Chapter 10
Her suite, my suite, the sun deck. The corridor perhaps? I spent a lot of time to pick out the best stage to tell her about Romero's death. It distracted me from rehearsing my lines. I have bad tidings to bring my dear. It sounded like something from a nineteenth century novel, said by a man who was holding a bottle containing sal volatile in his pocket. Having to tell her that her friend had passed away wasn't something I looked forward to. While playing a bout of checkers against the ship's engineer, a picture presented itself to me.
OoOoO
She entered my suite for lunch. ´Andre?´
She soon located me, standing in my office, holding a receiver against my chest.
´Andre, what is it?´
Pretending to be startled by her sudden appearance I put the receiver down and entered the sitting room.
´The papers... I had to check it. I... I just called the Prime Minister.´
She paled.
´Is Pierre all right?´
I gestured toward the sofa. ´Yes he is my dear. And so is Amelia. Have a seat.´
By the time Leclerc had brought lunch I had finished talking. I had spoken softly, using short lines and I hadn't bothered her with the details (bullet through the head, body found near a compost heap). From what I did tell her, nothing seemed to come home to her.
She stared at me and I repeated what I'd said.
´It can't be Joseph,´ she replied at last.
´His body has been identified Clarisse.´
She shook her head.
´Obviously that wasn't done by people who know him. And why would anyone want to kill Joseph? It can't be him.´
I covered her hands with mine.
´Clarisse, his brother identified him. The police suspect that he was killed because of his alleged involvement in your rescue.´
She took her hands away and rose.
´Joseph is a trained navy seal, he's not going to let someone harm him,´ she said, ignoring my reply.
She walked to a window, shaking her head.
´He was killed by a sniper,´ I revealed.
´Besides, there's no point: it would have made sense if he'd been followed to a hiding place for then people would have found me or so they would have thought. Wouldn't you agree Andre?´
She walked to the dining table and sat down.
´A tuna sandwich. Lovely.´
I sat down opposite her, eyeing her wearily and trying to come up with something appropriate. She ate with delicate bites.
´Clarisse...´
She used her napkin and placed it on her empty plate.
´He is not dead Andre. He can't be dead.´
´I wish it were not so Clarisse, but he is gone.´
She shook her head again.
´The Prime Minister has seen his bo -´ I began.
She rose so quickly that she overturned her chair.
´No!´
I stood as well.
´Clarisse, Sebastian confir-´
She covered her mouth with her hand and fled the room.
I added some whiskey to my tea.
About half an hour later on I went after her, taking some printed articles about Romero's death with me.
She wasn't in her sitting room.
´Clarisse?´
Silence.
´Clarisse?´
´Sir!´
The butler appeared in the doorway. His clothes were wet.
´I tried to persuade Her Majesty to come in-´
I run toward the sun deck and got soaked within seconds.
OoOoO
Her food remained untouched. She didn't leave her suite. I talked to her through her bedroom door but I didn't get any responses. I found the articles about Romero's death torn to neat pieces.
On the second day Leclerc informed me that she still hadn't eaten.
´This can't continue,´ I said with a sigh, ´Her Majesty must eat!´
Looking concerned he nodded. I walked to the kitchen and toasted some bread that was part of her untouched lunch. I buttered it and put her favourite marmalade on it. When I entered her suite she immediately smelled the toast.
´I'm not hungry Mr Leclerc.´
´You must eat.´
She turned to face me and shook her head.
´He was your friend Clarisse and your hope, but not your last hope.´
She made a small sound.
´There's a picture of your granddaughter in the paper today.´
She mouthed the girl's name. Good.
´I will print it for you...´
She looked at me.
´- if you eat.´
She stared at me wide-eyed.
´You must eat Clarisse. Please.´
It took her ten minutes to finish the toast. When she was done I returned to my room to keep to my part of the deal. When I handed her the picture she tenderly looked at her granddaughter's face. I told her that the photo accompanied an article about Amelia wanting to come over for Romero's funeral. It evoked a reaction. I held her as she clung to me.
´Joseph c- can't be... He can't be d-. Joseph!´ she cried.
Her tears wet my shirt and I soothingly caressed her back.
´D- dead! Andre! K- killed, I- I-´
I held her warm body against mine. She slowly calmed down.
´Do you remember the costumed ball when Joe had a word with Zorro?´
She nodded against my shoulder.
´Had he danced with you once or twice already?' I asked, though I knew the answer.
She sniffed and sat up straight, accepting my handkerchief.
´Once,´ she said, ´I'd signalled Joseph that Zorro wasn't to come near me again.´
I put my arm around her shoulders and she leaned against me. I told her about the first time I'd met Romero: ´Despite my clearance one code, he accompanied me all the way to your office. I felt that he was making up his mind whether I was entitled to visit you just like that.´
My trip down memory lane made her return my smile. She put her hand on mine.
´But I'm sure that it only took him half a minute to see that you were to be trusted.´
For a heartbeat I wanted to remove my hand as if touching me would make her sense that Romero had been wrong in trusting me.
´He was a good man,´ I gravely said.
´He was my dear friend,´ she said, ´I knew that almost from the start.´
She smiled through her tears.
´Really? How so?´
She shrugged and sighed. I waited, anxious and curious.
´He made me feel safe.´
I was about to say that that was what he was paid to do, but she shook her head, understanding what was on my mind.
´No,´ she said, ´not simply as in free from harm. With him I could be at ease even when he was near. Does that make sense to you?´
Not wanting her to enter more deeply into this, I nodded.
´I wish,´ she whispered after a long silence, ´that he realised that I was all right. The thought of him fearing for -´
´He was an intelligent man Clarisse. He will have understood.´
She bit her lower lip and blinked.
´I'm here for you,´ I softly said while caressing her cheek, ´Cry if you need to.´
She did.
I reasoned that she felt at ease with me too.
OoOoO
My cousin informed me that the regent had persuaded his niece that paying her respects to a man who was believed to be the rescuer of a murderer wouldn't do. Because it was second hand information at best and considering that Von Troken -in his enthusiasm- might very well have made it up, I contacted Charlotte Kutaway. First I had to talk about Joe, but when the Queen's aid had sniffed away her tears, I could question her about more pressing matters. When I said I was concerned about something I'd learned from Von Troken Charlotte closed the door to her office before replying to my remark.
´I called the princess for him, and I sort of kept listening to what he had to tell her.´
As if I'd reproached her, she angrily continued: ´And I'm not sorry for that. I just needed to know what he was going to tell her. She said that she wanted to attend poor Joe's funeral and he said that he understood that she liked Joe, but that it was a crime to help a convicted person escape and that her presence at the funeral would cause raised eyebrows. She ignored him and told him that she was worried for the Queen, afraid that something would happen to her without Joe. And do you know what he said Lord Sadique?´
Charlotte's voice trembled with emotion.
´He asked Mi- the princess whether she believed Genovia was some banana republic, and she said that it wasn't. So we agree on that, he said and then he said that countries that weren't banana republics must have solid and incorruptible legal systems. Can you believe it Lord Sadique? She was silent for a moment but then she exclaimed that all it took was one judge that could be bribed. I was so glad I could have cheered! But he sighed and said: what about the police, what about the prosecutor, what about Parliament, what about the people?´
What about brainwashing a prince, I thought.
´How did she reply Charlotte?´
´She was silent for a moment and then she repeated that she wanted to attend Joe's funeral. The prince told her no. The same day the Romero family stated that they preferred to bury Joe in private and I hope that was what made the princess stay in San Francisco.´
OoOoOoO
Needless to say that all I told Clarisse was that her granddaughter hadn't attended Joe's funeral after all because the Romero's wanted a private ceremony. She was sorry to hear it.
´Dear Amelia, she must have been sorry for being unable to...´
She cleared her throat: ´Joseph was the one who talked her into coming to the Independence Ball, have I ever told you about that?´
She hadn't, but I refrained from making inquiries for that would only make her talk about Romero.
´Does Amelia look like Philippe?´ I asked instead.
OoOoO
The next day Leclerc told me that the Queen was on the sun-deck. I was relieved that she'd left her suite, until I found her pacing up and down. She was unaware of my arrival. She linked her fingers behind her neck and looked up at the sky with such a desperate expression that my heart bled for her.
I silently retreated. I had to do something.
OoOoO
´Good morning! How's your Latin?´
She was sitting at her desk, her hands lying in her lap.
´Rusty,´ she replied, looking puzzled.
´So is mine. We will give it a brush-up.´
I walked to the dining table and put down the book, the school exercise-books and the pencils I'd brought. Pulling a chair backwards I looked at her invitingly. Her curiosity got the upper hand. After I pushed on her chair, I briefly placed my hands on her shoulders.
It was my plan to spend the mornings studying. It would distract her and map out her day. It would be beneficial for me as well for it would create a new bond between us. By the time Leclerc brought us tea Clarisse and I had noted down the praesens of 'amo'.
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Author's note: in the coming chapter it will be Andre's birthday. Will the Queen have a present for him? And will it be what Andre hopes for?