Author's Note: I thought I'd be really efficient and get another chapter up as soon as possible... not quite so much drama in this one, but there will be more in the coming chapters...and maybe with Rupert... MAYBE!
Thanks to all my readers and reviewers... you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!
The next few days at the palace were quiet, tension filled and strained with even the palace staff noticing and reacting to the gloomy atmosphere. The King and Queen tried to maintain a sense of normalcy in the palace, not commenting at all on the tension, but it was clear that the problem lay with the two Princes, who were avoiding each other like the plague. This was very obvious and was causing rampant speculation among the staff that the rumours of a secret romance between Prince Joseph and Lady Le Roche were true and that they had gone even further...
There was also another rumour circulating that Rupert had insulted both of them and Joseph had decked him, causing him to fall on the floor... that one seemed to be true...
"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if both rumours were true," Mrs Mack mused confidentially to the second housekeeper as they sat in the kitchen planning the menu for the next week. "The Prince does have a temper, but to punch his older brother out... he must be guilty of something... I never imagined that the girl would succumb after a few kisses, but the Prince must have been very convincing...he is a ladies man, after all!"
"This is speculation and you know it," Jane, the second housekeeper said chidingly, well aware that the older housekeeper disliked the younger Prince. "You really shouldn't say things like that, especially when you know it might not to be true..."
"Indeed she shouldn't," came a quietly angry voice from the doorway, and both women turned to see Prince Joseph standing there, glaring at Mrs Mack, who flushed and started to stand to apologize to him but he was having none of it.
"There is already enough being said around here without more vicious rumours being started by YOU," he looked at her pointedly. "So, unless you want to discuss your theories with the King, I suggest you go back to your menus and leave discussing me and Rupert to the people who actually should be discussing us," before he nodded politely to both women and left the room, leaving Mrs Mack staring after him, her mouth open in astonishment.
Joseph, meanwhile, grinned as he walked away from the kitchen, feeling much better that he had finally told Mrs Mack off after years of her gossiping about him and making her disapproval and dislike obvious. It had been a well needed light moment in a the midst of a difficult few days...
He and Clarisse hadn't had a moment a lone since the fight a week ago, and while they had both agreed to keep their distance from each other until Rupert had calmed down, not being able to spend time (or even go horse riding) with her was agony for him, and it was going to be even worse when he left the following day for a visit to Spain, representing the royal family. Alexandra had asked him only that morning, and while he didn't want to leave Clarisse when Rupert was so angry, but his mother had prevailed on him to do it for them... and for Genovia.
"I know you've been waiting for a chance to do something like this, and your father and I both feel that you're ready," she smiled proudly at him, surprising him at how mild she seemed to be around him. He had always seen as her stern and usually annoyed at something he had done to embarrass the family, but he realized that she was pleased he was growing up.
"But Rupert..."he protested, half pleased that he was being trusted to do something like this, but still worried about Clarisse.
"He'll calm down eventually, and when you return we will all sit down and discuss this rationally."
Alexandra paused, looking at Joseph thoughtfully- at first, she had had reservations and some disapproval of the blossoming, rapidly deepening friendship between him and Clarisse but now... Despite her disappointment that Rupert had to start again, she had seen a completely different side to her younger son, and if loving Clarisse had changed him, then she accepted that they were in love and would most likely end up married.
"Don't worry about Clarisse either,"" she added as she watched him grapple with his decision- representing his country was what he had always wanted to do, but missing his girl would make things even more difficult- and he looked up in surprise.
"I've suggested she invite a friend or two to the palace while you're away, and I believe Isabel Smith and Anna Parker will be here tomorrow morning... the palace will be filled with girls!" she sighed before smiling gently and Joseph couldn't believe his eyes- his mother really must be getting fond of Clarisse!
"So... do you want me to leave early tomorrow morning?" he finally asked, proud that he was going to be able to do this.
"Yes, the plane will be waiting for you at the airport at nine in the morning, and it should only be for a few days... Thank you for doing this, dear, I'm very proud of you," she said quietly and he blushed at her words before thinking that he should probably tell Clarisse about this. "As for Lady Clarisse," she added, reading his thoughts. "I believe she may be in the garden somewhere... there are very few flowers, of course, but she seems to enjoy just walking around in there!"
He grinned back at her, taking the hint, before almost running out to the garden, slowing down when she came into view, his stomach suddenly full of butterflies and his tongue suddenly tied... he had missed her so much... a week had been far too long...
He was trying to work up the courage to finally speak when she suddenly turned and smiled radiantly at him, her whole face lighting up.
"Hello," she said a little shyly as he walked slowly towards her. She had heard him running down the lawn but when he didn't say anything, she thought she would make it easier
"Hi," he replied softly before, unable to restrain himself and not caring whether anyone saw them, he pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her sweetly with a hint of passion. "I've missed you so..." he murmured into her ear and she smiled as she looked at him- he was such a little boy at times, but she knew it was because he loved her so much.
"I've missed you too..." she replied quietly before he kissed her again and then led her into the pagoda. "So..." she continued as they sat down together. "Congratulations I hear are in order... I hear you're going to Spain tomorrow to represent Genovia..."
"How did you know that?" he looked surprised and somewhat annoyed that someone had told her first.
"The maids know everything," she teased before caressing his cheek with her hand. "Congratulations, I know it's a big step for you... and I'm very proud of you. But," she looked at him shrewdly. "You don't seem as pleased about it as you should be... why?"
"I'm just worried about leaving you here alone," he confessed as he kissed her hand.
"I'll be fine," she said reassuringly, although she too was nervous about Joseph leaving the palace, even for a few days... Rupert had been absent from every evening meal since he had returned, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they ran into each other.
"Besides," she added gaily, trying to keep her nervousness to herself. "Belle and Anna will be here to keep me company... but I will miss you..."
she added softly as he watched her, sensing her nervousness despite her gaiety, and holding her tighter to him. "I just hope..." she trailed off as Joseph gently brushed her hair with his lips.
"I'll miss you too," he admitted with a soft smile. "But once we get back, I promise that we are going to sit down and sort all of this out with Rupert... I want our relationship out in the open..." before he suddenly thought of a way of helping her through the next few days without him...
"I want that too..." she looked up at him with a small smile and he smiled back at her before he kissed her again, already feeling the pain of separation...
000
Clarisse's friends arrived the following morning and she was glad to see them, not only because they were her oldest friends, but the were providing a welcome distraction from the fact that Joseph was no longer at the palace, having left earlier that morning.
The two girls were just putting their bags in her bedroom, rhapsodising over the fact she had her 'own personal apartment' and Clarisse was listening with an amused smile before she realized one of her ladies maids had come into the room and was standing beside her chair.
"I'm sorry... " she apologized profusely when she saw the girl, but the maid only bobbed slightly and held out a plain white envelope for her.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lady, but I was told to give you this..." she handed her the envelope before bobbing a curtsey again and scurrying out of the room. Clarisse didn't even notice she had gone- she was staring at the envelope, her name written on the front in an unfamiliar hand... who could have written her a letter?
She didn't have a chance to open the letter as the two girls came back into the living room, so she quietly shoved it into her top drawer of her desk and tried to focus on the two girls... But the thought of the mysterious envelope remained in her mind all day, even through an awkward dinner with Rupert present, and it wasn't until the other two were asleep (and she really did love having them there) that she crept out of bed and retrieved the envelope, ripping it open under the dim light of a lamp, anxious to know who had written her a letter...
Her eyes quickly perused the letter, not really reading it, before she saw the name at the bottom of the page and her eyes instantly softened... before she read the letter properly...
"My Darling Clarisse
This is just a brief note to surprise you and help you through the next few days, although I don't want to overwhelm you as I know have done... I'm going to miss you, but I know that it will be harder for you at the palace with Rupert around- I wish I could be there to protect you...
I just wanted to let you know how much I love you and how proud I am that you love me too.
I know my reputation is hardly impressive for a Prince of Genovia, and I'm hardly the type of man your parents would want to be with, but you have changed me so much in the past few months and I thank you... all the changes everyone has seen and probably discounted is all thanks to you, my love, and I have a debt to you that I will never able to repay..."
Clarisse paused in her reading, her eyes filling with tears- he was giving her far more credit for his changes than she deserved... Personally, she felt he had only needed someone to believe in him...
"As for you, my beautiful lady, you are amazing- not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you are extraordinary on the inside as well...
I love your kind heart, your smile, your wise words, your gentle, loving nature, your gorgeous blue eyes, the way your whole face lights up when you smile... I could go on listing everything I love about you but that would take too long, and I would prefer to tell you in person...
But I do know that I have never felt this way about anyone before and I never will again...
I love you, my darling, and that will never change
All My Love
Joseph."
Clarisse placed the letter carefully down on a nearby cushion for a moment as she dried her eyes, not wanting tears to stain this beautiful letter, before she picked it up again and re read it, her eyes welling again at the tenderness of the letter...
He worried that he was overwhelming her but she now realized that she had only been frightened that it had all been a dream, that Joe would take back his declaration of love for her, but this letter proved that he wouldn't... he DID love her. The intensity of her feeling for him (and vice versa) had taken her by surprise, but the self imposed time apart had made her realize they had a special love that only a few people found in a lifetime... she just couldn't believe that she had found it with Joseph...
She re read the letter one more time, her heart racing again at his words, before heading back into her bedroom and slipping into bed beside the others, placing the letter in her bedside table... No one would ever see this letter, at the moment her most prized possession... her first love letter from Joseph...
00000
The days seemed to pass by slowly for Clarisse- while she enjoyed spending time with her two friends, she somehow felt different from them... While they were both single, although dreaming of husbands, SHE was, in theory, betrothed to the Crown Prince of Genovia but was very much in love with Joseph, but she couldn't say a word until she and Joseph sat down with Rupert...
All their talk of flirting with this man or that was almost sickening at times... she knew that she had done that only a few years ago, but now that she had the love of a good man and she adored him in return, all the discussions of trying to get a man to like her, and the techniques that had to be employed... it all just seemed so silly and useless...They weren't necessarily ready for marriage and a family, but she was- she wanted marriage and a family with Joseph, and while the thought of that with Rupert had scared her greatly, the thought of sharing that with Joseph made her almost weak with happiness...
Rupert meanwhile, showed little inclination to be alone with Clarisse (although he enjoyed flirting harmlessly with her two friends) but he noticed, as the days went by, that she was looking more and more withdrawn, barely touching her food on her plate, causing him to wonder whether she was pining for him... was this actually the real thing, were Joseph and Clarisse really in love?... and he felt guilty that he had been ignoring her for the past two weeks...
It was the evening before Joseph was due to return when Clarisse wandered out to the garden after the other two were asleep, having no desire to sleep due to nerves and excitement- she had missed him greatly...
The October air was cool, but with a warm jumper and slacks on, she was able to sit in the garden and look up at the stars- the glass pagoda had no appeal without Joseph there...
"Hello," she heard someone say from behind her after she had settled on the garden bench, and she turned to see Rupert strolling towards her.
"Hi," she murmured, feeling awkward as he sat down next to her.
"It's rather late for you to be out here, isn't it?" he asked conversationally.
"I couldn't sleep," she said simply- he didn't seem angry at her, but she didn't want to tempt fate. She was alone with him out here, and she didn't know what he would do if riled up...
"Neither could I... so, how are you?" he looked at her interestedly and Clarisse couldn't believe that he was trying to act like nothing happened, like she and his brother hadn't fallen in love and he had insulted her, causing Joseph to hit him?
"Fine," she said lightly, preparing to stand up and leave, before she felt a gentle pressure on her hand and she realized he didn't want her to leave.
"You're not... you've been very quiet all week, despite your friends being here, and not eating... "
"I have a lot on my mind..."
"You miss him, don't you?" he asked quietly, and she was startled at the question, but he didn't sound accusatory... in fact, he sounded kind and compassionate, and she again felt guilty as she looked hesitantly over at him, afraid to anger him with her answer.
"I do, very much," she said honestly and he smiled slightly, respecting her honesty. "Rupert, I..."
"I know, Clarisse," he said simply. "You love Joseph..."
He had initially planned on giving her a lecture, convincing her that Joseph wasn't the one for him, but looking at her, he couldn't go through with it- she was head over heels for Joseph and nothing he said or do could ever change that. In fact, if he pushed them too hard, he knew Joseph would simply walk away from the palace and a royal life, and he couldn't bear to think about how his parents would react to that...
She and Joseph hadn't fallen in love deliberately, to spite him and his parents... it had simply happened... and while Rupert had thought she had been seduced by Joe, he could see that she hadn't been...and he couldn't try to break them up as he had wanted to do... His anger had been misplaced- yes, he was still annoyed at Joseph for what had happened, but he was jealous because they shared something that he knew he and Clarisse would never have... in fact, he realized, it would be a mistake to force her into marrying him... she would be very unhappy, and he couldn't bear to break her heart...
He wanted them to be friends, which was what should have happened from the beginning... he was disappointed that this wasn't going to go the way his parents wanted, but he just couldn't...
Maybe this was all for the best... the thought of a wedding still scared the living daylights out of him, and he knew that HE wasn't ready for marriage yet, he had just tried to convince himself that he was...
"I'm sorry, Rupert..." she said apologetically, looking contrite before realizing that he didn't look angry. "We... I... wanted to tell you..."
"I saw you two at your birthday and realized there was something there... yes, I was very angry at both of you, and I had planned on lecturing the both of you, but..." he paused for a moment before deciding to be completely honest with her. He had been thinking about it all over the past few days, but it was only now, sitting here next to Clarisse, that he finally had clarity.
"The truth it, I don't think I'm ready to get married yet..."
"Is it because of …."
"No, it's nothing to do with you and Joseph... You are an extraordinary woman, Clarisse, and I care about you a great deal, but I think I convinced myself that we should get married... I didn't consider your feelings or mine in this... and there is really nothing between us except maybe... friendship... Did you ever feel any sparks?" he asked and Clarisse looked confused- sparks? The only sparks she had ever felt were with Joseph, but she couldn't say that to Rupert... but before she could say anything, he had changed the subject.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that... but Clarisse," he looked at her seriously, his expression just visible in the moonlight. "Joseph had changed so much, all thanks to you... he's grown up, accepted more responsibility and not partying as much, and that's all thanks to you..."
Clarisse blushed, appreciating the praise and his change of heart, but she had to ask:
"Thank you... but I need to ask... why the sudden change of heart? Last week you were accusing Joseph of seducing me, him punching you and you avoiding me for the past few days... but now..." she trailed off, looking distrustful, and he smiled in the dark... she was so protective...
"I know you have no reason to trust me after my behaviour, but..." he breathed in and out deeply.
"I DO care about you and I know I haven't behaved appropriately towards you or Joe...When I first returned, I wanted to break you up, force you to marry me and make Joseph very unhappy..."
Clarisse sat there, hardly daring to believe that Rupert would have been that cruel to do that to them...she had never thought he would have done that, and while she was appalled at him telling her that now, she also appreciated that he was being honest with her.
"But... I have done some thinking and I've seen how unhappy you've been without Joseph here...it's hard for me to say that I've done something wrong, but I have... I've been awful to both of you and I'm very sorry... all that matters is that you are happy, albeit with my own brother..." before he chuckled in the dark.
"I'm sorry that you will have to choose another bride..." Clarisse said softly in the dark and she felt him reach over and squeeze her hand gently.
"It doesn't matter... I'm nearly thirty but I'm still not ready to get married... I will, but I was just so eager to impress my parents that I chose the first person I saw, which was you...and thank goodness that nothing will happen now, otherwise it would have been a big mistake... you and Joseph had taught me so much in the past few months, much as I hate to admit it... Thank you... do you forgive me?"
"Of course," Clarisse said softly, now feeling more sympathetic towards him and happy that she and Joseph could now be free to love each other publicly.
"Do you think Joe will?" Rupert asked after a moment and Clarisse sighed- she knew Joseph was hurt and angry by what had happened, but she suspected that he would forgive him when the two brothers talked.
"I'm sure he will...but you will have to tell him what you told me..."
"I will... and Clarisse?"
"Yes?"
"Joseph's a very lucky man to have you!"
"I'm the lucky one..."