Thanks to CJmynixMG, JoolsIsGreat, Prettycrazy, Nikki, I luv Julie Andrews, DameJules, mainer2121, and nofearonlylove for your wonderful reviews! They are so encouraging and really help me to keep on writing and not get distracted! This is a pretty long chapter and one of many that will be quite revealing. So enjoy and please let me know what you think. If you care to leave a message on the forum, just click on my name and then on to forums. Thanks, Gina
Chapter Seven
"Charlotte, can he do that?" The young queen asked her aide, clearly irritated that the King, grandfather or not, had gone behind her back and changed her plans.
"Honestly Mia, I'm not sure about anything. I don't think Genovia has ever been faced with a situation such as this before. I guess in the end it will be left up to Parliament to make the final decision as to who will be on the throne and rule because technically he never stopped being the King." Charlotte noticed the panic slowly rising up the young woman's face as she spoke, but figured it was best she be prepared for the worst.
"I just can't believe this!" Mia threw her hands in the air and flopped down on the couch unceremoniously. "How could this have happened? First I almost lost my crown to Nicholas…thank God he is the kind of man he is, but now, I might loose it to my own grandfather…I have no idea what kind of man he really is." She spoke quietly to herself.
"I'm so sorry, Mia!" I just figured you needed to hear the truth, no matter how hard it might be." Charlotte apologized.
"You're right, I did, but now I have to figure out where to go from here. I'll be so glad to talk to Grandma when she gets back." Mia sighed loudly.
"Speaking of which…." Charlotte started and walked towards the door. "I'll go get that something that I spoke of earlier for you. Do you want to wait in here in case Her Majesty returns?"
"Yeah, I do. I want to check on Nicholas too, but I want to speak with Grandma first, I think!" Mia replied. "Charlotte, what is it that you are getting exactly?"
Turning back around to face the young queen, she tried to explain. "Well it's a journal that was kept by your grandmother's ladies maid, she was with Her Majesty before she moved into the palace and was sent for later on when she became pregnant with Price Pierre. It tells all about the Queen and her life when she was young and her marriage to the King. I thought it might be of help to you now." She finished.
"But Charlotte?" Mia looked up as a smile tugged at her lips. "How did you come to have this journal and how do you know what's in it?"
Charlotte's face immediately fell and reddened considerably. "Uh…the reason is because when Marie passed away, she left the journal to me knowing how much I cared about Her Majesty and made me promise that I would always look after her. She thought I should know the whole story and what a truly wonderful person our Queen really is." The aide blushed.
"It's because of what you know that you aren't telling me, isn't it?" Mia questioned with considerable thought.
"Yes!" Charlotte sighed. "I overheard a conversation that I should not have been privy too, but in a way, I'm glad I did, otherwise I may have never really known Her Majesty as a friend. Anyway, after that, I went to Marie, truly upset over what I had heard. We became very close after that, the Queen, Marie, and myself and I truly began to understand what your grandmother had to give up for her country. She is the strongest woman I have ever known!" She stated emphatically.
"No wonder I have always liked you so much! Thanks Charlotte. Grandma and I are so lucky to have you. I'm glad to know you will always be here for us and I'm glad Grandma had you even back then!" Declared Mia.
At this, the aide had to wipe away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "As am I, Your Majesty!" She replied. "Now I will go get that journal and check on Lord Devereux for you. I shall leave it for you in your top desk drawer."
"Thanks Charlotte so much…. Oh….and Charlotte?" Mia called out as her aide halted once more. "It's good to know that I am not the only snoop around here." She winked, causing Charlotte to drop her jaw.
In the throne room………
She couldn't speak, no words would come from her lips as she made her way to stand beside him. What is wrong with me, she thought to herself and took a deep breath?
He softly traced the outline of her face in the picture with the tip of his finger before turning his eyes upon her and smiled. "Clarisse, you still manage to take my breath away." He gasped. "Even after all of these years."
"Rupert don't, please." She finally found her voice. She had become very uncomfortable with the way he was staring into her eyes.
"Clarisse, you must know, your beautiful face is the only thing that has kept me going all of these years, hoping that one day we would be together again. I've never stopped loving you, never!" He breathed, reaching down to softly touch her face, but she instantly jerked away from his touch.
For a moment, she saw anger and jealousy flash across his face before he was able to cover it. "Rupert we don't have much time before Parliament is in session. Would you care to explain where you've been and why you are here now?" She spoke very business like.
"Before I explain anything, you should know we have plenty of time, I took the liberty of postponing the meeting with Parliament for a few hours to give us a chance to talk first." He said matter of factly. "We have much to talk about, would you not agree?" He circled around her with his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he spoke.
How was it that he was still able to do that? Able to make her feel like a child who didn't quite know her place. "Yes Rupert, of course I would agree." She responded quietly as he stood facing her again. He had always had a way of trying to control her emotions and make her feel as if because she was a woman she was unable to think for herself. She hated that so much. There had been times in the past when he was happy with her and he would encourage her and let her have a say in important things, but for the most part, he had only expected her to be beautiful and charming and not worry herself with political things. Those same devastating feelings came over her, causing her to be unsure of herself somewhat.
Suddenly, she felt it. She knew Joseph was watching her on the security camera. She felt him as if he had touched her, sending her his strength and courage. A surge of warmth went through her body and she felt awash with his love and presence as if he were right there beside her. She turned briefly towards the camera and smiled slightly, letting him know she had felt it.
"My Dear?" Rupert interrupted her thoughts. "Are you still feeling unwell? You are looking quite flushed at the moment. Perhaps we should take a seat to discuss matters." He indicated towards the steps below the throne as he placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her over.
"I am very well, I assure you Rupert." She responded, stepping away from his touch and walking towards the steps to sit down. "I admit I was a bit shocked by your sudden appearance earlier, after all I, along with the rest of Genovia had believed you to be dead all of this time, but I can assure you, I have fully recovered and have actually never been better." She gazed back at him, defiance clearly written in her eyes.
"Well, my dear, I am pleased that my return has not caused you any lasting distress and that you are better than ever. That is good news." He retorted, sitting far closer to her on the steps than he should have.
Clarisse moved away slightly so that they were no longer touching. "Rupert, enough talk about my health, could we please just get on with it?" She was getting irritated again and he knew it, he always knew how to press her buttons.
"Of course, my dear, I do apologize." His expression impassive. "To begin with I'll start with where I have been the past 6 years. When Genovia One crashed into those mountains, it was done so deliberately. You know that the Viscount Mabry, myself, Gaylord and three of his men were on board along with both of the pilots?"
She silently nodded her head in response and drew a deep breath, so he continued.
"Apparently, even though the three security agents had top clearance, they worked for Mabry. They knew exactly what they were doing and when to do it. At first I had no idea where we were being taken or who was really behind it. I believed Mabry to be a victim just like myself. It wasn't until about 6 months after the kidnapping when Philippe showed up that I learned the truth." He added that last part quietly and looked into her eyes.
"Wait a minute. What? When Philippe showed up? Philippe was there?" The questions rolling off her tongue so fast she could scarcely breathe.
"Yes Clarisse." He responded taking her hand in his. She was too stunned to pull away, not even noticing that he now held her hand firmly in his. "He was duped into thinking that he could help me. Mabry wanted him to renounce his role as the crown prince, to make it official before the public, so the Von Trokens, whom he is in cahoots with could claim the throne."
"I don't understand, Rupert. What are you telling me?" There were tears already pricking her eyes as her chest tightened, dreading what he would say next.
"They soon discovered that Philippe had a daughter. They didn't know where she was but that there was another heir to the Genovian throne." A tear escaped her eyes and before she realized what was happening he gently wiped it away with his thumb.
"How did they find out about Mia?" She questioned, her breaths coming harder and faster.
"They found out because when they searched Philippe's car they found a journal and a letter which slipped out, there was no mistaking that it was written by him to his child." He was finding it even more difficult to tell her this than he had imagined, pain etched in his every word.
"Oh God!" Clarisse uttered as a sob escaped her throat "And then?" She choked out, looking him directly in the eye.
Rupert gasped at the terror he saw reflected in her eyes, almost taking his breath away. He held her trembling hand tighter and softly rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, still she did not pull away. "And then they killed him." His own eyes clouded over with sorrow and anger for what had happened to his son. "Philippe and I had managed to get away, we were tearing down the road in his car. Gaylord had helped to create a diversion thus aiding in our escape, I had really thought it would work. Philippe insisted on driving, saying he could manage the car better than I. We were immediately followed, it started raining and we were going very fast around a curve, they were right on our tail. We hit a huge puddle of water and skidded out of control, going through the guard rail and down the embankment. The car rolled twice, causing Philippe to injure his back and head, I believe his back was broken along with my arm and leg." He gestured with his other hand to her, his eyes full of tears now as well.
She sat watching him, unable to move or speak, so he continued to tell her what happened.
"I crawled over to him, he was bleeding everywhere. He couldn't move and he said he couldn't feel his legs. I pulled his head into my lap and just held him there stroking his hair like you used to do when he was little. He asked me to tell you that he loved you and that no son could have ever had a greater or more loving mother than you." He smiled through his tears at Clarisse.
She tried to smile back but she felt so numb inside and lost.
"Then he told me he had been able to grab the journal for Amelia along with the letter. He asked me to make sure she got it so she would know how much her father loved her and to make certain that no matter what, she would be safe. He made me promise, and then as soon as I did, he closed his eyes and just simply stopped breathing."
A heart wrenching sob tore from her throat as Rupert pulled her into his arms, both parents weeping for the loss of their son.
Suddenly Clarisse felt as though she couldn't breathe, the air closing in around her, painfully so. She had to get out of this room, away from Rupert, she wanted to run, to scream, she just had to get out! With a force that shocked Rupert to his core, she pulled away and out of his arms, running to the doors and throwing them open, bypassing the guards as they immediately reacted alarmed but stopped as the King commanded them to let her go, she tore through the palace and out the terrace doors to her garden and kept on running until she collapsed to her knees from pure exhaustion. She leaned over, clutching her stomach as her sobs came harder and harder.
Finally as her sobs seemed to lesson somewhat and her stomach lurched violently, she cried out brokenly. "Joseph, where are you? I need you, I need you!"
"I'm here, Clarisse." She heard a voice say, before her world suddenly went black and she felt herself being lifted and carried away in familiar, yet very strong arms.
To Be Continued…………..