The English Bride

by Joan Wolf

  She said, "I want to go with you."

  A muscle twitched in the corner of his jaw. At last he said, "All right, you may come with me. I am going to spend the night at Count Sauder's villa outside the city, and you will remain there until after the diet session. If all goes well, I will return to you there. If something should go wrong, you will still have time to get away."

  She looked at his face and knew there was no way in this world that he would ever allow her to attend the diet session. She said softly, "Thank you, Augustus," and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

  "Don't worry," he said sternly. "Everything is going to be just fine."

  "I know it is. Let's go to sleep, love."

  He leaned over to blow out the candle, and when he turned back to pull the quilt over his bare shoulder he reached out, caught her around the waist, kissed her between her neck and her shoulder, and mumbled, "Remember, I love you."

  The easy tears of pregnancy once more flooded Charity's eyes as she sniffed and assured him that she returned his sentiment.

  25

  February 1 dawned mild and clear, the kind of day that could trick the hibernating flowers into thinking that spring had finally arrived. As Count Josef Sauder's new chaise pulled up before the handsome Renaissance-style building that housed Jura's diet, the old-fashioned coach directly in front of his deposited a slim elderly man and then pulled away. The passenger began to walk toward the building, leaning noticeably on an ebony cane.

  "Good," said Augustus. "Count Cherny is here."

  Count Sauder watched as Jura's chief justice made his way into the building, then he said, "If you wish it, Your Highness, we can wait here in the chaise until Count Adamov has gone in."

  "Make a grand entrance, do you mean?" the Prince said ironically. He shook his head. "I rather think I will leave that to Franz. We'll go in now."

  "Very well," Count Sauder replied and rapped on the window to signal that they were going to alight.

  The two men descended from the chaise and crossed the brick walkway to the shallow steps that led to the main entrance of the diet building. The count's heart accelerated as they reached the massive front door. He took a deep breath and glanced at Augustus, whose face looked perfectly calm.

  The diet porter opened the door and they stepped into a beautifully paneled vestibule. Two members of the commons were talking together in low-voiced conversation, and when they saw who had come in, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open.

  "Good morning," the Prince said pleasantly.

  The two men bowed hastily. "G-good morning, Your Highness," they chorused in reply.

  Augustus walked to the carved oak door that led into the Chamber of Nobles. Another porter opened it with a reverent bow, and the Prince stepped inside. Count Sauder followed.

  The count could feel the tension in his stomach as he looked around the large horseshoe-shaped room that was the Chamber of Nobles. The formal opening of the diet was the only time that the commons joined with the nobles, and in order to accommodate the people's representatives rows of benches had been set up in the open area inside the horseshoe. These benches, as well as the cushioned seats that belonged to the nobles, were almost entirely filled. The hum of men's voices gradually died away, and in less than half a minute the attention of the entire room had fixed on the man standing in front of the door.

  Augustus.

  The name was breathed in shock, in disbelief, in dismay, and in relief as the assembled diet recognized the tall slim figure standing beneath the archway engraved with the solemn words: Justice and Truth. Augustus was dressed in the attire that distinguished the majority of the men in the room: black morning coat, light beige breeches, and polished black boots. He wore no crown, no velvet cloak, and carried no staff of state. Yet, as he walked across the open floor with his long, flowing stride, he somehow managed to look every inch a prince.

  The entire room watched in breathless silence as Augustus reached the dais and stood for a moment, thoughtfully contemplating the Royal Throne of Jura. This was the throne upon which he had sat two years before, when he had been crowned by the archbishop, and where he had sat to open the diet for the first time since Napoleon's defeat. For a moment they confronted each other, throne and prince, then, with the lithe grace that characterized all of his movements, Augustus stepped up onto the dais.

  A sigh, as if a hundred breaths had been released at the same time, went through the room.

  The Prince did not sit down. Instead he stood beside the high velvet chair, symbol of the Princes of Jura, and rested a hand on its back. In this position he faced the chamber, and for the first time the watching men got a clear look at the face beneath the brushed blond hair.

  He looked grave. The steady gray eyes swept once around the chamber, coming to rest on Count Boris Heusse and the rest of the signers of the proclamation, who were sitting next to each other in the first row of nobles. Augustus said, in a voice that was quiet but perfectly audible to those in the last row of seats, "We'll wait for Count Adamov, shall we?"

  The room was so silent that when someone sneezed, Count Sauder actually jumped. Three more diet members filed in, shot startled glances toward Augustus, then scurried to find seats. Then the door opened once again and Franz stood there, framed in the archway.

  A good entrance, Count Sauder thought as he watched Franz make certain he had everyone's attention. Then he walked in, his bright hair shining like spun gold in the reflected sunlight of the large crystal chandelier. He had not yet seen Augustus.

  Franz stopped in the center of the empty space that lay between the throne and the commons, turned and faced the assembled diet, a preoccupied look on his face. In his right hand he carried a rolled-up scroll of paper; his left hand was empty. His brilliant blue gaze went around the assembly. Then, at last, he realized that something was wrong.

  He spun around and saw the Prince.

  Augustus, whose hand was still resting casually on the back of the throne, said chidingly, "It was very rude of you not to invite me to my own overthrow, Franz, but I decided to come anyway."

  Franz's shoulders went rigid. He said something, which Count Sauder, strain as he could, could not decipher.

  Augustus replied, "I'm afraid it will not be as easy to get rid of me as you thought it would be."

  At that, Franz swung around to face the chamber once again. His eyes were glittering. "How nice that Prince Augustus is here to try to defend his actions before the diet."

  "I will be happy to explain my actions." Augustus stepped down from the dais and came to stand beside Franz. He looked down at his cousin from his superior height and said in a hard voice, "And I would like to hear you explain yours."

  "That is precisely what I came here to do," Franz replied crisply, seemingly not at all intimidated by the Prince's taller presence.

  There was no humor in Augustus's smile. "Excellent. We'll make it a debate, shall we? The diet can decide the winner."

  Franz's return smile was brilliant. "And the winner will be the Prince of Jura."

  The Prince lifted an inquiring eyebrow. "Are you seeking to be prince yourself? I thought you were acting for your father."

  For the first time, Franz showed a trace of anger. "I am," he snapped. "That is what I meant."

  Augustus did not look as if he believed that. He did not pursue the subject, however, but instead said to the assembled members of the diet, "A debate needs a moderator." His eyes came to rest on a single face. "Count Cherny, as Chief Justice of Jura I know we can count upon you to be fair. Will you act as moderator in this disputation between me and Count Adamov?"

  "Certainly," the chief justice replied. Slowly he began to make his way from his seat to the front of the room.

  Augustus signaled to a clerk, who ran to bring a chair for the chief justice.

  The room was so silent that the sound of Count Cherny's cane as it clicked against the marble floor was perfectly audible. At last he reached the heavy oak chair that
had been set for him and slowly lowered himself into it, using its carved arms for support. He rested his cane against the chair's arm, looked at Augustus, and said, "How would you like to proceed, Your Highness?"

  Augustus said, "Count Adamov is the one who arranged for this historic vote to overthrow an hereditary prince. Let him speak first."

  The two opponents had taken up stances on either side of the chief justice. He turned now from Augustus to Franz and asked, "Count Adamov, do you feel that you have just cause for removing Prince Augustus from his hereditary position as Prince of Jura and replacing him with your father, Duke Anton?"

  "Regretfully, I do," Franz replied.

  The justice turned to Augustus. "Are you prepared to answer these charges, Your Highness?"

  "I am," Augustus replied.

  Franz said, "Are you willing to abide by the vote of the diet?"

  For a brief moment the two men locked eyes. Then Augustus said once again, "I am."

  Jesus, Count Sauder thought, and the word was a prayer not a blasphemy.

  Baron Anton Krek, who was seated next to him, muttered, "This is unbelievable."

  The chief justice said, "And you, Count Adamov? Are you willing to abide by the decision of the diet?"

  "I am," Franz returned. His eyes were intensely blue in his white face.

  Somewhere in the rows of commons a man blew his nose.

  "Very well," the chief justice said. "As Prince Augustus indicated, you are the one who initiated this discussion, Count, so you may state your case first."

  Franz has to be furious, Count Sauder thought. This is not what he intended at all.

  But Franz's face was perfectly calm as he faced the assembled members of Jura's diet. He had always had charisma, Count Sauder thought, and now he trained the full force of that intense personal power upon the men who were to act as his judges.

  "This is not a happy experience for me," he began in a sober voice. "I searched my conscience for a long hard time before I made the decision to bring this matter before the diet." He turned to his cousin and his voice took on a distinctly sorrowful note. "I am very fond of you, Gus, and I appreciate the patriotism and heroism you demonstrated during the long years of the French occupation. But I cannot let you continue on this course that is so dangerous to the country we both love. I finally decided that I must speak out."

  Augustus lifted an ironic eyebrow. "Go ahead and speak, then."

  Franz turned back to his audience, the sorrow still sounding in his voice. "I believe that everyone present is aware of the proclamation issued to the country by myself and some of the leading nobles of Jura. I believe that our charges against Prince Augustus are set forth quite clearly in that document. I will just take a few moments to elaborate on these charges."

  Franz's voice hardened. "The Treaty of London. That, my lords and gentlemen, is the crux of my concern. As soon as Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, Prince Augustus, through his English relatives, approached the British government about making an alliance with Jura. He did this entirely of his own accord and against the advice of his chief minister and the marshal of Jura's armed forces."

  Here the chief justice interrupted. "Do I understand you to be saying, Count, that Count Hindenberg and Marshal Rupnik knew of this treaty before it was signed and disapproved of it?"

  "That is what I am saying," Franz replied.

  The chief justice turned to the Prince. "Is this true, Your Highness?"

  "Yes," Augustus said. "It is true."

  Next to Count Sauder, Baron Krek blew noisily out through his nose.

  Franz continued: "Prince Augustus was so committed to allying Jura with Britain that he contracted a marriage to an English girl. Once again, he did this without the advice of his ministers, whom he knew would prefer him to marry a German princess."

  Franz lifted the roll of paper he held in his hand. "As our proclamation stated, the Treaty of London has so thoroughly antagonized the Austrian emperor that the very independence of Jura is in danger. Emperor Francis regards the presence of the British navy in Seista as a direct threat to the empire's holdings in northern Italy. By making this treaty, Prince Augustus has upset the balance of power that was so carefully constructed at the Congress of Vienna."

  Franz paused, and Count Sauder could feel the attention of the men around him as concentrated as if it were a physical thing. The chief justice spoke into the silence. "Count Adamov, did the emperor tell you directly that he is opposed to the Treaty of London?"

  "He spoke to me about it when he named me ambassador to Jura," Franz said. "One of the tasks he assigned me was to try to talk some sense into Prince Augustus. Unfortunately, I was unable to accomplish this. No matter what I said, the Prince remained set on maintaining the treaty with Britain."

  A little whisper of sound went around the room as men shifted in their seats and looked at each other.

  Franz turned back to address the assembly. "The question we must ask ourselves, my lords and gentlemen, is this. Why did Prince Augustus make such a dangerous treaty? By signing it, he has given up one of our most precious assets, the seaport of Seista, and has received nothing in return."

  Count Sauder looked from Franz to Augustus. The Prince was standing with his hands clasped loosely behind his back and the gray eyes that were watching his cousin were remote and unreadable.

  Franz turned to look at Augustus also. "My father warned you also," he said. "Twice he brought you messages from the emperor that Austria would be forced to take severe measures if you would not repudiate the British treaty. Twice you ignored those warnings."

  The Prince looked back at his cousin and the expression on his face did not change.

  Franz lifted a hand. "Even now, Gus, even now, if you would change your mind and promise to reject this treaty, I would drop these charges and support you."

  Everyone in the chamber stopped breathing.

  Augustus said calmly, "I have no intention of reneging on the Treaty of London."

  Franz closed his eyes.

  "Jesus," Baron Anton Krek breathed.

  Slowly Franz opened his eyes and for a moment he looked positively shattered. He gathered himself, but his blue eyes glittered as if he were holding back tears as he said, "I cannot tell you how sorry I am to hear that."

  Augustus's mouth set in a hard line as he looked back, and the cleft in his chin became more pronounced. Then the chief justice spoke. "Count Adamov, were Count Hindenberg and Marshal Rupnik aware of these threats, and is that the reason for their actions against Prince Augustus?"

  "Yes." Franz looked directly at the justice. "Let me make it perfectly clear, my lord Chief Justice, that I do not approve of what they did. Violence can never be the answer for a civilized society. That is why I have brought this problem before the diet."

  Franz turned away from the chief justice and once again faced the assembled diet. His voice when he spoke was clear and firm. "My lords and gentlemen, that is why we are here today. Prince Augustus is well aware of the dangers to which he is subjecting the country by holding to this pernicious treaty. If Austria decides to retaliate by imposing tariffs on our goods, then our trade will receive a heavy blow. Half of our exports are sold into the empire. And, if the emperor goes even further and decides to take Seista—and Jura—by force of arms, we will find ourselves at the mercy of the military might of the largest empire in the world. We cannot withstand that kind of a challenge, my lords and gentlemen. If that should happen, I am afraid that our seven-hundred-year history as an independent nation—the very thing that Prince Augustus, with his misguided policy is trying to protect—will be lost."

  He raised his hands. "It is for you, the members of the diet, to decide. I leave it in your hands."

  There was profound silence in the room. The chief justice's face was somber as he turned to Augustus. "Your Highness, do you care to answer these charges?"

  The Prince never looked at his cousin as he replied to Count Cherny in a courteous voice, "I will
be happy to explain to the diet why I signed the Treaty of London and why I think it is in the best interest of Jura to keep that treaty in place."

  Count Cherny said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

  Count Sauder noticed that there was a subtle but definite note of deference in the chief justice's voice when he addressed the Prince. After all, the count thought, one does not easily forget that Augustus spent ten years enduring hardship and danger in the service of his country while Franz was living comfortably in a palace in Vienna.

  It was the Prince's turn to move a little closer to the first row of seats. He looked slowly around the room as he spoke, his eyes occasionally stopping on a particular face. "Why, you ask, did I make a treaty with Great Britain?"

  A number of the members of the commons actually bobbed their heads at him.

  Augustus slowly began to pace up and down the floor. "I did it for this reason: We are a very small country. We have always had the Austrian Empire to our east and to our north, but in the past we shared a border, as well as the Adriatic, with Italy. At the Congress of Vienna, Venice and the lands of northern Italy, which border ours, were given to Austria. The result of that distribution of land? We are surrounded on every side by Austria and its satellite nations."

  A low murmur went up among the rows of the commons. The Prince waited until it had died down before continuing. "Did I think that the Austrian emperor would like to add Jura to that list of satellite nations? Yes, I did. Did I think that he would send troops into Jura in order to subdue us?" And here Augustus turned to look at Franz. His voice was very deliberate as he said, "No. I did not think it then and I do not think it now."

  "Oh, Gus," Franz said in a voice that sounded ineffably sad.

  The Prince turned back to the diet. "I was not concerned with the military power of Austria; I was concerned with its economic power. Should the emperor seek to pressure us by imposing tariffs on our exports to the empire, our economy would be crippled. We depend upon being able to export our products to Austria, Hungary, the Slavic nations, and northern Italy. If Austria taxed those products, we could not be competitive in the marketplace. And, while the principle of free trade was one that was paid lip service at Vienna, I did not think that the economic woes of a small nation such as Jura would be of much concern to anyone. In short, I thought we needed an economic ally, and that is why I made the treaty with Great Britain."