Chapter 9

He held her pinned to the bed, his weight crushing the breath from her. Then he was tearing her clothes, exposing her to dirty, prying fingers. She could smell the dank, filthiness of him.

"I'll bet you've never had a real man."

"No! Please stop. No—"

But her pleas just spurred him on. He covered her mouth with his, teeth painfully biting, hands grabbing.

"Stop –Joseph help me!"

"Clarisse my darling, wake up."

"No, let me go!"

"Clarisse, come back to me. My darling wake up."

Her eyes snapped open to see Joseph hovering above her, face lined with concern.

"Oh, Joseph!"

Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him down until his body covered hers. She buried her face in his neck and held on for her life.

"It was so real." She whispered.

"I know." He pulled her closer, felt her trembling. "It's over Clarisse. He's gone."

"I know." Finally her breathing returned to something like normal. "I was so afraid he was going to kill you." She pulled back until she could see his eyes.

"And I was afraid of the that and more." Joseph told her. "But none of it came to pass and the threat is over."

"Yes."

They lay in silence for a long time, then Joseph spoke.

"Clarisse, I'm sorry I put you at risk with my blindness."

She kissed the side of his head. "What are you talking about?'

"I refused to consider that you might be the assassin's target. And worse yet, I was conceited enough to think that I was enough protection for you."

"Dear Joseph. You have been for many, many years.." Clarisse reminded him.

"Perhaps. But that blindness nearly cost you your life Clarisse, and it will be a long time before I forgive myself for that."

She shifted onto her side so that she could look into his face.

"Joseph, there's nothing to forgive. I saw those notes—" At his look of surprise, Clarisse gave him a smug look. "I still have some pull around here."

"Apparently so." He smiled, tucking the hair behind her ear.

"Anyway, the point is I thought they referred to Mia. Anyone would. Everyone did!"

"Nicholas didn't. Nor, I understand, did Charlotte."

Clarisse raised an elegant eyebrow. "Charlotte?"

He nodded.

"Apparently she and Shades are friendlier than either of us suspected and she managed a look at the threats."

Clarisse smiled. "Oh, I'm so happy for her. Charlotte takes so little time for herself."

Joe gave an exasperated sigh.

"Clarisse, you're missing the point."

"Joseph, if the point is you punishing yourself for a mistake nearly all of us made, I don't want to hear it." Then, "How is your leg? Are you in pain?"

After the shooting, the police had taken Landry away and the doctor had come to treat Joe's wound. The bullet had glanced along his left hip, resulting in blood loss and pain but nothing more serious.

Joseph admitted to himself that his leg was throbbing but he had no intention of telling his wife that.

"It's fine." He caressed her cheek. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?"

Even in the dimness of the moonlight that streamed through the window, Joe could see her eyes sparkle.

"Perhaps with some incentive."

He drew a fingertip across her lips. "What kind of incentive"

"Oh, the usual kind." She pulled him into a kiss, but Joe reluctantly pulled away.

"Clarisse—"

"Please Joseph." Her voice trembled with a desperation that tore at his heart. "Help me forget what his hands felt like on me. How he smelled... the things he said to me."

"Will it help?" He asked, brushing fingers through her short hair.

"It's the only thing that will." She hesitated. "Unless your leg..."

He leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss.

"I would have to be in much worse condition." He told her when their lips parted. "Not to want to make love to you, my beautiful Clarisse."

"Dear, sexy Joseph." She grinned at his look of surprise. "Well you are. Ask any woman." She twinkled. "And a few of the men."

He growled deep in his throat and set out to erase the ugliness from her memories.

The next morning Clarisse rose and dressed before her husband had even stirred. At Charlotte's quiet knock she opened the door.

"Shhh." She nodded toward the bedroom. "Joseph is still asleep."

The other woman nodded.

"The police are here, ma'am. They want to get statements from you both."

"Well, they can have mine now but I'm not going to wake him." Clarisse said firmly, leading the way out of her suite.

After relating her story and promising that her husband would be available later that day, Clarisse arranged for breakfast to be sent up and returned to Joseph.

He was in the process of trying to stand on one leg and dress.

"You are out of bed because?" Clarisse asked in as stern a tone as she could manage.

"Because I need to talk to the police and do a follow-up with—"

"You'll do no such thing." She told him. Clarisse pushed gently on his chest, overbalancing Joseph so that he sat heavily on the bed. "I've spoken to the police and they'll talk to you later this afternoon. Breakfast will be up soon."

"Looks like Grandma is up and in charge again here at the palace." Mia grinned from the doorway.

"Apparently so, yes." Joseph agreed dryly. "Clarisse, the bullet just grazed my hip. I don't—"

"Never mind." She glared at him.

Joe contemplated her for a long moment.

"This is revenge for trying to keep you in bed after the shooting, isn't it?
"Perhaps." She allowed. Her smile was more self-satisfied than he liked, but Joe couldn't actually blame her. He'd been overprotective and he knew if the occasion arose again, he'd do anything to keep her safe.

"All right. If I promise not to smother you in the future, can I get out of bed?"

Clarisse considered, much to her granddaughter's amusement.

"No. Because the next time you'll behave the very same way." She gazed at him, annoyed. "Oh don't pout."

"Grandma Clarisse." Nicholas joined them. "I think we could let him up. Entrust him to my care while you and Mia see to the food."

"Well...." Clarisse pretended to consider. "All right. But mind that leg, Joseph."

"Yes Your Majesty."

Clarisse rolled her eyes and turned to leave with Mia.

Nicholas and Joe watched them leave, then burst out laughing.

"Why don't we get you up and dressed' Nick held out a hand.

"An excellent idea." Joseph agreed.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Joe found her sitting in the garden, gazing at the newly completed waterfall, Maurice at her feet.

"Penny for your thoughts."

He leaned over for a kiss.

Clarisse smiled at him as he sat down beside her.

"Mia is up to something." She told him, eyes returning to the rushing water. "I can tell."

"I'm sure it's nothing terrible." Joe smiled and took up her hand.

"No." She squeezed his hand. "Something sneaky, though." She looked at him more carefully. "You don't have your cane."

"No. I think I'm past that now, thankfully." The pleasure in his voice was clear.

"We'll have you dancing again in no time." Clarisse laughed. She glanced at her watch. "We should be going in for dinner."

"I hear Charlotte and Lilly will be joining us, along with Mia and Nicholas." Joe commented as he slowly rose, mindful of the dull ache that still spread along his hip when he put his full weight on it.

Clarisse held her tongue, letting him steady himself before she took his arm. She'd learned it was better not to help sometimes.

"All right?" She asked as they started across the grass.

Yes, indeed."

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" The former queen asked.

"No. Everyone is being extremely closed-mouthed." Joseph groused. "Even Brigetta, who is usually an easy mark, is not talking."

Clarisse chuckled. "She must be under Mia's orders not to talk to you."

"Um. And your chief of security is being equally uncooperative."

"My... ah." She nodded. Clarisse still thought of Joseph as her head of security, even though it had been more than a year since he'd handed that job over to Shades. "Well, the best way to find out what they're planning is to go in to dinner." She decided.

"As usual, my darling, I believe you are correct."

After a lovely meal that Clarisse noticed was made up entirely of her and Joseph's favorite dishes, Mia tapped her water glass for attention.

"It's been two weeks now since all the trauma and Grandpa's injury." She nodded to Joe who flushed at the still-new title. "And I think both he and Grandma deserve a break."

"What kind of 'break'?" Clarisse asked suspiciously.

"Well..." Mia grinned at them both. "You guys never really got a honeymoon what with the coronation the next week and everything and then Grandma didn't feel she could leave me alone—"

"That's not true, Mia." Clarisse protested. "I had every faith in you."

"Yeah, but you didn't know if I had faith in me." The young woman countered. "Anyway, you just never got around to it, so I thought---"

"Oh Mia," Clarisse interrupted her. "There's so much to do right now with the summer festival and the—"

Charlotte cleared her throat. "Actually, I've cleared your calendar for the next two weeks, ma'am."

Clarisse blinked. "You have?"

Charlotte nodded, smiling.

Then, as Clarisse realized exactly what the other woman had said, "You cleared my schedule?"

Charlotte's smile grew and she nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."

"Lily feels she's ready to take the plunge into queen's aide." Mia took it up.

"Oh, that's... wonderful." Clarisse bit her lip, not wanting to sound too eager to steal her granddaughter's assistant.

Mia frowned. "What's wrong, Grandma? This was your idea."

"Yes, I know. I just want to make sure that it's what you all want; that you're not just going along because you think that's what I want." She turned to Mia's friend. "And that you're comfortable with it, Lily."

"Oh yes, Your Majesty." Lily assured her. "It's a wonderful plan and Charlotte will still be here if I need help."

"I think she's ready, You Highness." Charlotte supplied.

"And of course this way Lily will get to see "Kippie"." Mia teased her friend.

"Shut-up." Lily narrowed her eyes in mock annoyance.

Clarisse looked from one to the other, then smiled broadly. "That's good. But Mia, why did you have Charlotte – Oh!" She looked at her husband as he began to laugh. "A real honeymoon?"

"Unless you don't think you can stand being alone with him for two weeks." Mia teased.

Clarisse met Joe's loving gaze.

"Oh no, that won't be a problem."

"Great! You leave tonight."

"Tonight!" Clarisse exclaimed. "But where Mia? I have to pack—"

The queen waved it away. "Olivia and Priscilla are packing for you both and your car will be here in an hour."

"But," This time Joe spoke up. "Where are we going, Your Majesty?"

Mia frowned. "Well I'm not going to tell you if your keep calling me that."

Joe's eyes narrowed. "Mia..."

"Oh all right!" She rolled her eyes. "What a spoilsport." She nodded to Charlotte who produced a color brochure from somewhere and passed it to him.

"It's the most beautiful place, Grandma!" Mia enthused. "Rocky coast, sand, secluded beaches and pounding waves."

"It sounds lovely, dear." Clarisse held out her hand as Joe finished with the brochure. "Big Sur, California." She looked up. "We're going to America?"

Mia nodded. "Is that okay?"

"Yes of course. And this place does seem to be very beautiful." She looked up, smiling. "Thank you, Mia."

"We wanted to do something special for the two of you." Nicholas spoke for the first time on the subject.

"You have a reservation for two weeks." Charlotte told them. "But if you want to leave early and go somewhere else, just inform the desk."

"Somewhere else not being here." Mia fixed her grandmother with a firm gaze. "I don't want to see you back here for two weeks."

"Well, Clarisse, I believe we are being evicted from the palace." Joseph commented, blue eyes twinkling.

"Um, so it would seem." She agreed with a smile. "Thank you. All of you."

"Well, we have just enough time for dessert before the car comes." Mia said happily, pleased.

They all turned their attention to the servers as the cherries jubilee made an entrance.

That's it for now. So, what do you think? Anybody want to read The Great Honeymoon Adventure or no?