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In Sorrow and In Joy - The Next Day.

Knocking, and opening the door to the Queen's suite early the next morning, Joseph popped his head around the door. "Clarisse?" He called out, looking around the room when he saw her ladies maid opening the drapes hanging over the french doors before turning to him.

"She's in her bathroom," Éloise said as she put her hands together in front of her and watched as Joseph slowly stepped into the room. "She's just about to have a shower," she said while glancing to the single rose he had in his hand for his Queen, as promised.

"Okay," he nodded slightly and glanced towards the bedroom door a moment before looking back at the maid. The door was open just a crack and if he listened carefully he could just about hear the running water from her shower. "Do you mind leaving, there's something that I would like to talk to her about in private." He asked.

"Of course," Éloise nodded as she began to walk across the room towards the open suite door. "Have her send for me when she's ready."

"I will," Joseph nodded as she came to a stop near the door and turned to him, "thank you, Éloise."

"It's alright," she said, giving him a small smile before bowing her head and walking out of the suite.

Reaching his arm out, he closed up the door behind her and locked it before walking into the bedroom and doing the same with that door. "Clarisse," he called out once again as he began to walk across the bedroom towards her bathroom door.

Coming to stand in the bathroom doorway in her knee length robe, Clarisse smiled when she saw Joseph walking towards her. "I thought I heard your voice," she said, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him now standing in front of her, "good morning!"

"Good morning to you too, and sorry I'm a bit late," he smiled and stepped closer to give her a quick kiss before holding up his hand between them, offering her the rose he had brought with him. "One red rose for you."

"Oh," she exclaimed happily as she placed one hand on her chest while taking the rose from him with her other hand, "I thought you had forgotten."

"No, never," he said with a shake of his head as she raised the rose to her nose to smell it's sweet scent, "I had planned to sneak in and lay it on your pillow, so that it would be there for you when you woke up, but something came up that I had to see too."

"Oh, what's happened," she said and tilted her head slightly while looking up at him before moving to walk past him standing in the doorway and into her bedroom, "is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, it's all sorted now and nothing to worry about," he said, watching as she slipped the rose into the small vase on her bedside table, along with the other one from yesterday, before turning to him.

"Oh that's good," she said and walked back over to stand in front of him.

"Oh I forgot to say, Éloise said to send for her when you're ready for her," Joseph said.

"She's not here?" Clarisse asked and raised her eyebrow as she turned her head slightly, quickly glancing towards her now closed bedroom door before looking back up at him.

"No she's not, I asked her if she could leave us, because I wanted to see you and speak to you without her about," he said, half smiling as he stepped closer to her and reached his hands out onto her sides. "I missed you last night."

Looking down between them as her pulse quickened and her tummy fluttered, she bit her bottom lip and put all her focus on one of his shirt buttons. She had to stay focused, especially this morning. The morning of her sons wedding. "I missed you too, I missed falling to sleep in your arms," she said as she thought about her night alone and how long it actually took her to fall asleep without him there with her like he usually is on a Friday night. "I need to go and, um.." she stumbled over her words and shook her head before looking back up into his eyes, "I need to take a shower," she finally said, his aftershave intoxicating her senses.

"Ok," he said and snaked his arms around her, holding her body against his as he lowered and tilted his head to kiss her. A quick peck first, followed by a slow sensual kiss. "No ones about, they are all down having breakfast," he said against her lips before kissing her again. "And I locked the doors behind me."

Raising her arms, Clarisse snaked them around his neck, and while one hand grasped the back of his head her other hand gripped the back of his shoulder. Tilting her head to the side, Joseph began to trail quick kisses up her jawline to her ear and then down the side of her neck where they stood for a brief moment before he lifted her effortlessly off her feet and carried her into the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind them with his foot.

Taking a sip of his morning coffee, Pierre stepped out the back entrance of the palace and glanced around his surroundings when he spotted his father sitting at one of the garden table's alone. He contemplated going back in and leaving him be, but decided to go over to make sure he was alright first. "Good morning, father," Pierre said, approaching the table as his father turned his head and looked up at him.

"Good morning," Rupert said and looked back out into the garden.

"Are you alright?" Pierre asked while pulling one of the garden chairs out and sat down at the table opposite his father.

"Oh yes, I'm alright," Rupert nodded and looked across the table at him. "What about you?"

"Yes, I'm alright too," Pierre said and took a sip of his coffee before putting his cup down on the table in front of him. "A big day ahead of us all today."

"Indeed it is," Rupert nodded and turned his head to glance across at the huge marquee that had been erected in their garden for the reception later that day. "Hopefully the weather will stay nice," he said and turned his head to look back at his son before looking up into the sky.

"Well they haven't forecast rain today, so hopefully it will," Pierre said and looked up at the sky too. It was a beautiful shade of blue, and there wasn't a cloud insight.

"Good," Rupert said as he looked back at the table and picked up his teacup, taking a sip of the now cold liquid as Pierre looked back at him.

"How long have you been out here?" Pierre asked.

"A while," Rupert said as he placed the teacup back down on the table and slumped back in his chair. "Had to clear my head a bit, well try to at least," he said soberly while looking back out into the gardens.

"I see," Pierre said, his thoughts going straight to the incident yesterday when they were out on the drive with his mother. "Father?"

"Hmm," Rupert replied while looking back at him.

"What did you say to shock mother yesterday?" Pierre asked.

"Oh that, it was nothing," Rupert said with a shake of his head and looked back out into the garden.

"It didn't look like nothing to me," Pierre said as he watched his father, "mother was quite shocked, and whatever it was caused a little tension between you both at dinner last night, so it couldn't have been nothing."

Nodding, Rupert let out a sigh. "I was hoping that went unnoticed," he said sadly and looked up at his eldest son a moment. "I think I messed up everything with your mother."

"Why?" Pierre said as he studied his father. "What was it you said?"

"Well, I'd had a few to drink after golf, as you know," Rupert began and watched as Pierre nodded, "and when she, your mother, said about all of us going to bed to sleep it off before dinner, I told her that… well, I told her that I would love to take her to bed." He said and covered his face in his hands as Pierre gasped.

"What? You can't hand her to Joseph father, then expect to sleep with her two plus years later," Pierre exclaimed in shock at his father's revelation.

"I know… I know," Rupert nodded as he lowered his hands and looked at his son. "I was drunk, she was there and looked so beautiful, like she always does, and it just came out… I couldn't help myself."

"God father, I can't believe I'm hearing this," Pierre said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Wait a minute I just remembered, aren't you meant to be seeing Ruth?"

"I was, yes," Rupert nodded, "but it didn't work out between us, and after seeing your mother so happy this last couple years made me realise how much of a fool I have been and how much I miss her."

"I don't believe this," Pierre said, to say he was shocked was an understatement. "You do realise that she's happy because of her relationship with Joseph, right?"

"I know it is," Rupert nodded, "I know I never would, or could, make her that happy and I know that all that marriage advice that I gave to Philippe yesterday was everything that I should have done, but I failed. I failed as a husband," he said while shaking his head, "I should never have suggested the open marriage idea, I should have made that effort to make our marriage work, instead of giving up on it so easily."

"I knew it," Pierre said and shook his head as his father looked up at him, "I knew that was going to happen."

"I should never have cheated with Ruth either," Rupert said and looked down at the floor. "Especially at a time when your mother needed me, all I thought about was my own selfish needs without a thought for your mother and I will always regret that."

"No you shouldn't have cheated, but you know what father, it's a bit late now," Pierre replied coldly as Rupert looked back up at him. "I knew something like this would happen, you threw all those years away for Ruth and now look, you're not even together anymore and full of regret."

"You're right, I'll hold my hands up and admit that I made a mistake," Rupert nodded shamefully, "I just pray that Philippe doesn't make the same mistakes."

"Oh no father, he has more sense than you. He knows he's got a good woman in Helen and would never do something so stupid to ruin it," Pierre said while standing to his feet, "I need to go, I can't…" he said and shook his head as he began to walk back towards the palace. He felt so angry with his father, he couldn't even talk to him, let alone look at him, over what they have just talked about. He needed to get away from him, he needed to be alone and think.

Thoughts? Please do let me know what you think :) much appreciated.