No one spoke during the seconds it took for the elevator to reach the floor. Joseph was preparing to accompany Catherine and Robert to their suite when Clarisse stopped them.
"Would you mind joining me, in my suite, please?"
Catherine still hadn't been able to speak but Robert responded and the three entered Clarisse's suite. Joseph was going to position himself outside the door but she asked him to come in, too.
"I think everyone saw the same as I."
"I'm shocked. How is this possible? But what is going on?" Catherine sat on the couch, unable to concentrate. Clarisse paced back and forth.
"I'm as shocked as you are, Catherine. There must be an explanation for this, I'm sure. I need some tea. Do you want something to drink? Robert? Joseph?"
"A tea would be lovely, thank you!"
"I think I need something stronger. Much stronger! Will you accompany me, Joseph?" Robert sat down in a chair across from Catherine.
"I never drink on duty but I think I'll make an exception today." And Joseph picked up the phone to order room service. Clarisse sat next to Catherine and took her hands.
"Catherine… I think we might actually be sisters."
Catherine looked at Clarisse in disbelief and pain. But what was this game Clarisse was playing?
"Clarisse? Is this some kind of joke? Why are you saying this? You're being cruel…" She let go of Clarisse's hands and got up from the couch.
"Catherine, please calm down. You are not being reasonable…"
"Don't ask me to calm down, Robert. This is insane. That woman could be my real mother."
"Please, Catherine, let me explain. Please." Clarisse got up, went to her side and hugged her. Unable to hold back her tears, Catherine hugged her too and let the tears flow freely.
"I only found out that Pamela was not my mother six months ago. She was always a cold and cruel person to me but never, not even in my wildest dreams, did I suppose that was the reason. She told me that after two years of marriage, when she came home one day there was a woman talking to my father. She wanted him to divorce my mother and marry her or else for him to pay her an astronomical amount of money so that she could take care of their two daughters. Apparently my father didn't give in to the blackmail and the two babies stayed with him. But my mother, er… Pamela, demanded that he only keep one and the other went to an orphanage. And unfortunately, he accepted her demand." The two women were still standing, hugging each other. Catherine had stopped crying and Clarisse was running her hands over her back, trying to calm her down. "I had met you the day before and everything started to make sense to me. When today, during lunch, you told me that you were in an orphanage, it was too much for me. I just wanted to cry and tell you that we are probably sisters. But I was afraid of your reaction. Furthermore, there was certainly not the place to bring up this subject. Of course, when I saw that woman, I immediately knew I had to tell you."
Catherine pulled away from Clarisse slightly and wiped away her tears. Grabbing Clarisse's hands again, she pulled her to the couch and they sat down again.
"This is all pure madness. Can I really be your sister?"
Clarisse smiled and squeezed her hands.
"We will only be absolutely sure with a DNA test but I think it's fair to say that the possibility of being is very high, don't you think so?" Catherine smiled.
"I think so , too!"
Joseph and Robert remained silent, watching the lives of the women they loved change radically. The sound of the door bell made the four of them stand up with a start. Joseph opened the door and the waiter, who was bringing the tray with drinks, was preparing to enter when he looked at Clarisse and Catherine and stopped, eyes and mouth open. Joseph grabbed the tray and murmured to the man,
" Not a word "
" Yes Sir." And he bowed and left.
The guards closed the door and Joseph placed the tray on the table in front of Clarisse. At that moment, muffled voices were heard outside the suite and Joseph reached for his earpiece and immediately looked at Clarisse.
Clarisse took a deep breath and stood up.
"She's there, isn't she?"
Joseph nodded and Clarisse looked at Catherine. She got up too and came to stand beside Clarisse, with a slight nod. Clarisse looked back at Joseph.
"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. This was going too far, too fast. Clarisse took a deep breath.
" Yes I am ."
Joseph opened the door again. Nanny and Sir Wilkes were standing in front of the door. Nanny was trembling visibly and Sir Wilkes had his arm around her shoulders and his head down. Catherine's head was spinning, and Clarisse had a knot in her stomach that almost stopped her breathing. For a few seconds no one moved, no one spoke. Clarisse was the first to regain her composure.
" Please , do come in ." Her voice was cold, distant. Exactly what you would expect from a Queen. Nanny was still shaking, tears were streaming down her face. Her blouse, as well as the shoulder of Sir Wilkes coat , bore the fresh marks of tears Nanny could not hold back. With hesitant steps, Nanny and her husband entered the suite and the guards closed the door again. Suddenly Clarisse wasn't sure if this had even been a good idea. Nanny looked from one to the other. Ever silent, she took a step forward and Catherine instinctively took a step back. Clarisse looked at both of them. The woman in front of her was an aged image of herself. Astonishment, pain, anger, disappointment… All these emotions fought inside her and almost made her send Nanny out of there immediately. Then her gaze landed on Sir Wilkes . He was familiar to her, although she didn't know where she recognized that face from. Clarisse, clasping both hands in front of her stomach, straightened up and, in a cold, regal tone, broke the silence.
"What can I do for you?"
In a voice that was shaky and choked with tears, Nanny answered softly, looking Clarisse straight in the eyes.
"When you were born, I gave you the names… Catherine, the oldest and also the most agitated of the two… From the day she was born I immediately knew that she would be the troublemaker." Nanny managed a sad smile. "Clarisse was born six hours later. And from the moment she came into the world, she was peace personified." Catherine sat down again and covered her face with her hands. This couldn't be happening... This time Robert immediately went to her side and put his arm around her shoulders. Clarisse's chest tightened almost to the point of suffocating her. Tears threatened to come to her eyes and she made an enormous effort to prevent that from happening. The names were the same, in fact, but Clarisse's face had already appeared in newspapers and television around the world. It was absolutely normal for this woman to know her name. The only drawback is that Catherine had a much more modest life. What are the chances of her knowing that name too? "I imagine that your names are not the same… After all, it has been fifty-eight years, nine months and six days since you were taken from me…" Nanny remained standing, a few steps away from Clarisse, her eyes red from crying. She continued to shake visibly and Wilkes approached her, worried that she would faint again.
"Our physical similarity is undeniable, it's a fact. But it is still just that, a similarity. My question is… What do you want from us?" Clarisse was broken inside. That woman was undoubtedly linked to them, she was most likely their real mother. The mother who had tried to exchange them for money and who, not getting what she wanted, left them to their fate, without thinking twice. Clarisse was devastated, yes, but the Queen was used to dealing with pain, disappointment, betrayal. And the Queen could be great at hiding emotions. Catherine still had her face covered in her hands, unable to look Nanny in the eyes. One of the guards knocked on the door and announced Mr. Peabody .
"Let him in, if you please." Clarisse replied. He came in and bowed to Clarisse.
" Your Majesty …" Nanny looked at her in disbelief. Wilkes lowered his eyes. Mr. Peabody stopped to look at the three women. " Nanny , Sir Wilkes ? I don't understand…" Nanny turned to Wilkes , then to Catherine and Clarisse, then back to staring at her husband.
"A Queen? Wilkes , did you know?" Now, in addition to the pain mixed with the ecstatic joy of reuniting with her daughters, Nanny felt betrayed by the man she loved unconditionally.
" Nanny , let me explain." He asked, trying to hold her hands, but Nanny immediately moved away from him.
"Sir Wilkes?" Said Clarisse confused. Catherine got up and approached Clarisse. Joseph was completely lost. Sir Wilkes had been at Philippe's funeral and had been at the Palace on at least two other occasions. Robert remained seated. This was all very confusing to him. What he really wanted was to be at home, sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, hugging Catherine... Instead, he was in a luxury hotel in New York, in the suite of the Queen of Genovia, which only by chance could being his sister-in-law... meeting the woman who, just only by chance, could be his mother-in-law... He was too old for this... And Mr. Peabody continued with his mouth open, not understanding NOTHING AT ALL.
" Wilkes , please don't say anything. I just don't understand why you let me make such a fool of myself. I'm so sorry to have bothered you, Your Majesty . I'm sorry I bothered everyone. If you'll excuse me…" And Nanny ran out of the room, with Wilkes immediately behind her.
When the doors closed again, there was complete silence in the room. Joseph approached Mr. Peabody .
" Mr. Peabody , as you may have understood, this situation is, to say the least, unusual and difficult to explain. Until we can fully understand this entire… situation, I hope to be able to rely on your description. I have to ensure Her Majesty safety…"
"For sure. Not a single word will come out of here. I believe I am as amazed as any of you."
"Maybe we should sit down, there are a few things I would like to ask you."
" Of course , Your Majesty !" replied Mr. Peabody sitting in a chair.
Catherine sat next to Robert. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulled her to him and placed a kiss on her forehead. Clarisse looked and smiled. How she liked being able to have the same comfort... Joseph was going to leave but Clarisse asked him to stay and he sat on the sofa. To his surprise, Clarisse sat next to him but keeping some distance.
"Tell me , Mr. Peabody , who is this lady?"
" Nanny has lived at the hotel for many years. Initially she came here as Eloise 's nanny . Eloise … Just mentioning her name sends chills through most of the hotel staff, myself included. A very active, intelligent child with a huge heart and an innate tendency to get into trouble. But she loved Nanny . She loves Nanny . Whenever Eloise returns to New York, she always comes to visit her. But back to Nanny , she met Sir Wilkes here , also a resident of the Plaza , and I can say that it was Eloise , at only six years old, who brought them together. They are both two extraordinary people. Educated, friendly, absolutely discreet and who live for each other. I can say that I have never seen Nanny have such a reaction. She is a charming person."
"She was a nanny and her name is Nanny too ?"
"No, Your Majesty . Her name is Elizabeth. But everyone calls her Nanny . Maybe because of Eloise ."
"She is American?" Catherine asked.
"No. I believe she is Canadian." Catherine felt a chill.
"And Sir Wilkes?"
"Sir Wilkes is an English Lord . But he has lived, as long as I can remember, here at the Plaza . He has some business in America and what started as a few days a month became a few months a year and then became his permanent residence. Even though he often goes to Europe."
Clarisse stood up indicating Mr. Peabody that the conversation was over.
"I want to thank you for the discretion that I am sure you will have. This situation is totally unusual and I absolutely don't want it to get into the newspapers, as you will certainly understand."
Meanwhile, in the Nanny suite …
" Nanny , please… Don't cry."
" Wilkes , don't talk to me! You lied to me! YOU LIED TO ME!"
