“His Highness is waiting for you in the drawing room car.”
“Why did you not tell me sooner?’ Vida asked. “I might have been with him!”
“He’s been asleep, just as you have, Miss Vida,” Margit replied.
Suddenly there were tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Miss Vida, His Highness says you’re to be married and I don’t know if I’m on my head or my heels!”
“Yes – we are to be married,” Vida said, “and I am happy, Margit, so very very happy.”
“I never thought it’d happen, not in a million years! But he’s everythin’ a woman could want in a man and there’s no denyin’ that.”
“No, Margit, and I shall not attempt to deny it!” Vida laughed.
She got out of bed and washed, then, as she looked for her clothes, Margit brought her a peasant dress.
She looked at it in astonishment and Margit explained,
“His Highness said you are to put this on and I’m to do your hair in two plaits as if you were a young girl of about sixteen.”
“I-I don’t understand.”
“I expect His Highness will tell you his plan,” Margit said, “but remember, we all have to get across the frontier.”
Vida suddenly felt afraid again.
They might be prevented from leaving Russia, at least held in custody until instructions arrived from the Czar’s Secret Police.
She put on the peasant clothes, which were not new. They had been patched in places, and the blouse had been skilfully darned where there were tears on the sleeves.
There was a woollen shawl to go round her shoulders and it had obviously been washed a number of times.
There were rough shoes for her feet and socks instead of stockings for her legs.
She felt a little shy and very unlike herself as she went into the drawing room car, where the Prince was waiting for her.
He smiled at her appearance and, as he rose, Vida ran towards him to say,
“What is this all about? Why do you want me to dress like this?”
He pulled her down on the sofa beside him.
Then he said,
“We have made very good progress, my darling – in fact, I have never known my train to go so fast. But we have to be very careful, as you will doubtless understand.”
“Of course,” Vida said, “but what are we to do?”
“When we have had our luncheon,” the Prince answered, “we shall arrive at a small station which is about five miles short of the border.”
Vida listened as he went on.
“We are going to get out there and we will wait for the ordinary afternoon train which goes to Cernauti. After we have passed into Rumania, my own train, which will be waiting in a siding, will follow us. If it is searched, as I expect it will be, there will be nobody on board except for the attendants.”
“Do you think they will let it through?”
“I am sure they will,” the Prince said. “They will have no excuse not to, for they will be told it has been sent to collect a number of my guests who are coming to stay with me at my castle.”
“It sounds a – very clever plan,” Vida said, but there was a tremor in her voice.
She felt afterwards that she had underestimated the Prince by being in the least bit nervous.
A quarter of a mile before the station he had spoken about, which was situated in a wooded part of the country, the Prince’s train came to a halt and there stepped out an elderly farmer – Henri, his wife Margit, and their daughter, Vida.
They set off to walk towards the station, appearing a little tired after what had been an excursion into Russia to see some friends and relatives.
When they arrived on the platform, there were a number of young Hungarian Hussars returning from Russia to their own country in a train which passed through the North of Rumania and from there into Hungary.
The Hussars were wearing somewhat worn uniforms, but the Officer in charge looked very elegant with his coat, as was traditional in Hungarian uniform, hanging over one shoulder.
He also wore a curly black moustache and except that she vibrated towards him, Vida would have found it hard to recognise him as the Prince.
The soldiers were all laughing and talking and making jokes and the few Russians in charge of the station took no notice of the farmer with his wife and daughter who sat down on a wooden seat to await the arrival of the train.
When it came in, it was already filled with a miscellaneous collection of passengers – Ukrainians, Russians and quite a number of Bulgarians.
The soldiers piled into the cheapest carriages, which already seemed overcrowded.
The Officer travelled alone and the farmer and his wife and daughter occupied the next carriage, which was slightly more expensive than the one the soldiers were travelling in.
The train started off again and fifteen minutes later they were at the frontier.
There were a number of soldiers on the Russian side to inspect the papers of the travellers, but being mostly Ukrainians they looked at them in a perfunctory manner.
They were far more pleasant, Vida was sure, than the Russians would have been in the Balkan States.
At the same time she felt tense and afraid until the papers Henri handed to the soldier were returned and he climbed out of the carriage, slamming the door behind him.
A few minutes later they were over the border.
The inspection in Rumania was very casual, in fact the soldier inspecting the travellers merely looked through the windows and never even asked for their papers.
As the engine gathered speed, Margit leaned back and exclaimed,
“Thank God! We are free, and I wouldn’t go back even if somebody gave me a million pounds!”
Vida slipped her hand into the old maid’s.
“You have been wonderful, Margit dear,” she said, “and now all we have to do is to find Papa and live happily ever afterwards.”
When a half hour later she joined the Prince on the station platform of a small town, she felt as if they were both enveloped by a rainbow.
They did not say very much. He stood beside her and ten minutes later the white and red train with his Coat of Arms emblazoned on it came puffing towards them.
When they had stepped into the drawing room car and the train had started off again, he pulled off his moustache, threw his Hussar’s hat onto the floor and took Vida in his arms.
Then he kissed her wildly, passionately, and with an intensity that told her, despite his outward confidence and calmness, he had been desperately afraid that at the last moment his plan might have gone wrong.
“We have – won! We have – won!” the Prince cried. “The only thing that really matters, my precious, is that you are safe and, although it may not be possible for us to be married tonight, we will be married first thing tomorrow morning, when we reach my castle.”
“We must let Papa know where we are.”
“I have already sent a telegram to tell him to join us,” the Prince replied.
“You think of everything!”
“I think of you,” he answered, “and, as you want what I want, that is not very difficult.”
He kissed her again.
They had a delicious dinner and when the table was cleared away they sat on the sofa and Vida put her head on the Prince’s shoulder and said,
“How can all this have happened? If I had not defied the Marquis of Salisbury by going to Russia to find Papa, we would never have met.”
“I think these things are ordained,” the Prince said, “and, my beautiful one, we have been journeying towards each other since the beginning of time. Tomorrow we will be one person and nothing will ever separate us again.”
“Are you – sure of that?” Vida asked. “Even now I am – afraid that at the last moment – something may happen.”
“It is too late for fears, doubts, or anything else except love.”
He held her against him and said,
“I
love you! God, how I love you! If you ever tried to run away from me again, I think I would kill you!”
She laughed up at him but she knew from the deep tone of his voice and the expression in his eyes that he meant what he said.
“I could never leave you,” she sighed. “I will love you and look after you and prevent you from going into danger – and of course – try to make you happy.”
“That is all I want you to say. In the meantime, we will start a new life in Hungary or if you prefer it we could go to France.”
“I am not – interested in your – possessions.”
“I am only boasting a little that I have them.”
The Prince laughed.
“They will come in useful when we have a family,” Vida said. “One of your sons can have a castle in Hungary, another a château in France, and a third a house in England!”
The Prince laughed again.
At the same time she saw a sudden fire in his eyes.
“What happens if we have four sons and some daughters?” he asked.
“The daughters will doubtless marry husbands – who are nearly as handsome as you,” Vida answered, “and your fourth son can have the villa in Monte Carlo, even though he may turn into a gambler!”
“That is what I am,” the Prince said. “I gambled with everything I possessed and I shall never forget, my precious, that you were prepared to be poor with me.”
“I never – dreamt when I was so – miserable the night before I left Kiev that you would – come to join me,” Vida said. “Oh, Ivan, darling, darling Ivan, how can I ever tell you how – much I love you or how – happy I am?”
“Is there any need for words?”
The Prince’s lips came down on hers as he spoke.
Then he was kissing her demandingly and with a fierceness that told her how frightened he had been that he might have lost her.
At the same time, there was now something different in his kisses that had not been there before.
The love she knew that he now gave her came from his soul as well as from his heart, for she was the perfect wife he had sought in his dreams.
She was the woman who would open for him the Gates of Paradise and of Heaven itself.
God had watched over them, protected them and brought them through every peril to safety and peace.
“I love – you,” Vida murmured.
“I love you, heart of my heart, soul of my soul,” the Prince replied. “You are mine – all mine!”
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
The Barbara Cartland Eternal Collection is the unique opportunity to collect as ebooks all five hundred of the timeless beautiful romantic novels written by the world’s most celebrated and enduring romantic author.
Named the Eternal Collection because Barbara’s inspiring stories of pure love, just the same as love itself, the books will be published on the internet at the rate of four titles per month until all five hundred are available.
The Eternal Collection, classic pure romance available worldwide for all time .
Elizabethan Lover
The Little Pretender
A Ghost in Monte Carlo
A Duel of Hearts
The Saint and the Sinner
The Penniless Peer
The Proud Princess
The Dare-Devil Duke
Diona and a Dalmatian
A Shaft of Sunlight
Lies for Love
Love and Lucia
Love and the Loathsome Leopard
Beauty or Brains
The Temptation of Torilla
The Goddess and the Gaiety Girl
Fragrant Flower
Look Listen and Love
The Duke and the Preacher’s Daughter
A Kiss for the King
The Mysterious Maid-servant
Lucky Logan Finds Love
The Wings of Ecstacy
Mission to Monte Carlo
Revenge of the Heart
The Unbreakable Spell
Never Laugh at Love
Bride to a Brigand
Lucifer and the Angel
Journey to a Star
Solita and the Spies
The Chieftain Without a Heart
No Escape from Love
Dollars for the duke
Pure and Untouched
Secrets
Fire in the Blood
Love, Lies and Marriage
The Ghost who Fell in Love
Hungry for Love
The Wild Cry of Love
The Blue-eyed Witch
The Punishment of a Vixen
The Secret of the Glen
Bride to the King
For All Eternity
King in Love
A Marriage made in Heaven
Who can deny Love?
Riding to the Moon
Wish for Love
Dancing on a Rainbow
Gypsy Magic
Love in the Clouds
Count the Stars
White Lilac
Too Precious to Lose
The Devil Defeated
An Angel Runs Away
The Duchess Disappeared
The Pretty Horse-breakers
The Prisoner of Love
Ola and the Sea Wolf
The Castle made for Love
A Heart is Stolen
The Love Pirate
As Eagles Fly
The Magic of Love
Love Leaves at Midnight
A Witch’s Spell
Love Comes West
The Impetuous Duchess
A Tangled Web
Love lifts the Curse
Saved By A Saint
Love is Dangerous
The Poor Governess
The Peril and the Prince
THE LATE DAME BARBARA CARTLAND
Barbara Cartland, who sadly died in May 2000 at the grand age of ninety eight, remains one of the world’s most famous romantic novelists. With worldwide sales of over one billion, her outstanding 723 books have been translated into thirty six different languages, to be enjoyed by readers of romance globally.
Writing her first book ‘Jigsaw’ at the age of 21, Barbara became an immediate bestseller. Building upon this initial success, she wrote continuously throughout her life, producing bestsellers for an astonishing 76 years. In addition to Barbara Cartland’s legion of fans in the UK and across Europe, her books have always been immensely popular in the USA. In 1976 she achieved the unprecedented feat of having books at numbers 1 & 2 in the prestigious B. Dalton Bookseller bestsellers list.
Although she is often referred to as the ‘Queen of Romance’, Barbara Cartland also wrote several historical biographies, six autobiographies and numerous theatrical plays as well as books on life, love, health and cookery. Becoming one of Britain’s most popular media personalities and dressed in her trademark pink, Barbara spoke on radio and television about social and political issues, as well as making many public appearances.
In 1991 she became a Dame of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to literature and her work for humanitarian and charitable causes.
Known for her glamour, style, and vitality Barbara Cartland became a legend in her own lifetime. Best remembered for her wonderful romantic novels and loved by millions of readers worldwide, her books remain treasured for their heroic heroes, plucky heroines and traditional values. But above all, it was Barbara Cartland’s overriding belief in the positive power of love to help, heal and improve the quality of life for everyone that made her truly unique.
The Peril and the Prince
Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland Ebooks Ltd
This edition © 2013
Copyright Cartland Promotions
eBook conversion by M-Y Books
Author’s Note
Marienbad, one of the most beautiful Spas in Europe, is now called Mariánské Láznĕ and is in the Czech Republic. The waters are still beneficial, but there are no Kings or
Princes to drink them outside the cast iron Colonnade built in 1889.
The Eszterházy Palace at Fertöd was badly damaged during the last war, but is now a museum that is visited by one hundred thousand tourists every year.
The background of this novel, the Politics, King Edward VII’s role as ‘Uncle of Europe’, the difficulties he had with his nephew Kaiser Wilhelm and how he journeyed and achieved a French Entente Cordiale are all part of history.
But as King Edward accurately predicted, it was the German Generals and High Command that finally pressured the Kaiser into declaring war in 1914.
Chapter One 1905
Lord Arkley walked across the sitting room and out onto the balcony.
It was dark but there were stars overhead and the lights from the hotel illuminated the Park from where one could look across the small town to the panorama of the wooded valley stretching beyond it.
It was not the first time that Lord Arkley had been to Marienbad and he thought it more attractive and more enjoyable than the other Spas that had been made fashionable by King Edward VII.
Every year after the Regatta at Cowes in the Isle of Wight the King went abroad to take the waters of a Spa.
Originally he had favoured Homburg, which because of his patronage had become a social centre for all those he knew or who wished to know him.
He had, however, now transferred his favour to Marienbad, a small town in a pleasant valley of Bohemia two thousand feet above sea level.
Having been favoured with His Majesty’s patronage for several years Marienbad had become extremely fashionable and the chosen Spa of numerous members of Europe’s oldest families.
Although the King was on holiday and travelling incognito as the Duke of Lanchester, there were always Statesmen, Courtiers, Politicians and people on some special mission intent on seeing him.
It was impossible for the King to escape altogether from the responsibilities of Monarchy, although in point of fact he had no wish to do so.
After being kept for so long in the wilderness by his mother Queen Victoria, who had never allowed him to take part in the Affairs of State, his obvious satisfaction in being entrusted with important confidences was almost childlike.
But now he was King, those who served him were beginning to realise that his numerous contacts with ruling Dynasties, his charm, tact and his way of drawing men out in conversation stood him in good stead as a roving Diplomat.
Princes and Princesses: Favourite Royal Romances Page 46
