Hey everyone, thank you to you all for reading and to those leaving me wonderful reviews :) I appreciate it all so so much.
Here's the next chapter for you…
Everything Was Perfect - Part 4.
Turning to her husband, Clarisse wrapped her arms round herself and slowly walked over to stand in front of him sitting on the armrest of the armchair. "Just what you said earlier, about why you and Ruth broke up," she said and watched as he looked down at the floor.
"We wanted different things," Rupert said and slumped back in his chair while looking down at his hands resting on the table. "She wanted me to divorce Clarisse and marry her instead."
"Why didn't you tell me that was the reason when we spoke in here the day after Philippe and Helen's wedding?" She asked as Rupert moved from the armrest to sit in the armchair.
"Because I felt ashamed, I felt stupid," Rupert said and looked up at her. "I went into that relationship with Ruth thinking that she knew, that she understood it would never go any further than just that. That it would, and never could lead to marriage. But I was wrong."
Collapsing onto his back on the bed beside his lover after just making love, Rupert put his hand on his chest and tried to catch his breath, as Ruth moved to sit on the edge of the bed and grabbed her robe from the bottom of the bed. "What time do you have to leave?" She asked.
"In about an hour," Rupert replied breathlessly and watched as she slipped on her robe before standing to her feet, to walk into her bathroom. "I wish I could stay longer, but you know how it is. I need to get back."
"Yes I do, unfortunately," Ruth replied from her bathroom as Rupert turned his head towards the bathroom door a moment.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rupert asked while sitting up on the bed.
"Just that," Ruth replied as she came back into the bedroom and stood by her bathroom door, "I'm getting tired of all this. I want to be able to enjoy more than just a couple hours with you, that's all."
"I know, and we will soon," Rupert said.
"When?" Ruth asked as she walked over to stand next to the bed, "you have been saying that we would spend more time together ever since we first started all this and I'm still waiting, Rupert."
"I'm sorry, I'll try and sort something out for us soon," Rupert said. "I promise."
"I'm sure you will," Ruth said as she folded her arms.
"Ruth, darling," Rupert exasperated and raised his eyebrow.
"What?" Ruth shrugged. "Clarisse doesn't even love you, so I don't understand why you are staying married to her for. You could divorce her and we could get married instead. Then we can be together more than just an hour or two here and here, and not just in private either."
"You know why we can't get married, Ruth," Rupert said as he watched her kneel down beside him on the bed. "If we get divorced, we lose everything that we have built up for our sons and I can't do that to them."
"But think of the life we would have together?" Ruth said as Rupert put his hand up to brush her hair back behind her ear before cupping her face, "we can live happily ever after, together, and in the open."
"You know I can't," Rupert said softly and smoothed his hand down her arm, taking hold of her hand in his. "What we have is perfect."
"It was perfect, it was," Ruth said as their gaze locked on one another, "but this isn't just a fling anymore, Rupert, I have fallen for you hook line and sinker."
"Ruth, I made all this perfectly clear from the start, that we could never marry,"Rupert said and shook his head, "but if that's what you now want with us then this relationship has to end now."
"You still love her, don't you?" Ruth said and watched as her King, her lover, climbed from the bed they just a short while ago made love in, like they have done so many times over the last couple years, and started to get dressed. "Well, that answers my question. You do still love her."
"And what if I do?" Rupert snapped as he turned to Ruth still sitting on the bed. "What Clarisse and I had before is long gone, she's happy with Joseph now. And I was happy with you."
"It all makes sense now," Ruth said and slowly climbed from the bed before turning to Rupert standing on the other side of the bed.
"What does?" Rupert asked, his trousers in his hands.
"You started this with me because she didn't want you, she wanted Joseph," Ruth said as Rupert gasped. "Did you ever love me? Or was it just the sex you wanted?"
"Of course I loved you," Rupert said as he walked around the bed to stand in front of her, "and you know that I love you."
"Then why won't you divorce Clarisse?" she asked while folding her arms, "is it because while you are still married to her, you still have that hold over her. Something you don't want to let go of."
"Oh Rupert," Clarisse said softly as she moved to sit on the armrest of his chair and wrapped one arm around his back, placing her hand on his shoulder while placing her other hand on the top of his arm closer to her. "I'm sorry it didn't work out between you."
"Don't be sorry, it's my own fault," he said regretfully and nodded slightly. "I actually regret ever getting involved with her in the first place if I'm honest," he said sadly as he looked back down at the floor, while reaching his hand up to rest on top of hers resting on his shoulder. "I let her come between us at a time when you needed me more than ever, and for that I will be forever sorry to you."
Looking at the top of his head, Clarisse thought back to the day she walked into his office and caught him with Ruth. Her whole world crashed around her, especially when she learned it had started not long after she had lost their longed for daughter and that he blamed her for pushing him away. But through all that they worked it out between them, had come to the arrangement that they had been in for the last couple years and had both been very happy with how things were. Or so she thought.
"I wish I could turn back time," he said, pulling her from her thoughts, and looked up at her, "I know that I would never make the same mistake again that's for sure, I would have paid more attention to you, fought for my marriage instead of starting an affair."
"Oh Rupert," Clarisse said as she rose to her feet and turned to him. "I, uh.." she stumbled, not really sure what to say as she folded her hands together in front of her stomach. "We've talked about this."
"I know we have," Rupert said as he too rose to his feet and turned to her. "I was just saying that I would never make the same mistake again, that's all," he shrugged. "But what's done is done, and I most certainly learned my lesson and all that."
"Maybe you could find someone else?" Clarisse suggested.
"Oh no, who's going to want me at my age?" Rupert said as he shook his head, "Clarisse, I'm 63 now, those days are well and truly over for me now."
"I'm sorry," Clarisse said sincerely, not really sure what else to say.
"It doesn't matter," he said, glancing towards the door before looking back at her, "anyway, I think I'm going to go up and have a lie down. I have an awful headache after all this today."
"Ok," Clarisse nodded as she took the few steps closer to him. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Yes, of course. I'll be fine," he nodded and gave her a small smile.
"Alright," Clarisse nodded and clasped her hands together in front of her. "And are we ok, I mean after all this today?"
"Of course we are," Rupert nodded and put his arms up onto the tops of her arms, "we will always be ok, in fact can you promise me something?"
"I'll try," Clarisse replied while unclasping her hands and pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling apprehensive over what he was going to ask her to promise.
"Promise that we would always be friends?" Rupert said and studied her face.
"Of course we will," Clarisse nodded and stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, a move that not only took her by surprise but Rupert too. "We may not be together, but you are still a dear friend to me and you always will be."
Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Rupert kissed the top of her head and half smiled. "And you are to me too."
"Good," Clarisse said as she pulled back to look up at her husband, "I just had a thought."
"What's that?" Rupert asked and studied her face as she stepped back from him.
"Well, what if the person who took these pictures was actually Ruth?" Clarisse said. "A type of revenge act or something."
"No, it wouldn't be Ruth," Rupert said and shook his head while slipping his hands into his pants pockets, "she wouldn't have even known where you were to go and take them in the first place, only Joseph knew the location until you arrived there on Friday."
"Oh yes, that's true," Clarisse nodded and watched his expression change. "No, I know what you are thinking and there is no way Joseph would do that to me." She said shamefully, knowing she had already accused him, as well as Harry and Sabrina, of being the culprit herself.
"You're right," Rupert nodded, "anyway, I'm going to go lie down. Are you coming out?" he asked as he began to walk over to the door.
"Not yet," Clarisse said from where she was stood next to the armchair and folded her arms around herself once again as Rupert stopped at the door and turned back to look over at her. "I'm going to stay here a little bit longer."
"Ok," he nodded and turned to walk out, "see you later for dinner then."
Standing by the french doors in the library later that evening with her arms folded, Clarisse absentmindedly raised one hand up and began to play with her necklace as she watched her younger son and his wife walk hand in hand away from the palace for their evening walk around the gardens. It had been an eventful day, one she couldn't wait to be over, but as she watched them laughing together and walking without a care in the world she had a feeling that she had never felt before.
Her relationship with Joseph was truly wonderful, more than she ever imagined it would be but she suddenly felt like there was something missing. Maybe finding out that Rupert ended his relationship with Ruth because she wanted marriage, something he couldn't give her, was the cause. Or maybe it was seeing her son and daughter-in-law walking care free together, knowing that she would never have that with her love, well not for the foreseeable future at least, was the cause. But whatever it was, it had left her with a feeling she did not like. An uneasy, unsettling feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.
"Oh hello bunny," Philippe said as he entered the library and watched as she turned her head to him, "I didn't realise you were still in here. Do you want me to leave?"
Smiling, she turned to her père as he walked over to her standing by the doors. "No, It's okay."
"Alright," he smiled and kissed her cheek. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm ok," she nodded, "I was just thinking about everything that has happened today."
"Yes, it has been a pretty big day. I caught Pierre's statement on the news," Philippe said as he walked over to one of the bookcases. "Quite an impressive speech from someone who doesn't want to be King."
"Yes it was," Clarisse nodded and moved to sit in one of the armchairs as she watched her father slip on his glasses, "what are you doing here anyway?"
"Oh, I just came to see if I could find a good book for my weekly read," Philippe said as he glanced over at her leaning to the side, her elbow resting on the armrest with her hands clasped together, before turning back to the bookcase. "I haven't seen you yet since you got back this morning, how was the trip? Well, before all this balcony business of course."
"Yes, it was good," Clarisse nodded at the memory of her and Joseph together at the beautiful lake house and sighed, "everything was perfect until we woke up this morning to see it all on the news."
"Yes, I must admit that it was quite a shock to see those photos of you and Joseph," Philippe said as he turned to her and slipped his hands in his pants pockets.
"I know it must've been, and I can only apologise that you had to see them," Clarisse said sadly.
"Don't apologise, it's fine bunny," he said and walked over to her, "it was actually good to see you happy, but there is something I do want to say though, if I may?"
"Of course, you can say anything you want to," Clarisse nodded and watched as her father pulled a chair closer to her. She was thankful that they had such a close bond, so much so that they could talk about anything and everything to one another. And she knew that she could always go to him for advice. If she needed to.