On the day they received the news that Hélène’s parents had taken her abroad so that she wouldn’t have to endure being in the country when it was their wedding day and that, as a family, they would be making Spain their home for the foreseeable future, Eddy’s voice had been unsteady.
‘It’s so hard to have loved someone so much, and to have lost them,’ he’d said with deep feeling, ‘but you have been a godsend to me, May. I wouldn’t be coping if it wasn’t for you.’
A week before Christmas, when they were playing a game of bezique in front of a roaring log fire at Sheen Lodge, while Looloo and Fife were out walking their dogs, Eddy laid down his cards and said, with surprise in his voice, ‘I’ve been able to talk to you about so much I’ve never been able to talk to anyone else about. How I hated being at sea all those years. How, although there are some aspects of the Army that I like – the camaraderie, for instance – I find other parts of it, the endless drill and the jogging round and round the riding school day after day, pointless and tedious beyond belief. I haven’t even admitted to Georgie how unenthusiastic I am about the Army.’ He stood up, drawing May to her feet and into his arms. ‘Please believe me when I say I’m happier than I ever thought I could be, and that it is all thanks to you, darling May.’
Until now his kisses had been warm and tender, but never passionate. Now, as he looked down at her, there was something new in his eyes; something she had never seen before; something that made her heart begin beating in sharp, slamming little strokes that she could feel even in her fingertips.
‘I think I’ve begun to love you, May,’ he said thickly. ‘Do you think you could possibly begin to feel the same way about me?’
‘I already do.’ She felt as if her heart was about to burst. ‘I have done for longer than you could possibly imagine.’
That she was speaking the truth was evident in her voice, and in her eyes.
Eddy drew in an unsteady breath. No one would ever believe they were a love match. And it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they knew differently.
Although she was virginal, as a Hussar officer, Eddy was far from being so and this time, when he lowered his head to hers and kissed her, he did so long and slow, and deeply. Holding her close against him, his free hand moved up over the shiny silk of her high-necked gown to cup her breast caressingly.
For May, it was a moment when she recognized in herself emotions and longings that she had never suspected existed; when she knew exactly why Maudie had been unable to resist Frank’s lovemaking; and why, having loved her Albert so passionately, Granny Queen so strongly discouraged long engagements.
Chapter Twenty-Three
DECEMBER 1891, NEW PALACE, DARMSTADT
Darmstadt was glistening white under a blanket of snow, and en fête in readiness for Christmas. Every stall in the little town’s market place was draped in swathes of holly and colourful paper decorations. Mistletoe was hanging at heights convenient for girls to be kissed beneath; horse-drawn sleighs, not carriages, thronged the narrow streets; and although Christmas Day wasn’t for another two weeks, carol singers were out in full force.
May’s letter to Alicky had taken longer to arrive than usual, because ships carrying mail across the English Channel had been disrupted by bad weather, and it was only now that Alicky, curled up in a wing-chair before a crackling log fire, was eagerly writing back to her:
Dearest Kindred Spirit,
When you wrote me of your engagement to Eddy, I thought at first it was a tease! Papa told me it wasn’t, as at the same time your letter arrived, letters for him, informing him of your engagement, arrived from both Granny Queen and Uncle Bertie. I think it is the most amazing, wonderful news, and I can well imagine how truly happy and over the moon you must be. Eddy is the sweetest person in the world, and I just know that the two of you are going to be incredibly happy together.
I don’t have much news. In a letter that arrived along with yours, Irène has written that, in Berlin, Kindred Spirit Willy has infuriated his mother by sending you and Eddy unqualified congratulations on your engagement and by being totally uncaring that his sister has, yet again, been passed over. Poor Mossy. I do feel for her, but, like Cousin Willy, I am very, very happy for you. All the unlikeable members of our vast family – those who have never let you forget your Serene Highness status – will now have to behave very differently towards you. Where some of them are concerned, it is something I would very much like to see!
Alicky started another paragraph:
Granny Queen has now turned her matchmaking passion to poor Ernie, who is ducking and diving and so far showing great resilience at not falling in with her plans. He is twenty-three now and, as Papa’s heir (and being the only boy), even Papa is anxious to see him suitably married and safeguarding the family line and title by producing a son (and, Papa says, preferably producing more than one son). In my wildest imagination, I cannot imagine Ernie ending up the father of a platoon, as Willy and Dona have. As their tally of boys is now six, I think it is safe to say that the throne of the German Empire has been well and truly secured!
She laid her pen down. The prospect of Ernie marrying wasn’t one she was looking forward to. With all three of her elder sisters married and living their lives far from Darmstadt – Vicky in whatever British naval base Louis was stationed at; Ella in a palace in Russia; and Irène in a palace in Berlin – she, Alicky, was First Lady of Darmstadt, and it was a title she would lose when Ernie married.
Having acted as her father’s hostess ever since Irène’s marriage to Heinrich, and having become accustomed to giving and presiding at dinner parties and receptions and at the balls that regularly took place in the New Palace’s white-and-gold ballroom, the thought of having to hand over all such responsibilities to Ernie’s bride was not a pleasant one.
More importantly, it wasn’t pleasant when she had finally accepted that, much as she loved Nicky, and much as he loved her, she was never going to be able to marry him – and that if she couldn’t marry Nicky, she was going to remain single until her dying day.
She picked up her pen again:
I wish I had good news to send you where I am concerned, but nothing has changed.
Once again she stopped writing, for her last few words were a lie. A few weeks ago Ella had made a surprise visit to Darmstadt to tell their father that she was finally converting to Orthodoxy. That announcement alone had shocked Alicky to the depths of her being, but it hadn’t been Ella’s only bombshell.
When they had been alone together, Ella had said urgently, ‘Nicky has asked me to tell you he still loves you very, very much, Alicky; that you are the dream and the hope he lives for every day. You mustn’t give up hope of marrying him, for although his parents are as opposed as ever to the thought of you as his bride, Sergei is constantly trying to persuade them to change their minds. He wants to make them see what a wonderful Tsarina you would one day make.’
Alicky’s response had been to clasp her hands tightly together in her lap. ‘Even if they do change their minds about me, I can’t abandon my religion for Orthodoxy. I just can’t do it, Ella. I can’t. I can’t.’
Ella, always infinitely loving and patient, had said gently, ‘It really isn’t such a dreadful thing to do, Alicky. Orthodoxy and Lutheranism have lots of things in common, and I truly believe Orthodoxy would be far better suited to your highly religious, highly emotional temperament.’
Alicky had been about to tell Ella of the sacred promise she had made to their mama when Ella said, ‘Unless you begin thinking differently, Alicky, you will lose Nicky.’
‘No, I won’t.’ Her response had been immediate and without a shred of doubt. ‘Nicky and I are soulmates. We will be soulmates forever and ever.’
Forced to play her last card, Ella said, ‘Nicky has taken a mistress. Her name is Mathilde Kschessinska. She is a ballerina in the Russian Imperial Ballet.’
Alicky had ceased to breathe.
A ballerina. It was somethi
ng of a joke that having a ballerina as a mistress was an essential requirement for a member of the House of Romanov. Sergei probably had a ballerina, too, but it wasn’t something she was going to ask Ella about. Slowly she had sucked air back into her lungs. What did Mathilde Kschessinska matter, when it was her – Alicky – that Nicky loved? When she knew from his letters that he was going to love her forever and ever and throughout all eternity?
A great calm had come over her and she had known that Mathilde Kschessinska wasn’t going to affect the love she felt for Nicky. What she did feel was sad. Sad that Nicky had become so lonesome that he needed another woman in his life. Sad that even if Nicky’s parents eventually gave permission for him to marry Alicky, rigid Russian royal protocol would not allow her to do so as a Lutheran.
She looked down at the letter she was in the middle of writing. If May had been with her, she would unhesitatingly have told her all about Nicky’s ballerina, but putting the words in a letter was different. She would be seeing May in the not-too-distant future, for May and Eddy’s wedding was in February and she was to be one of the bridesmaids. There would be plenty of time then to confide in her about Mathilde Kschessinska.
She picked up her pen again:
Missy and Ducky and their mama are with us for a few days en route from Geneva to London, where they will be having a family Christmas at Clarence House. Missy is full of high spirits, as always, and Ducky is down in the dumps. She’s fifteen and in love with one of her Russian first cousins, Kyril Vladimirovich. Her reason for being down in the dumps is that nothing can ever come of it, as Romanovs are not allowed to marry first cousins. Can you imagine if the same rule applied to Granny Queen’s tribe? Her eternal matchmaking would be shot to pieces (and, come to think of it, she would never have been able to marry Grandpa Albert!).
That’s all for now, as the ice on the palace pond is hard enough to skate on and Ernie is showing off his skating skills to Missy and Ducky. (Although, as Missy and Ducky spend such a lot of time visiting their relatives in St Petersburg, I think he may find their skating skills outshine his. Winters in St Petersburg last for at least six months of the year.)
Love and all best – and until your February wedding – Kindred Spirit Alicky
‘I think your brother is a hoot,’ Ducky said late that night as, in nightdresses, the three of them sat cross-legged on Alicky’s bed eating Marie biscuits. ‘Not even Kyril has whizzed me around the ice so fast.’
‘That’s because Kyril Vladimirovich is so steady as to be almost stationary.’ Missy brushed some crumbs from her chest. ‘When it comes to men, Ducky, you really do need to raise your sights. It’s bad enough that Kyril is so low down in the Romanov line of succession, without him being as dull as ditch-water into the bargain.’
‘I don’t find him dull, and at least he’s good-looking and doesn’t have sticky-out red ears, like Nando.’
Missy smiled serenely. ‘Ah, but Nando will be the King of Romania one day and, when he is and I’m his queen, I’m not going to mind about his sticky-out ears.’ She uncrossed her legs and, pulling her knees up to her chest, hugged them with her arms. ‘And it’s all a done deal. Nando has officially offered for my hand and, on my behalf, Papa has accepted. The only fly in the ointment at the moment is Granny Queen. She doesn’t think Nando is good enough for me. She’s still hoping Mama will change her mind and consent to me marrying Georgie-Porgie.’
Alicky, who didn’t often have the opportunity to share in such interesting girl-talk, was riveted.
She said, ‘Once your engagement to Nando is announced, will the wedding follow quickly?’
Missy’s pansy-dark eyes were thoughtful. ‘Probably not. Probably not until at least a year afterwards. One doesn’t like to look too keen.’
‘Personally, I wish you’d marry him as soon as possible.’ Ducky was always blunt. ‘I want to know all about IT, and I’ve never found anyone willing to tell me. Mama tells me I’ll find out soon enough, and that into every life a little rain must fall – and what she means by that is anyone’s guess. You have three married sisters, Alicky. Have you ever got any of them to spill the beans as to what actually happens on the wedding night?’
Alicky shook her head. The IT-thing was something never spoken of to unmarried young girls. It was as if, if you were told, nothing on God’s earth would ever get you down the aisle.
‘Well, whatever it is, I’m quite looking forward to it.’ Missy reached for another biscuit. ‘I like new experiences and I enjoy being kissed and touched. Cousin Christle is a great kisser and toucher. It’s odd, isn’t it, how you wouldn’t mind at all some men taking liberties. Eddy Wales, for instance. Hélène of Orleans is still absolutely potty about him and, with those gold-flecked eyes and slow, sensual smile, I can quite see why. All I can say is: lucky May Teck. For a semi-royal with an embarrassing family past, she’s scooped the jackpot.’
She looked at the biscuit she was holding and giggled. ‘Do you know, Alicky, that Marie biscuits are named after Mama? They were made to commemorate her wedding to Papa, and her indignation at having a biscuit named after her knows no bounds. I swear it’s the reason Granny Queen has all her royal palaces stocked full of them and has reared all her vast family on them. It means Mama cannot go anywhere without a plate of them appearing at teatime, and her knowing people are inwardly sniggering every time they pop one in their mouths. It’s very naughty of Granny Queen, don’t you think? But then Granny Queen and Mama are old sparring partners – and all in all, Mama generally scores most of the points.’
After the Edinburghs had departed for England, Alicky’s father said to her, ‘I’ve never known Ernie get on with anyone in the way he has with Victoria Melita over these last few days. They got on splendidly, don’t you think?’
‘Victoria Melita?’
‘Ducky. Though why she’s been saddled with such an unladylike pet name, I can’t imagine. However, she has certainly solved a problem for Granny Queen. I have already sent a telegram saying there could no better match for Ernie than Ducky.’
Alicky liked Ducky. Like Missy, her shockability factor could be very entertaining. However, meeting up with her on family occasions was one thing; Ducky becoming a future Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine and usurping her – Alicky’s – position as First Lady was quite another. And besides, although it was true Ducky and Ernie had enjoyed a lot of fun together, it was because both of them were reckless risk-takers on the ice and because they shared a taste for practical jokes. Alicky couldn’t see either fact indicating that a marriage between them would be a marriage made in heaven.
‘Why the hell can’t Papa leave well alone?’ Ernie said explosively, when she broke the news to him that, thanks to their papa, Granny Queen now thought him and Ducky an ideal marital match. ‘Ducky is great, but I don’t want her as a wife. I don’t want anyone as a wife.’
‘Then tell Papa that, before Granny Queen begins setting a wedding date.’
He clenched his teeth. At twenty-three, he might be able to get away with putting marriage off for another handful of years, but time was running out and soon his obstinacy in remaining single would have tongues wagging. It might be best to take the bull by the horns and prepare his father for the news that he wasn’t going to like, by putting him in the picture now.
His father’s reaction was exactly as Ernie had feared it would be.
‘A pansy?’ he had roared. ‘A pansy? No son of mine is a bloody pansy! All you need, boy, is a stiff purge of castor oil. A bloody pansy, indeed!’
‘And so I might very well marry Ducky,’ Ernie said later to Alicky. ‘At least she’s fun, which counts for something. But I’m not going to do so until I absolutely have to. There’s no sense in running to meet disaster.’
And, shoving his hands deep in his trouser pockets, he went off in search of the latest new groom, in order to have a little fun and cheer himself up.
Chapter Twenty-Four
JANUARY 1892, SANDRINGHAM
&n
bsp; May was fizzing with happiness. It was early January and, accompanied by her parents, she had just arrived at Sandringham to help celebrate Eddy’s twenty-eighth birthday, which was in four days’ time. London had been freezing when they had left it, but there had been no snow. In Norfolk the ground was covered by it.
‘The good news,’ Eddy said, within minutes of welcoming her, ‘is that the lake is frozen solid and there’s to be a game of ice-hockey on it this afternoon. The bad news is that flu is rife. Both Toria and Maudie have taken to their beds with it, and my equerry, who is a demon at ice-hockey, is so ill he’s not going to be able to play.’
‘What about Georgie? He’s still convalescing from typhoid. If anyone should take care not to catch flu, it’s Georgie.’
‘Georgie hasn’t a trace of a sniffle. Let’s find a room with a roaring log fire where I can tell you some truly exciting news.’
Arm-in-arm they began walking in the direction of Sandringham’s little-used library. Hugging his arm, May said teasingly, ‘Is your news a change of plan and we are to go to Florence for our honeymoon?’
‘I’m afraid not. It’s something even better. Ireland.’
Her eyebrows flew nearly into her fringe of wheat-gold crimped curls. ‘Ireland? For our honeymoon? Why on earth?’
‘Silly minx, of course not for our honeymoon. When we are in the library I’ll tell you, although you must keep it to yourself, as it’s highly confidential. Even Motherdear and Georgie aren’t in the know yet.’
Deeply intrigued, she remained silent until they had reached the library and Eddy had closed the door behind them.
Without sitting down or suggesting that May sat down, he took both her hands and said, ‘The Prime Minister has suggested that I be appointed Viceroy of Ireland and Lord Lieutenant of Dublin Castle, and Granny Queen has agreed to it.’
May gasped, her eyes widening.
The Summer Queen Page 24
