Disclaimer: Thanks to all for your wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them all. Again a million thank you to Gina for helping me out with this.
I hope you all will enjoy this part. And I think I forgot to tell you all that I do not own any of the characters or anything Disney or Meg Cabot related, but now you know I don't!
Enjoy.
Kiss and don't tell…….
Oh my, I have been living here for two months now and am going crazy over all the lessons. The Queen insists that she teaches me how to walk, talk, sit, stand, eat, drink, and even sleep like a true royal. How they do things differently from anyone else, I cannot see, but she wants me to learn. If I have learned anything, it's riding, I absolutely love it. The best part is that it's Rupert, yes Rupert, we call each other by our first names now when we are alone, and he is the one who is teaching me. Not only do I get to spend some time with him and get to know him, I also get a chance to get away from these dreadful lessons.
This morning the Queen taught me how I am supposed to sit, eat, and what to talk about at the state dinner I am to attend in a short while. I do not remember when it is but I think it's after the engagement has been made official. Oh yes, that is true, my dear soon-to-be mother in-law is also teaching me how to act during the press conference when they announce the engagement, but Rupert asked me to just forget everything that day, because as he says, "I am not marrying my mother, I am marrying you!"
It is funny how he always talks as if he hates everything his mother does, when there is no chance that she will hear, but whenever we are at the palace he never does that, well yes, he whispers things sometimes, like when she was teaching me how to greet guests properly, he came up behind me and whispered in my ear and I had a hard time not laughing.
"I do not get this, never have, why can we not just walk into the room and yell hello, like other people do?" He whispers fast.
"Shh, Rupert, I am trying to learn!" I whisper back at him.
"I tried the other thing once; I thought I'd killed her!" He laughs.
I look over at the Queen showing me how to let the people show their appreciation for the invitation.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" I ask quietly while looking between him and the Queen.
"Yes, yes I'm leaving now!" He says in a low voice as he walks away, he for a short second places his hand on the small of my back, and that action freezes me to the spot. I just stand there staring after him. Even though, he has already left I keep staring straight ahead and did not look away until the Queen interrupts.
"Lady Clarisse, I expect you to pay attention during these lessons, not just standing there daydreaming." She says harshly.
"I'm sorry." I answer while curtseying.
"I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour once more, is that understood?"
I nod and we return to the lesson, or like when I was being taught how to sit and what to do during the announcement of the engagement. This time the Queen just tells me that I should not say anything but let Rupert do all the talking, as he is more experienced, but when she turns her back to us to tell her aide Karen what she wants to happen, Rupert leans in, still holding my hand.
"If this was up to me, we would either, send out a press release with the message and run away on vacation for about a month or we would hold this press conference and make out like crazy right here in front of members of the press and the rest of the world!" He says softly.
"Rupert, how do you come up with these things?" I whisper back, blushing.
"I guess it's all the time I have on my hands right now that gives me these wicked ideas or maybe it's because I don't like being told what to do at what point, I even thought about kissing you before I'm allowed to at our wedding!" He whispers and winks at me before leaning back on the sofa.
I just look at him with my mouth wide open and in complete shock. I didn't notice the Queen and King were starring at me, but with the look Rupert gave me, it suddenly makes me remember that we are not alone and that I better remember my manners.
He always catches me off guard. We were out riding yesterday and I was trying to mount my horse but just as I am almost up, the stupid animal moves and I fall down, right in the arms of Rupert. He just keeps standing there with me in his arms, smiling at me. When I make an attempt to stand he bounces me back up into his arms and walks over to the bench right behind us and sits down with me in his lap. He then lets his hand run down from my hip, over my thigh and to my knee just to travel further down to my ankle and then all the way back up again and while doing so he just asks, "Did you hurt yourself, Clarisse?"
"No Rupert, but thank you." I reply to him inaudible due to the shock of having him touch me like that and especially as I can see the Queen in the window, watching us. I stand up as quick as he will let me when I see that the Queen's look has changed, he rises with me but holds on to me.
With his back to the window where she was standing he looks into my eyes "I love seeing you get all flustered just because you and I are doing something that will not be to my mother's liking." He says while running his hands up and down my arms slowly.
"Well, I am the one that is getting told I am not worthy of marriage to you when I act like this, even before our engagement!" I say sadly and look down.
He raises my head again and looks me in the eye, once more. "I find you more that worthy!" He almost spells, ending it with one of his blinding smiles, which I can not help but return.
He again helped me up on my horse and we took off. Even though the Queen was watching every minute of this she has not spoken a word about it, and I saw her eyes burning with anger when she saw us that close together. I guess she is just trying to get used to there being another woman in her only son's life and I know she is not all that fond of me, which makes me certain that is the reason why she is teaching me all these things.
I am suppose to have a royal history lesson now, but the Queen has been held up by a telephone call from some other country, so I am just sitting here in the library, looking at all the different paintings in this room. Right next to me is a painting of King Henry the III 1586-1660, I look him up and apparently he was quite the ladies man, he did not only father children with his wife, an arranged marriage. Then on the wall to my left is a painting of King Paul the VI 1724-1788, I looked him up, he killed his first two wives, arranged marriages, and married the love of his life and had one son. Next to him was a King Phillip the I 1402-1479 who turned to his wife's ladies maid to have a son, because his own wife had only given him 11 girls, also their marriage was arranged. I start to get a little nervous, all these marriages had been arranged and neither of them seems to have any sign of love in them, not even Rupert's own parents had chosen to become married, also theirs was arranged and they do not seem to have any love between them.
King Albert, Rupert's father, always seems so sad and alone, and his mother Queen Maud is always cold, hard and very much in control, and not in a good way. I like Rupert's father very much, even though I've only spent a few hours with him since I arrived here, but he was warm and welcoming, much like Rupert. So maybe there is hope. I would just like to know when they plan on telling the people of Genovia and the world that Rupert and I are engaged to be married, maybe that will soften the Queen.
I know she has arranged a garden party tomorrow and I am to attend as Rupert's escort. I just hope he has not gotten any wicked ideas that will embarrass either the Queen or myself, I can always run and hide for now, until all the guests have left, but the Queen can not, and I know that if she sees or hears anything that would be seen as embarrassing, I will not hear the end of it.
The Queen returns to me and our lesson with some historian that will help the Queen in teaching me about Genovia's royal history, but after sitting in the library listening for two hours I think I learned more about the royals by myself than from them.
I have been allowed to skip lessons for the rest of the day, because the Queen's schedule was changed, so I went to the garden to relax and think about what I had been reading. Of course, after only a half hour alone, Rupert joins me and we just stroll around the garden, talking about nothing special.
"I love this part of the garden; it's so quiet and private, even though I know we have two security people at our heels!" Rupert says softly, almost dreamlike.
I agree by nodding and following him over to a bench, where we sit down. None of us say anything for awhile, but then he suddenly turns around and grabs my hand while looking me in the eyes.
"Clarisse, you will turn 18 in 15 days and I'm sure of the fact that not long after that day, our engagement will be announced, and I have to say, I look forward to that day and I will be the proudest man in all of Genovia!" He declares with a nervous smile on his lips.
"Oh, Rupert I don't know what to say!" I answer almost breathlessly.
"Will you allow me one kiss now?" He asks while casting his eyes down on our hands.
"Oh I don't know Rupert, would that be appropriate? We are not officially engaged yet!" I reply nervously.
"I know Clarisse, but I would like our first kiss to be special and something for just the two of us to share and not something to share with the entire world." He spoke, looking back up to my eyes.
I look around and catch a security guard's eye and he immediately turns around to give us our privacy again. I look back at Rupert. "So that was why you led us here to your favourite part of the garden!" I smile at him.
He shakes his head and laughs softly "Am I that transparent!" I nod. "Yes, that is why I led you here, as I said, I wanted it to be special, plus here I know my mother will not be standing, looking down at us from a window." He let his free hand cup my cheek and I allow him the kiss with my eyes. He leans in slowly, still looking me in the eyes until we are so close that we cannot see each other anymore, when his lips softly touch mine and I close my eyes. The kiss is soft, warm, and better than I ever thought it could be. This being my first kiss, I am a little shocked when he softly deepens the kiss, I guess he feels my anxiety and slowly breaks the kiss. I focus my eyes on him; I can feel my cheeks getting warm.
"I'm sorry Clarisse, I didn't mean to scare you!" He says apologetically.
"Oh you didn't! It's just I've never shared a kiss and it was a very new feeling to me, but a good feeling. I guess I just have to get use to it over time!" I answer just as apologetic as he had.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did, thank you!" He smiles and we rise from the bench as we hear the tea bell ringing, he offers me his arm and we walk back to the palace. I am glad that Rupert makes this so easy for me and I am getting more positive that we will make our marriage better than our royal ancestors.
To be continued….