Josephine

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 102: 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝔂 𝓘𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼

April 06, 2017

New York, First American Empire

It was time to talk to Mattéo. I had prayed for weeks that this conversation would go as well as I hoped it would. It needed to! Dinner had just concluded, John Charles was going off with Carina who had been here more often. She was blatantly defying her father, King of La Plata, who wanted to marry her off to some stuffy baron in Brazil. She was refusing, but it was looking like she would lose that fight.

"Mattéo?"

My husband turned to me with a bright smile.

"Yes, my love?"

"May I speak to you upstairs please?"

He nodded.

"Sure Josey, do not worry I will be up in a minute!"

I walked up the stairs towards the third floor. My shoes clicked on the marble floor. I approached our bedroom briskly, making sure to be quick. I arrived at our bedroom, walked in, and shut the door behind me slowly. I looked around the room and chose to go out on the balcony. My hands gripped the handrails as I overlooked the port of New York. It was still semi-light outside. It was peaceful as I tapped my fingers on the rail.

I heard the door open and I knew Mattéo was here.

"Josey?"

"I'm over here Mattéo," I replied.

He smiled and briskly walked over.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?"

I took a deep breath and turned to face my husband.

"This is very important, so I need you to be open-minded and listen to me okay?"

He folded his arms over his chest with this puzzled expression on his face.

"Of course Josey, I always listen to you..."

I nodded and just threw it out to him. No holding back, no hesitation.

"I want to abdicate Mattéo,"

Silence.

He was silent.

I was silent.

I watched his face as he registered the words and they soaked in.

"Josey-"

"I know what you're thinking right now. You are thinking that-"

"You should do it," He cut me off.

My eyes widened and I looked at him.

"What? Did you just say-"

"I want you to do this Josephine... I've seen you over the past year... you are stressed beyond belief. You're wired out, exhausted, and way too serious! You don't want to chat much with myself, John Charles, Sophie, and Victoria. The job is getting too strenuous and that is more than obvious! I want the old Josephine back okay? If abdicating is the key to getting her back, then I support you one hundred percent!"

I didn't say anything. I wrapped my arms around him. Tears dribbled out of my eyes and down my cheeks.

"Thank you Mattéo... I love you so, so much..."

"Look! She's already returning!" He joked.

I chuckled, perhaps for the first time in months.

"I will tell the court tomorrow morning... you'll be by my side right?"