In early November King Rupert was called away to Washington. Although no further attacks had been made towards Clarisse it was still only two weeks since the very public shooting and as a result it was decided Richard, head of security, would accompany the King. Joseph however, being second in charge, was to stay with her majesty. Though he argued the point with his superior for quite a while.
�I really don�t think it�s for the best that I stay��
�Joe come on, she likes you, and she hates almost every other security member.� Richard refilled Joe�s glass with Brandy and sat down by the fire.
Joe accepted the glass and moved to the window. �It�s not the people, it�s the fact she�s followed, it�s that she hates.� He said softly.
�Well, she doesn�t have a choice does she, why do these royals not realise its for their own good?�
Joe shrugged; he didn�t like getting into conversations like this.
�I�ve never been to Washington, the experience will be beneficial, I need to know how to handle these situations.�
�You�ll get the chance don�t worry, I�m not retiring just yet.� The older man said draining his glass. �So stay here, enjoy being in charge, and for gods sake don�t let anything happen to her royal highness.�
* * *
The snow came two days after they left, it was early that year and heavy. No town went without being hit, almost every major road was closed and it seemed the world shut down.
It was during this that the attack came, unexpected in the middle of the night.
Clarisse had been sleeping for four hours when a maid tore her from her sleep and forced her out of bed.
�We must go ma�am.�
�What�s going on, is it the boys, has something happened to them?�
�Ma�am please, we must rush, I�m under orders.�
Awoken from her sleep and only half dressed Clarisse was drowsy and unsteady on her feet. She was led down dark passageways; routes she never knew existed let alone was familiar with. Then she felt the cold air at her bare ankles, and realised she was being led outside. The snow crunched beneath her feet and a few dark figures were gathered near a car, one of them turned around and approached her.
�Your majesty.�
�Joseph�� she breathed finally finding a little comfort.
�None of you thought to get her a coat.� He snapped, she�d hardly ever witnessed his annoyance.
He took his jacket off and placed it on her shoulders, ushering her into the back of the car. For the first time in memory he got in next to her, sharply barking orders at those around. Another member of security claimed the front seat next to the driver and the car sped off down the drive.
Clarisse fell back in the seat.
�What�s happening, why won�t you tell me?� She snapped watching as he continually looked behind them.
�Joseph where are we going, tell me.� She continued.
�Not now Clarisse��
�How dare you!�
�Clarisse, please� we need to do our job.�
He noted the worry on her face. �Somewhere safe, please, trust me.�
She nodded, then he gripped her shoulder and pushed her down.
A shot whistled past the car and Clarisse finally noticed Joe�s gun drawn, he fired down the road and she instinctively covered her ears.
She wasn�t sure what happened but she was thrown into the door and Joseph fell against her, the car slid from the road down the bank and she screamed at the pain.
�Quickly, move.� Joe said opening the door and pushing her out into the snow. He followed and gripped her hand half pulling her down the bank towards the river.
�The others.� She gasped.
�Driver�s dead.� He said, cold and unfeeling.
�What, we must go back.�
�There�s nothing to go back for�� He looked over her head and breathed a sigh of relief as Steven raced down towards them.
�Come on.�
The three of them continued through the snow, Joe pulled on Clarisse�s hand and waded into the river, she almost yelped as the frozen water gripped her legs. Steven was behind her, Joe in front, so she was protected from the full force of the current.
She was half pushed, half pulled up the embankment, her dressing gown and nightwear plastered to her body, Joe�s coat huge and heavy on her shoulders. She stumbled, she tripped, twice she almost fell but Joe caught her arm. It was becoming difficult to walk, difficult to breathe, she was so exhausted, she was frozen� yet grateful for Joe�s coat in the chill night air but keenly aware of his own well-being. If he was cold he wasn�t showing it.
There was a moment of shock and uncertainty when she was hit from behind and fell into Joseph�s back. When she glanced back Steven was by her feet, she wanted to scream, terror and realisation hitting at the same time. But Joseph was holding her arm, pulling her away from the body, running with her towards the trees then throwing her in front of him, protecting her body with his own. She fought to hold her nerve.
He pressed her back into the rough bark, his body tight against hers; she could feel his heart thumping against his chest. He never looked at her, he stared past her, looking around, listening, his gun raised at his side. Then he fired into the darkness and she closed her eyes, as there was a thump in the distance. She wondered how he did it, how he knew. But there was no time to ask, again he pulled on her hand and led her through the trees, she felt blind in the night and wondered how he was managing to navigate. She couldn�t help but think, two down, two to go.
It seemed an age passed before he allowed her to rest; the sun was just beginning to rise, the light creeping in. She sat on the snow, trembling, shaking with cold but Joe never rested.
�We�ve got to move again.� He finally said standing over her.
�I can�t, I can�t go any further.� She stared at the snow.
�Clarisse it�s going to snow again soon, the sky is heavy, we�ve got to get moving.�
�I don�t even know where we are.�
�Neither do I� yet. We can�t stay here.�
�What�s the point? Two dead, we left them there, how can we, how could you leave your friends like that?� She mumbled.
�Get up!� He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the floor. �I�ll carry you if I have to.�
She shook his hand away. �That won�t be necessary.� She marched past him down the hill, he caught up with her.
�You�re my priority, above all else, get you to safety.�
She closed her eyes, nodded, and they set off again, though to where neither had any idea.
An hour passed, two, and then they found it, a lodge buried in the snow, hidden away. Clarisse, suddenly finding a burst of energy, ran towards it. Joseph showed no outward sign of relief but inside his heart flipped. The snow was piled at the door and try as he might Joseph couldn�t open it.
�It seems nobody is home.� She said watching him.
�Apparently not.� He took a deep breath. �They�ll have to forgive me.� He murmured as he found a suitable rock and smashed the window. He climbed in and unlocked the door for her.
She stood in the hall in front of him, pale, shaking, shocked.
�We have to get you dry, don�t want to develop a fever.� He said grasping her shoulders. He longed to hold her to him, to let go of the anxiety in his chest, she was alive, they were alive.
But instead he let go of her. �I�ll get a fire going.�
�Thank you.� She tried to smile but instead her face collapsed in tears. �Thank you.� She flung herself into his arms, buried her face into his soaking sweater.
He allowed himself to close his eyes for a second and rest his hands on her waist, and then he caught himself, stopped the flow of affection before it took over.
�It�s my job, come,� he held her back from him. �Go take a bath, find something warm to change into and I�ll get that fire started.�
This time she did smile. �Do you think they have Tea?�
�I�m sure they do.�
He watched her climb the unfamiliar stairs, lingered there for too long then went about lighting a fire and securing the building.
Twenty minutes later she returned to find him banging the receiver down on the phone. He glanced up at her watching him.
�No signal, lines must be down.�
She rubbed her arms, shivered.
�Go, sit by the fire, are you feeling better?�
�Yes, you need to change Joseph.�
�Not yet, I�m not sure we haven�t been followed.�
�But you shot him, didn�t you.�
�It doesn�t mean there weren�t more behind him.�
�Can you tell me now, what happened at the palace?�
�The grounds were breached, gunfire, a couple of our men were hit and somebody got into the palace, my only thought was to get you out�� His voice broke. �I thought it was the safest thing, I was wrong.�
�No.� She moved towards him.
�Yes. We should have stayed, you would have been protected by more than me, my foolish pride, I wanted to be the boss� I�m sorry.�
�No, you saved me.�
�But not Steven, or the driver� god I don�t even know his name.�
�They were aiming for me. It�s my fault.�
He shook his head. �No.�
�Yes.�
�Are we going to argue over this all night?� He smiled and she laughed.
�No.�
�Good, they have tea, I checked.�
She laughed again. �I�ll make it, you need to change, please��
�Alright.�
* * *
When he returned downstairs she was already asleep on the couch in front of the fire.
Reluctantly he sat down in the armchair, he wanted to be alert, wanted to pace around the rooms looking for any signs of followers, but he also knew that he was physically exhausted. And to get ill now would be disastrous, he couldn�t leave her unprotected, his aim now was to get in touch with his team and get a helicopter out to them. The clean up could start when she was safe somewhere, under twenty-four hour armed guard.
He felt his eyes slip shut and forced them open again, stared at the fire, his eyes got heavy and closed again. He must have drifted off, just for a second, this time he shook his head, leant forward in the chair so his position wasn�t as comfortable and stared at her sleeping form. She looked better, the colour had returned to her cheeks.
He stood, placed a hand on her forehead, no fever, let�s hope it stays that way. What a way to celebrate your fiftieth birthday, death threats followed by this. Fifty, he couldn�t believe it; he would be joining her soon, just over a month away. He knew he wasn�t in peak condition anymore, he felt it in his bones after a night like the one he�d just had. Yet to him it seemed she just got more beautiful, her face had filled out as she aged and it suited her, those eyes seemed brighter, full of life and knowledge. Her mouth was fuller, that amazing mouth� �Oh god.� He whispered.
He placed a hand on his own forehead, no fever but definitely signs of a headache breaking through. It was time to get organised.
There was a basket in the corner of the room, he opened it and dug out blankets and wrapped Clarisse up on the couch. He drew the blinds shut, closed the curtains then went outside and circled the house locking each shutter, if the lodge looked locked up for the winter perhaps they wouldn�t attract attention. There were bolts on each shutter, rusty, obviously not used since last winter, he surmised these homeowners had left in a hurry, caught unsuspecting by the early heavy snowfall. This was a summerhouse, a retreat; they hadn�t prepared it for winter lockdown just yet.
Once the windows were secure he repeated his move inside, pulled the blinds shut, locked out the outside world. He had two guns; he checked each, reloaded them. Went to the kitchen and searched the cupboards, luckily there was food, nothing fresh but dry pasta, biscuits, tins of fruit, jars of sauce and in the deep freeze he found meat. He took something out, hoping it was chicken and left it to defrost overnight, they needed to eat afterall.
There was no milk for madam�s tea but he found the powdered kind in the cupboard, that would have to do, and there was a box of lemon tea bags, she could drink that without milk. He could make do with water, if there was coffee he could drink it black. In the bathroom he found a first aid box and took aspirin for his thudding head and aching body. He recalled Clarisse being slammed against the car door when it slid off the road; he needed to check her body for injury, possibly bruising around her ribs.
There were two bedrooms, only one with a bed, looked as if they were decorating. The small room, clearly the guest room, had a smallish bed along one wall. He repositioned it, put a chair in front of the door, that way she could sleep and he could sit and watch the door. If they were stuck there that long, he just had to glance outside to realise they were there for at least a night, maybe two. It was dangerously cold outside, and with more snowfall on the way the chance of any vehicles passing by seemed remote.
The larger bedroom was practically empty, the walls bare, paint cans piled in one corner. He found a key, locked the door and dropped the key into his pocket. There was no attic, no garage, the lodge was secure.
�Joseph�� a panicked voice came from downstairs. �Where are you?�
He ran downstairs, back through to the lounge. �What is it?� He instinctively raised his gun.
�I didn�t know where you were.�
�What?�
�I didn�t know where you were, and woke and you were gone and I just�� Her words were mumbled, confused, she watched the annoyance on his face. �I�m sorry, I was scared�� She caught a gasp of breath, fought back tears. �I�m scared alright. I�ve been Queen for thirty years and this has never happened, never��
�I know, we live in a different kind of world now.� He put his gun down and knelt in front of the couch. �I know you�re scared, but I�m here and I won�t let anything happen to you.�
�Because it�s your job.� She stated plainly.
He stopped for a second, watched her face. �Yes, it�s my job. I need you to help me Clarisse, I�ve locked the house down, secured it, I found food. We�re gonna have to wait this storm out, keep trying the phone, every chance you get, we�ll get help, transport and get you out of here.�
�Their bodies.�
�Sorry?�
She swallowed. �They deserve a burial.�
He glanced down at the floor. �Don�t think about that now, I don�t want you to dwell on that.�
�I can�t��
He caught her flailing hands. �Clarisse, we need to get through this, don�t think about it��
She nodded mutely.
�Good.�
�This is your training.� She swallowed again, her throat sore and dry. �How you work.�
He wanted to nod, to assure her he could deal with this, that it was standard issue. But it wasn�t, he never expected to be in this situation, security at the palace though strict had never had to be brutal, this was new territory, unexpected and ugly.
�I need to check your body.�
She raised an eyebrow.
�You could be injured, I need to check. Are you in any pain, you hit the door quite badly, anything ache? Any bruising?�
�A little, here.� She touched her waist. �And on my hip, top of my leg. But nothing more, nothing life threatening.�
�Alright. Can I just?� He indicated her ribs and bid her to sit back on the couch.
Tenderly he placed his spread hands on her ribcage, traced his fingers down feeling for any signs of trauma. She didn�t flinch at his touch, he found nothing wrong.
�Seems fine, now need to feed you.�
She straightened herself up, pulled a blanket over her shoulders. �You don�t have to wait on me.�
�I know, tea, do you want it plain or with powdered milk?�
She grimaced. �Oh neither.�
�Lemon tea?�
�Yes, I suppose��
�Food, I mean I found plenty.�
�Would it be easier if I looked myself?�
�Probably.�
�Then I will, though I�ll admit I�m not very hungry.�
�You need to eat.�
�So do you.� She said sincerely.
In the small kitchen she took the time to look around, noted the family pictures hung on the wall. Some couple lived here, loved here.
Joseph was at the stove working out how to light it, he brushed past her, caught her arm.
�Sorry.� He said over his shoulder.
�It�s okay.� She stepped to the side of him, watching at he figured it out. �I think I can manage that.� She said as the stove came to light.
�Seems pretty straightforward. How are you at cooking?�
She smiled. �You need to ask?�
�Thought so.� He looked up at her.
She stepped closer, rested a hand on his cheek, it was the first time she�d ever done that. �You look exhausted Joseph, you are the one who needs to rest.�
�I told you once, you are the priority.�
�Not here, go sit down, take a moment.�
�I can�t, I need to keep you safe.�
�You have.� She glanced behind him to the kitchen table where his gun lay. �If I can light a stove then I can point that thing and shoot if I need to.�
�I don�t want you to.�
�But I can, I will.�
Reluctantly he took the gun from its holder, it was smaller, lighter. �You keep this.�
She took it, turned it over in her hand. �I can fire a flaming arrow through a hoop, I can use this tiny thing.�
Despite the situation he smiled. �I don�t doubt it. I�ll just have a few minutes in there.�
�You�ll have a lot of minutes, you�ve taken the same journey as I have, we�re the same age, you�re not superman.�
�Aren�t I?�
She shook her head.
�Then I�ll take your orders.�
�And I will attempt to find us something to eat. Just be patient with me.�
�I always am.� He whispered as he walked away.
�Joseph�� She called after him.
�Yes.�
�I�m glad it�s you here.�
�In a surreal way so am I, I don�t think I could survive not knowing where you were or if you were safe, at least here I know.�
She nodded her head, smiled. �Go rest.�
*
Part 7