Clarisse jumped slightly as her husband's arms embraced her from behind. She stood on her balcony looking out into the garden. It was early fall and there wasn't much color to it. This time of year always depressed her – it was too early for the leaves to change, and it was much too late for summer flowers. Everything seemed to be rather dull, including her garden. As her husband kissed the back of her neck she made one concession – not everything was dull. Her husband was definitely full of life; point in fact by the question he asked her. "I have a surprise for you, are you free?"

She turned in his arms and looked up at him mischievously, "what did you have in mind?"

"A picnic." That simple answer delighted her to no end. She had come out on her balcony to get away from work. It had helped some, but she still had the urge to be rid of the palace for a little while. She hadn't been able to shake a restless feeling all week. Joseph saw his wife's eyes light up at his suggestion. "I have a change of clothes laid out for you on the bed, if you're interested." He was rewarded with a quick peck on the lips and a promise that she would be back in a few minutes.

Twenty-five minutes later they were nestled beneath a large oak tree on a blanket, Joseph with his back to the tree and Clarisse in Joseph's lap. She was amazed at Joseph's picnic. He had obviously planned in advance. They had arrived to a chilled bottle of wine and an assortment of fruits, cheeses, and finger sandwiches. Clarisse was attempting to open the bottle of wine, while Joseph was attempting to discretely open his wife's summer dress while kissing her neck. His actions were making hers decidedly more difficult. When he reached the third button, she finally relented and gently pulled his hands from their task to the bottle of wine saying, "Open this instead."

As Joseph made steady work on the wine bottle, Clarisse leaned back against him. He certainly had been in an affectionate mood this week. This morning made the eighth time they had made love since the weekend, and it was only Wednesday! She wondered why this week he had been overly attentive to anything she desired. Even in their first few years of marriage Rupert had never thought to wake her up in the middle of the night just to know what kind of perfume she was wearing. Then suddenly she realized Joseph's motives – tomorrow would have been her wedding anniversary to Rupert. She didn't know how it had slipped her mind. In the six years since his death, she had always remembered their anniversary and mourned his loss again. As Joseph handed her a glass, she moved to sit next to him.

Joseph noticed a slight change in his wife and looked at her. He could see the sorrow in her eyes and knew immediately that she had guessed the reason for his affections. Sometimes he wondered how they could know each other so well and carry on a conversation by only looking at each other. He gave his wife a sad smile, to which she raised her glass in a silent salute to her deceased husband and took a sip. She rested her head on Joseph's shoulder. He kissed her forehead and then proceeded to fill a plate for her.

They ate in silence for a while, and Clarisse felt a bit guilty. She was supposed to be enjoying a delightful afternoon with her husband and all she could do was think about Rupert. It was Joseph who finally broke the silence. "He will always be a part of you Clarisse." She looked into his eyes, as if asking him to continue. "He's the father of your children, your husband of over forty years, your king, and your friend. It's natural to miss him."

He almost didn't hear her whisper, "but I feel as if I'm being unfaithful to you." He put his food down and wrapped his wife in his arms. "My darling – I saw how you nurtured him the last years of his life. I was there for you to cry on when you realized he was dieing, I was there when you decided that Genovia would never see the king sick, I was there when you needed a shoulder to cry on, and my dear those are some of the qualities that made me fall in love with you. You're so caring and loving, and you put everybody else's needs in front of your own. It's what made you a wonderful queen, wife, and mother. I'm just blessed that you've decided to share the rest of your life with me."

Joseph knew his wife was crying and assumed it was because she was reliving the emotions of Rupert's death. What he wasn't prepared for was the gentle kiss to his neck followed by a gentile kiss to his jaw, then his cheek, then a rather passionate one to his mouth. Her tongue gently brushed against his lips begging for admittance into his mouth, as she shifted in his arms so that she was now facing him slightly. He opened his mouth to her and gently pulled her against him.

Clarisse had been so moved by Joseph's understanding of her feelings. She knew that she was truly blessed to have this man as her husband. It was his confession of falling in love with her in her time of need that had touched her heart. As he had fallen in love with her during those times, it had been those tender moments that made her realize how truly special Joseph was. She had not realized at the time what her feelings were towards him, but she had known that she had found a very special friend.

As his kisses became more insistent, she pulled him to her as she lay back on the blanket. Her fingers began working on his shirt and he wanted to make light work of her dress, but knew that they were not in the most private of areas. As she began kissing his chest, he found it hard to speak. "My darling, we're not in the most discreet of locations." She gently nipped him then rolled them over so that she was in the dominant position.

She surprised herself with the response of "It doesn't matter." She began unbuttoning her dress, but the tiny buttons were taking too long. Instead, she reached down, grabbed the hem of her dress, and flung it off, not caring where it landed. She then proceeded to make light work of her undergarments, and then of Joseph's clothes. As she lay back on the blanket with Joseph looking down on her, a phrase kept running through her mind. Yes, this was definitely making love. Her husband had given her the most earnest of confessions and she had wanted to express her gratitude and love for him. As he slowly sank into her, she knew that her former wedding anniversary would no longer be a source of sorrow, but rather a source of strength and love.

A while later, they were again nestled beneath a large oak tree on a blanket, Joseph with his back to the tree and Clarisse in Joseph's lap. Clarisse was attempting to open the container of fruit, while Joseph was attempting to button his wife's summer dress while kissing her neck. A small chuckle arose from her. "Can you believe we just did that out here?" Joseph also chuckled. She continued, "can you imagine if Charlotte had needed me for something, only to come out here and find us in the throes of passion?" She continued to laugh, but noticed that her husband didn't share her merriment.

"It wouldn't be the first time" was his quiet reply.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yes, I am stopping here. Work will be insanely busy this week, so you'll just have to wait for the weekend. I wanted to give something a little tender, and something a little naughty. And then to be cruel…I'm not telling you Clarisse's reaction until next time.