmy. We'll keep them away from you."
Emmy couldn't help but feel slightly relieved by his gruff voice. He may have said them without emotion, but she took his words as reassuring, and a sign that he cared for her safety just as much as Harry's. She hadn't realised that an engagement earned her the same treatment.
They climbed out of the car as, behind them, William and Kate did the same. Harry offered Emmy his hand, helping her step down onto the uneven gravel – she wobbled slightly, grabbing his arms to balance herself, and he chuckled at her.
"Mind your step," he teased gently.
She rolled her eyes, brushing down her coat and casting her eyes over her surroundings. A field, bordered by a fence, was on her left, with a fairly large square of green on her right. Ahead: the church. Leafless trees entwined above their heads and around them, giving the scene the sensation that it was in the heart of the countryside. To an extent, it was.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Beatrice said, all of a sudden very excited.
Harry smirked, waiting for William and Kate to join them. "Bea is too happy for this."
"I swear she doesn't even like church," William agreed.
Kate rolled her eyes affectionately at them. "It's Christmas. Let her be excited."
"Time for a stroll," William mused, changing the subject and reaching for his wife's hand. "Let's go?"
Harry reached for Emmy's, sensing her discomfort under the paparazzi's watchful eye, before they followed.
It was a short service, very cosy and comfortable, and then they were back at Sandringham once more, rushing back to their rooms to prepare for the next part of the day.
Emmy found her hands trembling slightly as she reached for her next outfit, and she paused, balling them into fists to try and stop the shaking, before taking a deep breath and grabbing her jumper anyway.
She'd been completely unsure what to wear for Christmas. She knew that no matter what clothes she chose they would be ripped apart by the world's media and fashion editors. She'd asked for both Kate and Taylor's help, settling for mostly new items that she'd bought off the high street – an expensive high street, but high street nonetheless. In the room, somewhere behind her, Harry was changing into his suit. She didn't look round; she forced herself to ignore him.
Finally, though, with thin black tights, a black figure-hugging skirt and a turtle neck jumper, a fascinator fastened to her head with matching heels, she stopped and surveyed her reflection. Her nerves, although she'd hoped that they'd disappear as she distracted herself, had only worsened while she changed, and now she was ready they were worse than ever.
"You look nice," Harry observed, flashing her a smile. He could read her well, he could tell that she was indescribably nervous. The way she rung her hands and smoothed her skirt again and again alerted him to that. He was nervous too, he was always nervous when it came to the Christmas Day church service, but he knew that it was his job to calm her, to forget about himself, because what he was feeling, she was feeling ten times worse.
"Thank you," she said, mustering a smile in return. "You too."
He smirked and shrugged. "Just a suit."
"It's a nice suit."
The awkward atmosphere made him want to cringe; he had no idea what to say, no idea how to calm her. "This'll be okay, okay? It's nothing hard. We just go into church, sit in church for a while, and then we go and say hi to everyone who's gathered there."
She sucked in a deep breath. "Okay."
"Emmy." He raised an eyebrow at her, peering into her face for the slightest trace of nerves. He could tell that she was trying to fight her fear, and he patted her arm reassuringly, winking. "Let's go."
The departure was much the same as the first – except that the whole family left at the same time – and it was a hundred times more nerve-wracking. Once again Emmy found herself sat next to Harry, her hand clutching his in his lap, and she nibbled on her bottom lip as she watched the beautiful countryside fly past, both realising that she might have lipstick on her teeth. She'd hastily and subtly lick it off, before, within a few moments, she'd be biting her lip once more.
She could tell when they were nearing. The atmosphere in the car changed; the teasing and playful conversation between Harry and his cousins was gone, and the four of them dissolved into hard, anxious silence. Harry's breath was growing ragged, and Emmy glanced at him; she knew that he found anything public hard, but he was doing a remarkable job of hiding his fear.
Eventually, they arrived. As Rick swung the car into one of the reserved parking spaces, Emmy felt her heart skip a beat. They were there. There were actually there.
The car park was tucked away at the end of a long pathway that led right to the church's steps, and even before they'd started getting out of the car, she could hear the sound of a crowd of people, even though they were invisible to her. Harry's hand on her knee brought her back to reality, and she gasped in surprise, snapping round to look at him.
His eyes widened innocently, unable to miss her shock, but he smiled reassuringly at her. "You feeling alright?"
"Yeah," she said breathlessly, and it came out as no more than a whisper. "Fine."
Harry offered her his hand as she slipped from the car, holding onto her fascinator in case she bumped it on the roof. His fingers entwined with hers, gently pulling her to his side so he could shut the door and then lead her over to where his grandmother, father and uncles were already standing.
Elizabeth smiled widely at Emmy. "Are you okay, dear?"
"I'm...okay," Emmy managed to reply. Her chest felt tight.
"You'll be wonderful," she answered, patting her shoulder affectionately. "Harry will stay with you the whole time."
"He better," Emmy said threateningly, shooting him a dangerous glance. He chuckled, snaking his arm round her waist and pulling her into a huge.
"I will be," he said. Elizabeth smiled at him; he didn't return it.
Harry and Emmy didn't talk at all as they waited for the family to start making their way to the church. Emmy's freezing fingers – why didn't she bring gloves?! - clutched her purse in one hand and Harry's in the other, and she moved into him slightly, her arm brushing against his, focusing on keeping the icy air flowing in and out of her lungs.
Finally, Elizabeth and Philip, closely followed by Charles and Camilla, stepped out onto the path, and the rest of the family copied.
"Just keep breathing," Harry muttered. "Remember to smile."
An enormous crowd came into view, and Emmy nearly choked on her breath. She swallowed, every cell in her body quivering.
They were all looking at her, all of them, looking at her and the famous family that she was soon to be a part of. They were cheering, crying out things like 'Merry Christmas' and 'I have a card for you' and 'Where's George' – the last, of course, directed at William and Kate. A few steps ahead of them, Emmy looked at Kate, watching the Duchess smile and wave at everyone who adored her.
"Smile," Harry hissed, while grinning at them all.
Emmy's mouth curved up into a shy, nervous smile, and she tried to keep it fixed on her face. This path was never ending, where was the church?! She looked ahead of her, subtly craning her neck to see how much longer she had. She needed to stop, she needed to breath. She needed to compose herself and try and come to terms with the cocktail of different emotions flowing through her body.
"Here we are," Harry finally said. Emmy, full of relief, carefully climbed the stairs – she wasn't sued to wearing such high heels, and she wished she'd practised beforehand walking in them – and she clung tightly onto his hand, letting out her strangled breath and managing a faint, weak smile.
"Not too bad, huh?" Kate asked, turning to Emmy and grinning.
"No," Emmy agreed in a whisper.
Harry nudged her gently, grinning. "See? I said you'd be fine."
"We haven't had the hardest bit yet, though. Have we?" she pointed out, feeling like she had no idea what had just happened.
He scoffed. "You'll be fine. At least you didn't trip over."
She wasn't in the mood for his jokes. Silently, her stomach still feeling sick, she followed William and Kate through into the church.
Half an hour later, the royal family emerged from the church, with Harry and Emmy in their midst. Emmy had taken off her coat during the service, and Harry gently helped her slip back into it as they stepped back out into the col winter sunshine.
"This is the hard bit," he murmured to her, as she pulled it round her shoulders. "But you'll be fine. I'll be with you the whole time."
The service had given Emmy a chance to realise what she'd just gone through and to prepare herself for the next part, and she felt surprisingly slightly more confident than she had before. Harry was right – he'd be with her the whole time, and that was enough for her heart to calm immensely and for her breathing to return to normal.
The family each went their own way at that moment. Some stayed to the side, knowing they weren't wanted by the public and enjoyed the warmth that came with the sun while watching their relatives greet the adoring crowd. William and Kate split up, Kate's name being called from so many directions, and Harry's name also met Emmy's ears. She turned to him – she'd known that he was one of the most popular members, but the excitement in the people's eyes as they shouted for him surprised her nonetheless.
"Let's go see them," Harry said, nodding towards the farthest side of the crowd where none of his family had gone yet.
"Okay," she said breathlessly.
He winked at her as their made their way over to them, dropping her hand – to her horror – as they reached the public. "Hello," he instantly started saying. "Hello, merry Christmas!"
Emmy watched him for a moment, horrified and lost, entirely clueless as to what she was supposed to do, then she stepped forward. The first woman Harry had greeted was smiling and saying her name.
"Merry Christmas," Emmy breathed, shaking her outstretched hand.
"Congratulations on the engagement!" the person next to her said.
"Thank you," Emmy replied, not really aware of the words coming out of her mouth. "We're both very happy."
"Are you enjoying Christmas with the in-laws?" the next person asked.
"I am, yes," Emmy said. "Although, of course, they're not my in-laws yet." Everyone laughed, and she forced herself to, too. "They're all very lovely. I feel very welcome, I'm having a lovely time."
Flashes of cameras occasionally temporarily blinded her, she was slightly aware of larger news cameras filming her, and tiny iPhones and mobiles fixed onto her face, later to be uploaded to social networks and sold to the media. Nonetheless, two steps behind Harry, she followed him down the line, her arms gradually getting filled with cards and flowers, and she thanked everyone for whatever they handed over, she was too busy and too scared to waste any time looking at it.
Harry's voice, charming the ladies, gently teasing the children – it was in her ear the whole time. She glanced at him whenever she got the chance, desperate for some acknowledgement from him, for him to tell her in some way that she was doing okay, or if she'd said something that she shouldn't have. Sometimes, she didn't know what to say at all.
Say what they want to you to say. Edward's words echoed in her head.
"Have you got your wedding dress yet?" a woman asked, her eyes wild with excitement, delighted that she actually got to speak to The Emmaline Farrington.
"Not yet, no," Emmy answered, managing a smile. "We've still got a lot of time to think about that."
"I'm sure you'll look beautiful," the woman replied. Emmy blushed and ducked her head, her smile not forced now.
"Thank you," she breathed.
"Did Harry get you something nice for Christmas?" someone else asked.
Emmy hesitated. Was she meant to answer with what she got? She'd never heard of the royal family discussing their gifts before. She swallowed, then smiled. "He did, yes. He's very good at giving presents. He puts an awful lot of thought into them."
As she shook some people's hands, her new Pandora rattled on her wrist. A lucky photographer would snap a picture of it; the photo would later be posted in the Daily Mail.
Emmy mentioned that she was going to her family's at New Year. That would later be tweeted by someone in the crowd who had overheard.
Harry, upon meeting an adorable ginger girl in the crowd, said "I can't wait to have a daughter of my own". That made headlines in several newspapers the following day.
It was soon time to leave, and Elizabeth began to head back to the car without any word of warning. The family knew well enough to quickly follow after her.
But Emmy didn't. Emmy didn't notice that Elizabeth was leaving, and when Harry turned round to tell her, the people there hastily began asking them questions.
"How many children do you want?"
"Where are you going on honeymoon?"
"When's your wedding going to be?"
But everyone else was focused on one thing. Harry's hand on the small of Emmy's back, a reassuring rub.
"Time to go," he said to her, ignoring the intrusive questions in his ear.
Emmy broke into the realest smile she'd smiled for what felt like forever now. "Okay."
Harry turned to the crowd that he was taking her from, and he grinned. "Sorry, ladies, time to leave."
"Merry Christmas," Emmy said shyly, already starting to walk away, desperate to be out of the public eye.
"Merry Christmas," Harry agreed, grinning at them all and giving a little wave to a set of twins who were stood waving them goodbye. The sound of a dozen farewells echoed after them.
He snaked his gloved hand through hers as they stepped back onto the path, flanked by Rick and Jamie. Emmy heaved a huge breath as they left the delighted and cheering public behind.
"Wow," she breathed.
"Wow is a good way of putting it," Harry chuckled.
"They're all so..." She was lost for words.
"Nosy?"
Emmy rolled her eyes at him. "Well, yes, but...I don't know."
"Loud?"
"Stop trying to guess," she teased gently. "I can't think of the right word. I can't think of any word to describe what that was."
"Scary?"
"Yes," she finally agreed. "But, at the same time...unbelievable. They were so happy to see us."
"They were. They just sacrificed their Christmas Day to come see us."
"Why?"
"Because they love us, for some strange reason which I will never understand."
She sighed, leaning her head against him for a moment before tipping it back and taking another deep breath. "I'm so glad that's over."
"Me too," he said. "That's always the hardest part."
"We got so many cards."
"Half of them are from people we don't even know," he pointed out.
"I'm still going to put them up," she said.
"No, Emmy-"
"I am," she said. "They bought us cards. They came all this way to give them to us. I'm putting them up."
Harry chuckled slightly to himself. "Okay," he said. "Whatever you want."
"What's next?"
"Home. Change. Christmas lunch and then sitting down to watch Granny's speech."
"Then cocktails?"
He smirked. "Then...cocktails, as you put it. Which really is just sitting down and having something to drink while we play cards and shit."
"Oh. I'm disappointed."
"What did you expect? Gran and Grandpa taking shots and downing tequila?"
Emmy couldn't help but giggle at the thought. "And then what?"
"Bed."
"Bed?" she said, then smiled. "I can't wait for bed."
"I bet you can't," Mike teased, hearing only the final part of the conversation as the 'couple' reached the car park. "Try not to make such a racket tonight."
He turned away, and Emmy and Harry looked at each other curiously. It was impossible that Mike had heard them doing anything...raunchy the previous night, simply because they hadn't done anything raunchy.
Emmy raised an eyebrow. "Who did he hear?" she whispered.
"No idea, but it certainly wasn't us," he said. He opened the car door for Emmy, then grinned to himself.
Peter and Autumn had had huge smiles on their faces at breakfast. Maybe now he knew why.