A/N This is effectively a 'one-shot', but it is in three parts… I'll be posting them quickly, so don't worry! Please let me know what you think ;o)

ACT ONE

As the resonating hum of the orchestra tuning up spread out over the filling opera house, Queen Clarisse Renaldi was ushered discreetly into a private box. It was not her first visit to London, indeed, as a child she had spent most of her school years in the city, but it was the first time she had ever been able to attend the opera at Covent Garden. Dressed conservatively in a black trouser suit, the only clue to her identity was to be found on the distinctive state ring she wore on her wedding finger. She had wanted to spend this evening quietly, to simply enjoy the performance as everybody else would, free from unsolicited attention and most definitely free from the polite, but dull conversation that public appearances tended to entail.

Of course, though, she was not alone. Joseph would hardly have allowed her to slip into the stalls by herself. Indeed, it had been at his insistence that she had taken a private box. Without doubt, he was right in his suggestion. It would have been both foolhardy and a security nightmare had she pursued her original plan just to merge into the background. Sometimes though she forgot such things, just for a moment and, she thought with a smile, more often than not, he indulged her.

Pulling back the chair, ever so slightly, allowing her to sit, and then stepping to the side, Joseph scanned the auditorium. Still three minutes until curtain up, and the place was already packed. He glanced back at Clarisse and smiled as she lost herself in the programme. Satisfied that all was in order, he stepped back, leaving her to her diversion, quite content to settle himself at the rear of the box.

As the lights began to dim, and silence spread out across the auditorium, Clarisse realised that he had gone. Setting her programme carefully on the stand, she turned, the light just faint enough to make out his silhouette in the corner behind her. The house lights now extinguished, applause rang out as the conductor stepped out onto the platform.

"Joseph…"

He looked up, startled by her hushed, yet insistent tone. Rising immediately, he moved to her side, crouching a little so they could whisper.

"Yes, Clarisse, is there something the matter?"

She smiled, the soft exhale of breath that marked her amusement caressing his cheek. She patted the seat next to her.

"Yes, I'm afraid there is, opera's not nearly so much fun with no one to whisper to…sit with me?"

His reply was lost in the opening lines of the overture, and she caught only his discreet nod in the dim light. Silently though, he manoeuvred himself to her side, and came to sit in the plush velvet seat. The curtain lifted slowly, teasingly slowly, she thought with a smile, and for a moment she was caught up by the anticipation. He smiled, watching the enchantment on her face as the magical stage set was revealed. Just like a child. She relaxed a little, and lent back into her seat, turning to look at him as she did so. He was smiling, and she could have sworn that he winked at her. She smiled back, resisting the urge to kiss his cheek, and contented herself with an answering nod and a whispered "thank you".