stuck here until after I had my meeting.” Arthur pauses, and his mouth curves up in a guilty smile. “I might have told him the prime minister was visiting me this morning, and I would have to brief him after the visit. I must confess another reason that I wanted to meet with you, besides my wanting you to know what happened in his past. I also couldn’t let Xander go to London without knowing where your heart was at. I had my suspicions, of course, and now I’m embarrassed that I’ve meddled in this way, but I didn’t want Xander to go off and face a possible second heartbreak. He’s been through enough. My son couldn’t bear it if he lost you again.”
Fresh tears well in my eyes. “I swear to you, on my life, I will never break your son’s heart. I make that vow to you now. I will do nothing but love him until my last breath on this earth if he will let me.”
Arthur pushes open the gate, which creaks in response. “I think it’s time for you to go follow your heart, Poppy.”
I smile through my tears. “I think so, too. Thank you for raising such a wonderful son. And thank you for wanting me to be the woman who will love him.”
“Everyone deserves to be loved in the way you two love each other,” he says softly. “I realise now, that even includes me.”
I blink in surprise over that deeply personal confession. But before I can say another word, he turns and walks away.
I watch as Arthur heads back towards the house. I turn around and face the ivy-covered gate.
My heart is somewhere in that garden.
And it’s time I get it back.
I step inside, and as soon as I see the maze, I gasp. The rain picks up, splattering harder against my umbrella, but I’m so overwhelmed when I see the massive maze in front of me, it barely registers. What if Xander isn’t even there, but in one of the other gardens that surround it? I might never cross his path!
No, I think with resolve, I will find him. I can’t go another hour without my heart intact.
I hurry down the stone steps, which have small pink flowers creeping amongst them, and the rain sloshes under my boots. I reach the bottom and enter the rows of yew, hoping that I will find Xander as soon as possible.
“Xander!” I yell out. “Xander, are you here?”
The only response I have is from the rain.
I shiver. I reach a point where I can go left or right, so I follow the hedge on the left, my heart still hammering inside my chest.
“Xander!” I call over the rain.
No response.
I stop at another path point. Wait, am I supposed to take a right here? Or a left? Oh, no! I can’t remember what Arthur told me! How will I ever find him? Or even the centre of this damn maze? How? I continue running along the long rows, yelling his name, wondering if this is all a fruitless effort. I could easily go back into the house, text him, and wait for him to text me back. That would make more sense than this.
But any chance I have to find him sooner, I have to take it. Odds are, he wouldn’t have taken his phone with him for a walk—he never did that when we went on walks around Kensington Palace. And if he was angry at Arthur and needed to clear his head, he probably stormed outside and is taking out his aggression with a furious walk about the estate—not giving a damn who is trying to reach him.
I turn another corner, then another, then another. I keep going round and round, feeling as if I might be getting closer to the fountain.
I’m about to call his name again when I hear something. I stop. I listen again, and I hear water bubbling, but also something else. The sound of a shovel scraping. Oh! A member of the gardening staff! Maybe they’ve seen Xander!
Then I hear a loud crash of metal hitting the pavement. “Bloody hell!”
I suck in a wild breath of air.
The voice belongs to Xander.
“Xander!” I yell over the yew. “Xander!”
There’s a pause.
“Poppy?” he yells back, confusion in his voice. “Poppy, is that you?”
“Yes! I’m here!” I cry, my throat hoarse now. “How do I get to you?”
“I’ll find you!” Xander shouts back. “Keep talking to me!”