Disclaimer: We don't own any of these characters, since Princess Diaries 1 & 2, and its characters are the property of Disney, Buena Vista, and Meg Cabot. We make no money from this work of fiction. All references to ANYTHING Japanese are courtesy of djools, all mistakes in anything are mine!
"Your Majesty? Here's another letter from Prime Minister Sakamoto. If you recall, he was at your right hand at the State dinner in San Francisco last month. He's pleading for you to personally open the Genovian Consulate in Kyoto, Japan, next April. The renovations of the building should be completed by then, he thinks." Charlotte put the letter, which had been neatly typed on beautifully-decorated stationery, down in front of Queen Clarisse.
"Go to Japan?" Her pen poised over the letter she had been signing, the queen looked up in surprise.
"Well, he IS giving you nine months' notice." Charlotte smiled. "And you have already agreed to open a consulate there."
"And you would like to go to Japan," Clarisse nodded.
Charlotte blushed. "That's not what I meant ..." she protested feebly.
"But you WOULD like to go?"
Hesitating only briefly, Charlotte nodded. "Yes, your Majesty, I WOULD like to go. Especially in April, as that is when the cherry blossoms are out and I've been told that is a truly magnificent sight!"
"Then we shall go to Japan."
"Your Majesty, we will be landing in Tokyo in a few moments." Joseph leaned over the back of her seat and spoke quietly to Clarisse who smiled briefly at him.
"Thank you," she said. "What is the weather like?"
"A beautiful day, madam. Warmer than usual."
Clarisse smiled again. "Is Charlotte awake?"
"Yes, I was just speaking with her. Shall I have her come up?"
Nodding, Clarisse practised the Japanese which Joseph had been attempting to teach Charlotte and herself over the last few months. "Doumo arigato."
Joseph nodded approvingly. "Well done, your Majesty." Then, as he turned away, he murmured, "Aishiteru."
Clarisse, although she had no idea what Joseph had said to her any more than she had been able to ascertain the meaning all the times he had said it after every Japanese lesson, nevertheless felt a quickening of her pulse at the sound of his husky voice as he said that particular word. She was definitely going to have to ask someone while she was here in Japan just what Joseph was saying, as she had never heard it on any of her practice CD's or during any state addresses she had listened to while attempting to learn the Japanese language! Doubtless it was another way of saying 'I'll see you later' or some such nonsense. Then Charlotte was slipping into the seat across from her and doing up her seatbelt in preparation for the landing. Pushing aside her musings about the mysterious Japanese word and about her inexplicable yearnings with regards to Joseph himself which she was constantly having to fight, Clarisse concentrated on Charlotte's words about the officials with whom she would be meeting shortly.
"Prime Minister Sakamoto will be at the airport with his wife. Anna Enomoto will also be there, of course."
Clarisse nodded at the mention of the young woman who had come to Genovia for a brief visit the previous September after hearing that the queen had agreed to personally open the consulate in Kyoto. Anna, the daughter of the governor of Kyoto, had been studying in France and had stopped in Genovia on her way home to offer her services to the queen while on the State visit to Japan. After meeting first with Joseph, then with Charlotte and finally with Clarisse herself, Anna had been thrilled to accept the position of personal assistant and translator to Clarisse, alongside Charlotte, of course, for the week-long visit which had been scheduled.
"There is a very brief ceremony of welcome at the airport, then you have an audience with their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace. This evening, there is the formal dinner at the State Guest House in Akasaka which the Emperor and Empress will attend, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Sakamoto. Lord and Lady Delaney will be hosting with you, of course." Clarisse nodded at the mention of the Genovian Ambassador to Japan. Charlotte continued, "The Governor of Kyoto, Mr. Enomoto, was invited, but it was decided that he would remain in Kyoto to await your arrival there. His daughter, Anna, is taking his place on the guest list." Charlotte quickly ran through the schedule for that day. "You are staying at the State Guest House tonight, tomorrow there are more meetings planned for the morning, you have been invited to lunch with the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace, then we leave on Genovia One for Kyoto mid-afternoon."
"Well, I knew it would be busy ..." Clarisse sighed. "If Anna is to be at the dinner tonight, have you been invited, too, Charlotte?"
"I'm not imp..."
"Charlotte, you are an important person! You are vital to me, you know that."
"Anna will be there because of her relationship to the Governor."
"I would like you to be there because of your relationship to me." Clarisse said firmly. She noted Charlotte's wide almost panicked look, and smiled. "If you must, you may think of it as work and you may take notes with regards to the discussion around the planting of the cherry trees with which I understand we will be gifted when we leave. I would also like some suggestions for a formal Japanese garden to be installed in the palace in Genovia. You know how much I love different gardens."
Charlotte nodded, but the worried look didn't leave her eyes. She much preferred being in the background, making sure that everything was running smoothly. Being one of the guests at a formal state dinner had never been an aspiration of hers. At least Her Majesty was giving her some options for conversation. Then she realized the queen was speaking again.
"You would be more than welcome to remain at my side, of course, but perhaps Anna ...?"
"Right!" Charlotte was relieved. She had forgotten Anna in her agitation over having to attend herself.
Clarisse frowned, carefully hiding the teasing light in her eyes by lowering them. "You don't need to sound as though the last thing on earth you want to do is have to stay with me during a dinner, Charlotte."
"Oh, no, your Majesty, please forgive me! That thought never crossed ..." Charlotte was horrified.
Interrupting her aide's spate of words, Clarisse laughed lightly. "I am teasing you, Charlotte."
Joseph appeared at that moment. "Your Majesty? We have landed, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Oh!" Both women were startled, as they had been so busy that they had not been aware that the airplane had landed and was already stopped at the terminal.
As with most State visits, Clarisse found that the time went very quickly that day. She had been as delighted to renew her acquaintance with Anna Enomoto at the airport as Charlotte had been. Joseph, of course, had been close by at all times as well, standing at the doorway of the Take-no-Ma, Imperial Palace, while Clarisse met with their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The Take-no-Ma, or Audience Room, was a restful room with comfortable arm chairs and occasional tables. Charlotte and Anna waited in the hallway, renewing their earlier friendship. There were fifteen years between them, and they had been raised and lived most of their lives on different continents, but the two were amazingly compatible and had been from the moment they had first met. Among the topics of conversation they had had both in Genovia and now here in Japan was one very dear to both of their hearts ... 'what EXACTLY is the relationship between Joseph and Queen Clarisse?' and 'what can WE do to promote that relationship?' Charlotte wasn't exactly clear as to how Anna even knew Joseph's name, let alone that the relationship between the Queen of Genovia and her Head of Security seemed to be a little closer than one would normally expect. Charlotte, herself, had seen the two dancing privately in San Francisco last year, and since then had seen many exchanged looks and covert if circumspect touches, but she was not aware that anyone else in Genovia was privy to the knowledge or even the belief that the two were linked by more than mere accident or position.
Then the audience was over, and Clarisse's entourage moved to the State Guest-House where an elaborate welcoming ceremony complete with red carpets inside and out welcomed the Queen of Genovia and her party to Tokyo. The State Guest-House in Tokyo was a western-style palace of dazzling splendour, surrounded by lush greenery. Clarisse was most impressed, but Anna leaned forward and whispered, "Just wait until you see the consulate in Kyoto, your Majesty."
"I'm looking forward to it."
O o O o O o
The next day, the Genovian delegation landed in Kyoto and were met by Anna's father, the Governor of Kyoto. The Genovian Ambassador to Japan and his family had been in residence in the Genovian Embassy in Tokyo for three years now, and they all had come to Kyoto with Clarisse and her entourage for the official dedication of the consulate the following day. It was obvious that everyone was very anxious to show the Queen the new consulate and to see what she thought of it. The newly-appointed Consul General, Francois Poire and his wife Eugenia, had arrived from Genovia that morning, and appeared to be delighted with their new home. The entire group was going to the grounds of the Old Imperial Palace following the dedication ceremony for a traditional hanami, or cherry blossom viewing picnic. Anna had received special permission for the use of the Kyoto Old Imperial Palace from the Imperial Household Agency while in Tokyo.
Clarisse was awed as she stepped into the newly-renovated consulate. She had seen many magnificent buildings, but the work done on this one was superb. As with other buildings in the area, great effort had been made to use the best of Japanese handicraft and traditions in the renovations. Located on the banks of the Kamo River in an area of the city which was presently being reclaimed for other consulates and next to the Old Imperial Palace, the Genovian Consulate was located not far from where the Kyoto State Guest House was to be built. The Prime Minister's Office, upon deciding to build a Japanese-style State Guest House, had hoped that by making it possible to host state guests from abroad in an atmosphere and style which reflect Japanese culture, guests' understanding of Japan would deepen. It had been decided after only a few meetings that the Genovian Consulate would do likewise. At first glance, Clarisse was very glad indeed that that decision had been made.
The gleaming hardwood floors in the entrance where everyone removed their shoes gave way to tatami mats, made from rushes, spread over the floors of the formal banquet room and the audience rooms. Scattered here and there were floor lamps made of hand-polished cherry wood and rice paper, casting warm and beautiful lights. They all had wooden top panels which created a spectacular light pattern, sending soft shafts of indiret light upward. Muted cherry blossoms had been painted on the rice paper, looking like ghosts of the real beauty outside the windows.
The formal banquet room off to one side had a long polished table down the length, quite low to the ground. Clarisse eyed it for a moment, askance, wondering if she would have to kneel at the banquet, but then she saw the sunken part underneath the table. Every detail of the room was spectacular. Not only was the interior of the consulate stunning at first glance, but Clarisse could see a beautifully-landscaped garden through the huge glass windows along one wall, very unlike the unfinished gardens behind the consulate in San Francisco upon her arrival there. Beyond the stone and bamboo wall at the foot of the garden, she caught glimpses of the Kamo River and the many trees in the grounds of the Old Imperial Palace.
Stepping closer to the windows, Mr. Enomoto pointed out the many stone statues, benches, lanterns, urns and stepping stones, as well as the concrete paths with little stones embedded in them in painstaking patterns. "Masonry is a revered skill in Japan, your Majesty," he said.
"Would you like to see the gardens before the rest of the consulate, your Majesty?" Anna asked.
"Oh, yes!" Clarisse responded, smiling thankfully at the other woman.
The party moved out to the gardens, and walked along the path and over the curved bridge. Anna showed Clarisse the 'shishi-odoshi' at one edge of the water garden. "The deer scarer was originally developed by Japanese farmers to scare off deer and boar from crops. It was later used in gardens as their movement provided an element of change. As the water flows from the bamboo spout, the knocking portion fills and spills the water creating a rhythmic knocking sound as it hits a rock. Placed where it is at the edge of the water garden, it creates an eye-catching fountain and provides a serene rhythmic sound."
"Almost sounds like a gunshot to me," Joseph commented under his breath to Charlotte. "Not exactly soothing or serene to someone of MY profession!"
Upon re-entering the consulate to continue her tour, Clarisse was introduced to the two young women who would be acting as her ladies' maids for her stay in Japan. "Konnichiwa."
Yuki and Aiko, twin sisters, were both excited and almost overwhelmed at the honour they felt being chosen for this duty. They bowed to Clarisse and chorused in English, "Konnichiwa. Hello, your Majesty!" They told Clarisse that the seamstresses had arrived earlier from Tokyo with the crimson kimono-silk piece goods, or tanmono, she had chosen the day before, along with the pattern for the evening dress chosen, and that they were already hard at work sewing the dress so that Clarisse could wear the gown for the state dinner she would be hosting the night before her party left Kyoto. Clarisse smiled her thanks.
"Oh," added Yuki, beaming at the queen. "we also have spread out on your bed the yukata you have been presented from the mercery here in Kyoto."
"Yukata?" Clarisse questioned.
"Informal kimono, rather like lounging pyjamas," Anna inserted. "Shall we carry on with the tour, your Majesty?"
"By all means." She turned to Yuki and Aiko and carefully said, "Doumo arigato, Aiko. Doumo arigato, Yuki."
The two young women smiled and bowed repeatedly, backing themselves out of the room.
The upstairs of the consulate was as spectacular as the lower floor, Clarisse thought, her eyes taking in the delicate silk-screened panels on some walls, the beautifully painted murals on dividers or sliding walls, the painstakingly-carved wood accents on the walls and around the doorways, and the light, open airiness of all the rooms. When the basic tour was over, the other officials departed until the evening reception. Clarisse was shown her suite, and had to bite back a cry of pleasure seeing a soft black linen kimono on her bed patterned with bright red cherries and vivid green leaves, with a wide red sash to match. "This is the yukata?"
"Yes, your Majesty." Anna grinned at Charlotte, too. "We had one made up for you, too, Charlotte."
Charlotte looked surprised and pleased. "Thank you! I mean ... um ...doumo arigato!"
That reminded Clarisse of the question she had to ask Anna. "Anna, could you tell me what 'aishiteru' means?"
Anna stared wonderingly at Clarisse for a moment before saying softly, "Joseph said that to you, did he not?"
Surprised, Clarisse nodded and said, "Often. I almost got the impression at times, well, it seemed as if he wanted to hear it back from me. He would never tell me what it means, but I thought it might be 'good night' or 'sweet dreams' or something ..."
Anna grinned. "Or something. Actually, your Majesty, it means 'I love you'."
Clarisse's eyes widened, and Charlotte almost choked. Then Clarisse turned away without a word. She MUST have heard Joseph wrong all those times. What nonsense, to think he would say such a thing ... to her! She had heard the talk in the palace, even though all the maids knew she was not interested in gossip of any sort, but it seemed that over the years, Joseph had been a topic of conversation regularly. More particularly, Joseph's love life. It had been speculated that he had secretly loved a woman for years. No one knew just who it was, and Clarisse had no intention of ever stooping to that level of curiosity and asking Joseph outright whether or not the gossip was true. She knew that when he was on duty, his entire attention was on his job of making sure her safety was secure. What he did in his private time was just that. Private. Of course, she found herself idly wondering upon occasion about the woman he reportedly loved. She hoped the woman loved him back as he truly deserved to be loved.
Anna had drawn Charlotte away to show her her own room, and Clarisse heard a cry of delight from her personal assistant. Making her way through to where she could hear the other two women talking animatedly, Clarisse smiled when she saw Charlotte holding her own yukata up to herself. It was a turquoise blue with white flowers. "It's almost too beautiful to just wear in the bedroom and to bed!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I thought I had read that some of these could be worn to outdoor festivals and things ... especially if they were more fancy than the regular white or navy cotton with a very plain geometric pattern. So couldn't I wear this to the cherry-blossom viewing party?"
Anna shrugged. "If you would wear pyjamas in public, I suppose you could wear this to hanami, but I would not."
Charlotte smoothed her hand over the robe almost regretfully. "Ah, well. It's still gorgeous, Anna. Thank you ...doumo arigato!"
o O o O o O o
Following the informal reception that evening, Clarisse, Charlotte and Anna all changed into their yukata, the two women from Genovia being very anxious to try their new outfits on. Anna told them the robes must always worn by wrapping the right side of the kimono over the body, then overlapping it with the left side. She explained that only corpses were dressed with the right side on top. She helped them fasten the wide sashes, tucking the ends in after wrapping them around the waist a couple of times. Both Clarisse and Charlotte found them marvellously comfortable, worn over light gauze undergarments which had also been provided.
Meanwhile, Joseph acquainted himself with the guards, the security system in the new consulate and indeed in the entire area. Charlotte and Anna noticed that Clarisse was watching him out the windows of her suite as he paced the river wall of the garden. Finally Anna leaned forward and said to the queen, "Your Majesty, if you wish to go out, I am sure that it would be safe enough to go outside even in the night. Although, maybe alone would not be best. But I believe Joseph is outside. You would be guarded. And the garden here is beautiful at night. Some of the flowers look their best by moonlight."
Charlotte asked, "Wouldn't it be chilly out there?"
"Normally, yes, but we're in the middle of a warm spell, so I think tonight and tomorrow night you would be safe."
"I think I will, then," Clarisse said yearningly. She loved flowers and gardens, and wanted to explore this one further. "Are the two of you coming?"
About to agree, Charlotte caught a look from Anna and rather reluctantly shook her head. Anna smiled fleetingly, then said, "You will be fine, your Majesty. You see, you can get down to the garden from this balcony. And we can keep watch from here if you wish. But see, Joseph is there."
"Yes, I see ..." Clarisse hesitated for a moment, her sharp eyes going from Anna's smiling face to Charlotte's bent head, then she stepped out onto the terrace, pulling the yukata around her more tightly. She wondered why it seemed as if the two women were pushing her into Joseph's company. Joseph. Even as she made her way down to the garden, Clarisse pondered the enigma that was the Head of Security for the royal family of Genovia.
Joseph had cracked her innate reserve with his invitation to dance following Mia's first dance lesson, and she had never been able to fully repair the veneer which kept her passionate nature private and away from public viewing. Then, when she had been overcome with relief and joy at Mia's acceptance of her role as Princess of Genovia, Joseph had caused further erosion of her self-control by taking her hand as they left the ball, kissing it meaningfully ... then circumspectly leaving her at her door limp with the desire to feel his lips moving on hers. It had taken her all night to pull herself together enough to even consider facing him again. Over the months, she had wanted to rage at him for that particular action, but she daren't. He had never really SAID nor DONE anything untoward. He had merely escorted her to her room and departed. But he had, by his heated glances and warm touches, created havoc in her inner being which fortunately she had so far managed to contain under a calm, eminently-suitable royal demeanor. She had practised rigid self-control for years, so why was she suddenly finding it so difficult to wear the familiar mask that concealed her emotions?
"Your Majesty?" his voice sounded surprised.
Clarisse nodded coolly. "Joseph," she said. "Anna said I should come out to view the gardens at night. They are beautiful, are they not?"
"Beautiful ... and secure. Private, as well ..." his eyes were dark, unreadable pools in the dim light from the stone lanterns. "Come, I will show you some of what I have discovered."
The two moved around the garden, Joseph's hand lightly on the small of her back. Clarisse, still feeling rather uncomfortable being near to him alone after what Anna seemed to think he had been saying to her, tried to keep her distance. She replied to his comments in monosyllables, and headed for where the light was the brightest, trying to keep in full view of the windows. She knew others would be watching them, and there were always one or two watchers who tended to search for any indiscretions. Clarisse was determined that nothing could sully this evening in retrospect. She wanted to keep this memory beautiful, forever.
Then Joseph said, staring up at the moon through the cherry blossoms, "It's on nights like these that the woman I love seems very, very close to me, and the possibility is strong that one day my dream will come true and we will be together."
Clarisse looked at him in surprise. Joseph WAS in love? The palace gossip was RIGHT? Overcome with curiosity, she was about to ask questions even though she knew protocol forbade it, but at that moment, the earth trembled under their feet. Having been told that Japan was a land of earthquakes and that tremors were felt almost every day, Clarisse didn't panic, but instinctively reached for Joseph in an effort to keep her balance. In moments, the tremors died away, she released her hold quickly and stepped back. "I must go in."
"Your Majesty ..." he began, but she continued walking rapidly away from him, not looking back.
It was one of the hardest things Clarisse had ever done in her life, but it had to be done. She could not bear to think of Joseph being interested in anyone else that way. No, in ANYONE that way, she corrected herself hastily. She should not have used the word 'else' because she simply must NOT think of him like that. Even as she hurried in, however, she was aware of the uselessness of her commands to herself. Short of banishing him from her presence completely, she was finding that banishing Joseph from her thoughts was impossible.
The next morning was a rush, with Aiko and Yuki almost falling over themselves to make sure Clarisse was beautifully appointed in an elegant mauve suit with her crown in place for the consulate dedication. The suit was one Clarisse had decided upon since it had matching trousers which she planned to wear for the cherry blossom viewing picnic shortly after the dedication ceremony. When Charlotte hurried in with her clipboard to say that everyone was present in the audience room downstairs, Clarisse smiled at her.
"You look lovely, Charlotte," she said, eying the sage green pant suit the younger woman was wearing.
Charlotte flushed with pleasure. "Thanks. It's new. Your mauve and purple looks really elegant, too ... and PLEASE, your Majesty, will you come now?"
Clarisse laughed. "Very well. Doumo arigato, Yuki, Aiko."
The dedication ceremony for the new consulate was short, then the officials all changed into casual clothing and headed over to the Old Imperial Palace grounds for the picnic. Anna directed Aiko and Yuki to spread the blankets under the blossom-loaded branches and invited Clarisse, Charlotte and Joseph to sit down. Her father, the Genovian Ambassador and his wife and the Poires followed suit. It was a lovely, warm spring day, with the sun sifting through the branches of the trees and dappling the grass with light.
Then the Hanami bentos were opened; beautiful partitioned and lidded decorative laquered boxes filled with a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. All the ingredients were artistically arranged and nestled together like flowers in a perfectly-squared garden. Anna, sitting beside Clarisse, explained the significance of the lunch boxes. Charlotte and Joseph edged closer to hear, as did the others. Mr. Enomoto merely sat back and smiled as his daughter began to speak.
"Historically, bento originated as portable food for long journeys, usually rice and savoury tidbits wrapped in a bamboo leaf or carried in woven baskets. The main idea was a meal that could be eaten cold and would not perish on the road, thus the contents were well-seasoned and thoroughly cooked. In assembling the contents, you must follow several rules. First is the rule of 4-3-2-1, which means that the bento box must be composed of four parts rice, three parts protein, two parts vegetable and one part fruit. The various elements must be arranged artfully in varying colors and shapes and carefully divided by partitions and foil. It must be neatly wrapped in cloth with accompanying pair of chopsticks."
"Whoever assembled THIS one did a marvellous job!" Clarisse commented.
"Fit for a queen," Joseph murmured to Charlotte, who giggled.
"The contents often vary," Anna continued. "Sometimes it is a classical shake bento with a bit of broiled salmon, a piece of tamagoyaki egg, and some pickled vegetables, sometimes a Western-style yoshoku bento with tonkatsu breaded pork cutlets and shredded cabbage or a Chinese-style chuka bento, which might feature shumai dumplings, sometimes sushi with fish, vegetables and eggs layered on top with Hanamidango, which are pink, white and green sweet rice dumplings on skewers. Whatever the style, there is usually a square of white rice with a red umeboshi, salt-preserved plum in the centre, patriotically resembling the Japanese flag. As you can see, we have all of this to enjoy today, especially if we share all the bentos."
Clarisse smiled when she overheard Charlotte saying to Joseph in an undertone, "I never was very fond of fish sushit ... er, sushi!"
Anna obviously overheard the same comment, and her laugh rang out. Charlotte's face went scarlet when she realized she had been heard and she refused to repeat her comment when the others clamoured to hear it. Clarisse noticed pear pieces in some of the boxes and strawberries in others, and wondered why Anna grinned when she and Joseph both helped themselves to the pears.
"Have you ever had strawberries, peanut butter and chocolate all together, your Majesty?" asked the Ambassador as he helped himself to a strawberry.
Shaking her head, Clarisse said, "No, but it sounds marvellous. I've loved peanut butter since Mia introduced me to it last summer, and mixed with strawberries and chocolate, I should think it would be a real treat! I'll have to try it when I get back to Genovia."
As they all shared the contents of the bentos and drank the sake which had been provided, the group talked and laughed and openly admired the scenery in the gardens of the Old Imperial Palace. Similar to the garden in the Genovian consulate, there were a number of stone statues and pathways scattered among the trees, grass and flowers. Mr. Enomoto gave them a tour of the grounds following their leisurely meal, then excused himself, citing other engagements. He reminded them all that shortly, when the sun was almost down, they would be able to watch fireworks over the city in celebration of one of the princess' birthday. Gradually the group became smaller as first the Poires left, then the Ambassador and his wife. Soon only Clarisse, Anna, Charlotte and Joseph remained, as Anna had declared that there was nothing more pressing that day, and they should enjoy the outdoors while it was still unusually warm. No one was hungry, and even if they were, there was enough left over to munch on.
Anna produced a battery-operated CD player and put on some music. Then, with a look at Charlotte, she stood up and said, "I'm just going to look at the flowers over in that corner for a moment, before it's too dark to see them."
Charlotte promptly stood up, too. "I'll come with you."
"Just stay there, your Majesty," Anna said quickly when it looked as though Clarisse was going to move as well. "We'll be back in a moment."
The two hurried off. Clarisse looked after them, a faint frown on her face. Something was up. But what? Then she became aware of Joseph looking at her. "Yes, Joseph?" she asked crisply.
Joseph looked at the CD player, then back at Clarisse. Then she recognized the music and her eyes meet his. He stood up and held out his hand. "Your Majesty? Shall we ... wango?"
Hesitating only an instant, Clarisse came gracefully to her feet, and they began to dance beneath the cherry blossoms. When the song faded away, they remained immobile, still in each other's arms, gazing steadily into each other's eyes. Then the next song came on, and still without a word, they began to dance again. Clarisse, noticing that he appeared to be steering them around the trees and out of view of Anna and Charlotte, finally said, "Joseph ... we should stay in sight. What would Charlotte and Anna think if we vanished? You KNOW the Queen of Genovia should be circumspect ..."
Joseph danced her into a secluded corner of the garden where the drooping branches laden with sweet-smelling cherry blossoms concealed them. "You are so afraid of what people will think if they see us in an intimate setting, and you're very protective of your image. But now we are completely alone, in a corner where no one can see what we're doing. Now this is no longer a matter between the Queen of Genovia and her Head of Security, but rather between you and me alone."
"Joseph ..." Clarisse began, edging away from him, trying to put a stone urn between them. She was acutely aware of the fact that Joseph loved another woman. Why was he, well, flirting with her? What had gotten in to him? He must have had too much sake! "Yes, I am protective of my image ... but I do not believe that I am afraid! You must understand, I am never completely alone ..."
At that moment, numerous loud bangs were heard just as another tremor hit. "Duck, Clarisse!" Joseph cried as he lunged for her with a muttered curse, banged his knee into the stone which made him yell with the pain, then he fell onto the stone walkway, striking his head. Clarisse lost her balance, and grabbed at the urn. As the earthquake subsided, Clarisse was aware of more bangs and whistles, and realized that they had been startled by the sounds of the fireworks. Then she realized that Joseph had not gotten up from the ground. Instead, he lay limp, a trickle of blood from his temple dripping onto the walkway.
O o O o O o TO BE CONTINUED