Appear to be on some kind of roll today...
Part 2
It was her eyes, he'd been thinking about it for days now, what it was that drew him to her, the eyes. Such warmth, such sincerity and beauty. The way they sparkled when she laughed, crinkled up at the sides when she smiled at him. How they looked when they filled with tears, how it broke his heart to see it. How she would look at him now they were married, late at night, after whatever trials and ordeals of the day had passed and they were alone. The silence of their room, the stillness, and she seemed to have a thousand questions for him on every subject, and they would lay side by side and she'd stare at him, into him, with those gorgeous eyes and listen so intently. And he loved each second of it.
"I'm growing selfish."
"How do you mean?" Clarisse glanced across at him over her desk.
Joseph leant forward and rested his elbows on her desk, watching her work wasn't an altogether exciting pastime but he was near her nevertheless. "I said, I'm growing more and more selfish by the day."
Clarisse bit her lip in an attempt to suppress her smile, dropped her pen and slipped her glasses off her nose. "And why do you think that?" She leant forward towards him.
"Because I'm spending more time with you now than I ever have and yet somehow it's still not enough."
She reached out and brushed his face with her fingers. "And you're such a romantic."
He shrugged. "I can but try."
"Well, I have to say," she leant back in her chair. "I'm enjoying the attention."
He laughed. "Good. So are you ready for tomorrow?"
"I certainly hope so, though I was little stumped on what to pack."
"Ahh but I've taken care of that, besides its five days if worse comes to worse I'm sure we can make do."
"Make do – a Queen never..." She stopped herself and took a breath shrugging. "Former Queen."
Joseph moved behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Queen to me."
"Thank you." She touched his hand briefly. "But if we're going to leave tomorrow I really must get through this."
"I know, I know. I'll leave you alone, don't forget dinner this evening, just the four of us."
"Four?" She queried looking up from her work.
"Mia is bringing a guest."
"Ahh and I wonder who that might be." She chuckled as he winked and closed her office door behind him leaving her to her work.
It was still dark when Joseph took Clarisse's hand and led her through the back corridors of the castle; she'd barely had time to dress but refused to leave without applying at least a little make-up.
"Tell me again why we're doing this."
"It's a surprise remember, trust me." He squeezed her fingers.
"I do, but it's not even 5:30." She laughed trailing behind him.
"Shhh, you'll wake everybody."
"Aren't there things we have to do before we leave?"
"Taken care of, relax, enjoy this." He slowed his walk and turned to her briefly before sliding a door back that she never even knew existed. "After you." He held back a curtain to allow her access.
She glared at him but walked through anyway into a totally dark room, the faint light of the hallway offering the only guidance. Joseph closed the door and replaced the curtain.
"Joseph I can't see a thing is this some cruel game."
"Not at all, come on." He took hold of her hand again and led her through the room as sure of his steps as if he were walking in bright sunlight.
"I take it this route is used regularly."
"Fairly. It's proved useful over the years."
"Hmm, should I be aware of any other secret passages?"
He laughed. "Not just yet..." He dropped her hand and typed a code into the console on the wall then pressed both hands flat against the surface of the door and pushed hard. "Here we are."
Clarisse felt the cool rush of the morning air tickle her ankles, and squinted at the early dawn light. "The courtyard?"
"The back of it." She followed him out and watched as he closed the door that seemed to disappear into the wall.
"Clever. How do you remember where it is?"
"Practice. Well shall we." He indicated the car behind her a sleek black Porsche.
"Elegant." She praised as he held the door for her.
Settling in Clarisse stretched her legs out and fastened her seatbelt waiting for Joseph to get in next to her. "But Joseph, where is my luggage?"
"Taken care of." He started the engine.
"Everything, my creams and make-up and..."
"Charlotte assures me everything is accounted for."
"Alright." She smiled coyly watching him.
"So shall we go?"
She waved a hand toward him. "Drive on. Do I get any clues yet?"
"Now what would be the fun in that, we have hours to kill with you questioning me on the subject."
"You mean with you teasing me on the subject."
"Exactly."
Joseph slowed as they approached the back entrance to the grounds and waited as the guards unlocked the gates for him. He waved his thanks, everybody involved had been part of a good briefing session the day before and were well aware of Joseph's 'surprise.'
As the car turned Clarisse glanced back at the castle. "Tell me why we had to leave so early?"
"Because my dear I wanted to make sure we would make the most of our five days. And because I wanted our leaving to be kept simple and secret. No security detail following us around."
"No, I don't suppose armed guards make for a romantic setting really." She added. "But I have you to protect me don't I."
"As always, though my plan is to not even see another person for the rest of the week."
Clarisse laughed and shifted in her seat. "How do you do this thing?"
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"Not enough room for my legs, do I press something?"
"There should be a catch on the side there, one for moving the seat the other for the back rest... you see it?"
"I think so...ahh." She slid back and Joseph couldn't help but laugh at her shocked expression.
"That's hardly fair." She complained sliding the chair forward again and gripping the dashboard for leverage.
"Do you want me to help?"
"I can do it." She struggled on. "There we go, I did it. Not all that technically challenged."
"We'll have you e-mailing before you know it."
"We'll see..." She rested her head back and closed her eyes.
"Clarisse, sweetheart, are you hungry?"
Joseph gently rubbed her shoulder. "Would you like some breakfast?"
"Hmm, are we there, did I fall to sleep?"
"You did, and no we're not there, but I packed breakfast."
"So thoughtful." She took his offered hand and climbed out of the car. "That looks good but isn't easy for an old lady to get out of." She admonished.
"Come and stretch your legs old lady."
She tucked his hand into hers as he led her away from the car down a short pathway until they were on the beach. A blanket was laid out with flasks of tea and various croissants and fruit.
"You're so good." She smiled sitting down and looking down the beach to the shoreline.
"If I were that good I would have arranged for the tide to be in."
She laughed. "Can't plan for nature."
"Apparently not." He poured the tea. "Shouldn't be much longer now, another hour or so."
"Alright. I'm quite enjoying the drive." She sipped her tea and looked up at the sun as it began its steady crawl across the sky.
"You slept for most of it." Joseph laughed. "You missed the sunrise."
"Oh dear, did you plan for that too?"
"Yes, and it cost me fortune to arrange."
"Joseph." She shook her head in amusement. "Eat something. I have plans for you this holiday." She said wryly, it was fun to flirt openly with him; she'd forgotten just how much fun.
"Clarisse!" He hid his smile with a shocked expression. "In that case, I would say the same to you."
She giggled, put her tea on one side and moved across to him, laying back and resting her head in his lap. The air was cool, autumn was coming, she could even smell it in the breeze. A few weeks from now there would be no lazing on the beach, the leaves would have turned and the mornings would be frosty.
She opened her eyes as she felt Joseph's fingers gently lift a stray lock of hair from her forehead and smiled up at him.
"I was just thinking it will be autumn soon."
"It will."
"And how much I love it, my favourite season. And how much..." She smiled warmly. "And how happy I am right now."
"Alright then, which film featured 'People'?"
"Oh that's easy. Funny Girl."
"Will I ever win anything? It's like being on a car journey with a Quiz show host. You know everything." Clarisse laughed twisting in her seat to watch Joseph.
"I can't help it, I used to have a lot of time on my hands, plenty of free evenings."
It was Joseph's turn to laugh at her discomfort. "Never had what dear, lovers?"
"Lady friends."
"Ha! I had plenty of those, but they never seemed particularly interested in any kind of relationship, not after the first few dates anyhow."
"Why? You're a fairly intelligent man." She smiled.
"Thanks."
"Seriously, you're kind and thoughtful, and attractive."
"Flatterer."
"Joseph I'm being serious. All these years, you've never married before, I never even heard of you having dates."
"I never wanted them, after a certain point you just accept the inevitable."
"Which is?"
"That it didn't matter who I dated or how beautiful and funny she was, she simply wasn't you."
"Oh."
"And of course when they got to know me and realised my heart wasn't entirely in the matter of dating them," he shrugged. "Well they soon lost interest."
"We've known each other for the past fifteen plus years."
"I know. I never said I was a monk, I just never could commit. Even though my head was telling me you were married, and not just to anybody but to a King, to the very man I was sworn to protect. I couldn't stop myself feeling, just feeling so much more for you than patriotism or a sense of duty."
"We never spoke about this."
"What was I going to do, corner you in your office one day and break the news to you, 'Your majesty I'm hopelessly in love with you'."
"In love with me? All this time?"
"For a long time... you must have realised." He took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her.
She rested back in her chair re-arranging her scarf. "I guess I must have, to some degree. The odd glance my way, a look that lingered a second too long. Yes, yes I knew. But I always assumed that at some point you would get over it, so to speak, and find somebody. And then Rupert's death and that whole time, you were such a constant companion to me. It got harder to ignore that spark between us."
He inwardly sighed, it was good to hear her admit the attraction out loud.
"But I just can't, I mean it's such a long time, why did you wait so long with no real guarantee anything could or would ever happen?"
"Because I adore you, I always did, I always will."
She smiled and turned to look out the window at the view, there was nothing more to say, she didn't need any more explanations right now, though she suspected the next few days were going to hold some real soul searching. Just when had she realised their 'friendship' was more than simple affection? When had she admitted it to herself and ignored it and blocked it away because of the guilt over loving somebody else when your husband had just died? He deserved to know these things, and perhaps on some level it would do her good to finally discuss it with him.
"I know where we are." Clarisse exclaimed as the lake came into view. "I love this place."
"I know." Joseph winded the car down the uneven road that lay adjacent to the lake and toward the private cottage hidden away from prying eyes.