As the sun began to set on the horizon, Clarisse found herself, once again, staring aimlessly out of her balcony doors and out across the palace lawns. She was sitting on her bed contemplating the view, several carefully selected gowns already laid out for her. The air was close and the sultry warmth, the faint scent of the flowers that filled the room, were all contriving to make her sleepy. Her fingers drifted once more over the fine smooth silk of the dress nearest to her, and her eyes slid shut…just for a moment.

They had arrived back at the palace well before the official parade, a good hour and a half, in fact. Joseph, ever the gentleman, had helped her from the car and escorted her up the steps. The entrance hall had been deserted but for a few of the liveried doormen, and he had surprised her by slipping an arm around her waist, caressing her tenderly through the fabric of her dress. She had known full well that he would have to excuse himself and finalise the security arrangements for the evening, and so she had been a little surprised when he had offered to walk her to her suite.

Of course, she had accepted, her head coming to rest a little against his arm as they walked slowly up the grand staircase. The private wing of the palace was quiet and Clarisse wondered if Joseph had had a hand in her usually so attentive security personnel's sudden disappearance.

At her door, he had turned to her, his hands coming to rest lightly on her upper arms, and he had whispered a kiss against her lips. Leaning forward, she had delicately wrapped her fingers around the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. He had smiled, his lips curling as he groaned his appreciation,

"Wicked woman…"

She had kissed his cheek chastely, and then his lips once more. As she had stepped back a little, he must have seen the mischievous sparkle in her eyes,

"Now….I would love to invite you in, my darling…but I'm fully booked until this evening, I'm afraid…I have a dress to choose, and guests to seat…and…"

He had smiled then, and running a hand tenderly through her hair, had kissed her forehead.

"Pick you up at about 7?"

She had raised an eyebrow, wondering for a second if…no, of course he hadn't forgotten,

"Um…Joseph, the dinner is not until 8"

"I know"

He had kissed her again, more tenderly than she could have imagined possible, and turned back down the corridor.

Closing the door behind her, she had looked at the clock on her desk, just after four. She wondered idly where the day had gone…it had all been so fast, and yet so slow at the same time. This morning was nothing more than a distant memory, the ceremony nothing more than a blur. All that she could remember, all that she could feel, was Joseph's arm around her, helping her down the aisle, helping her into the car, holding her close, walking her to her rooms….always him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Having finished his final briefing a little sooner than anticipated, and having thrown himself in the shower and made himself presentable in record time, Joe was extremely pleased to find himself, at half-past five, on his way to Clarisse's suite. Occasionally, he caught himself still glancing up at the cameras, smiling to himself as he was reminded of the fact that it no longer mattered. Straightening his jacket – he had, in the end, opted for the classic tux deciding, with some relief, that it would of course be Clarisse who everyone should look at – he knocked lightly on the door. He knew he didn't have to, but it seemed courteous all the same. After a few minutes though, and trying again once or twice more, it soon became apparent that either she hadn't heard or, more interestingly, was choosing to ignore it.

Twisting the handle quietly, he was pleased to find that the door wasn't locked. Stepping into the main sitting room, he was intrigued to find it empty…well, apart from Maurice who looked up rather guiltily from the couch where, Joe was fairly sure, he wasn't supposed to be sitting.

Deciding not to call out and startle her, Joe wandered into the study. No Clarisse. There were definite signs of her having been there, the seating plans finished and neatly piled on the desk, with a sticky note attached asking Charlotte to pass them on to the Head Butler. Knowing there was only one more possibility, he tried the closed door of the bedroom. Wondering whether she might be taking a bath (honestly, in this warm weather he couldn't understand how she could bear it, but Clarisse was rather obsessed with her bathtub) he glanced across at the bathroom door.

A slight movement on the bed, though, caught his eye. She was asleep, curled up on the enormous bed, her arm tucked under her head, the ball gowns lying all around her. He smiled, his heart swelling at the sight. The evening light was spilling in from the open balcony doors, catching the almost ethereal silks on the bed. The room seemed to glow, the heady perfume of the gardens relaxing him beyond logical explanation. For a moment he simply stood and watched her sleep, the way her lips curled a little at the edges, the way the lines around her eyes smoothed…

He knew that she needed to sleep, after all, it would seem that the night before she had not slept at all. Brushing her hair back off her face, his breath caught a little as she sighed. Smiling, the grin still well and truly fixed from the ceremony, he began to carefully gather up the dresses and hang them up on the doors of the wardrobes. All of them were stunning, each would be made more stunning by her wearing it. His task completed, he slipped off his jacket and shoes, and slid cautiously onto the bed beside her, his arm coming to rest around her shoulders. To his relief, she didn't wake, only stirred a little, shifting across to snuggle into his chest.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Glancing at his watch and realising that it was now nearly seven, he decided that the time had come to wake her. As much as he had never been more comfortable and contented in his life, waking her any later would simply throw her into a fit of nervousness. Hysterics even. He grinned, few had seen Clarisse actually lose it, indeed, very little came close to unsettling her that much. But the choosing of clothes, and the getting ready for functions, was enough to send her over. It was best to be on the safe side, the last thing he wanted was an hysterical wife on his hands. A wife. He smiled again, looking down at her curled against him. His wife.

"Darling?"

Turning over onto her side, facing away from him, she groaned softly. As Clarisse began to stir, she was struck immediately by a sense of panic…a sinking feeling in her stomach. Disorientated, she wondered if she had been dreaming, and suddenly felt extremely sick. The details coming back to her though, she sat up with a start, and looked out of the windows. The gowns were gone, her jacket lay draped over the chair…again she looked out over the grounds. Had she dreamt everything? The light was fading, and for a moment she couldn't tell if it were morning or evening. Rubbing her eyes furiously, she lay back down onto the pillows.

"Darling?"

She jumped, clearly not having expected him, and turned towards him in an instant.

"Joseph…you…you're here"

He smiled, clearly a touch amused by her self-evident confusion.

"Well, of course, my love…do you mind?"

She shook her head in earnest, once again shifting closer, needing to feel his arms around her. As she kissed his neck, she brought her fingers up to caress his cheek, smiling as the simple gold band glinted back at her in the pale light.

Bringing his other arm around her, Joe returned her kiss, shivering a little as her hand slid down to caress his chest. She giggled endearingly, and he took her face in his palms, dropping a tender and deliberately chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Clarisse…the dinner…"

She groaned, her face dropping to his collarbone, nuzzling in. He smiled, wondering how long it would take to register. Not long…

"Jesus, Joseph, what time is it? Oh God…"

She leapt up, and looked despairingly in the mirror, and then back at the wardrobes. Shaking her head, she ran a hand nervously through her hair. Trying to stifle a snigger, Joe got up and moved towards the closets.

"Darling?"

She spun round, almost tripping on his discarded shoes as she did so. In one of his hands was the pale cream gown, her favourite, in fact, and in the other a pair of matching shoes. She nodded, relieved instantly, amused a little at her own overreaction.

"Now, sweetheart, all you have to do is put on your lipstick and brush your hair. Will an hour be enough?"

She giggled, turning back in the direction of the bathroom,

"What would I do without you, Joseph?"

He smirked, placing the gown down carefully on the bed,

"Be late, my love"

Her head popped back round the door, the mock indignation clear,

"But Joseph…a queen…"

He cut her off, trying desperately not to laugh out loud,

"No my love, I'm afraid you're wrong. Everybody else is simply left waiting…"

A/N There will be one more chapter now…the dinner, the escaping from the dinner, and a (very) brief snapshot of the following morning!