Title: Camille

Chapter Nine: Colors of the Heart

A/N: Thanks to each and everyone of you who continue to review my fic! I love you guys! Here's the next part, k? Make sure to r and r at the end!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


(October, 1863)

"What is your favorite color?"

He opened his bleary eyes and found her leaning on her elbow, her chin perched lightly on her hand. A slow, deep chuckle escaped from his throat. Anna gazed at him and saw an adorable, sleepy affection in his expression. She couldn't help planting what was meant to be a brief kiss on his lips, but he refused to let her escape. He held her to him to prolong the meeting of their lips, it was such a sweet moment between them. Morning was slowly rolling over the palace and he had postponed his schedule for the day just so he could sleep in with her.

When he released her, she sat up again, her hair partially covering her naked chest.

"So, I shall ask again, what is your favorite color, sir?" There was an infectious amount of playfulness in her tone. He wondered why of all times was she asking such a mundane question when all he wanted to do was hold her and fall asleep. But, being a fool in love, he paused to think and came up with an answer.

"Green. The color of the mountains and jungle. King loves vivid hue of green." Mongkut said.

She smiled at him then. He felt as if the sun had shined her gentle rays upon him, warming him to the core.

"My favorite color is deep burgundy."

He sighed in mock-exasperation and pushed himself up so that he was sitting upright now that he was more awake.

"Anna, why are we discussing such menial things so early in the morning?"

She let out a melodious peal of laughter at the genuine confusion on his face.

"Oh I don't know! I just...I did not know yours, and it has been bothering me for quite some time but I kept forgetting to ask you. It just popped into my head first thing when I woke up. And I believe even the mundane things can be the most important in the world. I believe that the more minor details are shared between two people, the closer they can become."

At the end of her speech, she blushed a little in embarrassment.

"You think me silly, don't you, Your Majesty? Or just plain mad?"

He let out a breath and grinned ambiguously.

"Why yes."

Anna smirked and swatted him teasingly on his arm.

"Now that I know your favorite color, my love, shall I have something made for you? Perhaps a burgundy English gown of the richest fabric, with a matching-" He fumbled for words until she intervened.

"Bonnet?"

"Yes, that. As well as a parasol to shield your fair face from harsh Siamese sun." Mongkut declared seriously. She wanted to roll her eyes, she should have known that he would interpret this conversation as her angling for a gift. She was no greedy royal mistress! Well, she was greedy, actually, for his love and attention but never for material things.

"Darling, I don't want a gown, a bonnet, or a parasol even if they were made of silk from the heavens. I honestly just wanted to know what your favorite color was." Anna said pleadingly as she moved to lay beside him and wrapped her arms over his torso. He enveloped her in his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Alright. No gown for you." He said simply.

Anna laughed again, the sound setting off a pleasant reverberating sensation in his chest cavity.

She closed her eyes, her breathing growing slower as she began to doze off. He held her closer, wanting nothing more than to meld his body into hers, even though he knew that their day would soon begin and this private world between them where he was just a man and she a woman would fade into oblivion.

"I love you, Anna." He said aloud for the first time.

He watched her lips curve into a beautiful smile in her sleep.


(May, 1868)

"Oh, my darling, I...I don't know what to say, this is so atrocious." Lady Emmeline Stanton remarked softly as she stood facing the window overlooking the gardens of the Ormonde's estate.

Anna had fallen silent after her concise yet thorough explanation of why her husband had lived in a hotel in the city for the past month, leaving her and the children to their own devices. She still received some of William's income to support their day-to-day life.

She still could not believe that her husband had visited a whorehouse and had not displayed any guilt over it. It was such an insult to her, her head still reeled whenever she recalled the look on his face.

So she sent for Lady Stanton, hoping to receive some emotional support. She had been correct in sending a telegram, Lady Stanton had been more than happy to travel down to Yangon. She was unaccompanied as Lord Stanton had been occupied in business elsewhere.

"So you have not seen or heard of William recently?"

Anna replied negatively as she observed Lady Stanton's graceful posture that now seemed to wilt under deep thought. She was adorned with pearls, in her ears and around her throat, and she was dressed in a becoming shade of the softest powder blue. The color enhanced her blonde hair which was pinned up in fashionable curls.

She felt quite puny in the presence of such an elegant, willowy woman, yet she felt strangely comforted by it as well.

"What shall I do now? I am a wife and a widow again."

Emmeline sighed and went to sit beside her anguished friend.

"I believe that perhaps you and he would be better off spending some time apart. Let him think over his mistake and eventually he will come to the incontrovertible realization that his union with you is worth more than anything else in his life."

Anna listened and acknowledged this as good advice, it gave her a feeling of hope amongst a time of great, unrelenting despair.

"And in the meantime, you will accompany me to the rice festival in Bangkok. I have heard that the royal soothsayer has predicted heavy rainfall and bountiful crops in the oncoming months. And beside that, the king himself has extended and invitation to the Royal Plowing Ceremony. My husband is not available to attend, so I may bring whomever I choose."

Anna was utterly speechless, her jaw slackened and her mouth went dry at the mention of Mongkut. Lady Stanton took this as surprise, totally misunderstanding the brimming of joy on her young friend's face.

"Do you...Do you really mean that, Emmeline?" She smiled with a suspicious gleam in her bright blue eyes.

"Why, of course, you silly duck! Why would I extend an invitation if I did not want you to come along?"

"But, what about my children?" Anna asked, thinking of Camille, Louis and Avis.

"I think your eldest shall be fine tending to the household. She is a young woman, it is about time she learn to run things around here."

Anna nodded because the latter was indeed true, Avis was sixteen years old and was to be launched into society soon.

"I shall ask my son if he would like to come with me. Will it be alright if I brought my Camille? I really do not think I can tolerate being away from her for very long."

"Please, feel free, dear."

"In that case, shall we start your packing, Anna?"

A warm, flooring sensation she associated with the color of the richest red flooded her soul.


As it turned out, Louis did not want to leave Yangon because he did not wish to miss school or leave his friends. Avis was delighted in being given new responsibilites that made her feel more mature, she flourished under Beebe's instruction. Anna was somewhat reluctant to leave them, but they all assured her that they would get along fine without her for a few weeks.

Beebe had a word with her before she departed from Burma.

"Memsahib, about the festival...Will you speak to him?"

Anna thought this question over and carefully composed a reply.

"I do not know. I would be content just to look upon him even if he does not see me. If I had more courage, perhaps I would show him his daughter." She said matter-of-factly as she folded some blouses and arranged them in her suitcase.

"Good luck, Memsahib. God be with you on this journey." Beebe murmured prophetically. Anna offered her a small smile as Beebe moved about the room, placing more of her clothes into her suitcases. They said nothing more the rest of the time.

She left with Lady Stanton and Camille the very next morning in Lady Stanton's carriage. The heat was sweltering, she donned her thinnest day gown and Camille was swaddled quite lightly as well. Lady Stanton was miraculously untouched by any perspiration and remained her usual poised self, only jumping when the carriage bumped and bustled along the roads.

The two women chatted casually during the trip, they stopped frequently for breaks and to rest since they were traveling with a small child. Lady Stanton brought some attendants along with her who helped in taking care of Camille when Anna was simply too tired from heat exhaustion.

They continued along like this until they reached the Chao Phraya River and boarded a steamship that would take them south until they reached Bangkok. With each passing day, Anna grew more and more giddy when she thought of her potential reunion with him.

She knew in all probablility that he would not be able to distinguish her amongst the swarming crowds that usually gathered to watch the king bless the crops, but this did nothing for the warring anxiety and delerium that was slowly taking over her.

She wanted so much to see him hold Camille and know that he was the father of her baby. But how was she to explain such a complicated story? And would he believe her if she told him? After all, he was the one who broke off all contact with her. Maybe he did not want to see her again at all.

Anna simply pushed away all of these schemes from her head. She wanted to enjoy herself most of all and try to move past the incident with William's infidelity. She had suffered one thing after another, now was a time for her to breathe again.

She held Camille in her arms as she stood on the deck of the ship, gently bouncing the wide eyed baby as she took in the lovely scenery on the river. The mountains were covered in thick vegetation, there were beautiful mangroves nestled where the river met the land. Anna smiled down at her child, watching with unadulterated amusement as Camille giggled for reasons unknown to everyone but four month old babies.

Lady Stanton seemed to be at ease as well. Her beautiful face was shaded by her stylish hood, but it could not hide her immense satisfaction. Anna decided that the older woman was definitely more suited to a lifestyle with constant travel. The lady never seemed to stay in one place for too long whether it was with or without her husband. She was glad that she was not the only woman who felt she was independent enough to manage without a male escort.

"I own a house in Bangkok. We shall arrive there soon and settle in, tomorrow is the actual festival. Tomorrow we shall attend the festival and socialize with the Siamese aristocracy. There will be other Europeans there naturally, so if you tire of the Oriental's company, you will not be left out." Lady Stanton explained absentmindedly as she squinted. She could have sworn she saw two monkeys leaping from the treetops, but they had disappeared faster than her eyes could keep up with.

"It sounds wonderful, Emmeline. Thank you again for inviting us."

"Please, darling, it is truly my pleasure. I have not enjoyed another woman's company for quite sometime. My husband was my companion on travels such as these for all the years we'd been married, it is refreshing to have a close friend's presence with me instead."

Lady Stanton wiggled a thin index finger above Camille's face, to her surprise, the little girl wrapped her chubby hands around it with a strong grip.

"Bahooo..." The precocious child cried as the women shared a laugh.

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself too darling," Emmeline cooed.

Anna laughed again as the boat continued on its smooth way.


She was more nervous than she had been in her life.

Well, maybe that was not quite the truth. She had been full of jitters on her wedding night with her first husband Tom, she had almost been sick when she was presented as a woman for the first time, she nearly fainted when she first met the king of Siam.

And she was about to meet him again. That same feeling of intense butterflies beat rapidly in her seemingly bottomless stomach, her hands were shaking ever so slightly. Lady Stanton noticed this, being very naturally perceptive, and also because she was perceptive, she knew better than to question bluntly about the source of Anna's agitation.

They were standing in the rice paddies on the outskirts of the palace amongst a whole party of European delegates and dignitaries. In front and all around were the cityfolk, some stragglers from the provinces and the Siamese nobility, all awaiting the presence of their king.

Mongkut.

She was going to lay eyes on the man who was the bane of her existence, the only man who ever made her heart beat faster and slower at the same time. She pictured a thousand different ways she could somehow approach him and tell him the truth about her pregnancy, but in her mind, he was never pleased with her reappearance into his life or her abrupt announcement of the child he fathered off her.

Suddenly, she was startled out of her reverie by the swift succession of people who fell prostrate. She barely had time to collect her frayed nerves before she spotted the royal train proceeding to the enormous statue of Buddha. She saw the Kralahome, looking the same as ever, stern and unforgiving in his attire. He was followed by men she recognized as high ranking military officers, most noticeable was the absence of the treacherous Alak. Finally, the harem appeared, all of the dozens of wives padding along lightly and taking their places on the ground before the statue.

And at the end, there he was.

She forgot how to breathe, how to blink, how to move.

All of her feelings for him, everything she had fought so hard to lock away in the corners of her mind came rushing back out to smother her. The familiar, painful burning was stronger than ever as she watched him proceed down the path of bowing and prostrate subjects, hands akimbo as he looked upon them with pride and an appealing dignity in his stance.

He was tall and regal, handsome and intimidating as always. She was standing beside Lady Stanton, who seemed to pick up on Anna's reticence.

"He is stunning, is he not?" Lady Stanton commented, trying to gauge the younger woman's reaction.

The look on Anna's face said it all.

"He is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," She whispered as she gazed at him. He had not turned in the direction of her party since he was concentrating on the ritual he was performing as he bowed to the statue of Buddha. She looked on with rapt attention, her eyes never once straying.

The audience remained out there in the rice fields, tensely awaiting the tell-tale gray clouds that signified the rains that would fall on the crops. When the king finished his blessing, he made to return from whence he came.

He never once looked in her direction.

Depression washed over her. Finality settled thickly into her joints, making her shoulders droop with dejection. Her hopes of meeting him again were dashed, it was all over.

"Well, that was all splendid, wasn't it, Anna?"

She could only manage a slight nod and a smile that looked more like a grimace than anything else. Pain enveloped her in a welcoming shroud, she was swiftly overcome by a compulsion to chase after him and do anything to get his attention. She just could not move, fear held her in check. Lady Stanton recognized Anna's dazed state, but she was confused because she could not tell which man she was looking at. She decided she would find out later.

"We should be getting back to the house soon so we can be back here in time for dinner."

This made Anna startle.

"Dinner?!"

Emmeline laughed at Anna's flabbergasted expression.

"Why yes, His Majesty is hosting a dinner party in the palace. You are to be my guest, darling."

"Oh." Was all Anna could say. She was so distracted that she did not notice the Lady Thiang staring at her from afar, the slender woman's face painted with shock as she recognized the Englishwoman.

She and Lady Stanton were already long gone by the time Lady Thiang reached Mongkut at the front of the royal procession to inform him of the appearance of someone he secretly yearned to see again.

Mongkut let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh and dismissed his wife at the absurd thought that Anna Leonowens could have returned to the country without notifying him first.


TBC...

A/N: R and R as always please!!