Clarisse gradually came awake, aware that her entire body was aching and that every movement required a supreme effort. She could only assume it was from the Viscount's assault the previous afternoon. That man was an absolute SNAKE! Stifling a groan, she managed to get herself off the bed, and speak pleasantly to her ladies' maids.
"Your Majesty? Your voice sounds ... different. Are you all right?" Olivia asked diffidently.
"I'm fine. Just ... getting old."
"Hope I look that terrific when I'M that old ..." Priscilla mumbled.
"My throat is a little sore," Olivia said slowly. "Is yours all right, your Majesty?"
"Just a little dry. I'll be fine once I have my tea," Clarisse assured her. Then she frowned. "Perhaps you should have the doctor look at you, Olivia. In case you are coming down with that ..."
Priscilla grinned. "Kissing disease! So, Olivia, who've YOU been kissing lately?" she teased. "Shades was complaining of a sore throat before he really crashed ... but I thought Charlotte had him hooked!"
Olivia swatted the taller girl. "Don't be ridiculous! It's nothing."
Clarisse had hoped that by the time she got to the breakfast room, her aches and pains would have disappeared, but it was not to be. Still, they were not enough to slow her down. "Good morning, Charlotte!" she greeted her aide cheerfully. "How are you today?"
"I'm ... all right, your Majesty," Charlotte said, slowly, not smiling.
Her smile fading, Clarisse asked, "What is it?"
Without answering, Charlotte rather reluctantly handed Clarisse the Genovian Times, open to the Royal Watch page. Clarisse looked at the headline, True Love's Kiss: Kill or Cure?, and rolled her eyes. She glanced at the pictures, lightly teasing Charlotte about the one of Shades and the aide and scoffing at the ones of herself. Then she read the text, and frowned. "They are blaming the PALACE for this disease? Oh, tosh! That's ridiculous! And blaming ME for spreading it? Of course, I AM kissing or being kissed by quite a few people according to these pictures! CHARLOTTE! This isn't ME kissing that man!" and she pointed indignantly to the picture in the bottom left corner.
Charlotte bent over to study the paper again, then looked back at Clarisse apologetically. "It LOOKS like you. And the earrings that woman is wearing look like ones you have."
"Who is the disgruntled employee the paper mentions?" Clarisse changed the subject, too weary all of a sudden to argue further.
"I believe it must be Mary ... she was a nanny here for the employee daycare. Actually, it was almost confusing for a while, because we had a Mary AND a Maria! I understand that Mary was doing some rather ... unorthodox things with the children and some of the parents protested, so Nanny had to let her go."
"Nanny would know. She has been in charge here for a long time." Clarisse smiled as she remembered the woman who had been nanny to her sons when they were small.
"Ummm, your Majesty, would it be possible for me to take a couple of hours off this morning? I have an appointment downtown at 11:00," Charlotte asked.
"Of course, Charlotte! Anytime ... you know that!"
"Thank you. Eggs with Elsie is on right now ... perhaps we should watch it?" Charlotte suggested.
"Do I want to know what Mary is going to say?" Clarisse asked dryly.
Charlotte hesitated, then said, "Knowing Elsie as I do from when we were young, I'd say she can be fairly dangerous with a little bit of knowledge, and probably it is best to hear what she is saying first hand in order to refute it quickly if need be."
"Oh, very well," Clarisse sighed, and Charlotte turned on the television.
"This is Elsie Kentworthy, bringing you the latest on the palace scandal! As you all know, I'm sure, the rumours are that the QUEEN has been behaving in a rather promiscuous manner for the last few months, and, it seems, has been infecting many people, men AND women. Here with me today is Mary P., a former nanny with the Palace Employee Daycare Centre. Tell me, Mary, is Queen Clarisse REALLY promiscuous? I must say, although I have hear many things, I have never heard THAT before about the queen!"
"Shall I turn it off, your Majesty?" Charlotte asked hurriedly, seeing Clarisse's tense posture as she gripped her teacup, staring at the television.
"No, I must hear what is being said," Clarisse managed to say calmly.
Mary was saying, "First of all, I would like to make one thing perfectly clear. All the maids in the palace, and I'm sure you're aware of how many there are and how knowledgeable they are, know that the queen is very attracted to a certain person in the security team. However, this summer, some notes between a certain ... nobleman ... and the queen were intercepted."
"The queen? And a nobleman? REALLY?" Elsie's eyebrows were raised. "How does anyone know the queen supposedly wrote them? I understood the notes from the woman were all unsigned."
"What utter nonsense! Why do you always complicate things that are really quite simple? Of course they were signed!" Mary P. folded her arms mutinously.
"Perhaps you could explain to us ..."
"Excuse me," Mary said haughtily, "but I never explain anything."
Elsie looked startled for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "I spoke to a woman known simply as Nanny to all and sundry, and she told me, as the head of the daycare where you used to work, that she had sacked you because of your tendency to instill wild thoughts into children's heads, not to mention all the stories you were spreading about Queen Clarisse amongst the maids ..."
"Sacked me?" Mary was aghast. "I am NEVER sacked! That's going a bit too far, don't you think? As a matter of fact, I am practically perfect in every way!
"Nanny's exact words were, 'Oh, my stars, stars, stars! Sometimes, no matter how much we WANT to help, it's just not possible. Mary P. knows it's just not done! We have to be protective of the queen, not obstructive, because her heart is broken, and it's a terrible thing to have your heart broken. Queen Clarisse is above our station! She deserves much more than this, much, much, much! That is why I finally had to let Mary go, for sure, sure, sure.' So it DOES sound as if you were fired!" Elsie insisted.
"Turn it off, please, Charlotte," Clarisse said tightly, holding herself rigid. She adored Nanny, but how COULD she have blurted out that nonsense about a broken heart? Clarisse's head began to pound excruciatingly.
Charlotte turned off the television with a sympathetic look. "I must go and get ready for my appointment. Joseph said he would be in soon, as he needs to speak with you urgently."
"Thank you," Clarisse said faintly.
When Charlotte had gone, Clarisse sat staring into her teacup. She wasn't sure she could face Joseph after last night. When he had returned from escorting the Viscount outside, Clarisse had been visibly shaking. He had instantly drawn her close and demanded an explanation. Clarisse had partially admitted to him what the Viscount had said and done ... that is, she had told Joseph everything except her instinctive reaction to the vile man's touch. "That ... that SNAKE had even had ONIONS and GARLIC for lunch!" she had shuddered.
She was convinced now that the illness causing her weakness had also been responsible for her nestling into Joseph's arms, welcoming the warmth surrounding her comfortingly as she had struggled to recover emotionally. Joseph had, of course, promptly offered to arrest the Viscount for daring to lay a hand on the Queen, but Clarisse had tremblingly said she couldn't bear for any of this to be made public. She was sure he wouldn't do it again ... and she had raised tear-filled eyes to Joseph's to beg him to forget it as she would try to do.
Then Joseph had kissed her. His touch had immediately erased the horrible recollection of the Viscount's assault, and had given her new and far sweeter memories. His seductive touch had stirred something primitive and wild deep inside her, making her moan for the sheer wonder of it. The soft sound had been lost in the growl that had rippled from his body into hers as he had deepened the kiss. Hot, needful things she had never felt before had shattered, splintered and grown quickly with the rhythm he had set. She had felt she had to get even closer or die of the ache building in her body. She had never heard Charlotte's approach, and marvelled now that Joseph had ... so that by the time Charlotte had discreetly knocked on the office door and entered, Clarisse had been seated at her desk and Joseph had been standing at the window, turned so that Charlotte could not see how fully aroused he was.
Shame now heated Clarisse's skin and she was very glad she was alone. Joseph's kisses had turned her from her usual calm and controlled self into someone she did not recognize ... she had been a wild and hungry wanton last night. Just thinking about the feel of his mouth melding with hers, his hands stroking and caressing as hers did the same, made her pulse soar once more and her flesh tingle deliciously. She had never dreamt that a man's touch could turn her inside out. She had truly thought she MIGHT be frigid, firmly convinced that she was incapable of stronger feelings than simple compatibility and fondness! She had LIKED Rupert ... had been very, very fond of him ... but there had not been any great passion on either side, and certainly Rupert had never made her feel the way Joseph could by just one look let alone by a touch.
O o O o O o
When Joseph finally came in to Clarisse's office, it was clear that he had put last night's kiss behind him. He had very serious matters to discuss with regards to security measures in the palace. "Your Majesty," he began speaking rapidly with no further preamble. "Shades is quite ill. I took the liberty of having Dr. Howard called in. She examined him and some of the children in the daycare here ... and now wishes to speak with you."
"Of course ..." Clarisse forced herself to ignore her aches and pains and stood up, a worried frown forming, and her headache forgotten.
Joseph opened the door and ushered in a woman who looked to be Clarisse's age. "Your Majesty, Dr. Howard."
"Dr. Howard, thank you for ... oh!" Clarisse began, then broke off when she recognized the woman from the picture in the paper. "It's YOU. The one in the picture who was kissing ..."
"Yes, it is, but your Majesty, what I have to say is far more important than silly pictures in the paper." Dr. Howard smiled, then grew serious. "I'm afraid to say that we have an epidemic on our hands. Your security guard is very ill with mono, which has been worsened because of his refusal to acknowledge that he was not feeling well. A number of the children in the daycare are already at home and very ill, and of the ones I examined today, almost all of them are showing early signs of mono. I've taken the liberty of closing the daycare down until further notice, and now am asking your permission to quarantine the palace. Everyone except those who actually LIVE here must be evacuated at once."
"But ..." Clarisse was bewildered. Her headache returned with a vengeance.
"Your Majesty, Dr. Howard is right. Shades cannot lift his head off his pillow. He can't go home. I am staying, and I'm sure Charlotte will stay. When will Charlotte return?" Joseph asked.
"I ... I don't know ... She was going ... to meet someone in a coffee shop downtown. I ... I believe she was hoping for more information about her ... parents ..." Clarisse put her hands to her temples and pressed hard, hoping to calm the thundering pain.
"Your Majesty, you are ill too!" Dr. Howard exclaimed.
"No ... no, I can't be. I must be ... strong ..." Clarisse's voice was faint and she swayed.
Joseph caught her and steadied her. "Damn it, Clarisse!"
"Your Majesty," Dr. Howard said gently, "I had hoped that you could have gone elsewhere to escape the epidemic, but it looks as if you are more ill than many others I've seen. You MUST go to bed. I will be back in an hour to examine you thoroughly."
"I simply CANNOT be ill ..."
Joseph ignored Clarisse's protests, and firmly sat her in her chair. Clarisse decided it was too much trouble to fight him any further. If truth be told, she was exhausted, and her day was only one third over!
Then Charlotte burst into the office, breathlessly apologizing for her rudeness, but saying it was urgent. "Your Majesty ... I'm sorry ... I was waylaid by Elsie Kentworthy while waiting for ... for the person I was to meet to arrive. She immediately tried to question me with regard to all the rumours. She said that her sources had confirmed that the mono first surfaced here in the palace ... with SHADES! But he hasn't even been to the doctor yet, so how would she know ...?"
"Charlotte, this really isn't the time," Joseph said heavily. "Queen Clarisse is sick, too. This is Dr. Howard. She has just seen Shades and confirmed that he has mono ... and that most of the daycare seems to be infected as well. She's putting the palace in quarantine. If you want to hurry home ..."
"I've no one there. You know that. I'll stay to help the queen ... I'm still feeling fine! Does ... Is Shades in any danger?" she appealed to the doctor.
"Shades? Oh, the security guard? I'm afraid he really is very ill," Dr. Howard said, compassionately. "Joseph has been in touch with a young man who, I believe, worked here this summer?"
"Gérald," Joseph explained to Charlotte. "The security intern. He's coming in this afternoon to stay ... to help me. Charlotte, you don't LOOK fine. Queen Clarisse was just saying SHE was fine, too."
"Where is Shades?" Charlotte ignored Joseph and looked at the doctor.
"In Joseph's room, I believe," Dr. Howard said.
"Excuse me, your Majesty, I'll be right back. I MUST see Shades."
"Of course, Charlotte," Clarisse said. "Go. I'm fine. I keep telling Joseph that ..."
Joseph rolled his eyes and the doctor shook her head. Then she said quietly, "Your Majesty, I understand your ladies' maids are both sick."
"Both? Oh dear!" Clarisse was stricken for a moment.
"You really MUST get to bed. I'll help you, if Joseph will carry you to your room," and Dr. Howard looked to Joseph who nodded silently.
"I can walk!" Clarisse stood abruptly, then collapsed back on the chair, her face red.
Joseph swept her up, despite her faint protests that she was much too heavy to carry. "Be quiet and let me show off," he grinned. "You need picking up, in this case."
O o O o O o
For the next few days, Clarisse fretted about who would be taking care of things. She got much worse when told the third day that Charlotte had succumbed and was now in bed herself.
"I must get up!" she protested, but every movement made her cry out with pain and lapse back into a semi-coma.
Joseph was looking gray and drawn, and once when she was a little more alert, she managed to take hold of his hand as he was putting cold clothes on her forehead to try to cool her down.
"Joseph," her voice was hoarse and very soft. "What if the von Trokens attempt a coup? Genovia is too vulnerable ..."
"They won't ... they're both sick."
"The ... Viscount Mabrey?" she forced herself to ask.
"Surprisingly enough, he, too, is sick!" Joseph mumbled.
Gérald, who was holding the bowl of cold water for Joseph, grimaced and said, "Frankly, I can't imagine ANY woman getting close enough to kiss him! Not willingly, anyway!"
Clarisse felt herself grow warm again and said nothing, closing her eyes so as not to see Joseph's faint frown. Then she roused herself and, grimacing at the pain induced by her actions, put her hand over Joseph's and squeezed gently. "Thank you, Joseph ... for everything ..."
Tenderly he lifted her hand to his lips. "I'm at your service, your Majesty."
For a moment their eyes locked. Then Gérald cleared his throat and said, "I'll just take this to the kitchen and get some fresh water. Joseph, you don't look too good. Maybe you should lie down." Without waiting for a response, he hurried out the door of the suite.
"Joseph? Are you sick?" Clarisse's gaze searched his features carefully before her eyes began to drift shut again.
"I made a vow to care for you and protect you, Clarisse, and I intend to do that ..." Joseph said. He bent over and lightly touched her lips with his, knowing that too much pressure would cause more pain than she could bear at the moment.
"Oh, Joseph ..." Clarisse tried to open her eyes, but it was simply too much effort. She only vaguely felt the bed move beneath her, as if someone had lain down beside her, then she drifted off into a world of half-dreams and foggy pictures.
Joseph had collapsed finally, unable to force himself to continue another moment despite all his vows. All unknowing, he lay beside his beloved Clarisse.
O o O o O o to be continued
