“And you think he has a special reason for coming to Alexanderburg now?”
He paused before responding,
“Perhaps I am being imaginative and ultrasensitive, but he is the very last person I would welcome to the Palace now. Yet it is impossible to keep him away.”
“I promise you I will do my best to help. Just tell me what I must do and I will be very careful what I say.”
“The one thing he is not to find out, is that you are taking the place of Her Royal Highness and that Michael Ward, of all people, is actually in Prince Rudolf’s bed.”
He gave a laugh with no humour in it.
“It would be a tale to sweep across the dinner tables of Europe and the Russians would use it as a key to open the door and let themselves into this country.”
“So what do you want me to do, Lord Chaberlain?”
“I want you first to come downstairs for luncheon, at which there will be no guests and then you can talk to Prince Hans, or rather listen to him without interruption.”
“You are quite certain he has never seen Louise?”
“He has never set eyes on her to my knowledge, but he does know that she is English and will therefore not be suspicious that you are play-acting. What he really wants to know is why you have not yet produced an heir to the throne, and if our Army is as small and as ineffective as it is reputed to be amongst some of the other Balkan States who are jealous of us.”
“Surely, Lord Chamberlain, you can easily increase the size of your Army.”
She was thinking of the large number of men she had seen walking in the streets not in uniform as she drove into the City.
Now she thought about it, very few of the women she had talked to had said their husband was a soldier.
“I have been advocating for some time that all the young men in the country should be encouraged to join the Army, if only for a few years so that they would learn to fight, which might in time be very necessary.”
“So who is preventing it?”
“The Prime Minister for one. He is persuading the Cabinet and Members of Parliament that if we have a large Army we might seem to be aggressive and our neighbours might believe that we are threatening them.”
“But surely they do understand that the real threat comes from Russia?” exclaimed Narina.
“They believe all they want to believe and they are completely and absolutely certain that, as we are now ruled by an English Princess, we are perfectly safe.”
Narina gave a deep sigh.
“I appreciate all you are feeling. It’s just what my father has told me happened in India. For a long time they refused to believe that there was any threat from the Russians.”
“Exactly, and I’m told their defences are still not as complete as they should be.”
“If they were, we would not need men like Michael Ward to risk their lives in The Great Game.”
“No, of course not. I only wish we had something like that here. The majority of the people are complacent and convinced that we need not be afraid.”
“Then that is just the sort of thing that Prince Hans must not find out.”
The Lord Chamberlain nodded.
“What you have to do,” he suggested, “is keep his mind on a more attractive subject, namely yourself.”
“I will do my best,” smiled Narina.
After the Lord Chamberlain had left her, she longed to go into the closed bedroom and tell Michael Ward what was happening.
When she asked Paks, he insisted that he was still asleep and under no circumstances should he be disturbed.
Narina changed her gown.
She chose one of the prettiest and most fashionable belonging to Louise. She added some attractive jewellery and put two strings of pearls round her neck.
There were pearl earrings to match and a diamond bracelet narrow enough not to seem ostentatious in the daytime.
Then feeling her heart was beating rather heavily in case she made a mistake, she walked down the stairs.
She entered the reception room in which she was to meet Prince Hans before luncheon.
She learnt from one of the aides-de-camp that the Lord Chamberlain and the General commanding the troops had been showing Prince Hans the best horses in the Royal Cavalry stables.
Narina was certain this was an astute way to show him something of the Army itself, but she merely smiled and asked the aide-de-camp,
“Was His Royal Highness driving particularly fine horses?”
“Very fine indeed, Your Royal Highness,” the aide de-camp replied with a note of envy in his voice. “Prince Hans does everything in style, bringing extra horses with him in case any should go lame and an attendance of eight servants.”
Narina laughed as she thought it so funny.
She could scarcely imagine any Englishman going about with such pomp and ceremony.
From the way the aide-de-camp spoke she was sure it all made Prince Hans, in other people’s eyes, much more impressive than he actually was.
She had not been in the reception room for more than a few minutes before the aide-de-camp accompanied by Prince Hans entered the room.
“You must forgive us, Your Royal Highness,” he said to Narina, “if we are late, but His Royal Highness has been making an inspection of our Cavalry horses and has been most complimentary about them.”
“I am delighted to meet Your Royal Highness, and to welcome you to the Palace,” Narina addressed him.
She held out her hand and Prince Hans raised her hand in the French fashion and murmured,
“Your Royal Highness is even more beautiful than I was told you were.”
“I am only glad to see that Your Royal Highness is not disappointed,” Narina managed to reply.
When they went into luncheon, two equerries, who had met the Prince on his last visit, joined them and he was most gracious to them.
As luncheon began, he started talking and Narina could see why in many ways he was almost hypnotic.
He was amusing, witty, and at the same time he had a sharp dig at everyone and everything he spoke about.
Yet because it was like learning history that was not in books, she found the conversation fascinating.
He paid Narina endless compliments in between all the catty remarks he was making about other Rulers, even the Czar himself.
Alexander III was already being talked about as one of the most frightening Czars Russia had ever produced.
Narina had heard her father expound the theory that although the Balkans had been frightened of Alexander II, he possessed many of the attributes of a fine Ruler.
On the morning of his death he was working on a reform to launch Russia irrevocably into the modern world – the granting of a Parliamentary Charter.
When he was later murdered, every house, balcony, window and lampstand was draped in black.
Narina could recall that the first act of the new Czar, Alexander III, was to tear up the unfinished manifesto lying on his father’s desk.
She had learnt since she arrived in Alexanderburg that Alexander III was already more feared by the world than any other Czar before him.
If the Russians had been frightening before to their victims, they were doubly terrifying now.
She only wished that she had asked her father more about the convoluted political situation in the Balkans.
And now this good-looking Prince was deliberately poking fun at the Czar, who was beginning to terrorise all of Eastern Europe.
Then unexpectedly the Prince changed his tune and looked Narina full in the face.
“You must now tell me all about yourself, beautiful Princess,” he began. “In fact, as I am so overwhelmed by your beauty, I have had difficulty in thinking of anything else, least of all the troubles of Russia.”
“But you know that we are interested, Your Royal Highness,” the Lord Chamberlain chipped in.
“You will learn what is going to occur without my telling you about it,” the Prince repli
ed blithely, “and now, because your flowers are famed throughout all the Balkan States, I would like Her Royal Highness to take me into the garden so that I can admire them.”
It was quite obvious he did not want anyone else to accompany them.
She gave the Lord Chamberlain a despairing look. There was, however, nothing that Narina could do but accompany the Prince as an equerry opened a door into the garden.
They did not go into the private garden, but into a larger garden that was just as lovely, and because she had wanted to keep out of sight, Narina had only peeped at it through the upstairs windows.
Now, as she moved over the grass with Prince Hans beside her, she thought nothing could be more beautiful.
The flowers were of every conceivable colour and there was again a profusion of the white lilies she loved.
“This is just the right setting for you,” Prince Hans was saying.
They had talked in almost every language during luncheon – varying from the language of Alexanderburg, which much to her surprise the Prince spoke quite easily, to French and German.
Now he was talking to her in English with a fluency that told her that he was more intelligent than she wanted to believe.
“Are you enjoying yourself in this very small part of the big world?” he asked. “Personally I think you are wasting your beauty on such a trifling audience when you might have one which is worldwide!”
Narina laughed.
“I am quite content and naturally am so very happy with my husband, Rudolf.”
“The Lord Chamberlain has told me that I cannot see him, but as I came here specially to do so, I just cannot believe that you will not smuggle me into his bedroom – ”
Narina shook her head vigorously.
“No, Your Royal Highness, that would be wrong. His doctors have said he is to have complete rest after his fall and remain in darkness. It is frightening to think that his sight might be ruined forever.”
She felt as she spoke that she was admirably acting the part of an anxious wife.
“I have no wish to upset you, and if I really cannot see Rudolf now, I can always come again another day.”
“Of course you can, and, I assure you, you will be very welcome,” exclaimed Narina.
“To you?” Prince Hans enquired.
They had now reached a small lake and there was a wooden seat under the trees.
Without making a comment, as if they both had the same thought at the same time, they sat down.
Prince Hans lent his arm on the back of the seat and moved nearer to Narina.
“Now do tell me about yourself, beautiful one. I am overcome, in fact bewildered, to find anything so exquisite in Alexanderburg, which I always thought a dull country.”
“Oh, you must not say that, the people are charming and as they love Rudolf, they are delighted he is so happy.”
“I heard you were making him happy. I also heard that you were extremely clever in winning over the women by paying attention to their tiresome children.”
“Now how could you have heard that already?”
“I hear everything,” Prince Hans crowed loftily. “I am a mine of information on all subjects and I am aware of many events that are going to occur a long time before the newspapers print it in headlines.”
He spoke so positively that Narina laughed.
“Now you are asking me to believe that you are not human?”
“Of course I am human. Human enough to find you entrancing and to long to touch your lips with mine!”
Narina turned her head away.
“You know as well as I do, Your Royal Highness, you should not talk to me like that.”
Prince Hans chortled.
“Whoever can stop me admiring the most beautiful woman I have ever set eyes on and what beautiful woman does not want to hear the truth about herself?”
“Maybe I am the exception, but you make me feel shy and embarrassed.”
“I adore you when you are shy and I am finding my visit to Alexanderburg so different from my expectations.”
“What did you expect, Your Royal Highness?”
“To enjoy talking to Rudolf and to be bored by his English wife who I was expecting to be rather dumpy and not unlike Queen Victoria!”
Narina laughed because she could not help it.
“How can you be so ridiculous? Rudolf would not marry anyone like that.”
“And he was astute enough and fortunate enough to find you. How could you have met each other, if it had not been through the heavy hand of Britain pushing you, as so many others have been pushed, onto a Balkan throne?”
“It is where I am very happy to be,” replied Narina stubbornly and in what she hoped was a dignified tone.
“You must look so adorable on it and undoubtedly every man in this little country, unless he is blind, will fall in love with you. How do you expect to keep them at bay?”
“Rudolf will do that for me.”
“But just for the moment you and I are alone – ”
Prince Hans did not move, but she had the distinct impression that he was about to kiss her.
She rose to her feet.
“Come and see the lake,” she suggested. “It is very lovely.”
For a moment he did not move, but merely laughed.
“You are running away,” he smirked sardonically, “but I promise you, my adorable beautiful Goddess from Olympus, that I am a past master at getting what I want in love – and I never take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Narina could not respond to this assertion, so she pretended not to hear him.
She walked a little way ahead towards the lake and Prince Hans followed her.
Then, as they stood looking down at the sunlit water, he proposed,
“I would love to take you out swimming, not here where we can be seen, but in the sea where you would look like a mermaid rising from the foam. I could hold you in my arms without the barrier of that gown between us.”
“Now you are just speculating about something that could never happen and I think, Your Royal Highness, that we should walk back to the Palace, because I am sure that the Lord Chamberlain has much more to show you.”
“If it is a question of more horses, then naturally I will have to show an interest in them. But it is still early in the day and if we are to dine together, as I hope we shall do, I shall have a lot to say to you when dinner is finished.”
He smiled before he added,
“And that is a promise, not a threat!”
“If you frighten me,” answered Narina, “I will run away and hide in Rudolf’s room, even though I don’t wish to disturb him.”
“Ever since I was a boy I have enjoyed chasing that which I desire, and I claim without boasting that invariably I win, conquer or steal whatever I want!”
They had reached the Palace by now and therefore Narina did not have to reply.
The Lord Chamberlain was waiting for them and he said as they entered the hall,
“We are standing ready for Your Royal Highness’s inspection. And you are riding, as I thought Your Royal Highness would wish, on one of your own horses.”
“You are most kind,” Prince Hans answered.
Then as Narina stood back for him to pass, he took her hand in his and actually touched it with his lips.
“Au revoir, my most beautiful Goddess.”
As he went off with the Lord Chamberlain, Narina ran up the stairs.
She was hoping that Michael Ward would be awake and that she could talk to him.
When she entered her own part of the Palace, Paks was waiting for her.
“His Royal Highness be still asleep,” he said before she could ask, “and I’m a-thinking he’ll sleep for another twenty-four hours at least.”
Narina felt her spirits drop as she was hoping that Michael would be able to tell her how best to behave with the impetuous Prince.
Prince Hans was indeed different from anyone else she had ever met, and she was beginn
ing to realise why he was welcome in every country he visited, although he could be a definite danger because he was so indiscreet.
She thought it would be interesting to hear more about the new Czar, who was already spoken about with so much awe and horror, as she had not talked to anyone yet who had actually met him.
At the same time she had a feeling that dinner was going to be a very difficult meal unless the Prince attached himself to the young attractive wife the Lord Chamberlain had spoken about.
She next spent the rest of the afternoon alone in her sitting room attempting to read her book but finding herself continually thinking about Prince Hans.
She never imagined that anyone, even in a novel, could be in any way like him – he was certainly not a man one expected to meet in real life.
*
When it was time to dress for dinner, she chose a pretty but elaborate gown belonging to Louise.
She had not expected to wear it unless there was a large party or she had to attend an official engagement.
Because it was important occasion, she chose a lot of Louise’s jewellery to wear with the gown – not because she wanted to glitter, but she wanted Prince Hans to realise that she was the devoted wife of the reigning Prince.
And therefore he should not be so familiar with her.
She added a small diamond tiara and a necklace of the same stones around her neck.
She felt she looked not only Regal but rather older and someone who should be treated with respect.
As she walked downstairs to dinner, she suddenly recalled that she was due to meet the Prime Minister for the first time and he might, if he was perceptive, realise that she was not Princess Louise.
When she entered the reception room where they were waiting for her, she noticed that the Prime Minister was wearing dark spectacles.
That, of course, was another reason why the clever Lord Chamberlain had invited him to dinner rather than a younger man. As both he and his wife had poor eyesight they were far less likely to spot the imposter at the table.
As if hearing her thoughts, the Prime Minister’s wife curtsied low as Narina welcomed her.
The other couple were not at all interesting and she thought the wife of the Statesman was indeed pretty, but in a somewhat unoriginal way.
The Gates of Paradise Page 9
