A/N: Hey all! Just wanna say thank you to you all for reading the latest chapter (and all previous chapters if you've just discovered this story) and an even bigger thank you to Mari and Chelsietx for taking the time to leave me such wonderful reviews. Thank you so very much, I really do appreciate them and your continued support!

Here's the next chapter for you all now. My apologies it's such a short chapter.

"Your Majesty," Lord Durand said cheerfully as he stepped closer to her and took her hand in his. "It's such an honour."

"Good evening," Clarisse said with a smile as he kissed the back of her hand and looked up at her. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."

"The pleasure is all mine," Lord Durand said and bowed his head. "Can I just say, Your Majesty. You look exceptionally beautiful this evening."

"Oh," she laughed a little as she pulled her hand free from his grasp and put her hands together in front of her. "Thank you."

Smiling, Lord Durand turned his head to the table. "Shall we sit?" He said, turning his head back to her while extending his arm out towards the table. "Get to know one another better."

Nodding, Clarisse led the way and watched as he pulled out her seat for her. "Thank you," she said, sitting in the seat he offered and got comfortable as he moved to sit in the seat that he had been sitting in just moments before.

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," he smiled and getting comfortable as the butler poured them a glass of champagne each.

"Thank you," Clarisse said, smiling up at her butler before looking across the table at Lord Durand sitting opposite her and folding her hands together in her lap. "I trust you know why you are here this evening?"

"I do, of course, and I'm extremely humbled that you would even consider me," Lord Durand said as he picked up his glass of champagne from the table. "I knew your husband, of course."

"You did?" Clarisse said in surprise and studied him a moment as he took a sip of his drink, trying to rack her brains if she had, in fact, met him before at one of her husband's birthday parties over the years, or at some function or other. But for the life of her, she couldn't remember. "How did you know him?" She asked while lifting one hand from her lap, to pick up her own drink and take a sip of it.

"Oh, we used to play poker together," Lord Durand said as he set his glass back down on the table and looked across at her. "He was a great player, taught me a trick or two over the years."

"I see," Clarisse nodded slightly as she set her drink back down on the table and put her hand back down with her other hand still in her lap.

"He was a great bloke. It was quite a shock when he passed away so unexpectedly." Lord Durand said sincerely. "And my condolences to you, of course."

"Thank you. But yes, his sudden passing was rather a shock to us all," Clarisse said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his statement. Instead, she kept her gaze on her glass a moment. 'If only he knew what he was really like', she thought to herself as she cleared her throat and looked down at her hands for the briefest of moments. "But unfortunately, time can't stand still forever. There comes a time when one must move on," she said while looking back up at him.

"I completely understand, Your Majesty," he said, giving her a small smile and tapping the side of his nose two times with his forefinger before reaching out for his drink once again. "Feel free to ask me any questions that you may have, I am an open book."

"Thank you, I do have a few, actually," Clarisse replied as she watched him drink a little more of his champagne before placing his glass back down on the table and looking up at her.

"Well ask away, Your Majesty," Lord Durand smiled and smugly held his arms out either side of him. "Like I said, I am an open book."

"Hmm," she replied and picked up her glass of champagne. So far she wasn't overly impressed by the man sitting in front of her, she felt he came across as cocky and presumptuous, but she had to give him a chance, just like she had to do with all the possible suitors she had picked out from the list her assistant had done for her. Maybe her opinion of him will change after they have gotten to know one another a bit more. So, after having a small sip of her drink, she set her glass back down on the table in front of her and looked up at him. Ready to ask him her first question. "Lord Durand, your file mentioned that your hobbies include dancing, walking, and horse riding. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is correct," he nodded. "My favourite, of course, is dancing. And horse riding. I could be out all day on one of my horses if I could."

"Me too," Clarisse said with a nod. "Tell me, how many horses do you have?"

"I have three. Nutmeg, Copper and my favourite girl, Toffee," he said as she smiled. "What about you? I bet you own a fair few here at the Palace, don't you?"

"Mhmm we do, yes. We own several horses here at the Palace, but my own personal favourite is my Lady," Clarisse said. "She's very shy, I'm actually the only one who she'll let ride her."

"Is that the gorgeous sandy coloured horse that you were photographed riding out and about on a few weeks back by the local paper?" He asked and leant back in his chair as Clarisse laughed.

"Not the best photograph of me, but yes, that's her. That's my Lady," Clarisse nodded with a smile as she briefly looked down at her glass on the table before looking back up at him.

"Oh it wasn't that bad," Lord Durant smiled, watching as she picked up her glass and took a sip of her champagne. "You still looked pretty good up there in the saddle. Very poised and in control."

"Dinner is served," announced the butler as both the Queen and Lord Durand looked up at him.

"Oh good, I'm completely famished," Lord Durand said and reached his hand out for his glass, to move it from where he had placed it on the table in front of him and took a quick drink of it before placing it back down out of the way from where the dinner plates were to be placed.

Watching him, Clarisse cringed at his comments before setting her glass back down on the table and folding her hands together back in her lap. Realising, as the butler began to serve their dinner, that this really was going to be a very long night.