Part 4
A smooth sensation caressed Clarisse's leg, breaking her reverie, as her senses began to wake she was instantly aware of the warmth surrounding her. It was comforting and settling and she never wanted to move again.
She was aware of a dull aching in the pit of her stomach and then a sudden intake of breath as a hand reached its goal. She moaned out loud, still incoherent, still inhabiting sleep.
A mouth on her neck, fingers on her hips, her inner thigh. She forced her body to move, slipping from her side to lie on her back, and in an instant Joseph's mouth was on hers. It occurred to her she was naked, she didn't recall falling to sleep in that state, usually she would have hated the fact he'd obviously been studying her body but right now it excited her. It was a feeling she wasn't used to, she was being revered, her name escaping from his mouth like some kind of mantra.
Somehow her hands found their life and reached out around his back holding him close to her, pressing his body into hers. They made love slowly and languidly, wordless worshipping in the dusty morning air.
"I was thinking." Clarisse's body lay half across Joseph's her head resting on her chest, his hand slowly tracing across her stomach, her hips and waist and then back up to her breasts again.
"Hmm."
"I was thinking, that I'm getting rather hungry." She lifted his left hand up into the air, tracing down each finger with her nails then down his arm. Holding her hand up against his and comparing the shape and size and how they fitted together so very neatly.
"You're hungry?"
"Mmm, and I was also thinking, I'd like to be woken like that every morning please."
Joseph chuckled. "I'll see what I can do Madame."
"Good." She settled his hand back down on her body. "What time do you think it is?"
"I can't see the clock."
She twisted her neck to look up at him. "Perhaps that's because your eyes are closed."
"Maybe that has a little something to do with it."
She giggled and turned herself over to rest on top of him. "I don't recall ever feeling so lazy."
"And enjoying it so much." He concurred barely opening his eyes to see her reaction.
"But I'm still hungry."
"Shall we phone out for food?"
"HA! Do you think they'd deliver to the middle of nowhere?"
"Perhaps if we told them who it was for and gave clear directions."
"Oh but then are peacefulness would be broken."
"Then I'll cook."
"I'd like to."
Now he opened his eyes fully. "When was the last time you actually 'cooked' anything?"
"I don't remember." She smiled tracing a line down his face to his mouth.
"You look bright and happy this morning, despite our late night."
"I'm feeling most bright and happy thank you very much. In fact I don't think my body has felt so healthy in years."
"Well good." He folded his arms around her back pulling her fully on top of him.
"And how are you feeling this morning Mr. Joseph?" She tormented.
"Oh very well thank you, I can't think of any better way to start the day than making love to my wife."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that."
"So do I."
She held up her left hand and once again marvelled at her wedding ring, it wasn't extraordinary, a simple gold band, not even an engagement ring as yet. But it meant so much, so much more than an expensive jewel.
"We will get you an engagement ring my dear."
"I know, I like this though, in fact I love it." She kissed him fully despite the fact her lips felt sticky.
She pulled back and wiped at her mouth. "Too much kissing."
"Oh never. Shall we make Tea?" He manoeuvred her to one side and sat up reaching for his trousers.
"Yes, and then you can help me cook."
"Or rather teach you." He stated as he stood up.
"I remember the basics..." she smiled. "Barely." She added as he drew the curtains back.
"I'm not dressed you know." She exclaimed pulling the blankets high up to her neck.
"And the world is outside waiting to look in." He quipped. "It's raining, can you believe that? We take five days to ourselves and it rains."
"It could rain and rain and then we'd be stranded here forever..." She giggled playfully.
He turned to watch her as she slipped a sweater over her head.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so light headed."
"Or hearted." She stood up wrapping a blanket around her waist. "Pretty nice outfit right."
"Oh most definitely – shall we eat?"
"Let's. What time is it anyway?" She turned to the clock. "Goodness gone 12 already, I haven't slept in late for the longest time."
"A pleasant feeling." He smiled collecting up their glasses from the previous night.
"Indeed, I must rinse my face. Won't be a second. Aging skin won't forgive easily."
"Do you know how long it's been since I attempted to cook?" Clarisse precariously balanced the bag of flour in one hand and attempted to spoon it into the bowl with the other.
"I dread to think." Joseph stifled a laugh as he watched her.
"How much do you think I need?" She looked hopefully toward where he leant against the wall. "Too much or not enough?" She indicated the contents of the bowl.
He shrugged, grinning.
"Instead of laughing at me why don't you come and help." She demanded.
"Alright, let me have a look." he rolled his sweater up to the elbows and skilfully leant over her shoulder taking the spoon from her hand. "There, that should be enough."
"How do you know?"
"Practice." He took the bag of flour from her, folding over the
top corner and replacing it in the cupboard. "Now you will need some eggs in there." He handed them over to her. "And sugar."
She smiled warmly. "You never told me you could cook."
"You never asked." He grinned as he poured the sugar into the bowl.
"I'm asking now."
"My Mother taught me the basics, I had three sisters remember, there was no gender bias in our home."
"I'm very glad to hear that."
He handed her a wooden spoon. "Plenty of mixing."
"Yes boss."
Less than an hour later they ate pancakes with bananas and syrup, Clarisse may not have been a fabulous cook but she was certainly entertaining, in all the years he'd known her Joseph had never once been bored in her company.
"What do you think?" She questioned eying the soggy mess on the end of her spoon.
Joseph couldn't help but laugh. "They taste alright, really they do."
"Hmm, I suppose not bad for a first attempt."
"Tomorrow you can make them alone."
"Oh can I? And bring you breakfast in bed too I suppose."
"Well if you insist – though we must use the bed tonight, I don't think my back will cope with another night on the floor."
Giving up with breakfast Clarisse put her spoon down and picked her teacup up instead, getting up from her chair and moving to the window. "I hope the rain stops soon, I was hoping we would take a walk today. There's a gorgeous little stream running through the valley, or at least there used to be. When I was young it took me about fifteen minutes to get there."
"Then it will probably take us more like an hour now."
"I expect so. You know back then I used to lie in the grass, in the sunshine, listening to the water, reading a book. Newly married, no real expectations on life, it seemed so simple. Then Rupert became King and that carefree young girl disappeared, as did my trips out here."
"Did you ever bring Rupert here?"
"No. No I didn't..." She was silent as she contemplated the question. "I was very fond of him you know, back then. I grew to love him over the years. He was a good man, a good father, dedicated to his country."
"I know." He voice was low, heavy, not jealous, nothing so trivial but very aware that he had such a relatively short time with her whilst Rupert had been blessed with so much.
"But he was always a friend, loving him as a friend – when you're young you think you can survive anything. I thought in time I would grow to love him as Princesses were supposed to, it never occurred to me that love and passion and all that messy business were actually not things that grew out of friendship, if the spark wasn't there in the beginning then it never could be. By the time Pierre was born I began to understand that loving him and being 'in love' were two very different things. And so what could I do..." she shook her head annoyed with her reflections. "I pressed on."
She swallowed the last of her tea and turned from the window. Joseph's face was solemn as he watched her.
"Oh I've ruined the mood haven't I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." She sat down next to him. "I don't want you to think that I regret it all because I don't, I'm just very keenly aware of what I gave up especially as Mia has been so lucky and I'm so relieved she doesn't have to follow my path."
"I know that. It hurts me to think you were lonely all those years."
"Not all the time. And besides I've been given a reprieve, I met you, and it was gloriously unexpected." She smiled to lighten the mood.
"Tell me, what did you think when I first moved to the castle?"
"I thought you were, overly confident but probably very good at your job."
"That's fair enough." He shrugged.
"And that you seemed like the kind of man who had a different date every week." She laughed at his shock. "I couldn't help it you were too sure of yourself."
"Thanks very much."
"I soon came to realise you weren't like that at all. What did you think?"
"I've told you that story."
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so."
"I must have, you were in the garden giving orders about how it should be arranged for some dinner party. Sarah brought me over and introduced us."
"And your thoughts were?"
"My thoughts were that you seemed a little too, well efficient, you shook my hand and all but there was a distance about you. Saying that I thought you were the most beautiful woman I ever saw, I mean I'd seen pictures but face-to-face, that was an entirely different ball game. It took me a while to get past your ice barrier though and see you."
"And I think you were the first person to even try and see 'me' for many, many years. I didn't like to admit it to myself but I found I'd be waiting for our conversations, just to see you and interact with somebody who saw past the status and role and treated me like a human being."
"For the first year I repeatedly told myself it was a crush, entirely inappropriate and I should have known better at my age but it would pass in time. Then after the second year I realised it was more serious than that, even on your bad days when you drove me crazy I still couldn't bring myself to stay angry with you. I contemplated leaving then, it wasn't fair to put either you or me in that situation, I had no right to do that. And then Rupert died and you were heartbroken and I couldn't bear to leave your side, I wanted to watch you every second, protect you, offer whatever support I could."
"And at the same time I hated myself for being attracted to you, my husband had just died and I was growing closer and closer to another man. Guilt is a terrible thing."
"As is jealousy." He added squeezing her hand. "Look, the rain's stopped, we might be able to take that walk afterall."
She nodded mutely before stretching her arms above her head and watching as he collected their dishes. "Oh I was right when I thought this was going to be an introspective few days."
"But nevertheless important."
"Very. I'll go dress and we can go out."
As it happened they managed almost an hour walking towards where Clarisse assured him 'her stream' was before the rain returned. Then it was a mad dash back across the moor to the cottage, for a while they sheltered beneath a tree before thunder rolled across the sky and Joseph suggested they get inside as soon as possible. He took his jacket off to put over her head but she refused, he would surely freeze in his shirt without it.
Besides Clarisse felt almost giddy as they hastened through the heavy rain, gripping his hand and stumbling across the uneven ground. The weather was getting wilder by the second, from the top of the hill she could see wide across the lake and she noticed a couple of boats tied up over the other side violently bobbing about. She let go of his tugging hand and strained to see as much as possible, swirling blue-grey clouds swung ahead of her. The rain slid down her face, down her neck beneath her top and between her breasts. She parted her lips slightly to taste it, and closed her eyes as she instinctively lifted her face up to the sky.
"Clarisse dear." Joseph's voice was soft as he reached out for her hand and stood face to face with her.
"Freedom is a magnificent thing." She said absently.
He smiled at her tranquil expression, not sure whether the dampness of her face was rain water or tears. It lifted his spirits to see her like this, the woman he knew existed beneath all that duty and majesty.
"Well I suspect we couldn't get much wetter if we tried." He commented the rain dripping from his chin.
She opened her eyes and gave him the most wonderful sparkling smile, before cupping his face and kissing him.
"What was that for?" He slight smile played upon his face.
"Just because...Ohhh." She rested her head on his chest. "So this is romance then is it?"
"I'd say so, though if we don't get dry soon it could easily become pneumonia."
She laughed. "Oh and are the two often closely related?"
"Some might say." He took hold of her and turned back down the hill. "Come on, let's get inside."
They spent the afternoon on the couch reading, well Clarisse managed about half an hour before dropping to sleep, her feet resting in Joseph's lap. It was a little longer for Joseph but not by much, he lifted her glasses off and removed the book from her clutches then settled back to read some more. Not fifteen minutes later his book slipped from his grasp as his head fell to one side. For a few hours the cottage was still and silent as the rain fell outside.
It was Joseph who woke first; removing her feet from his lap he quietly crept into the kitchen and made a pot of fresh coffee for himself and tea for her. He dug his hands into his pockets and stood in front of the French doors looking out at the magnificent view, the rain had ceased but it was almost dark outside now. Two days almost gone already, this week wasn't going to be long enough.
He arranged the cups, milk and pot of tea on a tray for her and carried it into the lounge. She fidgeted on the couch as he brought a small table next to her and started to pour.
"Mmm, what time is it?" She asked rubbing her face.
"Almost 7. I guess we should face the fact we're too old to stay up until 4 in the morning."
"I guess so." She hauled herself up into a sitting position and gladly accepted the tea.
"I thought I might take a bath," he said. "Is that alright?"
"Of course it's alright, you don't need my permission. I'll read or something, or perhaps even attempt dinner." She bit down on her lip.
"Right then..." He murmured. "I have already prepared a casserole, but if you insist on 'cooking' go ahead." He enjoyed this banter they had silently agreed on, she was a very humorous lady beneath that stoic outer appearance.
"You always plan for these things. Don't worry, I won't ruin it." She smiled stretching her legs out.
He kissed her forehead. "Won't be too long."
"Take as long as you like. You deserve the rest."
Once he had disappeared upstairs she sipped at her tea and listened to the sound of him moving about upstairs, the sound of the bath being filled, when his footfalls ceased she got up from the couch. Sure she was in no way domesticated and would probably never be in any sense of the word, but she could surely manage to make dinner for him – just the once at least.
There was a chill to the room and she noted the fire he had made earlier in the day was fading; tentatively she prodded at it and to her delight it sprung to life again.
Fuelled on by her success she turned on the lights in the kitchen and forced herself to make sense of the stove and light it. Once achieved she went back to the lounge and folded up the blankets she'd been wrapped in on the couch, straightening the cushions she looked over the bookcase and noticed on the bottom shelf a stack of CDs.
"Oh but music would be lovely." She said to herself. "If I can work the machine."
Locating and turning on the player were her first tasks then she knelt in front of the bookcase and searched through the collection of discs. To her annoyance there was not one classical or opera selection, and she knew very little about most of the artists featured. She made a mental note to bring some of her musical tastes with her next time they visited, and to also reprimand Pierre on his choice of music, for he was the only person she knew of who used the cottage on a regular basis.
Finally plumping for a Joni Mitchell album, simply for its lush cover, she was pleasantly surprised to find a grand jazz opener. Perhaps Pierre's choices weren't that bad afterall.
She found Joseph's prepared casserole in the bottom of the fridge and placed it in the oven then chose a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses.
"Come in." Joseph instinctively responded, his eyes grudgingly opening.
"Thought you might appreciate this." Clarisse smiled handing him a glass of wine and taking in his appearance. "I never took you for a bubble person." She teased noting the fact bubbly water went high up his chest almost to his neck.
"Another thing to learn." He responded sipping the velvet liquid she'd brought for him.
"Hmm." She glanced around the room, it had hardly changed, a few updates here and there but still predominantly wood panelling, the delightful oversized bath in the middle that she'd always adored because of it's old fashioned 'feet'. Joseph suited it well, the word content sprang to mind as she watched him.
"I heard music." He said closing his eyes and resting his head back.
"You did, I figured out how to use the machine and I even managed to start dinner." She whispered kneeling down behind his head and resting her hands on his shoulders. She could feel the well-formed muscles beneath her palm, observed the bronzed skin against her very pale complexion.
"I'm impressed." He murmured drowsy.
She gently started to knead his muscles with her fingers, then ran her graceful hands down his arms until she reached the water, then trailed her nails back up to his neck and again to his shoulders. He smelt so good, she dropped her head closer to him, loving the warmth radiating from his body, and kissed the back of his neck. He shifted beneath her touch, his body almost humming under her attention. She kissed him again, dropping her arms over his chest and cradling his head against her chest, her mouth resting on his shoulder.
"You are in my blood like holy wine, and you taste so bitter, and you taste so sweet. I could drink a case of you, and still I'd be on my feet." She whispered so quietly and gently he hardly made out the words.
"Where's that from?" He twisted his head to try and look at her face.
"It was on the CD I was listening to, I liked it."
"So did I – but I suspect that's because you said it to me."
"Oh Joseph I do love you." She kissed his mouth lazily, taking in the sensation like drinking water for the first time. "I don't believe I've ever felt better about life than I do right now."
"I'm glad you said that because I'm beginning to think that this," he gestured around the room. "Is the closest thing to perfection I've ever known."
"Sweetheart you say the nicest things." She smiled attempting to shake the lazy feeling creeping over her. "I don't think I can get back up." She commented dryly, loosening her hold on him.
"Why don't you join me in here?"
"I couldn't." She exclaimed taking in his joyful expression.
"Who would know?"
"I would," she leisurely rose to her feet. "Besides I have my dinner to check on, so hurry up in there young man."
He shook his head laughing, "Clarisse, life is never dull around you." He stated resting his wine glass on the floor before sinking entirely beneath the steamy water.