Part 3

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Two couples woke up the next morning, wrapped in each other's arms. One couple was curled up on the sofa, the other couple very much without clothes in her bed.

"Mmmm," said the couch lady.

The couch man groaned. "I'm getting too old for this."

"I'd hardly call you old, my dear."

In the bed, the other couple had a similar conversation.

"Mmmm," said the bed lady.

The bed man groaned. "I'm getting too old for this. I'm out of practice."

"I agree with the latter and object to the former."

"Hey," bed man said, swatting her arm, "you weren't complaining last night."

Bed lady giggled and snuggled into him. "I have to go to work."

"Not me!" bed man exclaimed, tickling her waist, "but I'll visit you."

"It must be nice being the prince, nothing to do all day but sit around and bug me…"

"Shut up, Charlotte."

Bed lady, more commonly known as Charlotte, dragged herself out of bed. "I'm off to take a shower, lover boy. Care to join me?"

Lover boy/bed man/Pierre slowly got up to follow her.

Meanwhile, couch couple (obviously Clarisse and Joseph) attempted to get themselves up but were unsuccessful.

"I'm definitely too old for this," Joseph muttered when his knees popped as he straightened them.

Clarisse mumbled her assent, attempting to pull him closer and fall asleep on his shoulder again, but Joseph pulled away.

"Clarisse, my darling," he said, "much as I would love to spend the rest of the day on the couch with you, I should probably sneak out of your room before anyone realizes I'm missing."

With a sigh, the Queen pulled herself out of his arms. "You're right, Joseph. You should get out before my ladies maids come in, or half the palace will know you spent the night—and that's just before noon."

He stood up, but she took his hands in hers before he could walk away. "Dear Joseph," she said, "last night was very special." He made to speak, but she shushed him. "Though nothing really happened, it was a very nice night that I shall treasure. However," at this he raised his eyebrows, "it can never happen again." Joseph started at this comment and tried to take his hands away, but she stood up and grabbed his arm. "No, Joseph, try to understand! Should anyone catch us—should we be found out in any way—it would be the end of life as we know it. There would be a royal scandal—bad press—what would Parliament do?—and you know the von Trokens would jump at any chance they had to take over the crown. Oh, Joseph, I do love you, and I want you to know that, but we just can't be together until Amelia is on the throne. Try to understand," she pleaded.

"Of course, Your Majesty." His voice had a hint of resignation to it, but his eyes shone and she knew he'd wait for her. Without another word, Joseph turned to leave.

Clarisse stood alone in the middle of her suite, staring at the closed door.

--

"Proposition," Pierre said as he sat down on the corner of Charlotte's after first making sure his mother was ensconced in her office, and therefore they were alone, "you accept my marriage proposal."

"I've told you a million times why I can't and you know the reasons perfectly well, Pierre," Charlotte replied in a hushed voice, not meeting his eye.

"Yes, but that was before. Now I've thought it over and you can't say no after what I have to tell you!" He grinned. "Listen closely, we haven't much time—it's eleven o'clock, so Mia should be up and ready to bother you soon. Like I said, I've been thinking, and there's no way you can refuse me after this. You've said in the past that you can't leave your job here and I can't leave mine in France, so marriage wouldn't work. Well, I have something that would change that."

"I'm not leaving Queen Clarisse," Charlotte interrupted.

"And I'm not asking you to. Nothing in my plan requires you do anything differently. What I'm trying to get at, Charlotte, is this. I have a remarkable young man working for me now—his name is Patrice, he's twenty years old—and I was thinking that in a few years, with the proper training, he could replace me as priest of the parish. Then I could conveniently come back to Genovia, find myself a nice little church somewhere, and carry out my religious calling while still being close to you. What do you think?"

Charlotte was silent for a moment but then answered. "I think… that it might possibly work."

A broad grin broke across Pierre's face. "It's foolproof, isn't it?"

"It really is. Oh, my gosh," she said, her eyes widening in shock, "we could get married!"

"That's the plan, isn't it?" He was still smiling as he moved to kneel beside her, behind the desk. "So in a couple of years, your Christmas present from me will be a ring."

"Oh, Pierre," Charlotte breathed, and she threw herself into his arms.

"Now I just have to get Mother's approval," Pierre mumbled into her hair. They pulled apart and looked at each other, both wondering what the Queen would think of such an odd couple.

--

TBC