Chapter 4

Clarisse couldn't get comfortable, much less sleep. After having Joseph's warmth next to her for months now, she found the absence of it caused her to lose her center. He was her calm.

Perhaps that's why she'd felt so hurt that he kept this from her. She knew something was off. Gave him every opportunity to tell her and still he kept his silence. He's loyal. You admire that about him.

She huffed and turned to her other side. He was loyal. It was just that normally his loyalties had always been first and foremost to her. Scott and Charlotte were very close to him as well. They'd asked him to keep this from her. A tear slipped unbidden down her cheek. Perhaps that hurt most of all. Charlotte not trusting her.

Joseph's questions stomped across her brain offering no respite from the self-reflection she'd endured since climbing into bed almost an hour ago. If they had shared with her, what would she have said? She certainly would have explained, from a historical standpoint, how dangerous these men were. And she had no doubt they were all men. Amelia's push for women in Parliament and Charlotte being at the top of the list, had to have shaken each and every single member of that cowardly society. They hid in the shadows and outsourced a large portion of the dirty work.

But, at the end of the day, she would have supported Charlotte's decision. It wasn't in her, nor in Charlotte or Amelia, to back down. If she'd known, they could have planned better. She would need to know…need to ask her to trust her more in the future or learn why she couldn't this time.

So as she reasoned further, she understood that for whatever reason, Charlotte and Scott chose not to tell her, but they told Joseph and then called up on his loyalty to not tell her either. He was torn between conflicting loyalties.

She was still upset and deeply hurt, but she didn't want to be alone. She'd had to do so much of her life alone and isolated, it was ridiculous to do it when she could make a choice. She wiped the tears from her face and went into the front room.

To her surprise, Joseph was sitting where she had been earlier, staring into the empty fireplace. "Joseph?"

He turned toward her, "Yes?"

"Please come to bed. I'm not at a place where I can completely forgive, but I understand how conflicted you must have been. I'm sorry you were put in that position."

In a moment, he was standing in front of her and pulling her into his embrace. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You are my first priority and I should never have agreed to it. I promise your faith in me is not misplaced."

She felt his lips on her forehead and felt herself relax for the first time in several hours. She needed him as much as she needed air to breathe. "Come to bed, my love. Let's try to get some rest. We have a long road ahead of us."

C/J

The next morning everyone in the inner royal circle was summoned to the Queen's office. "I'm going to make a statement to the press," Mia began.

Charlotte's head began shaking, "Please, Your Majesty. Let's not do anything to further antagonize them."

Mia walked over to Charlotte and put her hand on her arm. "Charlotte, I know you're scared. So am I." She pulled herself to her full height. "But I didn't put up with bullies in high school and I'm not about to start now when I'm Queen."

She then turned to her grandmother. "Gramma, I'd like you beside me if you will."

Clarisse felt her heart swell within her chest. "Of course, dear. I'd be honored to."

Mia nodded and smiled. "Good. I'd also like your help with my statement to the press. You know these bullies probably better than anyone. I want to let them know we won't be intimidated."

Charlotte and Shades cut a glance to each other. They understood the unspoken message. They'd been wrong and their Queen was going to try to set things straight.

"Shades."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I want you to pick the person you trust the most to provide security for Charlotte. I know Joe's got Gramma and you've got me. I also want to call up the reserves and make sure that the palace is protected along with any major landmarks in Genovia as well as an internal search to begin to find out who might have helped these punks get a bomb inside our home."

A chorus of "Yes ma'am" resounded throughout the room.

Mia nodded. "Then let's get started."

Charlotte spoke up. "What do you want me to do, ma'am?"

Mia looked up from the paper on her desk, "Stay with Shades until he assigns you security and then you should start working on your agenda for Parliament."

"I'd like to help you both."

Mia cut a look at her grandmother and then to Charlotte before shaking her head. "We'll be fine. Please, stay safe and get ready to show those old men in Parliament what progress looks like."

Charlotte sighed but then nodded her head and bowed, "As you wish."

Shades took her hand and led her out of the room. Joseph opened his mouth to say something but one look at his wife and granddaughter's face told him now was not the time. "I'll make sure security is outside the door and then I'll help Shades with launching the investigation."

Mia nodded. "Get the bastard, Joe."

He smiled. "Besides making things up to my wife, it will be my personal mission." He walked over and kissed Clarisse on the cheek. "I'll be back to check on you soon." Then he leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Please at least speak with Charlotte today, give her a chance to apologize."

He didn't wait for her to respond as he feared she might not agree. He would also try to encourage Charlotte to seek her out and try to make amends for the mistakes they all had made.

Several hours later, the press had gathered in the main foyer of the palace. Mia stood in the center, flanked by Clarisse on one side and Shades on the other. Joseph stood beside Clarisse and the royal guard had taken positions on each side of the staircase and behind the group. It was a show of power and strength in addition to making sure the queen and her grandmother were protected.

"Citizens of Genovia and members of the press, I stand before you today outraged at the recent attack against the very foundation of our country. Parliament represents the people of Genovia and for someone to violate the sanctity of that establishment is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Genovia's history is strong and our steps into the future are sound and welcomed by the people. We will fight together against whomever threatens our progress. I ask you now to stand with me as we boldly move forward." Mia reached and took her Grandmother's hand and brought her closer. "The Renaldi family has been caring for and watching over Genovia for generations and our great country has prospered. We will not be intimidated and we will not bow to bullies who threaten us, our way of life, or our future."

The crowd roared and cheered at her words. She cast a quick glance at her grandmother who was beaming with pride. She'd caught her nodding her head in support of everything they'd written as Mia said it. She hated that Charlotte couldn't be here with them, but she'd decided, for her safety, it was best to keep her in the security hub.

Once the cheering calmed somewhat, she finished. "I'll conclude with this. Whoever you are, we will find you and you will pay for your actions against the Crown and the beloved people of Genovia. Thank you all for coming today."

Once back in her office, she looked at Shades. "What do you think?"

"It was a wonderful speech, Your Majesty."

Mia waved his compliment off. "Of course it was, Gramma wrote it." She grinned. "I meant do you think that was enough to bait them into trying something else so we can catch them?"

He sighed heavily. He hadn't been a big fan of this plan, but knew with a society as secret as the Order of the Crimson Pear, that was probably the only way to catch them. He just worried about what they might try next. If placing a bomb in the palace was step one, what in God's name could be step two? "I think you have definitely poked the bear, ma'am."

Mia leaned back in her chair. "Good. Now let's all try to get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do."

Back in Clarisse and Joseph's suite.

Joseph climbed into bed next to Clarisse. He waited to see if she would snuggle into her normal position or if it was still a I want you here but not too close situation. He breathed a sigh of relief when she spooned against him and pulled his arm around her waist. "Do you think we did the right thing today?" She whispered.

His heart clenched a little at the thought that they'd just painted a big red target on Amelia's back. "I understand why she did it. I just hope it works and that we can keep everyone safe."

"Charlotte's the only one in real danger. They wouldn't dare come after a member of the royal family. They threated the one person they thought they could get to, but I know that Scott won't let anything happen to her. He has his best man watching over her along with one of the female guards."

"I hope you're right, my dear. Speaking of Charlotte, did you get a chance to talk with her today?"

There was a long silence. "No."

"Clarisse, please. You can still be upset, but you need to share with her how you're feeling and let her explain. She's been your closest female friend for as long as I can remember."

Clarisse turned in his arms. "Which is why this hurts so much. Can you understand that?"

He did. But he also knew Charlotte was as torn up about it as she could possibly be. "I understand. She made a mistake. We've all made them. But, as her closest friend, you both need to talk this out."

She turned back around and resumed her original position. She felt his hand run along her arm and down to her hip. "Have you forgiven me, yet?"

"I'm working on it, but I'm not entirely there yet. I'm sorry."

He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "No, I'm the one that's sorry. You still plan on letting me escort you to the ballet tomorrow night, right?"

She took his hand and held it tightly within hers. "You've escorted me the last ten or so years, I see no reason to change that now."

He squeezed her hand. "I promise to be on my best behavior and make it a night you'll never forget."

"See that you do." She smiled, knowing how Joseph wasn't a big fan of the ballet, but always sat next to her in the box. He told her last year that he loved watching her watch the ballet. Her smile faded. Charlotte usually came with her too. Perhaps she would need to speak with her tomorrow and try to set things right.

With that thought in mind, she moved further into Joseph's embrace and dreamed of how much fun making up would be.