Part 4

When Clarisse awoke the next morning, not having moved all night and not remembering Joseph sliding into bed with her, she lay still for a moment savouring his warmth. He had pulled her back snugly against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She felt so safe and secure in his embrace. Opening her eyes, still without moving, Clarisse saw the sun shining through the pine branches of the trees just past the deck outside the bay window. It looked like a glorious day. Then she remembered Joseph's friend, Robert, and she closed her eyes again. Why had he taken such a dislike to her? He hadn't even KNOWN her! He seemed rather disagreeable, but if he had been as good a friend to Joseph as her husband had said, Robert must have hidden depths he hadn't revealed yet to her.

Joseph's hand moved up from her waist to cup her breast and tease her nipple into a tight bud. "Good morning, my love," he whispered.

She smiled and twisted in his arms to place a quick kiss on his chin. "Good morning, Joseph. I'm sorry I didn't manage to stay up for you last night. I love you," she said.

"I know. You show me often, and I love you for it."

"What time is it? Is Robert up yet? We should probably get up. It's very poor manners to remain ..." She suddenly sat up and threw the covers back.

"Clarisse," Joseph interrupted her spate of words. "There's no need to be nervous."

Clarisse sank back down on the bed, and stared at her husband. "But he ... I ..."

"He did not dislike you. How could he? His reasons are his own, but suffice to say, you were on the receiving end of a lot of frustration and grief. That's not to say, of course, that Robert won't get on your nerves from time to time," Joseph added with a grin. "He always did have a way of saying something that could grate. But he has a heart of gold."

"Buried deep under his rough exterior?" Clarisse asked, her eyebrows arched in mocking inquiry. "Or is that just a metaphor, too?"

"Please, try to like him for my sake, if not for his," Joseph sighed. "Don't turn adamantly against him. Give him another chance."

"Joseph, I am a very fair person," Clarisse said, somewhat indignantly. "You KNOW I ..."

Joseph jumped out of bed and swept her out of the bed and into his arms. Clarisse squeaked a little in surprise, then chuckled as he said, "I know EVERYTHING about you, madam! Everything!"

"Including the fact that I really need to use the ... facilities?" she whispered.

"Including that." He set her down by the bathroom door. "Your servant, madam!"

"Thank you so much, sir!"

When they came into the main living area of the cabin, Joseph and Clarisse found Robert setting the table for breakfast. He had turned on the small television in the corner and was watching a re-cap of the previous day's news items. He faltered a bit when seeing Clarisse, and his fingers clenched around the cutlery he was holding. Then he visibly relaxed. "Good morning, Clarisse. Joseph. Did you both sleep well?"

"Wonderfully, thank you, Robert," Clarisse said graciously. "May I help?"

Robert raised his eyebrows. "You can do this kind of work? I thought you just ran a country, not a kitchen!" Clarisse drew up sharply, but then Robert grinned. "Sorry. I vowed not to get off on the wrong foot this morning, and look at me! Stuffed both feet in my big mouth! You're probably a gourmet cook, too."

Clarisse was saved from having to respond to that comment when Joseph suddenly raised his hand and said, "Shh!" while looking at the television.

A picture of Genovia One filled the small screen. "New York City reporters discovered the plane almost accidentally. They converged on the gates, hoping for a picture of the former queen and her former Head of Security, now newly-acquired spouse. Seen on your screen now is the woman believed by the reporters to be Queen Clarisse of Genovia, but she seems to have been with a very attentive man NOT her husband. The two Genovians met a young child who threw herself into the queen's arms, crying, 'Nanny! I'm absolutely THRILLED you came back for Christmas!' The very dapper gentleman with the queen urged the two and the child's companion into a taxi, avoiding reporters and cameramen assiduously."

"Oh, poor Nan!" Clarisse sighed.

"Poor NAN? It was Wilkes who was trying to wave the reporters away and keeping his hand over his face so he couldn't be clearly seen! Good thing Nan had that scarf wrapped around her head ... no one could get a clear shot of her. And the way Eloise was burrowing into Nan's side makes her virtually unrecognizable, too." Joseph shook his head. "Reporters! Why not come up with some REAL news?"

"What is NOT known is whether or not the split between Queen Clarisse and Sir Joseph is formal, or merely that they were travelling separately this holiday season. Just last June, in a very surprising, very public ceremony, the two were married, as you can see in this clip from the Cathedral in Pyrus, Genovia."

"Well, what do you know? Now I can say I saw your wedding!" Robert tried to speak jocularly, but his face was grave.

"Queen Clarisse has already retrieved one grand-daughter, the present Queen Amelia, from the United States. Speculation has arisen as to the identity of this child. Yet another secret grand-daughter? Or is she perhaps ..." the reporter lowered his voice, "a GREAT-grand-daughter from an illicit union? In what amounted to virtually a high-speed chase through the city, the reporters following the royals unfortunately lost them, and nothing more has been heard. Stay tuned for more breaking news ..."

Robert went over and savagely punched the button to turn the television off. "Ignore them," he said, tersely. "Do you want to call your friends? At least, I'm ASSUMING you know those two?"

"We probably should," Clarisse agreed. "Would you mind?"

"Be my guest, your Majesty," he waved her grandly towards the phone. "I am assuming you are able to accomplish that simple task on your own."

Joseph chuckled and was about to say something when Clarisse shot him a glare that had him holding up his hands in surrender and saying nothing.

Then Robert whirled back to the kitchen. "DAMN! Burnt the toast! I stock up on lots of good food, and what do I do? KILL it!"

He continued muttering while Joseph and Clarisse went to the wall telephone and eventually managed to get Wilkes on the other end of the line.

"Wilkes?" Clarisse spoke quickly. "Have you seen the news? We just saw it now. I'm SO sorry ..."

"WE don't mind, Clarisse! Nan was tickled pink at being taken for you again! Especially when she didn't have to answer any questions about pesticides." Wilkes chuckled a little. "No, no, no, we don't mind at all. We were feeling badly for YOU!"

"You're SURE? I mean, all those reporters at the airport ..."

"I just pretended I was Joseph and ushered the ladies into the taxi and told the taxi driver to lose the others. He obviously trained as an international spy, not to mention a race car driver, because somehow he managed it. Eloise was quite excited by the whole thing, not to mention overcome by being thought of as a princess."

"I'm SO glad, Wilkes! How are you, by the way?"

"Fine! Never better!" He sounded hearty and robust. "You met up with Joseph's friend all right?"

"We did indeed," Clarisse said. "Well, I won't keep you. We just wanted to phone to apologize ..."

"Tosh, tosh, tosh, no apologies necessary, Clarisse. It's the least we can do for the hospitality you showed us this past month in Genovia! Enjoy your holiday! I'll tell Nan you called. She's down with Eloise at the moment."

"Thank you, Wilkes. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you and to Joseph, Clarisse!"

"Well?" Joseph asked when she got off the phone. "How does he sound?"

"He sounds fine ... which is how he said he felt." Clarisse frowned. "I suppose I might have been wrong about him not looking well ..."

"Or perhaps I was RIGHT and he was just tired out from pleasing Nan?" Joseph teased her.

"Joseph!"

O o O o O o

The next two days passed relatively smoothly. Robert left Clarisse and Joseph on their own for a few hours both days while he checked on business at his construction site. They explored the cabin thoroughly in his absence, even climbing up the ladder into the loft and making love on the antique feather bed they found there. They went for hikes through the bush as a threesome. Robert rounded up ice skates for all of them and they had a fun afternoon laughing at each other as they tottered around in their attempts to glide gracefully. They relaxed in front of the fireplace and talked, they sat at the table frowning over the Scrabble board for hours.

After lunch on Christmas Eve, while they were sitting by the fire arguing about whether or not to try skating again, the telephone rang. Robert groaned as he got up. "Damn, I asked them to leave me alone! Maybe I should just do the traditional queen thing and yell 'off with their heads!'"

"Traditional 'queen' thing? Not in Genovia," Clarisse frowned at him.

"No. There the queen yells 'hang them by their toes!'" grinned Joseph.

"Joseph," Clarisse said precisely. "Queens NEVER yell!"

Robert chuckled as he reached for the telephone. But in moments he was rushing around the cabin looking for his keys and barking out instructions for Joseph and Clarisse. His daughter had phoned, terrified, because her sister's water had broken and she was obviously in labour. "I'll talk to you later, when I know something!" he yelled as he went out the door.

Clarisse and Joseph remained standing until the sound of the Suburban vanished. Then Clarisse said quietly, "I do hope everything will be all right."

"Me, too," Joseph said soberly. "But she's not TOO early. I mean, she's at 34 weeks, didn't he say? That's only a month early. And it IS her second child ..."

Looking at him wonderingly, Clarisse asked, "How do you know so much about this?"

Joseph arched an eyebrow in perfect imitation of her. "I read a lot. PLUS I talked to Robert about Lori the other day, when you were napping. Now, my dear, we are on our own for an indefinite amount of time. What shall we do first?"

It was only a matter of seconds before they said in unison, "The hot tub!"

O o O o O o

"See the stars? Aren't they glorious?" Clarisse said dreamily as she lay back in Joseph's arms after their third and most 'active' session in the hot tub that Christmas Eve. "That big one over there ... that could be the Christmas Star ..."

"I'm too exhausted to open my eyes ..." Joseph's voice was husky and teasing in her ear. "Old men aren't supposed to stay very long in the hot tub, you know ... It can be much too ... relaxing."

Clarisse laughed softly. "I didn't notice much of a problem earlier."

"It is now," Joseph almost moaned. "The only reason I managed at all was because we got out for supper, then again to let me beat you in a Scrabble game."

"I graciously allowed you to win. After all, it IS Christmas Eve," Clarisse murmured, running her hands lightly over the strong arms holding her close and watching how the hairs rippled in the water.

At that moment, they heard the phone ring. Both groaned. They were feeling much too sated from their recent activities to move. "It's probably Robert," Joseph said.

"Yes. I wonder how Lori is?" Clarisse responded, still stroking Joseph's arms.

"I should get out and answer it."

"Yes, you probably should. What time is it?"

"Should I know that?" Joseph whispered in her ear, mimicking Robert's tones. Robert had said that a number of times over the course of the last two days.

"Well, if it was Robert, he's given up," Clarisse pointed out when the phone cut off mid-ring.

"Wonder if he'll try again?"

"He might have even tried earlier, when we were ... otherwise occupied."

"Hmm ... and it was glorious ..." Joseph's lips nuzzled her ear and neck.

Clarisse arched into his touch with a faint moan. "No more, Joseph ... not tonight ... you'll kill me ..."

"Much as I'd love to prove you wrong, I can't. I'm just not up to it. Sorry, my dear."

"Maybe we should get out. In case the phone rings again ..."

At that moment, the phone DID start ringing again. Joseph heaved a sigh, then slid Clarisse off him and stood up. "I'll get it."

Grabbing one of the towels they had brought outside with them, he went into the cabin and picked up the telephone, dropping the towel onto the hardwood floor and dripping onto it as he stood there. "Hello?"

When Clarisse heard him say, "How is she, Robert?" she dragged herself out of the hot tub as well, took the other towel and stood beside Joseph with her own towel under her bare feet to catch the drips. He moved the phone slightly so she could hear Robert's excited voice.

"It's a girl! A grand-daughter. She's beautiful, Catherine says!"

"CATHERINE?" Joseph asked, surprised.

Clarisse frowned at him, questioningly. Catherine? Who was Catherine?

"Yes, when I heard the baby was having trouble, I asked them to call Catherine. She's a pediatric cardiologist. She came." Robert's voice was thankful.

"So you've seen her again!" Joseph began to grin broadly.

"Yeah, I've seen her."

Clarisse tugged a bit on Joseph's arm. 'Catherine?' she mouthed.

Joseph shook his head. "So the baby's fine?"

"Yes. Catherine said she's keeping them both in the hospital for a day or two, just in case, but she says they're fine."

"So ... are you going to see Catherine again?"

"I couldn't get her to listen to me ... and it wasn't really the time. But Jaclyn and I decided we'd take Christmas to Lori tomorrow morning early – we'll just take in a little tree and the presents ... and Jeff and Michael ..."

"Jeff?"

"Oh yeah ... he came to the hospital ... got into the delivery room ... and he and Lori have patched up their differences. Anyway, as I said, we'll go in early tomorrow ... then I plan to look for Catherine. I'm going to take your advice, Joe."

Again Clarisse tugged on Joseph's arm, mouthing, 'Catherine? Advice?'

Again he ignored her. "You won't regret it, Robert. Whatever happens, you won't regret it."

"I don't know when I'll get back out to the cabin, Joe ..."

"We'll be fine here. Don't worry about it. Just look after your family ... and yourself ... and do what you have to do with Catherine ... and we'll be waiting to hear the end result! Merry Christmas, Robert! A brand new year is starting for you. Make it count!"

"I will. Merry Christmas, Joe. I'm really, REALLY glad you and Clarisse came! Give her my love, too, will you? And ... and ask her forgiveness for the way I've treated her? I think you'll both understand why when you meet Catherine. Oops, gotta go, someone's waiting for the phone. Bye!" and Robert was gone.

Now exasperated and beginning to shiver being in the somewhat chilly cabin still drip-drying, Clarisse waited only until Joseph hung up the telephone before saying, "WHO is Catherine?"

Joseph eyed the goosebumps all over his wife's skin and grinned. "A pediatric cardiologist who, it seems, saved Robert's grand-daughter's life tonight."

"JOSEPH!"

Joseph wiped his feet on the towel, then walked over to the fireplace, opening the doors where the dry wood was stored. "Let's light a fire in here tonight, shall we, Clarisse?" Clarisse crossed her arms and glared at him from where she stood. Still grinning, he set up the fire, then lit it. Then he stood up himself and faced her, his hands on his hips. "Like what you see?" He posed first one way, then the other.

As the flames gathered strength, the golden light flickered over the contours of his body. Clarisse felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him, and felt the wetness between her thighs. "Oh, Joseph ..." She licked her lips. "We should be completely worn out after our antics in the hot tub!"

"But the news of the birth ... that's always energizing ..." he grinned. "Come on over here," he added, coaxingly, "and I promise I'll tell you about Catherine while we ... occupy ourselves now that we have an undetermined amount of time alone here ..."

Thinking longingly of the soft bed in the other room, Clarisse took a reluctant step forward. She saw Joseph grin and point to his groin, and seeing the obvious renewed arousal there made her laugh. "Oh, Joseph ... you are insatiable!"

"Come here, my dear," he urged.

She hesitated, although everything inside urged her to go to him. But she just KNEW she would learn nothing about Catherine for a long time if she gave in to him. "Tell me about Catherine first."

Joseph sighed and dropped his hands. "Very well. She and Robert met in November by chance – she offered him a lift home and they got stuck in a blizzard. They managed to find their way to this cabin, and spent the night here. A very CHASTE night, I might add and as Robert was quick to inform me. They haven't seen each other since ... until tonight, it appears. He was interested, but married at the time. Now he isn't, and the interest has grown in the last month. He hopes to find Catherine to ask if the interest is mutual. Satisfied? Come over here now, Clarisse? It's nice and warm by the fire ..." he said persuasively.

Clarisse smiled. "We can and DO make our own heat, Joseph. And no, I'm not really satisfied."

"So, what WILL satisfy you, your Majesty?"

Her smile grew. "I find I am ... uncomfortable, I suppose you could say. I have an ... itch isn't quite the right word, but will have to do. I need someone to see to my every need, my every whim ... someone to love me so thoroughly that I forget my surroundings entirely, so thoroughly that I am oblivious to everyone and everything except him and the love we share. Do you have any idea where I might find such a paragon? Someone to ... keep me safe and well-loved?" She had been moving closer to him slowly, taking one step for every few words.

When she was within arms' reach, she flung herself into his arms, clasped her hands behind his neck and kissed him passionately. He pulled her closer and held her tightly. At last she lay boneless and spent in his arms, dimly aware that he, too, had reached glorious fulfillment before, together, they sank blindly and sweetly into oblivion, melting into peace in one another's arms.

Only once did Clarisse stir, and that was at dawn when Joseph moved away to put more wood on the fire before coming back and gathering her close again. They shared a gentle kiss, a whispered "Merry Christmas, my love", and collapsed in a tangle of bare limbs once more.

The sound of knocking and voices awoke them, then heavy footsteps went across the back deck before a tinkling of glass heralded the presence of someone in the cabin who went straight past the living room to the front door and opened it.

A naked Clarisse and Joseph, with no way to escape unseen, clung to each other on the far side of the couch, trying not to move and so remain undetected as a woman, her voice sounding very much like Clarisse's, said, "Where are Charlie and Robin?"

Robert's voice said briskly, "Howard and Millie moved to Florida. The place was for sale."

"THIS is your vacation home? You BOUGHT it?" Her voice was incredulous.

"Yes. Just for an emergency. In case I ever got stranded again." Robert's voice was curiously soft.

Clarisse and Joseph, feeling the cold sweeping along the floor from the open door, heard muffled sounds, then a coat and scarf were tossed onto a chair.

"Do you believe in second chances?" Robert asked.

The woman, who could only have been Catherine, replied, her smile coming through her words. "I'm a woman of science. I only believe in what I see."

The door shut, and underneath the couch, Clarisse and Joseph could see two pairs of feet come together as Robert and Catherine went into each other's arms.

"Merry Christmas, Millie," Robert said, huskily.

"Merry Christmas, Howard," was Catherine's soft reply.

Then there was silence, broken only by occasional soft moans and faint groans. Clarisse and Joseph both swallowed hard. Oh, dear. WHAT a predicament!

O o O o O o To Be Continued