Chapter 365

Jim helped Pearl with her last bag. She hugged Auggie and told him that she would keep in touch. Christian waved to him and Maggie from his car seat and Isla blew them a kiss. Alexander was asleep in the back.

Pearl got into the car and Jim drove them out of London and to Highgrove House. The home she had shared with Erik and the home she had left when she became queen. She needed a break. A long one. And she knew that would be the perfect place for her to think for awhile. To breathe. The gardens there were so beautiful and peaceful. She needed to be around nature. To recognize the world around her instead of being so wrapped up the world she lived in. Jim pulled into the driveway and helped her unload her bags.

"Mum!" Christian said. "This is a nice house!" Pearl smiled.

"Yes. Yes it is." She said. After bringing in the last bag, Pearl took a deep breath and looked around. She really did love it there. She settled and waited for the housekeeper, cook and cleaning girl to arrive. Tia wouldn't be there for a few days. Pearl had given her a long weekend off. Later that evening, after the kids had their baths and explored the house til they passed out, she tucked them into their beds and went downstairs. She looked at all the artwork she and Erik had chosen together. The colors on the walls, the furniture, the rugs. All of it spoke of an earlier time in her life. A time she thought would last forever. How foolish she had been.

Her phone buzzed and she saw it was Dylan. "Just making sure you guys got there safely." He texted.

She texted back that she had and they were good. She had let Sebastian know where she was going when she said goodbye a few days before. Even though he had apologized several times, she told him she needed some space to think. She called it an extended holiday. A break. But she feared it might be more. Only time would tell.

She poured a glass of wine and sat on a chair in the garden. Jim came out and stood beside her.

"Well kid, you've had one helluva journey so far. Wonder what's in store for the second half?" He asked.

"I don't know, Jim. But I sure as hell hope it's not as much work." She said. "Here's to the calm half." And she raised her glass to him. He smiled, a rare occurrence for him, and nodded. She had made many mistakes but she knew one thing for certain, Jim hadn't been one of them.