Chapter 2

Joseph had spent a lifetime watching his queen and the intensity with which he'd studied Clarisse, the woman, had been a primary focus in the last five years. It didn't take that level of attention, however, to know something was terribly wrong with his wife. He took the necessary steps to close the distance between them. He pulled her close under the guise of hugging her as he whispered in her ear. "What's wrong, my love. You look as though you've seen a ghost."

Before she had time to say anything or give him any indication what was going on, Charlotte swept in with a smile. "Your Majesty, Joseph, your carriage awaits."

He felt Clarisse take a deep breath in his arms before she pulled away, the Queen mask firmly in place. She offered Charlotte a smile. "Thank you, dear." She looked up at him. "Joseph, shall we go?" Her eyes implored him to not press her for answers at this moment. As he'd always seen it as his job to protect the Crown, this was not an easy thing for him to do, but he also trusted her sense of timing. She would tell him at the first opportunity. He knew she trusted him more than anyone else in the world.

For now, that would have to be enough.

He took her hand and squeezed, a slight nod of his head signifying agreement with her unspoken request. They walked hand in hand to the carriage. He felt the pressure of her hand squeezing tightly, the primary indication that something was amiss. He decided to take a page from her book and forced a smile to his face as he waved at the Genovians who had gathered to be a part of this special day.

Once inside the carriage, she continued to look out the window and wave, her other hand never leaving his. He sighed. She was right—an open carriage with the streets lined with her adoring public—wasn't the right place for a serious conversation either.

Once they got back to the palace….then he would make her tell him what had her so upset on their wedding day.

The ride through the streets of Genovia continued and Joseph was certain had to be taking an eternity at least. Silently, he reprimanded himself for not being able to be in the moment and enjoy having Clarisse next to him, holding his hand, and declaring her love and commitment to him in the public spotlight. Seriously? What was wrong with him?

The look in her eyes.

The one that showed fear.

That's what was wrong.

He rarely saw fear in the depths of those beautiful baby blues, but today it had been there. Because of that, all of the reasons he had to be happy were shadowed by a dark cloud. He knew the smile she sported right now was solely for the benefit of the public – nothing more than a show. That thought alone left a heavy stone in the center of his gut. He needed to know what was wrong.

Her hand held his in a tight grip from which she'd shown no indication she would let go. Not that he minded. He just wasn't sure if that worried him or reassured him. He offered a gentle squeeze to let her know he was there for her…no matter what the Priest had said to upset her.

The Priest.

He'd seemed happy to marry them. He HAD married them. So what could he have possibly said to Clarisse to upset her so much? He had no idea….just that something had taken their trip to happily ever after on a serious detour.

Deciding it was time to take advantage of the public status of their relationship, he lifted their joined hands to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of each of her fingers. Those who were in the front of the lines along the street and could see, cheered even louder. Clarisse turned away from them and smiled sweetly at him.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you."

He let their hands drop back to the seat and resumed waving as she did. She loved him. Nothing else mattered, right? Whatever it was—they'd get through it—together.

After another eternity, the steps to the palace came into view. Finally.

The footman opened the door for Clarisse and helped her out. Joseph slid across the seat so he could get out on the same side and not lose contact with her. For some reason, her hand in his felt like a lifeline.

Most of the staff were waiting just inside and applause greeted them once again. Ever the picture of grace and dignity, Clarisse stopped to speak to them. "Thank you all so much for this warm welcome for Joseph and me. I know there's still much to be done for this evening, but I'm grateful that each and every one of you are a part of the family and look forward to seeing you at the festivities tonight."

"Long live Queen Clarisse!" They cheered in unison.

His Queen nodded her appreciation and then began the walk toward her suite. They'd just made it to an area he felt private enough to broach the subject of her secret when he heard heels clicking in quick succession. Charlotte was hastening toward them. He sighed and stopped their progress.

"Sorry for the interruption, but I wanted to double check a few details before, well...before you got back to the suite." Charlotte smiled and sported a slight blush.

Clarisse released her hold on his hand and stepped toward Charlotte, pulling her into a hug. Joseph wasn't certain who was more surprised, him or Charlotte. He could see Clarisse whispering in the young woman's ear. His stomach flip-flopped as he watched the color drain from Charlotte's face, now matching the pallor of his wife. His frustration grew as he realized she'd shared whatever was bothering her with Charlotte before him.

Charlotte stepped away and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'll see to it."

"Thank you. Joseph and I will need some time before we entertain guests."

Charlotte nodded and walked away without another word. Clarisse returned to his side and reclaimed his hand. "Clarisse, please tell me." He tried to keep the edge out of his voice.

"When we get to the suite. Please trust me that it's for the best."

An exasperated sigh escaped as he answered, "As you wish."

When they finally arrived, Felix was waiting at her door. "Congratulations ma'am, sir."

"Thank you, Felix." She started inside but was stopped by Joseph's lack of movement forward with her. "Joseph?"

"Felix, why don't you take a break. I'm confident Charlotte will be swooping in soon with people to prepare the Queen for this evening. I'd like a few moments with her before that happens."

Felix smiled. "You're the boss."

Joseph chuckled despite the gnawing in his gut. "For a few more days, anyway. Thanks."

Once Felix reached the end of the hall and turned, Joseph pulled Clarisse back toward him and scooped her up into his arms.

"Joseph! Whatever are you doing?"

"Carrying you across the threshold, of course. I know how important tradition is to you. Don't want to mess up from the start."

His statement transformed the surprise on her face to sadness. There it was – that look again. The one that made the pit of his stomach churn. He gently set her down and closed the door. He wanted answers, but he feared once she told him, it would change everything and ruin what was supposed to be the best day – and night - of his life.

Knowing they didn't have much time, he cupped her cheek. "In a moment, I'm going to ask you again to tell me what's bothering you."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he used the fingers from his other hand to touch her lips to silence the response. "I know you. Whatever the priest said to you has affected you deeply. You are my wife. No secrets." He smiled as he moved closer. "I have top level security clearance, you know."

His lips caught her smile as he led them until her back was to the wall. A thousand times at least he'd imagined kissing her like this. He was not going to miss the opportunity. He slanted his mouth across hers and deepened the kiss. A small moan of pleasure escaped as he felt her body adjusting to accommodate his while her lips softened in acceptance of the kiss.

Just a few moments—I can't deny myself a reprieve from this nightmare.

Clarisse felt Joseph's body move into her personal space and she wanted, even needed, to feel him closer. Her hands slid around to survey the broad expanse of his muscled back. She wished they didn't have so many layers separating them. His tongue swept across her lips and they opened on instinct to accept the invitation to dance with him in the kiss. She'd never felt so connected to another single person in her entire life.

The need for air forced her to tilt her head to the side. Joseph's mouth found the soft skin of her neck sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. "Oh Joseph…"

"Yes, mi amore. I cannot wait to have you to myself tonight. I have served you for years, but tonight, my love…" he pulled away from her enough that she could see the look of love, longing and perhaps even lust coloring his gaze. "Tonight I will worship you."

His words brought reality back into focus. As much as she didn't want to, she had to tell him.

But first, one more kiss. She cupped his cheek and let her thumb run across his soft, sweet lips. There was a desperation to her touch this time. Fear laced her actions…worry that this could be the last intimate moment they shared. She fought to keep the moisture accumulating under her closed lids from seeping out onto her cheeks. Her lips sought his hungrily, consuming as much as possible in this brief moment. A lifetime she'd waited and now…now it was all hanging on the thin thread of duty.

With great reluctance, she felt Joseph pull away, concern marring his strong features. "You must tell me, Clarisse. My stomach is in knots with worry about my wife and best friend."

Clarisse nodded and stepped away from him. She needed space from the heat of his body in order to think clearly. "When you carried me across the threshold, you mentioned the importance of tradition."

He stepped closer, but her upraised hand stopped his movement. He nodded. "Duty and tradition have been ruling factors in your life. I know how important they are to you."

She leaned against the wall for fear her legs would not support her as she shared this truth with him. "Sometimes duty and tradition are cruel task masters that require us to do things we otherwise would not."

He searched his brain for anything that would give him an indication of where she was headed with this. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Though, I'm at a loss at why this has you so upset at this time. Please, you must tell me what duty or tradition has you so troubled?"

Clarisse fought for the courage to say the words, but her mouth filled with cotton. The ache in her stomach intensified and she worried she might not be able to hold down the small amount of breakfast she'd had this morning.

Joseph wanted to go to her, but she'd made it clear she needed space. He worried that she was going to collapse. A knock on the door brought him out of the spiraling vortex she'd cast upon him since her first words. "Enter!" He barked, upset that anyone would dare interrupt them after so few minutes.

Charlotte entered. "I'm so sorry, Joseph."

"I'm not. Maybe you can tell me what the hell is going on as my wife can't find the words. Apparently the ones she shared with you aren't sufficient to inform me."

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth when he saw Clarisse's head drop as her arms wrapped around her midsection. In all the years he'd known her, with all the grief she'd had to endure, it was only at the height of her misery that she couldn't keep it together enough to speak. Was she miserable because of marrying him? Her kisses a few moments ago didn't feel that way.

Charlotte stepped closer to Clarisse. "Would you like me to tell him, ma'am?" She whispered as she touched her upper arm.

"Please…"

"Someone needs to tell me something. I'm about to go crazy trying to understand why my wife is so upset on our wedding day."

"It's not the wedding day she's upset about," Charlotte began.

"Then what?"

"The wedding night."

Those three words drove the anger out of Joseph as quickly as it had surfaced. He moved toward the couch and gestured for Charlotte to get Clarisse to join them. She did as he asked and brought her to sit next to him. Clarisse's head was still bowed. Charlotte sat in the chair opposite them. Joseph reached over and put his hand on her knee. "Clarisse, I know it's been a long time for you. It's been a long time for me too. I promise that we'll take things slow and do this at our own pace." He grinned even though she couldn't see him. "We've tackled so many challenges throughout our life together. We just need a little time and privacy…" He shot Charlotte a soft glare. "We've got this. Just you and me."

Clarisse sighed deeply and raised her head to gaze into his blue eyes. "Therein lies the problem. It won't be just you and me."

He cast a quick glance toward Charlotte. Her expression did not offer any reassurances. "I don't follow. What do you mean?"

"The consummation ceremony."

"The what?"

Her head dipped again as her cheeks flushed. Charlotte rejoined the conversation. "An ancient, but still practiced tradition that requires royals to publicly consummate their wedding vows."

"You've got to be kidding me. Why haven't I heard of this before?"

"Rupert and I were already married when you came to the palace." Clarisse offered him a rueful smile, "You missed the show the first time. No one has gotten married since."

Joseph felt the blood drain from his face, "That's what the priest wanted to talk to you about, isn't it?"

Clarisse nodded.

"I assume you tried to talk him out of it."

"I did, unsuccessfully."

He stood and started to pace. "Well, we just won't do it. In this day and age, it's not realistic to force someone to make love to another person in front of people out of some sick, perverted ancient tradition. We'll simply refuse."

Charlotte interjected as she saw Clarisse was struggling with keeping her composure. "If you two don't honor the tradition and perform the ceremonial rites, Her Majesty will most likely lose the throne."

"What?!" He couldn't believe his ears. After everything they'd endured to secure the throne for Amelia. "The Princess is crowned in one week. One week!"

"Which gives her opponents more than enough time to accuse her of entering into a union unrecognized by the church and, therefore, illegitimate. The matter is further complicated by the fact, please forgive me for saying, that she married someone without royal lineage. They can declare her unfit to rule and take it all away before the Princess ascends to the throne."

His head was spinning. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't even find words to respond to such a ludicrous scenario. He paced the length of the room a few times trying to make sense of it all.

"It's not making love…" Clarisse whispered.

Her words stopped him in his tracks. "I beg your pardon?"

"We're simply required to consummate our vows, nothing else."

The anger reasserted itself in full force and surged to every pore of his being. He stormed toward the door. His hand was on the knob before he stopped and turned around. "I have loved you for a lifetime and for you to suggest the first time I was permitted to show that love to you in a physical way that I would just…" He shook his head. "You don't know me at all."

Clarisse and Charlotte both jumped at the sound of the slamming door. They could hear his footsteps as he made his way down the hall. A tension-filled silence permeated the room. When the door opened again, both women looked hopefully in that direction.

"Gramma? Where's Joe headed? He seems pretty upset about something."