Hey everyone, thank you all so so much for reading this story and taking the time to leave wonderful reviews :) I appreciate it all so much.
Here's the next chapter for you, hope you enjoy it ;)
"Oh grandma, I'm so glad you came back," Mia said as she made her way over to her grandmother and embraced her in a hug. "I'm so sorry. I know you said this morning that you don't really like parties, but I thought this one, with very few people, would be okay."
"You don't have to apologise, Mia," Clarisse said as Mia pulled back enough to look at her grandmother. "It's okay."
"Oh good," Mia exclaimed and gave her another hug before stepping back. "Because we have so much planned, it's going to be just like a wedding reception."
"Only a lot, lot smaller," Pierre teased from where he stood across the room, interrupting his niece and laughing as Mia glared over at him.
"Yes, uncle Pierre, obviously a lot, lot smaller," she smiled and looked back at her grandmother as she removed her jacket. "We are going to have drinks, well you are," she smiled and laughed as Charlotte held up a bottle of champagne, "after last night, I'm sticking to lemonade."
"Me too," Lilly said and everyone looked at her before looking back at Mia as she continued.
"We are also going to have a couple of speeches, some music and of course dancing," she said as Lilly turned on the music. And Clarisse smiled when she recognised the first song playing. A favourite one of hers. "Just like you would at a wedding reception."
"That'll be lovely," Joseph said as he stepped closer to Clarisse and put his hand on her lower back, to get her attention, before taking her jacket from her with his other hand as she turned her head to look at him. "Won't it?"
"Yes, it will be," Clarisse nodded and looked back at her granddaughter, watching as she walked across the room where they had set up a table.
"We even have a special bridal bouquet for you too," Mia said, picking up the flowers for her grandmother from the table and turning back to them. "And cake," she smiled, gesturing to the cake on the table, "we couldn't forget about the cake."
"This is all so wonderful," Clarisse said as she and Joseph walked over to join Mia by the table, to have a look at the cake. A beautiful and elegant two-tier cake with red and white roses, gypsophila and a bit of foliage arranged so beautifully around the bottom and the middle of the cake. With fancy writing on the top of it.
"Congratulations, Clarisse and Joseph." Joseph read out aloud with a smile.
"I know it's just a basic cake with royal icing used for the writing, but that's all we could get at such short notice," Mia smiled as she watched her grandmother look back up at her.
"Oh no, it's perfect darling, thank you, thank you all of you," Clarisse said as she turned to face the room, "you are all so thoughtful."
"Oh," Mia suddenly exclaimed, taking her grandmother, and everyone else, by surprise. "I forgot about the ring. Do you have the ring on now," she asked and looked down at her grandmother's hands.
"I do," Clarisse laughed and watched as her granddaughter took hold of her hand, admiring the ring a moment as everyone else came over to check it out too.
"Grandma, this ring is so beautiful," Mia said as she looked back up at her grandmother to find her smiling so lovingly at her husband standing beside her. Smiling, she turned back to the table and placed the flowers back down.
"It's gorgeous," Charlotte smiled as Clarisse turned her head to her, "great choice, Your Majesty."
"Thank you," Clarisse smiled and looked down at her hand with a content sigh, admiring the ring a moment before Mia reached out for her other hand.
"There is one more thing, grandma," Mia smiled as she took her hand, "can you come with me into your bedroom for a moment."
"Sure," Clarisse said and looked to her husband, watching as he shrugged in confusion, before looking back to her granddaughter and following her into her bedroom. "Is everything okay?" She asked as she stopped and turned to her granddaughter closing the door behind them.
"Yes, everything's alright," Mia said as she turned to the room and walked over to the table by the window, "it's just I have something for you, but I wanted to give it to you privately."
"Oh, I see," Clarisse nodded, wondering what on earth it could be that she wanted to give it to her in private, and walked over to her as she picked up a small box from the table and turned to her.
"Here you go," Mia smiled nervously and handed her the box. "It's just a little thing really, and I hope that you don't mind me giving you this kind of gift. But since our first meeting and my moving here, I feel that we have grown a lot closer. So I figured that it would be okay."
"We have, yes I agree, but why are you so nervous?" Clarisse asked suspiciously and glanced down at the box she now held in her hands before looking back up at her granddaughter. "What is it?"
"Open it and see," Mia grinned and looked down at the box as her grandmother removed the lid, tucking it under the box in her other hand, before lifting out what was inside. "It's blue, so matches your dress tonight perfectly."
"Oh good god," Clarisse exclaimed and started laughing as a blush crept over her features when she realised what it was. What's supposed to happen when one wears a garter and the tradition of tossing it to the wedding guests. "A garter."
She remembered the humiliation she had felt when at her and Rupert's wedding reception all those years ago, he had made her sit in the middle of the ballroom where he had put his head under the skirt of her wedding dress to remove one with his teeth before, as tradition goes, tossing it to most, if not all, the male guests in attendance. Something she had refused to do but was told she had no choice. It was part of the Royal family's tradition and she had to oblige. And although the circumstances were different back then, and they had a hell of a lot more guests, she really didn't want a repeat of what happened. Not when the only male guests tonight were her husband, her son and Nicholas.
"Uh-huh," Mia laughed a little as her grandmother put it back in the box and put her hand up to cover her eyes as she laughed, somewhat nervously, over the whole situation. "It's a wedding tradition, so I thought it only right you have one too. Whether you wear it or not, it's up to you." She smiled as Clarisse looked back up at her and nodded.
"Oh well, I don't know yet. I will have to think about it," Clarisse managed to say before looking back down at the garter and biting her lip in anticipation. This whole thing felt surreal to her. Talking to her granddaughter, not a friend, or even Joseph, but her granddaughter, about whether or not she would wear the garter that she had given her just moments before.
"Just one thing though, if you do decide to wear it, I know I said it wouldn't bother us, you showing PDA with grandpa, and it doesn't, but the removal of the garter. That part will be done privately, just between you and grandpa after we have all left." Mia said and watched as her grandmother looked back up at her.
"Oh thank goodness," Clarisse said in relief and laughed once again while putting the lid back on the box. "Thank you, darling, I will give it some serious thought." She nodded.
"Okay," Mia smiled, and reached out her hand, placing it on the top of her grandmother's arm before stepping closer and embracing her into another hug. "I will head back out to the suite now, give you a few minutes."
"Oh, thank you," Clarisse said, nodding profusely as her granddaughter stepped back and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned back to her.
"Oh, and by the way, grandpa doesn't know about the garter. Well not yet at least anyway," Mia said and gave her a mischievous smile before finally leaving.
Looking down at the box in her hands, Clarisse moved across the room to sit on the bench at the bottom of the bed. Could she really wear this garter under her dress? The old Clarisse wouldn't, not after what happened at her first marriage. But would the new Clarisse?
Closing the bedroom door behind her, Mia made her way back into the suite as everyone looked back at her. "She'll be back out shortly." She smiled.
"Is she alright?" Joseph asked and watched as Mia walked across the room and picked up her glass of lemonade from the coffee table.
"Yes, of course, she just needed a few minutes," she smiled and took a sip of her drink.
"Here, have a drink," Charlotte smiled as she walked towards Joseph with a glass of champagne in her hand for him.
"Thanks," Joseph smiled and took the glass from her.
A short time later, Clarisse re-emerged from her bedroom and walked back into the suite as everyone turned to her. "Sorry I was so long," she said as she walked over to her husband, who stood with Charlotte and Nicholas by the cake table. "I redid my makeup while I was in there."
"That's okay," Mia smiled as she picked up her grandmother's drink from the coffee table and walked over to join them.
"Are you alright?" Joseph asked, smiling at her as he placed his hand on her lower back.
"Yes," Clarisse smiled and nodded as he leant closer to kiss her cheek. "Are you alright?"
"I'm good too," Joseph smiled as he pulled back and watched her a moment. The smell of her perfume intoxicating his senses and the smile on her face making his heart skip a beat. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world and he felt truly blessed that she was, finally, his. But he couldn't help wonder what had gone on in their bedroom between her and Mia.
"Here you go grandma," Mia smiled, pulling Joseph from his thoughts, as she handed her the glass of champagne. "I didn't think to ask before, but did you enjoy your first dinner together as husband and wife?"
"Oh yes we did thank you, darling, it was a lot of fun," Clarisse smiled and turned her head to the side as Joseph moved his head closer, to whisper in her ear.
"Were you having fun?" He asked and lifted his head to look into her eyes as she turned to him ever so slightly.
"Oh I was, you know I was," she smiled and watched as a smirk spread across his lips, making her blush at the memory of their escapade out in the rose garden.
"Good, it means we were doing it right then," he laughed and watched as Clarisse nervously cleared her throat before reaching to whisper in his ear.
"Oh, we were certainly doing it right," she whispered and pulled back as he laughed with a shake of his head. "No complaints on my part," she shrugged and took a sip of her champagne.
"None on mine either," Joseph smiled, watching her a moment before looking back at Mia. Who had stood, watching the exchange between them.
"Complaints?" Mia smiled after hearing the tail end of their conversation, "what complaints?"
"Oh nothing darling," Clarisse said and turned her head to look back at her husband standing beside her.
"Okay," Mia smiled, watching them smile at one another, "did you like what grandpa did? With all the lights and candles."
"I did," Clarisse said as she looked back to her granddaughter and nodded. "It was very romantic."
"Wasn't it?" Mia smiled and moved closer to the cake table, to get the bride's bouquet before turning back to them. "Now, can you hold your flowers a moment I want to get a picture for the family album?"
"Of course," Clarisse nodded and reached out her free hand as Mia extended her arm out to her. "These are beautiful flowers, darling."
"Thanks, I knew you would like them," Mia smiled as she handed the bouquet to her grandmother and turned to Lilly a moment as she walked over to them with the camera. "I remembered they are your favourites."
"They are," Clarisse smiled and raised the flowers to her face, so she can smell the beautiful scent, where, unbeknownst to her, Lilly quickly snapped a photo.
"That's good," Mia smiled as everyone looked up at her, "I'm gonna get as many photos of spontaneous moments as I can tonight," she said and both Clarisse and Joseph started laughing. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, just that your grandmother is very good at having spontaneous moments," Joseph smiled as he glanced at Mia, then back to Clarisse, "she's already had a few tonight, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have," Clarisse smiled and bit her lip a moment, trying her best to compose herself before nodding. "But yes, Mia, getting plenty of photos is good."
"Will be something nice for us to look back on," Joseph smiled as he smoothed his hand up and down Clarisse's back.
"Yes, exactly," Mia smiled and watched them a moment before taking the camera from her friend, "Okay, smile for the camera."
"Say congratulations," Lilly smiled.
"Congratulations," both Joseph and Clarisse said in unison as they posed together for a photo before smiling at one another.
Thoughts? Please do let me know :) it's much appreciated.