(I can't believe I already have a review.)
Clarisse awoke to Joseph patting her head with a damp cloth. The others were nowhere to be seen.
"My darling, are you alright?"
"Oh Joseph. I had the most terrible dream. I dreamt that somebody dug up something about my past and the media found out and..."
"Clarisse, that was no dream."
"What?"
"That actually did happen."
She paused for a minute and sat up, "Shut up!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, nothing."
"My dear, I have a question. Actually, I have a few questions."
"Oh Joseph, not now."
"Is it true? What they said on the news?"
She nodded her head in shame.
"I see, did Rupert know?"
She shook her head, "Thank goodness he never found out."
"My dear, wasn't 1972 the year we made love for the first time?"
She gulped, "Joseph…"
There was silence.
"It was my child, wasn't it?"
She nodded her head. He held her hand in his own and looked into her eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was young, I was scared and most of all, I was a married woman. I was the Queen, for heavens sake! Queens don't sleep with their employees."
"Then why? Why did you?"
"Because you were so charming, intelligent, strong and I loved you."
"But not enough to tell me you were carrying my child?"
"I did it to protect you. Nobody would have approved of that sort of behaviour, you would have lost your job, I would have lost mine too…and a husband…"
"But you would've gained a loving husband and a stress-free life."
"Is that what you expected to happen? Did you expect me to leave my husband and run of with you to a cosy little shack where we could raise our young child? The press would have never left us alone. Rupert and the boys would have been totally humiliated…"
He silenced her with a long kiss, "I understand, Clarisse. It's just like you to put duty first."
She lay back down and sighed, "Why now? Why did they bring this up after 32 years? Does the media not have a soul?"
"It would appear that way," he pulled her into a hug, "So what's going to happen now?"
"I don't know. We could takeit one day at a time, or we could just…"
"Run away?"
"Oh, that would be heavenly, but I can't leave Mia to fight this on her own."
"Hmm. We could just ignore the press."
"You can't ignore the press. The press are everywhere."
"Well, what are we going to do then?"
"I don't know."
She hugged him tighter and felt a tear fall down her cheek.