23/8/04
Last night after I put my journal away, Clarisse and I had another little chat, mainly her speaking of when she used to come up to the mountain with he who shall not be named, aka Chester – okay I named him. She said she used to sneak out of her house every Friday night and he'd pick her up around the corner and take her up to their special little spot under a pine tree. He'd carve their initials in the bark while she admired the view, trying to ignore the engraved love hearts…I really didn't want to hear any more about her ex-lover, so I changed the subject and asked her to continue telling me about her life.
"Well," she sighed leaning back in the car seat and staring at the raindrops sliding down the window, "What would you like to know?"
Shrugging my shoulders I said, "I don't know, something that has nothing to do with your dear orange-haired friend."
"Well I'm out of ideas."
"How about you tell me how you came to be the Queen of Genovia? Your relationship with Rupert. Where it all started. I know a little, but like everything concerning you, I assume it's all lies."
She snorted and turned to me, "You want to hear the truthful version?"
"Please."
"Alright then, where do I begin? It all started when Rupert's friend was falsely accused of sleeping with a minor, my parents being the best lawyers money could buy were defending him – Rupert was paying. My mother and father spent a lot of time at the palace and often had to take me along with them because they didn't trust me to be left alone in the house at age 18, well my father did, my mother didn't.
When at the palace, I was often left alone in the guest room with nothing to do, so I used to explore the place whenever and wherever I could. There were a lot of strange things to see and hear in that place, for example, when I walked past the maids I could hear them muttering about how the queen mother, who later became my beloved mother-in-law, liked everything to be cleaner than it could be. When I walked past all the empty rooms in the basement I used to shudder and hear voices, which I now realise were communication pipes leading from upstairs. I never liked the east wing, the west was my favourite, for it held a great and rare gem amongst it – Jacqueline (Jackie) Maree Victoria Renaldi – a.k.a: Rupert's mother.
I came across her on a cold winters day on my regular palace prowl, it wasn't the first time I'd come across a member of the royal family, but it certainly was more pleasant than the time I walked in on Rupert's Uncle in the bathroom. She spotted me standing in the doorway as I was sneaking past her suite, she looked pale and sick, yet she asked me to take a seat.
"What are you doing wondering around the royal wing?"
"I…I got lost, I couldn't find my way back to the main entrance."
"Lies, child, do not tell me lies. How did you get past the guards?"
I knew the game was up, so I told her the truth, "I threw a coin in the other direction to gain their attention, then ran through the door…you must not pay your staff well if they scrounge around for 50p."
Her laughter filled the room and she smiled at me, "You're a lovely girl, you know that? Such a pretty face, such humour and that dress – oh what taste. I'm in heaven. State your name, girl."
"Clarisse. Clarisse Preston."
"Oh, the lawyers' daughter. The very girl I hoped to meet, I didn't imagine you'd be so cheeky or have such superb looks…are you married?"
My eyes shot open, "Married? No, I've only just come of age."
"You're of legal age to marry?"
"Well yes…what are you getting at?"
"Sit down my girl," she screeched, grabbing my hands and forcing me to sit in front of her, "I have a proposition for you."
"Do I want to know what it is?" I asked.
She released my hands and leaned into her chair, "Most certainly you will. You see, my son, Rupert has gotten himself into a bit of a mess and I want you to help him get out of it. He thinks he's in love with somebody and is planning to marry her before next year."
"What does this have to do with me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well I was sort of hoping you could come between them, she doesn't want to be queen and she doesn't want Rupert to be king. He's seriously considering abdicating, but if he does, there is no Renaldi heir to rule. Can you imagine what will happen to the throne of Genovia if it's passed on to somebody not of Renaldi blood?
"Why it would be terrible, fatal even."
"How would you like to be queen?"
My heart skipped a beat, "Queen?"
"I want you to wed Rupert."
"Wait a minute, you want me to marry your son? Not possible, I can't marry a stranger, especially one far older than I. Besides I'm already seeing someone, so I'm sorry, but my answer is no."
I stood and walked over to the door, but before I could push it open, she spoke again, "Don't you care about the future of Genovia? Don't you love the country you live in? It will all go to rack and ruin if he continues his pursuit of this woman. You can help save it, consider it your duty if you must, to marry my son and keep the Renaldi bloodline alive. If that doesn't convince you enough to marry him, then think about yourself, it's not just the country you'd be helping, you'd also be helping yourself by assuring wealth and recognition for you and your future children. There are so many reasons why being royal benefits you. Imagine never having to lift a finger, never having to wash dirty clothes, never having to learn how to cook. You'll have a rich man to settle down with, a family that's raised for you, you'll have everything done for you up until the day you die. It's a wonderful life to lead, Clarisse, I enjoyed my time as queen and I'm sure you would too. Think about it, my dear, Rupert is a man, he's a King. Thousands of girls would love to be given the opportunity to wed him. I'm handing it to you on a plate, girl!"
"But I don't even have the opportunity, you said it yourself he's with someone. Besides, what makes you think I want all of that?"
She closed her eyes and slowly opened them, "It's what every girl wants. I can arrange a meeting for the two of you, all you have to do is show up, be the charming lady you are and he'll melt like butter. Think about it my dear, it could be the best thing that ever happens to you."
"But what if he doesn't-"
"Men love it when younger women – especially as young as you - pay them attention. Trust me, he'll fall at your feet."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then you obviously haven't tried hard enough. Please help Genovia remain as we know it. Keep it the beautiful and civilised country it has been for so many years."
I stood at the door for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. I hadn't met Rupert, yet I was already pondering marrying him, he did after all have more to offer than any man who had shown me even the least bit of interest. Besides, I respected the Renaldi rulers and did not want their 500 year-long reign to end.
After I exited the room, I walked down the hall hugging myself and noticed a large door ajar. I looked through the crack and discovered it was none other than Rupert's suite. To my surprise he was in there, no doubt with the woman his mother had just been talking about. She had long, dark curly hair and very dark skin, beautiful long legs and a tattoo right across her lower back in curved letters that read 'Rupert'.
Obviously they had just made love because he was fiddling with his shirt buttons and she was facing him naked. I was going to give them some privacy by leaving, but they were fighting about something, so I couldn't help but stay and listen. They were fighting about the woman I had just met, obviously there was a mutual dislike between Jackie and…I think Fiona was her name. She was shouting at Rupert telling him his mother didn't like her because she was black and he replied by saying she just needed to get to know her better. She started screaming that if things continued to be unpleasant they would have to come to some arrangement of not seeing each other, he told her it would never happen and that he would follow her anywhere, then their argument came to a halt as he stormed out of the room. Luckily for me he was so angry he didn't notice me kneeling behind the door. After watching Fiona cry on the bed for a while I heard footsteps and ran as fast as I could in the other direction so as not to be seen.
Later on I went back to the guestroom and found a maid standing there with a white envelope in her hand. It was an invitation to Rupert's Birthday ball that Jackie had asked to be given to me. I knew she wanted me to attend in order to present myself to her son, so I accepted and went to my very first royal ball.
Jackie and I came up with a series of plans beforehand to get Rupert to take an interest in me, we had a plan A, the traditional plan B and a drastic, last resort plan C.
I still remember the dress I wore – I was a vision in gold, I looked like a princess. The guards opened the doors to the ballroom and I felt so special, so much like I belonged there. Rupert hadn't entered at that time, but his mother was there in a dress, which matched beautifully with mine. She gave me a nod of acknowledgement and turned her head towards the staircase where Rupert walked out with Fiona. She whispered something into his ear as they descended and he frowned at her. It was obvious they had been fighting again and since they danced the first dance together and no more, I thought it time to pounce.
Rupert hadn't been able to keep his eyes off me that whole night, I didn't know whether it was because my dress was blinding him or because I was always near his mother, but every time I looked at him he was staring at me and I couldn't help but stare back - he was a very attractive thirty-six year old man. We ended up dancing together and his unofficial fiancée was giving me nasty looks. She waited until we were close to her and then stepped on my dress causing me to trip and fall into Rupert's arms. She became even madder and ran out the door - he chased after her, but his mother pulled him back and told him he should never chase a girl, she then went on to say he should stay more focussed on his job and stop fixating on what she called his "whore". Rupert was incredibly angry, I think he would have slapped her had they not been in company. After giving Jackie the look of death, he proceeded to chase Fiona.
Later on Rupert came back looking exhausted and apologized for leaving me in the middle of a dance, he then took me in his arms and swayed me around the dance floor trying to forget about whatever had happened outside with Fiona. At the end of the dance he apologized again and went to stand beside his mother, who later on told me what was being said. She said their conversation went something like:
"Clarisse seems like a lovely girl, Rupert, why don't you marry her?"
"Because I'm going to marry Fiona. Who is she anyway?"
"The daughter of the lawyers defending your friend in his latest court case. Pretty, isn't she?"
"Beautiful."
"She just turned eighteen."
"Did she?"
"Perfect age for bearing children."
"Yes. Perhaps you could fix her up with one of your friends?"
Rupert walked away and joined the rest of the party, while I went to talk to Jackie.
"He's not very interested, I think it's time for plan C," she announced, quicker than you could say chips on Friday.
"Surely it need not come to that."
"I'm sorry, I thought you were serious about saving the country?"
"I am…it's just…I don't have much experience with matters of the heart."
"Who said anything about a heart?"
Taking a deep breath, I took a sleeping pill from my purse and went to do what I had to do – place it in his drink.
A few hours later I walked into Rupert's suite where he lay unconscious on the moonlit bed. I carefully removed his pants, jacket, tie, shirt and underwear, then observed how even more attractive he was without clothes on. Quietly I scattered my own clothes all over the floor, messed my hair up and climbed into bed with him. When morning came I woke up to him staring at me with a horrid expression on his face, he obviously though he had gotten drunk and had a one-night stand with me, which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve.
"Good morning," I whispered, running my hand through my messy hair and wiping my eyes, "I hope I wasn't too disappointing, your majesty."
His eyes widened and he began acting strangely, his forehead started sweating and he ran quickly into the bathroom to wash his face. I felt horrible for tricking him into thinking he slept with me, but it was the only way to save the country."
"Clarisse, if I may interject for a moment, how did that help to save the country?"
"Well if you'd allow me to explain, dear Joseph, you'll find out. You see, I returned to the palace the following week and lied to him, telling him I was pregnant with his child. He knew what scandal would come if the country knew he impregnated a women of only 18 to whom he wasn't married, so he tried to reason with me by offering a large sum of money to keep my mouth shut, but I refused and told him the only thing I wanted from him was his hand in marriage. He hit the roof and absolutely refused, until I mentioned Fiona's name and how it would ruin their relationship.
The next night he came to me and begged me to give up the non-existant child, but I wouldn't allow my plan to crumble, I told him I was going to have his baby and I was going to rule the people of Genovia at his side, or else I would have words with Fiona. Since he'd rather lie than admit to her he cheated, he told her he was going to rule Genovia with or without her by his side. Of course, she didn't want to be queen, nor did she appreciate his sudden change of mind, so she left the country and went to live in the states. Three weeks later Rupert and I were man and wife, though it pained him greatly to say 'I do' and 'until the day I die'.
I still remember the first words he spoke to me when we walked into the honeymoon suite on our wedding night, he asked, "How could you marry someone you don't know or love?"
And I replied, "You did!"
Then he said, "I was given no choice. I can't believe I once thought of you as an innocent little girl without a heartless bone in your body…I guess you really are meant to be queen. I hope your life is filled with the same mindless chatter and endless parties that drove my mother to a life of foul play and bitchery."
With that he left me alone.
Rupert had a hard time getting over everything that had happened and spent many nights sleeping in the room next to ours. He wouldn't touch me at all for the first few weeks of marriage, he wouldn't even kiss me goodnight or do anything to acknowledge my existence. He was angry with me for blackmailing him, but he was even more angry when he found out I wasn't pregnant.
Two months into marriage we had a breakthrough, he accepted that whether he liked it or not I was going to be a part of his life forever and nothing he could do would change that. He started showing slight signs of affection and would stay with me at night occasionally. At that point I realised I hadn't seen Chester since the day I was married, so I was happy to at least be intimate with someone, especially someone the whole country expected me to be in love with.
When Rupert and I made love for the first time I was frightened because, although I had gotten to know him a little better, I couldn't shake off the horrible feeling that I was with somebody almost twice my age. He was a fully-grown man - I was barely out of high school! Despite that, I had a marvellous time and continued to for over a month, until I became so at-ease with him that I told him the truth. Rupert wasn't happy, he called me a lying bitch, a whore and I think he said something about his mother being vindictive for putting me up to it. As much as I tried to apologize, he wouldn't calm down, nothing I could say or do would make him forgive me for making him give up the love of his life. I suppose had he not been so worried about the media, he would have divorced me as soon as possible and ran after Fiona, I know he wanted to, but it would have caused the biggest scandal ever.
After that incident, he ignored me for months on end and would spend all day working and all night huddled in a corner of our bed. Soon I discovered I was pregnant with Pierre and when I told him, he wouldn't believe it. He thought I was faking another pregnancy. I couldn't blame him though, I wouldn't have believed me.
When I began to show, he started trusting me, however he still wouldn't forgive me…until Pierre was born. His immediate love for the boy was obvious, you could see it in his eyes the way he adored him. Pierre made him so happy, happy enough to forgive and forget, to move on and to finally accept me as his wife and queen. We began living as if we were a happy family, he stopped thinking constantly about Fiona and he even started holding civil conversation with Jackie again."
"Quite a story," I stated.
"Yes," she replied, smiling weakly, "I could go on."
"Not tonight, darling, I'm much too tired. But thankyou for sharing it, I feel quite informed now."
"Talking about these things with you certainly does help deal with a few unresolved issues I have with myself, I've never told any of these things to anyone but you. I guess we have a sort of…spiritual connection."
My eyes widened – did she say spiritual connection?
"Clarisse, I think I'm starting to like you, you're being so…nice…normal…human."
Her eyes closed and she smiled, "I'm not looking forward to sleeping in this car."
"You should have bought me a panel van."
"A what?"
"Never mind."
There was silence for a while, we sat alone in the dark listening to the hard rain falling on the metal of the car. Had there been thunder I would have been worried about even heavier rain and landslides, but thankfully the sky cleared up and the rain stopped before it could happen. It was lovely being alone with my sweetheart up somewhere where there was no chance of anyone disturbing us, we hadn't had that for a long time.
Again, sorry it's late. Thanks for reviewing, time to write another review thx.