Joseph woke up with a start. Something was wrong. The familiar feeling of foreboding had never failed him before, and he knew he had to act. "Clarisse, wake up!" There was urgency in his hushed voice as he shook her shoulder.
"What is going on Joseph?" Clarisse frowned, still confused with sleep.
"I think there is somebody outside. It might just be my imagination but I don't want to take any chances," Joseph whispered.
Clarisse sat up and wanted to switch on the bed light but Joseph grabbed her hand. "Don't switch on the lights, sweetheart."
Suddenly wide-awake with shock at Joseph's reaction, Clarisse stared wide-eyed as he swiftly pulled on his trousers and t-shirt, and put a pair of handcuffs and a flashlight in his pocket.
Joseph sat down next to Clarisse and pressed her hand reassuringly. "Clarisse, for your own safety, please listen to me. Get your clothes and lock yourself in the bathroom. I want as many barriers between you and whoever is outside as possible. Take my cell phone and alert the hotel security. The number is under Security Bermuda."
Clarisse nodded, now fully focussed. "Please be careful, Joseph," she whispered as Joseph stood up and walked quickly to the door.
"There is a security guard close by. I'll get help. Don't worry, darling, this is just a safety precaution." Joseph left the room quietly, locking the bedroom door behind him, leaving Clarisse to follow his instructions.
Joseph slipped outside the cottage, locking the door softly behind him. Like a cat in the dark, his black form moved behind the shrubs to where the security guard was positioned close by. The guard jumped as Joseph touched his arm. Joseph immediately indicated to the man to keep quiet. He pointed towards the cottage, and the guard understood from Joseph's gestures that someone was lurking around.
The two men strained to see movement and finally Joseph spotted the shadow moving from window to window, trying to gain access. Joseph felt a shudder going through his body when he saw something in the man's hand. Bending low, Joseph and the guard moved silently towards the shadowy figure. When they were about two steps behind the man, Joseph indicated to the guard to wait. With one swift movement, Joseph appeared behind the man, grabbed his arms and bent them behind his back. He twisted the man's hand and a broken brick fell to the ground. The man was caught by surprise but started straining and kicking against Joseph almost immediately. The guard came to Joseph's assistance, grabbed the man's legs from under him so that within seconds, he was lying face down into the grass. Joseph took the cuffs from his pocket and secured them around the man's wrists. He did a thorough body search but couldn't find any concealed weapons. Clarisse's face flashed before him and he had to calm himself.
"Don't you dare move a muscle." There was so much suppressed anger in Joseph's voice that the security guard took two steps back.
Two cars stopped close by and four men stepped out, shining their flashlights on the scene before them. Their reaction time had been remarkably swift after the personal call from the Queen. The two security guards and two police officers were able to make a correct assessment of the situation fairly quickly and came forward towards the man on the ground. After talking briefly to Joseph, the two policemen dragged the offender to his feet.
Joseph saw the surprise in the eyes of the security guards as the man's face became visible. "Do you recognise this man?"
"Yes," one of the security guards answered. "He started working for our security team two weeks ago."
Joseph just shook his head, and thought it might be better if he didn't respond. One of the police officers stayed with the man in the police car while Joseph and the other four men searched the area thoroughly. It soon became clear that the man was operating alone.
The police officers agreed to come and take a statement from Joseph in the morning, so that he could stay with Her Majesty in his position as her personal bodyguard. Joseph thanked the two police officers for their assistance before they drove off into the night.
After the police left, Joseph looked at the three security guards disapprovingly. "I want to speak to the Head of Security and the hotel manager tomorrow morning. You will have to strengthen the security while the Queen is visiting."
"We'll all stand guard the rest of the night, sir. We apologize for what happened. Is there anything else that we can do for you at the moment, sir?"
"No," Joseph said in a more accommodating tone and half turned but changed his mind, thinking of Clarisse. "Yes, you can arrange for tea and bring it to the cottage."
"Tea, sir?"
"Yes, tea!" Joseph felt like shouting at someone, but he used all his self-control. He was well aware of the fact that these men did what was required, and weren't really to blame. "Thanks for your assistance tonight," Joseph grumbled as he turned around.
The security guards sighed with relief when Joseph disappeared into the cottage. They definitely did not want to cross swords with this man.
Knowing that Clarisse must be out of her mind with concern, Joseph hurried towards Clarisse's room. "Open the door, darling," Joseph called as he reached the bathroom door.
She opened the door and stepped into Joseph's waiting arms. His muscles were tense as he pressed her against him. "What happened? Are you all right?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes, I'm fine." Joseph shook his head and pressed her closer to him, holding her for a long time.
Clarisse realised that Joseph was upset and everything BUT fine or all right. "Come." She took his hand and pulled him towards the bed, pushing him down. She fetched him a glass of water and handed it to him as she sat down next to him. "Please, darling, tell me." She knew that Joseph needed to get this out of his system and listened patiently as Joseph gave her a synopsis of the unpleasant incident. "You don't have any idea why he did this?"
"I am not sure, but I guess his motive was burglary. He probably wanted to break a window with the brick. We'll find out the truth tomorrow."
There was a knock on the front door. "Oh, I asked them to bring tea," Joseph said as he stood up, visibly calmer than he had been a few minutes previously.
Truly thankful for the tea, Clarisse closed her eyes as she drank the warm liquid. It was always effective in calming her nerves. She encouraged Joseph to drink some, feeling sure it would have a calming effect on him as well.
When they were finished, Clarisse took Joseph's cup and placed it with hers on the tray. "Well, this was quite enough excitement for one night. Come on, get out of those clothes of yours and get into bed. I'll be with you in a moment."
Clarisse returned after she had changed into her nightgown. She slipped in under the duvet, snuggling up against Joseph. Joseph put his arm under her shoulder, pulling her towards him. "Do you think that we should perhaps go home tomorrow?"
"No Joseph, that is not necessary. This is not the first time this type of thing has happened and it probably won't be the last. It happens everywhere, in Genovia as well."
"Clarisse, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. If I even think that somebody might harm you, I …" Joseph shook his head.
"Darling, you did what you could. We are both safe. Try not to think about it anymore," she said as she placed a kiss on his cheek.
In return Joseph placed a kiss on her hair. "Well, we can't complain that our time together is boring, hmmm?"
"No, certainly not." Clarisse sighed, thankful that Joseph's wit was returning.
Because of Clarisse's strength, Joseph was calm and was beginning to relax. "I am so grateful that you are safe, my love… and you are a remarkable human being for staying so calm tonight."
"Thank you, darling… for keeping me safe," Clarisse whispered as she closed her eyes.
tbc