Hey everyone, to all those reading and leaving me wonderful reviews on this story, thank you so much :) I really really appreciate it. Here's day 3 part 2 for you all :) please enjoy and remember any feedback/reviews are, and always will be, much appreciated :) thank you.
Day 3 - Part 2.
Leaving Joseph out in the garden, Clarisse made her way to the family office and picked up the cordless phone from the desk. Dialling the security offices number at the palace as she moved over to stand by the window, she put the phone up to her ear with one hand and pulled back the net curtain with her other hand.
"Hello, palace security," said Shades.
"Good afternoon, Shades," Clarisse smiled as she stood looking out of the window at Joseph watering the flowers in the back garden.
"Your Majesty," Shades exclaimed while jumping to his feet, "how may I help you?"
"Could you put me through to the main lounge, or wherever Pierre and Philippe are please?" She asked and took her bottom lip between her teeth as she continued to watch Joseph.
"Of course, transferring you now Your Majesty," Shades said.
"Thank you," Clarisse smiled and tilted her head slightly.
"Hello, Philippe speaking," Philippe said a moment later as he put the phone up to his ear and sat back in his chair.
"Hello darling, it's your mother," Clarisse said.
"Oh hello mother, is everything alright?" Philippe asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, of course," she smiled happily, "I just wanted to let you know that we will be returning early tomorrow morning now instead of this evening."
"Right," Philippe said as he sat up and put his free hand on his knee, "how come?"
"Because it's so lovely and relaxing here, we simply dec-"
"We?" Philippe interrupted, "you and Joseph you mean?"
"Well yes darling, it is just the two of us here after all," Clarisse smirked, her eyes still on Joseph out in the back garden.
"Mother, I'm going to ask you something now and I want you to be completely honest with me," Philippe said.
"Alright, darling," Clarisse replied with a small nod of her head, "what is it you want to ask me?"
"Is Joseph holding you there against your will?" Philippe asked and heard his mother laughing down the phone. "Mother, I am being serious here. Is he holding you against your will?"
"What? Darling, no," Clarisse said as she shook her head and put her free hand up onto her forehead, "Joseph, he's a good friend to us and he is certainly not holding me here against my will, so why would you even think such things?"
"I don't know, it's just with those rumours about him having a thing for you, and now you're coming home tomorrow instead of today I just thought," Philippe replied with a shrug, realising how ridiculous he must sound. "I don't know."
"Yes, there are those rumours, and yes it's true that we were meant to be returning today but it's been such lovely weather, we both decided to stay an extra night," Clarisse said, amused over her sons question.
"Alright, okay," Philippe nodded to himself, "wait a minute."
"What darling, what is it?" Clarisse smiled.
"You sound really..."
"You sound really, what?" Clarisse asked after a moments silence.
"Happy. You sound really happy," Philippe replied suspiciously, while realising he hadn't heard her this happy since before his father passed away.
"Oh do I? Must be all the relaxing I'm getting done here," she replied while turning back into the room and looked across at the desk. "Listen though, I really have to go now."
"Mother, wait," Philippe exclaimed.
"Bye darling, I'll see you in the morning," Clarisse replied and hung up.
Walking slowly out into the garden and over to Joseph, Clarisse couldn't help but chuckle over Philippe's bizarre question.
"What's so funny?" Joseph asked as he turned his head to look at her walking along the pathway towards him watering the flowers.
"Oh just Philippe, for some strange reason, when I told him we were returning home tomorrow, thought you were holding me here against my will," Clarisse smiled as she stood beside him and put her hands together behind her back.
"He what?" Joseph exclaimed and started laughing as he looked back at the flowers a moment.
"I know it was an odd question," Clarisse smiled and nodded as Joseph looked back at her, "but both he and Pierre have heard the rumours about how you feel about me too, and I suppose with us not returning this evening he thought the worst."
"Oh I see," he nodded and looked back at the flowers as he turned the lever off on the hose before turning to her with it still in his hand. "And what did you tell him?"
"Well I told him that you are a good friend to us and that you are certainly not holding me here against my will, and that we both decided to stay the extra night," Clarisse replied.
"Okay, so you didn't say anything about us?" Joseph asked.
"No, I didn't," Clarisse replied as she looked down a moment before looking up into his eyes. "And it's not that I don't want to, I would shout it from the rooftops if I could, but I can't, not yet at least." She said and stepped closer to him. "I will tell them though, when I know the time is right. But I do need to take their feelings into consideration, they were both very close to their father and he's only been gone thirteen months. It might be strange to them knowing, or even seeing us together in that way."
"I completely understand that," he said and closed the distance between them while putting his free hand on her side.
"For now, I want to keep this between us for as long as we possibly can," Clarisse said and watched as he nodded.
"Like you, I would love to be able to shout it from the rooftops but I completely understand why we can't do that yet," he said as she turned her head to the side to look at the flowers.
"Thank you for understanding," she said and looked back up at him.
"You're welcome," he smiled and leant closer to kiss her cheek as she closed her eyes. "Shall we go for our walk now?"
"Yes, I would love too," she smiled.
"Ok, well let me put this away and then we will go," he said, referring to the hose in his hand.
"Alright," she smiled and watched as he began reeling up the hose.
Later That Day.
Leaning back against a huge oak tree, Joseph watched as Clarisse sat down on the bench a few feet away from him near the pond that they had stopped at for a short break in their walk and placed her hands down on the seat, either side of her legs as she tucked one foot behind her ankle, like she always did. The sun was shining but there was a slight breeze in the air that every now and then would ruffle her hair and he realised, with a smile as he watched her, with not having the chance to see her this way before, that, she may be royal only by marriage, but she certainly had a regal pose about her and it made him fall in love with her that little bit more.
Feeling his eyes on her, Clarisse smiled and tipped her head back to look up at the beautiful clear blue sky for a moment before closing her eyes, relishing the silence around them. They'd had a lovely walk past the horses, where she spent several moments meeting them before continuing on along a river bank and finally through a wildflower meadow before coming to where they were now. A beautiful wooded area surrounding the pond, that had ducks and their babies swimming around on it as well as lots of wild birds tweeting happily around them.
Stepping forward moments later, Joseph moved to sit down beside her on the bench and watched as she opened her eyes while turning her head to look at him and smiled. "I'm afraid we will have to head back to the house shortly, make a start on dinner before it gets to late." He said and looked towards the pond.
"I know, this day is going by so quickly," Clarisse said as she glanced towards the pond before looking back at Joseph. "But it has been beautiful and relaxing," she smiled, "just what we needed."
"Definitely," he nodded with a smile and looked back at her to find her smiling at him, "what is it?" He asked.
"Well I was just thinking, yesterday you talked about how you were married but didn't love Beth like a husband should because you loved someone else?" Clarisse said as she watched him look back out at the pond.
"Yes," he nodded and looked back at her.
"And I just wondered... It was me, wasn't it? I was the woman you loved but couldn't have because she was already married." Clarisse said as she studied his face.
"Yes, it was you," he said and looked back at the pond. "My secret of forty odd years is finally out in the open."
"I'm glad it is," she smiled as he looked back at her, "but it hasn't really been a secret for all that time, I have known for at least six years and I hate to think how long Pierre and Philippe have known for."
"Oh god, I hate to think," he said and they both laughed. "Damn maids."
"They can't be all that bad, I mean if they didn't know then I wouldn't have known and we wouldn't be here now," Clarisse said as they looked at one another.
"That's true," he smiled and nodded as they both looked back out at the pond. "I am glad you know though."
"Me too," Clarisse smiled as she looked back at him for a long moment before looking back at the pond.
"Oh well, it's back to the palace and reality tomorrow," he said.
"I know," she nodded while looking down at the ground for a moment before leaning to the side, nudging him gently with her shoulder and smiled as he looked back at her. "But we still have tonight."
"We certainly do," he smiled and leant closer while tilting his head to the right and kissed her a couple times as she closed her eyes.
I'm working on an extra chapter for this set where they return to the palace the following day, but wanted to know what your thoughts are on a possible sequel?