yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay so pleased people are enjoying this story....here is the next chapter! thanks to all who have reviewed, I love to read your thoughts!!

Note: do not own anything but the storyline, characters and such...totally not mine!

Chapter 2

Breakfast the following morning was an awkward affair, Clarisse had been up most of the night thinking and Mia was unnerved by her grandmother's pensieveness. Charlotte too was keeping her distance, unsure if her contact with Anna had upset the former queen. Joseph, ever the faithful husband had been there through the night to comfort his wife when emotions ran high, but unlike her, he was used to having little sleep.

But as they all would have predicted it was Mia who broached the subject first. "So Grandma, about Anna....have you thought about it?"

"Darling it is ALL I have thought about."

"Have you decided what you want to do yet?"

"No, of course I would love to see her again I just dont think I could take another argument."

Clarisse sighed and sat back in her seat, once again her head was pounding, an inner fight between emotion and rational thinking. Joseph sensed this, of course he did, from behind his newspaper he had been keeping a close eye on both his wife and step-grandaughter.

With a sigh he folded his newspaper and allowed the maids to clear his breakfast things. "I think...a walk, Mia do you have the time to join us?"

"Mm yeah I have a free morning, Nicholas is due back from France at 11 so I wanted to be free to meet him."

"Excellent, lets go."

They walked in silence for a long while, until they were some way away from the palace, and Clarisse visibly relaxed.

"What you must understand Mia is, Anna felt very rejected when she left, unwanted and unloved. Which of course was untrue but you know yourself that you cant argue with a sixteen year old!"

Mia laughed at Joseph's comment, raising her eyebrows in a way that said she knew exactly what he meant. "But Joe, Grandma, does it matter what happened like five years ago, the past is the past right? It should stay in the past! The fact is that she is my cousin and your grandaughter and she deserves to be here, at least visit, she grew up here its her home....and I know a lot of people miss her."

Clarisse sighed and paused, taking comfort in the warmth of her husband's hand in her own, his thumb tracing a soothing pattern across the back of her hand. "Mia I know you are right its just....rather scary after so long, its hard to face someone who are you convinced will hate you.....but it has to be done."

"Are you agreeing to this grandma? Is that a yes? We can find her and bring her back?"

"Now dont get carried away Amelia! We can contact her, yes, but you must accept that half the decision here is hers!"

Mia smiled triumphantly as Clarisse flopped onto a bench for a moment, the emotion taking its toll on her. Joe sat dutifully at her side, but Mia was far too hyperactive.

"So come on! Tell me about her! What was she like? What did she love to do? What did she hate?"

Clarisse laughed slightly, the melodious sound soothing Joseph's anxieties over how she was coping. "Oh Mia theres simply too much to tell, but I suppose we could tell you a little. Oh er...."

As Clarisse paused and attempted to think, Joseph began to laugh. "One thing I can definatly say Mia is you and she would have been such a duo when you were younger! You're both spirited, troublesome and unable to sit still!"

"Oh she was certainly troublesome! I still remember the day she hid Rupert's official sash he needed for a state dinner! Took me hours to bribe her into giving it up!" Clarisse smiled as Joseph nodded in remembrance.

"That was one day I shall never forget, Rupert had us turn the palace upside down looking for it and all the time it was in her dolls house!"

"Thankfully he did see the funny side but I dont think he would ever have shouted at Anna, she charmed him into anything!"

Mia sat on the grass in front of them, marvelling at how easily they were talking about this long forgotten Renaldi relative.

"Oh Anna could have charmed the Pope into changing religions she really could!" Joseph laughed with a slight shake of his head.

"That has just reminded me of the time she debated religion with the Arch-bishop for over an hour and had him doubting his own argument by the end of it!"

"Yes Clarisse but I seem to remember you didnt step in to stop her!"

"Well why should I she's a right to her own opinion!"

Sitting on the grass, Mia couldnt help a smile at how happy Joseph and Clarisse both looked, spilling stories of a young lady she was now so excited to meet.

They continued to speak for some time, each thoroughly losing track of time, before Mia suddenly spotted Nicholas walking slowly across the grass towards them. She leapt up to greet him, and there was a general hubbub of activity before they all settled back down, Nicholas joining Mia on the grass.

"So what are we talking about?" He asked politely as Mia suddenly jumped.

"Oh! Oh well, see yesterday I found out about my cousin and well we've decided we want to find her! Her name is....."

"Anna yes I know." Nicholas laughed as Mia looked confused for a moment

"Oh sure you will you lived here for years when you were little right!"

Nicholas paused and nodded. "Well yes but....I do actually know her."

"What do you mean you know her?" Joseph asked as Nicholas sighed.

"Alright I suppose you had better hear it from me, another one of my not so proud moments! Anna and I were both at Cambridge together, we actually dated for a while...only a few weeks it was nothing really! My uncle decided that I might be able to worm my way into royalty with Anna but she is faaaar to wise for any of that...and I couldnt charm her! We became very good friends...until of course she got wind of my Uncle's plans for a palace coop!"

"Oh I bet she took that well!" Joseph sighed as Nicholas nodded.

"I dont think she needed to use the phone to yell at me I could have heard her from London without it! I dont think I have ever been told off as harshly as that! Anna was absolutely furious....I'm going to have to do some serious grovelling to apologise!"

"You and me both!" Clarisse added casually, surprising everyone with how much she wasnt shocked by Lord Deveraux's admission!

"You dated my cousin?" Mia asked as if in clarification, unable to hard the fact she was a little put out!

"Yes, for the grand total of three weeks, until we realised we actually didnt fancy each other at all and kissing was a little like kissing a sibling so we decided to be friends....well that and the fact she and my best friend Max had this undeniable chemistry....they've been dating ever since!"

"She has a long term boyfriend?" Clarisse asked as Nicholas nodded.

"They've been living together since graduation. He's a really great guy though I promise he has so much respect for her and he loves her more than life itself!"

Clarisse smiled, leaning back against Joseph as she lost herself in thought. She imagined what Anna would be like, living her own life with Max, totally care free and responsible...happy! Clarisse was happy for her grandaughter, at least she knew she was alright, but it also begged the question of whether or not the former princess would be willing to reopen that chapter of her life at all?