She Needs To Know - Part 2.
After leaving his parent's in the library, Pierre made his way to the foyer and began to make his way up the stairs, to go back to his suite, when his aunt Elaina, grandfather and Joseph all came through the main door. "Hello Pierre," Elaina said and watched as her nephew stopped halfway up the staircase and turned to them as Joseph closed the door behind them all. "Is your mother about?" Elaina asked as all three of them walked towards the stairs.
"Yes, but she's in the library with father," he said and looked up at Joseph, "I left them talking about the possibility of getting back together," he said and raised his eyebrow, his gaze remaining on Joseph.
"What!" Elaina exclaimed and looked at her father in surprise before they both turned their heads to look at Joseph then back up the stairs at Pierre.
"Are you sure that's what they are talking about?" Philippe asked as he glanced back to Elaina, then back up at his grandson, "because I find that hard to believe, that they would be talking about that."
"Me too," Elaina nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you see, father regrets ever agreeing to the arrangement and realises he should have done more to save their marriage instead of giving up on them so quickly in the first place, and actually wants them to get back together," Pierre said and watched as his aunt and grandfather looked back at one another in disbelief before looking at Joseph, who had turned and was heading back over to the door.
"Joseph, where are you going?" Elaina asked, as she and her father watched him walk out before she looked back at her father. "Will you be alright if I went after him, to try and speak to him?" She asked.
"Yes I'll be fine, you go," Philippe said and nodded as he watched her hurry across the foyer and out the door before he turned to look back at his grandson.
"Joseph, wait," Elaina exclaimed as she carefully hurried down the palace steps after him. "Please don't listen to what Pierre says, not until we have seen Clarisse first."
"Why," Joseph said and turned to her once he had reached his car. "I think we all know what's going to happen, don't you?"
"I know it looks that way," Elaina said as she came to a stop in front of him, "but it will never happen, them getting back together I mean. She love's you to much."
"How do you know that they won't?" Joseph asked as he studied her face, "he's the King, he has the power to do what he wants, when he wants, and if he really wants Clarisse back, then he will do everything he can to get her back and there's nothing that I, or you, can do about it," he said as they stared at one another a long moment.
"Okay, that is true but please let's not jump to conclusions, I know he can do a lot of stuff with just a snap of his fingers but he knows how much she love's you and I'm sure he will never be able to take that away from you both," Elaina said as she reached one hand out and placed it on the side of his arm, "so why don't we go back inside and see what happen's when they come out of the library,"she said and watched as Joseph turned his head to look at the palace.
"I think I'm going to go for a drive," he said and looked back at her, "I need sometime alone to think."
"Okay, but what do I tell Clarisse in the meantime," Elaina asked as Joseph turned to climb in his car and opened the door window.
"Just tell her that I will be back later," he said and turned his head to look at Elaina as she stepped closer to the car and put her hands on the door. "She doesn't need to know anything else."
"Okay," Elaina nodded and reluctantly stepped back as he started his engine. "Please drive carefully, I'll never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you."
"Nothing will happen, I will be fine," Joseph said as he looked at her then at the driveway as he began to drive away from her.
After watching him disappear out of sight, Elaina let out a sigh and turned to go back inside. Praying that with him being in the mood he was in that nothing would happen.
Meanwhile, sitting at the table in the library with her elbows resting on the table and her hands up covering her face, Clarisse tried to make sense with what was going on. "Why now," she asked a moment later and looked at her husband still standing across the library by the window. "Why now after all this time, and after I spoke to you about our weekend away too," she said and shook her head before looking down at the table.
"I know, and I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Rupert said and watched as she held her head in her hands, "Pierre shouldn't have said anything to you about this."
Raising her head, Clarisse looked across at him in disbelief, "so what, if Pierre hadn't told me any of this, you wouldn't have either?"
"No, I wouldn't have," Rupert said and shook his head as he walked back over to the table and sat down in the chair he had been sitting in before, "I figured, even though Ruth and I had broken up, you were still living your life, you were still happy and I wanted it to stay that way. I didn't want to ruin that for you and Joseph, so I was going to stay quiet."
"Oh, how thoughtful of you," Clarisse said and shook her head ever so slightly while looking across the table a long moment before looking back at him. "Wait a minute… what you said out on the drive," she said and watched as her husband looked down at the table, "about taking me to bed, you meant that. Didn't you?" She asked and began to shake her head in disbelief, as he slowly nodded his. "If you were going to keep quiet and not tell me any of this in the first place, as not to ruin things for me then why did you ask to take me to bed." She exclaimed.
"Clarisse, it was a drunken mistake, I'd had one to many drinks that day and I slipped up. I should never had said it," he exclaimed as she got to her feet in anger and started walking over to the door. "Clarisse, please wait," he said and stood to his feet. "Please don't walk away."
Stopping by the door, Clarisse turned back to her husband and studied him a moment. "Is that why you and Ruth broke up, because you want me again?" She asked while wrapping her arms around herself.
"Oh, it just didn't work out between us, that's all. We had broken up a while before I realised I wanted you back," he shrugged, not really wanting to give her the real reason why and even from across the room he could see the heartache, the worry in her eyes. "But you know, just because we aren't together anymore, doesn't mean you and Joseph have to finish too. If that's what you are worried about, I am quite happy for you both to continue seeing each other."
"But you," Clarisse began while looking across at him with tears in her eyes and folded her hands together on her chest, "you have just admitted to me that you miss me and want me back, after all this time, and the other day you told me you wanted to take me to bed, telling me it meant nothing yesterday, when in fact you did mean it," she exclaimed angrily and shook her head, "so how do you expect me to carry on with Joseph now, knowing how you feel about me."
"Clarisse, I realised I had made a mistake a while ago, I realised I should have made an effort to make our marriage work but I didn't. I was weak, I gave up on us way to easily and for that I will be forever sorry," he said while slowly walking over to stand in front of her as she looked down at the floor and wiped her tears away. "And although you're right, I do want you back, I know that it will never work between us," he said as she looked back up at him, "I see how happy Joseph makes you every day, and that's something I would never be able to compete with. Not now. Not at my age."
Looking up with tears rolling down her cheeks, Clarisse looked into her husband's eyes and studied him a moment before he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as she turned her head, resting it on his chest and cried. "I also realise that we are better as friends now and that's how it's going to stay," he said softly, "because I certainly do not want to break what you and Joseph have," he said honestly, knowing that they would never have that type of relationship again, even if they tried.
After talking to her sister about what happened with Rupert in the library, Clarisse made her way up to her suite, where she had been ever since, standing out on her balcony, staring across her gardens, contemplating everything that had happened while watching the palace staff dismantle and pack away the marquee from yesterday's wedding. When hearing her sister calling her from her suite later that day, distracted her, pulled her from her thoughts. "Clarisse, are you here?"
"I'm out on the balcony," Clarisse called back as she placed one hand down on the balustrade and turned to the side, looking over at the french doors as Elaina appeared in the doorway.
"Here you are," she said as she stepped out onto the balcony and walked over to her, "are you okay?" She asked, giving her a hug.
"I'm still a bit confused, and still trying to get my head round it," Clarisse said as they pulled apart, "but otherwise I'm okay."
"I imagine you are, I would be too," Elaina said as she watched her sister fold her arms while resting her hip against the balustrade. "But it would make sense, his behaviour and the way he was looking at you yesterday at the wedding."
"Yeah, I suppose it does," Clarisse said and turned her head to look out across the garden once again.
"Anyway, Larry and Grace were wondering if you were coming down for dinner?" Elaina said as Clarisse looked back at her.
"Yes," Clarisse said while checking the time on her watch, "I'll be down shortly," she said when Joseph suddenly popped into her head. "Oh god, with everything going on I had completely forgot about Joseph."
"What about Joseph?" Elaina asked wearily as Clarisse looked back at her.
"Well he was meant to have been spending the day with me after I had spoken to Rupert and Pierre, but then everything happened and I forgot," Clarisse said and turned to walk over to the french doors. "I better go call him."
"Uh.." Elaina said and watched as Clarisse stopped and turned to her. "He's not actually here."
"What do you mean he's not here?" Clarisse asked as she watched her sister look down at the floor. "Elaina, what going on? Where is he?"
"Well, he was in the foyer with me and father when Pierre told us that you and Rupert were in the library talking about potentially getting back together," Elaina said and looked back up at her sister.
"What?" Clarisse gasped while unfolding her arm's and putting her hands up to frame her face, "and you're just telling me this now?"
"I'm sorry," Elaina exclaimed, "I really am."
"Did he say where he was going?" Clarisse asked as she lowered her hands from her face.
"No, but I did try to stop him and told him not to jump to conclusions and to wait for you first, but he said he needed sometime alone to think, got in his car and drove off," Elaina said as she watched her sister turn her head away.
"I think I know where he might be," Clarisse said a moment later and made her way back inside as Elaina followed her. Picking up her phone, she dialled a number and waited for them to pick up.
"Who are you calling?" Elaina asked from the balcony doorway.
"Harry and Sabrina at the hotel," Clarisse said as she glanced across at her sister then down at the floor as the phone continued to ring. "He may have gone there."
"Hello," Harry said, finally picking up the phone.
"Hello Harry, it's Clarisse," Clarisse said down the phone as Elaina slowly stepped back into her sister's suite and walked over to her. "I wonder if Joseph has been there this afternoon, or might be there now?"
"Oh darling, he was here earlier but he left," Harry said down the phone.
"Okay, was he alright? Did he say where he might be going too?" Clarisse asked him.
"He didn't say, but he did seem distracted, like something was bothering him," Harry said, "is everything alright?"
"Not really," Clarisse said sadly and momentarily closed her eyes, "listen Harry, if you hear from him can you tell him to get in touch, please?"
"Of course I will," Harry said as he nodded, "call us if you need us, alright."
"I will, thank you Harry. My love to you both," she said and hung up with a sad sigh.
"Come on you, please try not to worry I'm sure he will be just fine and will be back before you know it," Elaina said as Clarisse turned to her. "This is Joseph after all."