Chapter 14

"Here's where I leave you, Your Majesty," Joseph spoke, gently placing her in the back of the limo, in the care of her own personal physician.

"What? You're not coming? Where are you going?...Joseph?" Clarisse was quite stunned at his announcement, for she had foreseen him sitting quietly beside her, making sure her doctor cared for every inch of her body. He had never given her a clue as to leaving her, to not returning to the palace with her.

"I have to finish my job, I'll be back as soon as things are taken care of. You'll be fine now." It almost broke his heart to turn and walk away from her.

She watched in utter silence as the window slowly rolled up in front of her, the view of her Joseph becoming dark and slowly nonexistent as the limo pulled away.

They had reached the clearing much sooner than either expected. Joseph had silently prayed for his GPS signal to be in fine working order, and that it would take virtually no time before the calvary arrived once they placed his signal on the physical map. The landscape before them showed nothing but soft, rolling hills covered with grass and grains. Perfect for a Queen to be rescued unknowing to the public eye.

Though the ground was still quite damp, Joseph found a solid place for her to sit upon his pack. He had pulled out for her a good suit, one he had purposely taken out of one of her cases he had found at the crash site. It wouldn't do for a Queen to look like she did. He would never let anyone see her being anything but the best she could be. So he helped her change, and primped her to a natural perfection, all just to be rescued.

He had literally fell down himself, more thankful that the ordeal was almost over than anything. Sprawling out on the grasses, he stretched out beside her.

"How long?"

"I'll give them half an hour."

"Then what?"

"Then," he thought silently, "then I'll be making a mental note to replace every single one of them."

"Oh Joseph, you're not serious?" Yet Clarisse knew he was, and he would. She was the one he catered to, and if any discrepancies were to be found, Joseph would not have them. That was the end.

"Absolutely."

The seriousness soon turned to lightheartedness, and for the last few minutes of solitude the two lovers shared but a single, passionate kiss.

The whirling of the chopper was first to be heard, and sighted. Then the stream of vehicles approaching from the south soon came into view. It all happened rather quickly; Joseph having Clarisse immediately taken to the limo, and readied for home.

He knew she wouldn't fly. Not now. He could see it in her eyes, and feel the tremors through her soul. So he did what he did best, and let orders fly one at a time as his staff, minus one, came into earshot. Before she could even speak, he had already ordered her to be taken back by car.

The chopper lifted off, Joseph once again in search of Genovia One. This time he did not come alone. Six of his men sat behind him, all ready to quickly and efficiently put to use their skills. Genovia One had to be done away with. Either physically removed, or all traces of her destroyed; one way or another no one could ever find out that she went down.

Even before now, on his mending bed, Shades had already planted Genovia One in its private hanger. The exact replica had been fitted with every notion, right down to the Queen's tea. As she sat, awaiting her next flight, another was quickly being assembled to her exact specifications. No detail was too big, nor too small. It was a plan that was put into motion every two years anyway, with the replacement of the older model, this year just came one too soon.

Joseph looked as if he was concentrating. To anyone he would have looked serious and all business. In reality, he was fighting himself. For all he knew, she could have already learned the truth. He had given up the opportunities to tell her himself. Yes, she would find out from another.

Clarisse couldn't tell if it was the ache in her arm or in her foot or in her heart that hurt the most. Maybe it was the headache that was coming on. She didn't feel like being prodded by a doctor now, nor did she want any attention whatsoever. She needed only one thing, and he had went the other way.

So her eyes were clouded, which worried her doctor, but helped her to release a little of the stinging pain. He had not even given her an answer, though she was sure he would return to the site. Things could never be so simple as to have them together always. Just as her duty came first to her, his did to him also. It was the way of things, it was as it should be, it was cruel to both of them.

She missed him even more after her arrival back at the palace. It had not been Joseph who had carried her to her suite, or made sure she had everything she needed, or prodded her doctor of her condition. No, Joseph was no where in sight now. She sighed, thinking of where he might be, what he might be doing, and when he would arrive back.

"Thank you ladies, I'll call when I'm ready to get out." Clarisse sank in the tub, daydreaming of her last hot bath. It hardly seemed real to her. Yet it had been. It had all the makings of a fairy tale, except for the 'happily ever after'. That would have to wait. Time may one day grant for them to be together, but not yet.

She was thinking of Joseph. She smiled to herself, though the aches and pains strained her body. Joseph took all that away, at least for several days he had. The real world was outside her bathroom door, or was the real world the place she had just came in from?

As tired as she felt, Clarisse knew she had to make an appearance. She had yet to see Sebastian, and surly he would have made up some excuse for her disappearance. The thought of having a cup of hot tea aroused her senses, and she called to Olivia.

"I'm ready to get out now, and I'll need help from both of you," she directed her maid. "I'll need to get fully dressed also, regardless of that damn doctor, I have to see Sebastian. And would you have Priscilla call down for tea. I'd love a cup of tea."

"Yes, ma'am," Olivia politely responded.

"And Amanda...where is Amanda? Oh, my, I didn't even ask about her." Clarisse began making excuses for herself as Olivia looked on, a shocked but sympathetic expression on her face.

"Olivia. Olivia?" Clarisse called to her, but was overwhelmed by her lack of response. "Olivia!"

"Ma'am?" Finally stunned out of silence, Olivia mumbled her acknowledgement.

"Tell me." Clarisse felt it in the simple 'ma'am' she had uttered. Something was wrong. Something was more difficult about this whole mess. Something she was in the dark about.

He had taken her heart sometime when she had not been watching. She trusted him with it. She had always trusted him. Never had it occurred to her not to. For the past few days she had gone beyond that trust, and into a deeper abiding love. How could she had been so foolish? He wasn't afraid of moving fast. She had not taken things too serious for him. They were serious, but it had not been about her. No. The seriousness was hid from her. Now she knew what he had been thinking the whole time. It had not been about her, it had been about the guilt pounding at his heart. He had lied.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but Amanda is dead." And with those words something died inside her as well.