Chapter 7: The Perfect Compromise
June 17, 2002
Almost two months had passed since the start of work on Clarisse's new vacation home. Everything was now complete. Clarisse was packing a travel bag to spend a few days there, when she heard Charlotte enter the suite.
"Hello Charlotte."
"Hello Your Majesty. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes."
"So Paul will drive you there and a second car will follow you with four guards."
"Okay, but since I want to go alone, the guards will secure the place and come back here afterwards."
"But Your Majesty, that's not wise."
"The place will be secured Charlotte."
The young woman was clearly not convinced.
"Joseph will never approve of that, come on. He'll be back in just a few hours from his week's vacation to his family in Spain."
"Everything will be fine. » Just say Clarisse.
"He'll definitely turn a table over if he finds out that you were let off alone without security. Plus, he doesn't know about the purchase of this house, he'll probably torture us to find out where it is. Just hiding your whereabouts there for the past two months has been such a challenge."
"You'll just have to tell him before he tortures you. The castle staff can now be informed. My project is complete now."
Charlotte swallowed hard and nodded.
A few hours later, Joseph entered the security office and greeted everyone.
"Hi Boss. Had a nice vacation?" Shades began.
"Yes, but to be quite frank, I was looking forward to coming back."
Joseph looked at the camera screen overlooking the Queen's suite and didn't see Clarisse.
"The Queen isn't in her office?" » Joseph asked Shades.
"No, she went out about an hour ago."
"She didn't have anything planned outside, did she?"
"It's personal actually." Shades replied.
"Okay, fine. While she waits for her to come back, I'll take my suitcase to my room." Joseph concluded as he left.
As head of security, Joseph had the luxury of having a room in the palace, instead of the adjacent residence on the palace grounds. A wing of the 2nd floor of the palace was dedicated to them. Only a few employees had this chance, depending on their position. Charlotte, Mrs. Cout, Shades, the head chef, the head gardener, also had this same privilege.
On the way to his room, Joseph asked himself a few questions. What was this personal outing of Clarisse? Why had no one informed him? Usually, even when he was on vacation with his family, he was informed remotely of any changes to the Queen's schedule, which meant she had to get out of the palace's embrace. He had always demanded it.
An hour later, Joseph went back down to the security room on the ground floor. He saw Charlotte and Shades and accosted them.
"Is the Queen back?" he asked.
"No." Shades answered simply.
"And when will she be back?" Joseph asked Charlotte.
"Ummm, tomorrow night." Charlotte answered nervously.
"Tomorrow?" Joseph questioned, becoming a little impatient.
"Yes, tomorrow." Charlotte said, avoiding Joseph's gaze.
"Where did she go for 2 days? Why didn't anyone tell me she was going? And why isn't Shades with her?" Such a long outing, when I'm on vacation, Shades must be with her."
"Well the Queen wanted to be alone."
"Excuse me, but I think I misunderstood." Joseph said, feeling anger rising in him.
"She wanted to have a few days off and she demanded to be alone. I know it's not wise, but she demanded it. She's the Queen, and I don't have the power to impose anything on her, I'm not head of security Joseph." Charlotte defended herself.
"You should have called me Charlotte." Joseph said visibly angry.
"I tried, but you must have been on the plane, because I couldn't reach you."
"Okay, Charlotte, excuse me. Where is she exactly?"
"In her new property in Rocabruna." Charlotte replied.
"What?" Joseph didn't understand anything anymore.
"The Queen bought herself a house so she could take a few days of vacation on occasion. She left early this afternoon. Four guards secured the place when she arrived and they came back later, it was the Queen's orders."
"Where is this house Charlotte."
Charlotte took a piece of paper to write the address and the gate code and handed it to Joseph along with the key to the residence.
"I'm worried Joseph, I don't think she's in any danger, but it's not safe for her to be alone, you know that."
"Well, I'll grab a bag of clothes, hurry up and go. I'm sorry to spoil Her Majesty's closed retreat, but when her safety is compromised, it's up to me." Joseph said as he walked quickly out of the room.
A mere 10 minutes later, Joseph was getting into one of the standard royal vehicles. He drove faster than the usual speed limit, but he didn't really care. When he arrived, he entered the code at the gate and parked. He took a second to admire the magnificent house, with the darkness of the evening and the sunlight, the architecture of the house was highlighted. Then, he walked to the nearest staircase. He climbed the few steps two at a time, then unlocked the door without even bothering to ring the bell. As he entered, he noticed a light at the end of the hallway. He dropped his bag and went there. He entered the living room and saw Clarisse with her glasses on her nose, sitting on one of the white armchairs, facing him, reading a novel. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Well, you took your time." She said.
"What?" Joseph replied, visibly disturbed.
"Do you really think I would have come here alone without any protection for three days?"
"Your Majesty, forgive me, but I don't understand."
Clarisse laughed a little and put her book on the side table next to her.
"I bought this house in secret 2 months ago. I had some work done on it, nothing major, just to make it more to my taste. Then, I took advantage of your absence to come and take refuge here. I told the staff that I needed peace and quiet, solitude, that I didn't want anyone here and that I wanted their discretion. I knew full well that when you returned you would ask questions. I knew you would come, but I thought you would come more quickly." Clarisse said, smiling at her last sentence.
"All that just to get me here? You neglected your safety to get me here? Why not have waited for me to return, I would have taken you there with pleasure. »
"Because I want to remove any suspicion Joseph. That way, during our next escapades, no one will ask questions. They will think that I have learned my lesson and that the compromise so that I can have the peace I want is a single guard. And who is the most competent for this kind of responsibility?"
"Okay, I understand better, but if you had simply explained that, I am sure that the staff would have understood and what suspicion would you want them to have exactly?"
"Oh Joseph. Obviously your week of vacation has relaxed you too much, you usually understand more quickly."
Joseph looked at her uncertainly. He was beginning to understand, but at the same time, he didn't dare believe it.
"Are you telling me that here, we could just be Clarisse and Joseph?"
She stood up and approached him.
"Here, we could live our love. In secret. Here it will be our haven of peace away from prying eyes. Here, I would be more Clarisse the woman, the person, than Her Majesty Clarisse."
"I can't believe it. But Majesty, it's not necessary, you know. I told you that I would wait as long as it takes. I will wait for you for years even if it takes."
"Here, between us, just call me Clarisse and drop the formal "vous." » Clarisse said before kissing her.
Joseph wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. He felt tears welling up in her eyes. After their kiss, Clarisse noticed his eyes and cupped his cheek and smiled at him.
"Clarisse, if you knew how happy you make me."
"I know a few days a year isn't much, but I can't do better right now."
"Clarisse, it's huge." Joseph said before grabbing her by the waist to kiss her.
She pulled away after a few moments to talk.
"Did you bring some clothes?"
"Yes, my bag is in the hall. I'll call the palace to let them know everything is okay. Charlotte was worried about you."
After Joseph called the palace, Clarisse showed him around the house and showed him the security system. They were in the office.
"So the computer that's there is yours. From there you can manage the entire security system. He also has one in the master bedroom, in a closet."
"Honestly, I'm impressed."
"Now, how about we finish what we started on the couch in my suite the other night?"
"Are you sure, Clarisse?"
"Yes, Joseph. I really want to. And that's good, because there's still the master bedroom to visit."
"Let's go visit it right away then." Joseph said, kissing her neck.
A few moments later, they were in the bedroom, kissing and touching. Joseph began to remove Clarisse's cardigan. He unbuttoned it with ease, then pulled it off her to let it fall to the floor. Clarisse began to do the same with Joseph's shirt, but she had trouble undoing the buttons on Joseph's shirt. She was almost annoyed by it. Without thinking, she grabbed the fabric on either side of the row of buttons, then pulled. The sound of threads snapping and buttons bouncing all over the room could be heard. Clarisse didn't realize it, she was too busy kissing Joseph's chest, which was still hovering over her. He had stopped attacking her with kisses when he realized how eager Clarisse had become. He chuckled a little, which brought her out of her trance.
"What? What are you laughing at?" Clarisse asked.
"Well, Your Majesty, let's just say that your sudden passion impresses me." He said, pointing to his now broken shirt.
"Oh my god Joseph, I'm sorry, I didn't realize." She apologized, visibly distressed.
"It's nothing Clarisse, seriously it's really nothing, I have tons like that. And I have to admit, I find it rather attractive, not to say really sexy to see your wild and impatient side like that." Him, he said, before kissing her tenderly.
Clarisse was blushing, but she was laughing. Joseph knew how to make her feel better. She let out a slight moan when she felt Joseph kiss her neck divinely.
After making love no less than three times, they were relaxing in bed. Joseph was leaning against the headboard and Clarisse was glued to him, her head resting on his chest.
"I love you." Joseph said.
"I love you too." Clarisse replied.
"I don't think I've ever felt this happy in my life." He declared before kissing the top of her head.
"I feel so good too. You know, you're the only man I've ever truly been in love with in my life."
"Seriously?" Joseph wondered.
"My marriage to Rupert was a marriage of convenience, you knew that right?"
"Yes, you've already told me about it. But I didn't know you'd never been in love before him."
"I was promised to Prince Rupert when I was 16. I had little teenage crushes before that, but nothing more." Clarisse explained.
"Wow, honestly Clarisse, I feel so pampered." He said, running his fingers gently over her face.
"You're someone special, you know." Him, she said.
"Not as much as you." He replied.
"You, in your previous life, you were probably in love?" She asked him.
"Yes. I had short relationships that weren't too serious or I wasn't really in love. I was in love for real once before you. Her name was Lucia. I was 36 when I met her. We were together for 1 year. I thought for a long time that she was the great love of my life, but I understood that I was wrong when I became your bodyguard. My heart belongs to you forever, you are the great love of my life."
"Oh Joseph." She said before letting herself be kissed.
"Honestly, I thought I was in love with Lucia. I loved her, it's true, but nothing comparable to what I feel for you. It scared me at the time. First, I had never felt anything so strong and second, you were the King's wife. The forbidden fruit of the country."
Clarisse laughed at Joseph's comparison, then stood up a little to kiss him.
"How about we take a nice bath? We both need one and we could relax before going to sleep. And I can't wait to test my new candles." Clarisse suggested.
"A bath with candles and you in my arms? Impossible to refuse that." Joseph replied.
They got out of bed, put on bathrobes and went to the master bathroom. Clarisse took out the bathing equipment and Joseph turned on the taps. While she selected the ideal bath salts, Joseph got behind her and hugged her. Clarisse smiled and turned her head to allow a kiss. After the kiss, Clarisse realized that Joseph was not letting go of her.
"Say, are you planning on releasing me soon, my dear?"
"No, why?" He joked.
"Because you have to light his candles." She replied, reaching for the candles.
"Whatever you want." He said, giving her one last kiss on the back of her neck.
Joseph prepared the candles while Clarisse put bath salts and bubble bath in the bathtub.
The bath finally ready, the two entered. Joseph was leaning against the wall of the bathtub and Clarisse arched her torso. Joseph had taken care to put relaxing music in the room, and he had even dimmed the lights. They talked, cuddled and kissed.
They got out of the bath after a good hour, then they went to bed, in each other's arms.