Part 4

Clarisse tapped her nails on the steering wheel and once again glanced at the watch on her wrist. The rain pattered down on the roof of the car and she closed her eyes, she'd hardly slept last night despite exhausting herself through travel and dashing about from one thing to another.

The door opened and slammed shut and Rose shook the rain from her hair. "Ohh nasty weather."

"We're going to be late." Clarisse jerked the car forward into the street. "Damn new car…"

"Hey relax, we won't be late, it's a 45 minute drive into town and we have over an hour before your appointment, so we will be fine."

Clarisse gazed ahead down the road, sighing. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Didn't sleep?"

"How can you tell?"

Rose shrugged. "Agitated Clarisse, always steer clear of her."

"Very funny."

"Tell me about this Richard guy."

"Richard? What now?"

"Yes now, we have time to kill."

"Well why don't you tell me about family things instead… about being a Grandma." Clarisse smiled casting a glance to her sister.

"Because that's dull and I can tell you anytime, finish the damn story, don't make me force you."

Clarisse couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you. Richard was, and is, a lovely man. There you go."

"Not good enough." Rose reached forward and turned the radio off. "Tell me about the date."

"The date…" she breathed deeply. "The date actually was wonderful, he took me out to dinner, the food was excellent, the company divine… he made me laugh, he told me stories about the palace, history, gossip." She shrugged. "It was good. Under any other circumstance it would have been a perfect date."

She stopped the car, indicating left, looked both ways then pulled out. Rose still staring at her, expectantly.

"What? Don't keep watching me…"

"You haven't finished. You said, under any other circumstance it would have been perfect… so why wasn't it?"

"Rose." Clarisse groaned.

"Come on, tell me."

"It's difficult you know, it… it hurts, okay it hurts."

"Then let me help. You never want to share."

"This isn't exactly easy… I'm partly embarrassed. I, well I handled it badly, with Richard, and I regret that. I had a perfectly wonderful time with him you know, that night, and he did too and he wanted to go out again and I would have if it wasn't for the fact…"

"You liked the King more."

"Well…" she shook her head. "Joseph reacted badly to it."

"He what!"

"He was jealous, pure and simple, like men get… I don't know why I thought he might act differently."

"Did he say something?"

"Yes."

"When?" Rose exclaimed.

"That night. I bumped into him."


Clarisse knew the palace hallways by memory now, having been there several months. In the dusky light she made her way to the kitchen, too much rich food and wine had left her wide awake and perhaps a cup of tea would soothe her.

Taking the back stairs she filled the kettle and, whilst waiting for it to boil, she removed her scarf and coat.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" A deep voice came from the stairs.

She spun around gripping the back of a chair, she wasn't quite prepared for facing him tonight.

"Your majesty?" She said with as much dignity as she could muster. "Can I get you anything?"

"What are you having?" He asked gently, stepping down into the light.

"Erm, just some tea." She gestured towards the boiling kettle.

"That would be good."

She nodded and turned around taking another cup from the cupboard.

"So did you have a good time? You look wonderful by the way… as usual…" his voice faded away and she turned sharply to look at him.

"I had a good time, yes, thank you."

"Good, great." His smile was strained as he went to sit down. "Richard's a lucky man."

She raised an eyebrow; he was tapping the table nervously.

"I'm having a drop of whisky in my tea, would you like the same?" She asked.

"Yes, that would be nice."

"Okay." She poured the tea and carried the cups to the table, her plan was to disappear to her room and enjoy the hot drink in bed but she couldn't exactly walk out on him. It was quite obvious he wanted to talk.

"So you like Richard?" He said absently taking his cup from her.

"Yes, he's a lovely man, very genuine."

Joseph nodded. "You know he's only forty one."

She glanced up sharply, was that a dig? "Yes I am aware of that, are you saying I'm too old?"

"No… goodness no not at all." He suddenly went furiously red. "I was just saying…"

She laughed, unexpectedly. "You aren't very discreet Sir. If you're trying to warn me not to date a fellow member of staff then you just have to say."

She slipped down from her chair and gathered her coat and scarf. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a little tired."

"Miss. Arcenciel." He said a little harshly. "Clarisse, that wasn't what I meant. Not at all what I meant."

"Oh?" She stopped and turned to face him.

This wasn't right; the atmosphere in the room had changed suddenly, just like that. She needed to escape, she could feel it moving too quickly and try as she might she couldn't break free of the momentum.

"What are you saying?" Her voice sounded odd, distant and strange to her.

He stepped closer to her, moving deftly around the table, so quick she hardly registered the movement.

"You surely must know what I mean."

"Your majesty." She said formally, noting his grimace.

"Why can't you say my name… just once." He touched her hand where it lay on the table. "You must know how I feel about you by now."

"Jealousy isn't expected in somebody like you."

"Isn't it? Well neither is falling in love so deeply, so quickly…"

She snatched her hand away. "Love? You can't love me, you don't know me."

"I know, it's irresponsible and impulsive and so unlike me. I wasn't expecting somebody like you to come into my life."

"Don't." She tried to move past him but he caught her arm.

"Clarisse, please, I can't bear this… I can't keep hiding it away."

"You're the King, you're my employer, let go of me."

"I'm not talking to you as my employee, I'm talking to you as Clarisse… as the woman who I'm in love with."

"Stop…" her voice was weak, failing as his body moved closer to hers. "Don't do this."

"Why not? Because I'm the King and it's improper, or because you don't want it."

She stared into his eyes, gentle and imploring. His hand traced down her arm and he caught her fingers with his, they folded their hands together.

She felt her chest tighten, the breath catch in her throat. No matter what her brain was screaming at her the feel of having his body next to hers was perfection.

Hesitantly she reached up and placed her hand on his face, he was shaking, waiting for her response.

She closed her eyes, dropped her head forward until her forehead touched his. "I can't do this." She finally whispered then quickly pulled back. "It isn't right."

His expression was unreadable, perhaps shock, hurt, some disappointment, questioning… she wasn't sure which.

She shook her head and pulled her hand away from his, her heart racing at the thought of taking it further; aching at the knowledge it couldn't go any further.

"It isn't fair on anybody, for one thing I've just spent the evening with a perfectly lovely man, kissing you instead would be wrong."

"Did you kiss him?" He said the words before they registered. "Damn, I'm sorry, oh I didn't mean that."

"Didn't you?" She sighed. "I hardly know you, how can I trust that you don't try this on with every member of staff."

Now he was hurt. "Please, if you think there's ever been any woman who made me feel the way you do… I've been a widower for 15 years and not once have I looked at another woman, not once. Then you turn up and I'm… I'm falling like some fool."

He looked to the floor, closing his eyes, squeezing back the tears. "Go to bed." He indicated the door with his hand. "Just leave me."

"Joseph." She said gently, he felt his heart constrict and he looked back to her face. "I don't think you're foolish."

He watched as she collected her coat from the table, her bag and scarf. She crossed the kitchen, never looking back at him. "Goodnight your majesty." She said quietly as she ascended the stairs.

"Goodnight my dear." He whispered to himself.


"I played him." Clarisse said gently, staring into the rain.

"No you didn't." Rose replied, turned in her seat watching her sister.

Clarisse shook her head. "I did, I did I handled it badly and I led him on and he didn't deserve that… doesn't deserve that."

"He's a grown man Clarisse, he knows his own mind, and you did no chasing." Rose sighed. "Switch the engine off."

Clarisse looked up startled, realising they were parked but the engine still running. The windows were steamed with their talk and the rain still fell. She opened the window and took a gulp of the fresh damp air.

"Perhaps I didn't chase, but I didn't deter him, not really. And in the end what does it matter," she shrugged. "Because people will see me as the new housekeeper who played the King, used her feminine charms to land him."

"But you didn't, you left."

"And for that very reason." She unbuckled her seatbelt and leant back closing her eyes. "The thing is now I'm here, far away from Genovia and everything that goes with it, well the more I tell you of what happened… the more I realise how much I miss him."

She swallowed, trying to breathe despite her tightening throat. "I miss him so very much, and I don't know why!" She suddenly exclaimed slamming her hands down on the steering wheel. "God help me Rose I don't know why I miss him because what is there to miss? What did we have really, a few odd conversations, two lonely people sharing a chat." She sighed heavily. "Hardly Romeo and Juliet."

"Oh I don't know." Rose replied gently. "Perhaps an older version." Her voice sounded croaky and Clarisse glanced at her quickly.

"You're tearing up?"

Rose nodded. "Only slightly…"

Clarisse smiled and reached to squeeze her sister's hand. "You always were such a romantic. Come on, or we'll be late, when I've signed the contracts I'll drive you to the house, hopefully it will have stopped raining by then."

She put the window back up and reached into the backseat to retrieve her bag.

"Clarisse?"

"Yes?"

"When did that happen, the kitchen incident?"

"Erm, November time…"

Rose cocked her head to one side eying her sister quizzically. "And yet you stayed on until the end of March, why?"

"Oh just, just because."

"And nothing else happened?"

"I never said that." She swung her door open. "But we don't have time for that now, come on. If we get this over with quick I'll treat you to coffee and a cream cake before we have to drive again."


Bit short - sorry - more soon xx Rhonda