“Papa was so – happy with – Mama,” Thekla replied, “and the whole Palace seemed to be – filled with – love. But, when that woman married him, it was dark and seemed like permanently living in a fog.”
“I am sorry, very sorry for you,” Drogo said, “but you must realise that there is nothing I can do about it. I have to get away and you must tell me where I can leave you where you will be safe.”
Thekla looked at him and then stretched out one of her hands.
“Please don’t – leave me,” she begged. “Last night I was – happy with you for the first time since – Mama died and, if you – leave me now, I shall also be – really terrified.”
“I can understand that,” Drogo said quietly. “But I have to go, so you must tell me who you can stay with until this revolution is over.”
“It will – only be over,” Thekla answered him, “when Russia has taken possession – of the whole country.”
“You cannot be sure of that.”
“I have heard the Statesmen and Courtiers in the Palace talking about it when they did not think I was listening. They all know that the Russians are undermining the confidence of the people in the Monarchy.”
“Then why did your father not do something about it?” Drogo asked.
“I think he – tried,” Thekla replied, “but my stepmother pooh-poohed the idea of there being any serious opposition.”
She paused a moment and then went on,
“There were a number of men who were only too eager to curry – favour by – agreeing with her.”
Drogo was certain that this was true, but he told himself firmly that it was not his concern.
He rose to the side of the bed.
“You must get up and dress,” he said, “and, when we have had breakfast, I will take you to anywhere that you wish to go. So think if you can of someone you will enjoy being with.”
He reached the door and then turned back to smile at her before he left the room.
She was looking at him with a pathetic expression that made him think that she was like a child who needed care and protection.
He also thought how very lovely she looked and insistently the idea came to his mind that he would like to kiss her again.
Then with an effort he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
How could he imagine, he asked himself as he dressed, that a girl who had climbed over a wall to enjoy the life of the City would turn out to be the daughter of the reigning King?
‘I must find somewhere safe for her,’ he told himself firmly, ‘and then be on my way as quickly as I possibly can.’
It only took him a few minutes to dress and he thought it was wise to put on the disreputable garments he had arrived in.
They made him look very different from how he had appeared last night in his cousin’s clothes.
When he was ready, he knocked on Thekla’s door saying,
“Hurry up or our eggs will be cold.”
Then he ran down the stairs and, as he entered the small dining room, he heard Maniu talking to someone at the kitchen door.
A few minutes later he appeared with a large plate of bacon and eggs.
“English breakfast like Master has,” he said as he put it down in front of Drogo.
“What is the situation outside?” Drogo asked.
“Very bad, sir. Red Marchers take Palace and House of Senate.”
“Perhaps I should go to the Embassy?”
Drogo was speaking aloud to himself, but Maniu replied,
“Embassy shut! Everyone left. I go get news of Master. No one there but caretaker – very frightened.”
Drogo’s lips tightened as he recognised that this was very serious.
He had assumed that in an emergency the Ambassador would help him and he wished now that he had gone there as soon as he had reached Ampula.
Now it was too late.
Maniu went back to the kitchen to fetch a pot of steaming hot coffee. He was pouring it into Drogo’s cup when Thekla came into the room.
She was wearing the same gown she had worn last night.
Having dressed in a hurry she had not arranged her hair, but had tied it back at the nape of her neck with a silk bow.
Drogo thought that it looked strangely like a man’s necktie and guessed it came from his cousin’s drawer.
“I hope there is some breakfast for me,” Thekla said as Drogo rose to his feet.
“Maniu will make certain of that,” Drogo replied.
Maniu put down the coffee pot and, as Thekla seated herself beside Drogo, he looked at her.
For a moment it was just an ordinary glance.
Then he stared, not moving until Drogo realised that the man was in a state of great confusion.
“Your Royal Highness!” Maniu said in Kozanian. “It is Your Royal Highness?”
Thekla looked frightened, but Drogo said sharply,
“Yes, it is, Maniu, and we need your help. But first the breakfast.”
“Yes, sir, breakfast,” Maniu muttered beneath his breath and hurried from the room.
Drogo passed the cup of coffee Maniu had poured out for him to Thekla and said,
“I am surprised that Maniu should recognise you, while you were not recognised last night.”
“I expect he has seen me – at the more formal parties that take place in this part of the City.”
“And you would not have been allowed to go to where we were last night, except driving in a State carriage,” Drogo said reflectively. “Now that I know who you are we have to be very careful.”
“You mean the – revolutionaries might – kill me?” Thekla asked.
“They would at the very least arrest you,” Drogo replied.
“Then I must – stay here with you where they – will not find me.”
Drogo was wondering how he should answer that when Maniu came into the room with another plate of eggs and bacon.
He set it down in front of Thekla and bowed low before he turned away.
“Wait a minute, Maniu,” Drogo said. “I brought the Princess here last night because the revolutionaries and the soldiers were fighting each other in the streets.”
He paused a moment before continuing,
“Now we have to decide where we can take Her Royal Highness where she will be safe.”
He spoke slowly in Kozanian so that the man would understand and Maniu nodded.
“What I suggest,” Drogo said, “is that you find out exactly what is happening in this area and then after luncheon, when most people will be having a siesta, we can take Her Royal Highness to a place of safety. Or perhaps when it’s dark.”
He thought as he spoke that he would like to leave Kozan that same day.
Once they had established where Thekla could go, he could then begin to think of his own plan of escape.
“I find out,” Maniu said and left them alone.
There was hot toast already on the table, a large pat of butter, marmalade and honey.
In fact, Drogo thought that it was indeed a typical English breakfast and very much to his liking.
It had been months since he had eaten anything so palatable. Thekla too appeared to be hungry and only when she had finished everything on her plate and was sipping her coffee did she say,
“You will find it – difficult to find somewhere for – me to go.”
“Why should you say that?” Drogo asked.
“Because I know that the moment the revolution started all those in – attendance on Papa will have hurried away to their country houses.”
She sighed before she went on,
“They would not be so stupid as to stay in Ampula and be taken – prisoner or – killed.”
Drogo had to acknowledge that this was reasonable thinking, but at the same time he said insistently,
“There must be somewhere you would be safe. What about a Convent or perhaps the house of the Archbishop?”
“They would be far too – frightened
of the revolutionaries to allow me – to stay with them – officially.”
“Are you sure of that?” Drogo asked.
“Whenever there was talk of the revolution, the Archbishop – always declared, I thought somewhat pointedly, that in such circumstances it was wise for the Church to remain – neutral.”
Drogo sighed.
“You are making things very difficult.”
“I don’t want to do that,” Thekla said. “I am trying to think clearly and sensibly as Mama would have wanted me to do in a crisis. You must admit this is a – crisis.”
“It is indeed,” Drogo agreed. “I will, of course, do everything in my power to find a place of safety for you, but I have to leave Kozan and you must not try to prevent me from doing so.”
“Why not?” Thekla said.
He hesitated a moment and then told the truth.
“The reason, and I cannot be very explicit about it, concerns my own country.”
“I understand,” she said. “I thought, when you said that you had been – exploring in Afghanistan, you had – another reason for being there.”
Drogo frowned.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I know it’s a secret reason and you will not want to talk about it, but I have heard Englishmen telling Mama about the Russians’ plots regarding India, and I know they deliberately stir up trouble on the frontier as they – do here.”
“You must be very careful!” Drogo said sharply. “The Russians have long ears and an unwary word can cost lives.”
“I will be very – very – careful,” Thekla promised, “and now I – understand why you – must leave me.”
She looked so beautiful as she spoke that Drogo could not help putting his hand over hers.
“I promise that I will not leave until you are safe,” he said.
He felt her fingers quiver beneath his and then, as they gazed into each other’s eyes, it was difficult to look away.
*
When breakfast was finished, Drogo went into the kitchen to find Maniu, but found it already empty.
He knew that the man had gone searching for information about what was happening in the City.
He thought that he should go upstairs and pack what remained of the things he had brought with him.
But first he took Thekla, after ascertaining that there was no one about, to see his horse.
He felt rather remiss that he had not seen to it yesterday after he had slept the whole day through. But he had been quite sure that Maniu would have looked after it.
At the back of the house was a yard where there was a stable with room for two horses.
Maniu had certainly looked after his horse well.
There was fresh straw on the floor, there was food in the manger and water in a bucket.
“He saved my life,” Drogo said to Thekla, who was patting him. “He deserves a long rest and after I have gone, a kind Master.”
“If you give him to Maniu,” she said, “it would make him very proud. To own a horse in Kozan is more prestigious than owning a wife!”
Drogo laughed.
“Then Maniu shall have him, unless, of course, I have to ride into Romania.”
“It’s a long way with a lot of mountains,” Thekla said. “It would be best for you to leave by sea.”
That is what Drogo had thought himself and he admired her for being so intelligent about it.
Then, as if he called himself to attention, he went upstairs, leaving Thekla in the sitting room, to see what money his cousin had in the safe.
He knew that if Gerald had been there he would have willingly helped him especially if he knew the importance of the mission he had completed.
He therefore did not feel guilty in taking down the ugly painting from the wall and again opening the safe that was behind it.
What was distressing was to find that there was in fact, very little money in the bags he had seen last night.
He knew that if there was a revolution then Kozanian currency in the outside world would be worth nothing.
But he hoped optimistically that it would get him a passage, however uncomfortable, to a more stable country.
He counted up what coins his cousin had separated into different bags and to his consternation the whole amount came to less than ten English pounds.
He put it in his pocket, closed the safe and replaced the picture.
At the same time he was wondering frantically how far it would carry him.
He thought perhaps if he could reach Bulgaria he would be able to obtain some assistance there for the next part of his journey.
Anyway, he told himself, the first thing to do was to solve the problem of Thekla and he returned to the sitting room.
He found her looking out of the window and she turned around as he entered.
He saw by the expression in her huge eyes that she was worried and frightened.
“How much money did you find upstairs,” she asked.
“Not very much,” Drogo replied, “but I think it will be enough.”
“If only you could get into the Palace,” she said. “I know there is a great deal of money in a secret safe in Papa’s bedroom.”
“I think that the one place we should both keep away from,” Drogo said dryly, “is the Palace.”
“I suppose if the crowds get in there they will take – all my clothes,” Thekla said wistfully.
“I think that is the least thing we have to fuss about now,” Drogo replied.
“You say that because you are a man – but I want to look pretty for you. I would like to wear a different dress from the one I was wearing yesterday.”
He laughed.
“Now you are fishing for compliments. So I will tell you, that you are looking very lovely and that your gown has little to do with it.”
She smiled at him as if the sun had come out.
“Do you mean – that?”
“I shall remember you as the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Drogo answered. “And I promise you that I am telling you the truth.”
She walked a little nearer to him and then, looking straight up into his eyes, she said in a whisper.
“When you – kissed me, it was the most– perfect thing that had ever – happened to me.”
“You had never been kissed before?” he asked and his voice was very deep.
“No of course – not! It was – just as I thought it would be – but even much more – wonderful.”
Instinctively Drogo put out his arms and pulled her close to him.
Then he remembered that it would only make things worse when they had to say goodbye to each other.
It was too late.
She moved a little closer and then, while he was fighting his own desire to kiss her, her arms went around his neck and pulled his head down to her.
Then he was kissing her passionately, possessively, fiercely, and he knew as he did so that nothing else mattered, not even the revolution.
*
It seemed a long time before Thekla said with a rapt little note in her voice.
“I – love you – I love you.”
“That is something you must not do,” Drogo frowned.
“Why – not?”
“Because, my darling, we have to say goodbye to each other and, since we will not see each other again, I could not bear you to be hurt or unhappy.”
She made a little sound that was like a sob and hid her face against his neck.
“This has been a dream!” he said. “A marvellous glorious dream! We must not spoil it by regrets or wishing it had never happened.”
“How could I – possibly do that?” Thekla asked. “I am not only – grateful that it has – happened, but I want us – to go on and on – forever.”
“I know that,” Drogo said. “But we all have to wake up from dreams and tomorrow you must just remember me as a stranger who came into your life and went out again.”
“I shall remember – you as th
e most – wonderful man that ever – existed and wherever – you are I would want nothing more than – to be with you.”
“That is impossible,” Drogo replied. “So let me think of you as you are now, soft and sweet and beautiful, not a Princess but a woman who will always be in a special place in my heart.”
“You promise – that?”
“I promise,” he said, “but only if you will promise to try to be happy.”
“1 will – try,” Thekla said, “but I know – when you go – away, you will take – my heart with you.”
There was something so pathetic in the way she spoke that it made Drogo pull her closer to him again and kiss until they were both breathless.
He was aware that his heart was beating frantically and so was hers and that for a moment the world outside had disappeared.
There was only the softness of Thekla’s lips, the beauty of her face and the feeling that her whole body had melted into his.
Then, because he wanted her almost unbearably, he resolutely put her aside from him.
“I must not touch you again, my darling,” he said. “All that matters now is that I should find you somewhere safe to hide.”
As he spoke, the door opened and Maniu came in.
“You are back!” Drogo exclaimed. “What have you found out?”
“Red Marchers win,” Maniu replied. “No more shooting. Army surrender.”
Drogo stared at him because he could not find anything to say and Maniu went on.
“Red Marchers loot shops and people in City all rush to Palace. Stealing chairs, curtains, anything they find.”
“The Red Marchers are not stopping them?” Drogo asked.
“No, sir,” Maniu replied. “They too take and those in Palace raid cellars. Drink wine, bottles everywhere.”
As Maniu was speaking, Thekla had come across the room to stand beside Drogo.
Without even thinking, his arm went around her to protect her.
Then, as if he suddenly realised that she was there, he said,
“It’s a risk, but I think it is one we should take.”
“What – are you – saying?” Thekla asked.
“I am thinking it might be possible,” Drogo replied. “If Maniu and I got into the Palace as ordinary citizens and, if you tell me where that safe is hidden in your father’s apartments, we might get enough money to take not only me but also you to another country.”
A Revolution Of Love Page 5
