This chapter takes place immediately following the previous chapter.
Chapter 9
Convinced that after all the obstacles I had taken away, I'd missed one, I made it for the gym. Some years ago I had a friendly chat with Joe Romero about physical exercise being stimulating for the brain. It turned out that he too liked to work out when he needed to find a solution to a problem. It was one of the things we had in common.
As I changed into shorts and a T-shirt, I told myself that it would make sense to ask Clarisse if she had romantic feelings for her Head of Security. I was afraid she'd say yes though, or more likely, that she'd say that he was her friend, while her eyes would reveal that she felt more for the man than friendship. No, I wouldn't ask her about it any more than I would ask her how she felt toward me. If I'd push her she might confess that she found me attractive and then she'd tell me that I was her dear companion.
I had known all along that she wouldn't simply fall into my arms: my Clarisse isn't the type of lady to turn into a damsel in distress, no matter how hopeless her situation. It made me want her even more. Whenever the occasion arose, I touched her or stood or sat near her. She didn't seem to mind as long as she could think it to be amicably. My hand on her hip had made her walk away. Why? There were three options: she wanted to study a sculpture; she didn't want me to touch her like that; she preferred someone else's caresses.
She liked art all right, but I wasn't going to fool myself. If the second option was true, there was no reason to despair. Her being aboard Triple V with me was only one step away from me being in her bed. It was my master plan and I never fail. Never.
I needed to get rid of Joe Romero though... After getting into a flow on my exercise bike, I examined several possibilities. The idea of having Joe accused of killing King Rupert presented itself.
When brought to court Joe would defend his Queen's innocence even more eloquently and fiercely than he would his own. Using the stage to the best of his abilities he might even sacrifice himself and confess to have killed Rupert. Hell: once the bastard realised that there was no way to find the murderer he might step forward of his own accord to do so. The people of Genovia would accept his statement and they would do their utmost best to find their innocent Queen. But would Clarisse buy it? I didn't need to think about it: she wouldn't. She wouldn't believe that Joe killed Rupert any more than she'd believe that I killed him. I pictured her being welcomed back in Genovia. The first thing she'd do would be to march to prison to free Joseph. Poor victimized brave Joe. Where would that leave me? Just where I'd started. No thank you.
It was a silly idea. Besides: the foreign media would look at a new trial Argus-eyed and it might be harder to get a bodyguard into prison than to have a Queen sentenced guilty. I never like repeating the same trick anyway. Deep down I'd already made up my mind as to how to deal with Romero.
Bullets fly and knives cut in mere seconds...
I wouldn't be able to supervise the elimination of my rival, but I could live with that for she was here in all her voluptuous tempting elegance and I was having too many cold showers.
OoOoOoO
While I waited for my men to locate Joe Romero, Clarisse asked me for a radio. I had bore in mind that she might do so one day and I had made preparations: on several occasions I'd complained about audio and video connections failing or mail not functioning. My darling knows nothing whatsoever about modern communication devices. She had asked whether the ship's radar system was operating without malfunctions, and I'd used a lot of technical terms to explain that that was running just fine.
I happen to be fairly good with electronic equipment. The radio I brought her at first merely produced a buzz instead of the news items she'd probably hoped for. After spending almost an hour fixing it, I got two stations broadcasting music only (classical music and jazz) and a Brazilian station with popular music, lots of radio plays and last but not least a brief news item every hour. Clarisse was content and she rejected my offer to try and find more stations for I'd told her that I needed to deal with some urgent questions my caretaker had put before me.
When I walked into her sitting room the next morning, I found her leaning against a wall, holding the radio on her shoulder. With closed eyes she listened to the distinct sound of Anita O'Day. She sensed that I had entered, for she briefly opened her eyes and smiled at me. It moved me that she closed her eyes again to enjoy the rest of the song. I drank in her appearance. I would start by cupping her neck and jaw. I would kiss her forehead, step closer and feel the warmth of her body. I would trail my fingers up and down her arms before -
´I am so happy to hear music again Andre.´
The song had died away and she'd placed the radio on her desk.
´Why didn't you tell me before?´
She shrugged.
´Perhaps I wasn't ready for the joy it brings. I could only think of –´
She stopped in mid-sentence. I smiled understandingly and walked toward her. Nat King Cole started to sing.
´Do you feel like dancing?´
She adjusted the volume of the radio and shook her head ever so slightly.
´Not before eight pm Andre,´ she said with an apologizing smile.
My men were the best. It wouldn't take them long to locate my rival.
OoOoOoO
Two days later on I had lunch with the captain. The steward served us, for Leclerc would prepare Clarisse's lunch. I knew from my butler's reports that no one even suspected that there was a guest aboard, let alone who. The captain asked me whether I had plans to visit a harbour soon, and I told him no.
When I entered the owner's deck I found Leclerc dusting a painting in the corridor to Clarisse's suite. I made it for my own suite where I planned to work on a jigsaw puzzle before joining my love for afternoon tea. The butler followed me.
´Her Majesty was trying to get a European news station on the radio sir,´ he said.
´I tried it myself as well this morning, but it didn't work,´ I answered.
´Sometimes my radio doesn't get a signal either,´ he said.
I wasn't in the mood for chatting and I didn't want him to think that I was encouraging him to talk about our Queen. Just when I grabbed the door knob, he spoke again:
´I tried to help Her Majesty. With the radio sir.´
His tone of voice made me look over my shoulder.
´But I wasn't successful. And she asked me whether I had heard any news...´
He swallowed. ´And before I knew it, I told her about prince Pierre's speech sir.´
´For crying out loud Leclerc!´
´I'm sorry sir. She...´
He coughed.
´What have you told her?´
´I'm afraid I told Her Majesty that the prince asked the kidnapper or kidnappers to hand her over to Genovian justice sir.´
Damn! Things were just going better and now this. Leclerc wasn't really to blame: Clarisse has a way to make people, most people that is, talk. She is a skilful interrogator. Rupert had told me stories about that...
I made it for her room. When I knocked on her door there was no reply. She was staring outside, which gave me a sense of déjà vu. I walked toward her and she cast me a quick glance. My expression told her that I knew about her knowing.
´When you brought me that radio I reasoned that there was no bad news left to protect me against,´ she softly said.
Oh my dear... I had just wanted her not to become upset with me for acting as a censor. Clarisse spoke Portuguese so she would feel that the Brazilian station I'd found was valuable. I'd selected the broadcaster because I knew it to bring national news only, the one exception being when Elvis had died.
´Genovian justice...Maybe he meant the reverse! Not hand over and injustice. What do you think?´
She didn't await my answer.
´If we can assume that Pierre believes Joseph rescued me, he might have wanted to warn him! What did the comments say?´
I was glad she didn't ask me to tell her about the rest of Pierre's speech. Not that I would have told her. The reverse of justice was easy to find but I wasn't going to pain her in having to come up with an explanation for: And Mother, should you be free to move, I expect you to return to Genovia to honour the court's decision. You will not be executed but you will be locked away in a private residence.
The editorials had said that the regent had made a clear statement: he had corrected Parliament's death penalty and he had left no doubt that the judges had not erred. He had not mentioned the hunt for the King's murderer but he was excused for that since the murderer was his mother. The journalists had concluded that the speech betrayed wisdom.
´The comments also recognised a double meaning my dear,´ I said.
Her lips turned into a smile but her eyes didn't join and when I put an arm around her shoulders, she didn't object. Knowing that the future held more grief for her, her accepting my comforting gesture was... promising.
...
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In chapter 10 the Queen will go through an ordeal once again.