True to her word, Clarisse returned to the Palace the next day. It came as quite a surprise to the staff who had been expecting at least three more days at the beach house, but they quickly packed up and closed the house. The former Queen seemed quite shaken; only Marcus seemed to know why, and he wasn't talking.

Charlotte greeted the Queen's limousine upon her arrival and realized the trip to the seaside had not been a successful one for the former monarch. Clarisse looked tired and was not walking with her usual regal posture. Her eyes looked slightly puffy, as though she had been crying and there was no smile in the pretty blue eyes. In the presence of other staff Charlotte simply asked, "How was your trip, Your Majesty?"

"Fine Charlotte. I'll be at my desk in 20 minutes, you can catch me up on all I've missed here."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Oh, and Her Majesty is waiting for you in your suite."

A look of displeasure registered on Clarisse's face, not because she didn't want to see her granddaughter, but because she knew she would have to face a barrage of questions that she didn't want to answer. "Fine, thank you."

Charlotte watched the Queen ascend the stairs into the Palace and then went straight to Marcus. "Why are you back early? You said you'd tell me as soon as you got here. Spill it."

Marcus took off his gloves and adjusted his cap. He leaned back against the limousine and sighed. "He was there."

"Who?" Charlotte seemed perplexed.

"You know, him."

"Joseph?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Joseph was there? Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because Her Majesty directed me not to breath a word of it to anyone. But I couldn't do it, she's so upset, I thought you had to know. I'll be out of a job because of it, but I couldn't stand to see her feeling so awful with nobody to help her through it, you know?"

Charlotte patted Marcus' arm. "You did the right thing. You won't lose your job, just don't tell another soul. I'll look after it, okay?"

"Thank you, Miss Charlotte."

Charlotte got the full story from Marcus, including the part about Clarisse fainting, her curt dismissal of Joseph, and the early exodus from the beach house. Charlotte made a mental note to call Joseph when she got the chance, but right now she had to figure out how to get Clarisse to deal with her emotions rather than keep it all inside. Joseph had been the only one on staff to force the Queen to let out what was bothering her, and Charlotte just didn't feel she had the same gift. She ran her hand through her hair and caught site of her diamond engagement ring. She smiled, despite her predicament.

-

As Charlotte had said, Mia was waiting for her in her suite. "What's up, Grandma? What are you doing back here so soon? I thought I was going to have the place to myself, throw a few wild parties, and all of a sudden, you're back. What gives?"

Clarisse dropped her handbag on the sofa and sat down. She smiled at Mia and began her rehearsed explanation. "Well, the house was in wonderful condition, the Caretaker does a terrific job, you know. I picked a few paint colors and some fabrics and that was all that was needed. Now I'm home." It fell flat, and Clarisse knew it.

"Mm, hmm. And the real reason a beautiful week at the beach wasn't up your alley is….?"

"Up my alley? I just didn't feel like wasting time out there when there's so much to do back here. Simple. I had a lovely few days and now I'm back. Now tell me what you've been up to."

"You've missed the whole idea of a vacation, Grandma. What am I going to do with you?" Mia gave her grandmother a hug. "I'll see you at dinner." And then she was gone. Clarisse breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't lied, but she knew Mia saw right through her. All she could do was hope that Marcus could withstand Mia's incessant questioning and keep what he knew to himself.

A/N stay tuned, more to follow. If you want...