Ruled by Love (16 page)

“I am sorry to bother you, my Lord, but Her Royal Highness has now chosen all the gifts we require for the cotillion which will take place at her ball. I thought it only polite that I should present you with the bill rather than that you should receive it directly from the shop.”

“Cotillion! What cotillion?” the Lord Chamberlain enquired.

“You must be aware that the Princess is very young and this is the first ball she has ever had given for her. She has asked for a cotillion, and, of course, we want her to be as happy as possible and to enjoy the first party at which she has ever been the hostess.”

“I should have thought you have had enough parties these last few days to last a lifetime,” he snapped.

“Are you now referring to your lifetime or Princess Udele's?”

“We cannot afford to spend any more money,” he shouted aggressively.

“In that case I will have to ask the Prime Minister. But I thought that was rather humiliating for such a small sum. However if you do not mind, it does not trouble me!”

The Lord Chamberlain threw up his hands.

“I want to know what is happening here. What are all these soldiers doing and why are there so many Officers staying in the Palace without my permission?”

“You can scarcely refuse them considering they are here to save you and Krnov from being taken over by the Prussians.”

“Taken over by the Prussians?” he expostulated. “I have never heard such silly nonsense! They are thinking of no such thing.”

“Then I suggest you talk to Prince Vaslov, who has come here specifically to save the independence of Krnov. If you are not worried, then I assure you anyone with any brains is terrified at what is likely to happen.”

The Lord Chamberlain stared at her.

“I just don't believe it.”

“Go and talk to the Prime Minister. Or better still allow Prince Vaslov to tell you just what he and my father think about the way this country has been mismanaged.

“You are on the verge of losing your independence and that, of course, must endanger both Opava and Cieszyn.”

“I think you are talking a lot of nonsense,” the Lord Chamberlain spat angrily. “If you are so frightened of the Prussians, you should go back to your own country where you will doubtless feel quite safe.”

He did not wait for Zoleka to reply, but stalked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

She gave a sigh.

Then she remembered the bill for the presents.

If the Lord Chamberlain refused to settle it, then Prince Vaslov, who was rich, would probably be pleased to pay it for the girl he wished to marry.

Even as the thought came into her mind, she felt as if she was suddenly stabbed in her heart by a sharp knife.

‘How can I be such a fool,' she asked herself, ‘as to love a man I have only seen two or three times?'

Then she knew that this really was the love she had always wanted to find.

The love that united those who found it so that they became one rather than two people.

‘How
can
I love him? How can I love him?' she asked herself over and over.

But she knew that she did.

*

It was very difficult for her to go down that evening to dinner and behave naturally.

She did not dare to look at Prince Vaslov in case he could read her thoughts.

She had rearranged the dining room table so that he was not sitting next to her.

Because there had been so much to do most of them around the table were very tired and the Officers who had just arrived made an excuse to leave the party early.

But Prince Vaslov seemed to have plenty to say and seemed unperturbed by what was going on.

Zoleka thought that he was even cleverer and more interesting than he had been last night.

Finally, as their numbers had been reduced, she said that she was retiring to bed.

“I have been working out a plan for Princess Udele to drive through the City tomorrow morning,” announced the Count, “to inspect the Racecourse.”

“Oh, I would love to do that,” cried Udele.

“Then if things are a little tidier than they are at the moment, you shall go to see where the Tournament is to take place.”

She was very taken with this new idea and Zoleka almost had to drag her away to bed.

After she had kissed Udele goodnight, she walked to her own room and after Marla had helped her to undress, she climbed into bed without saying anything.

*

It was only when she was alone in the dark that she could dwell on Prince Vaslov and how handsome he was.

‘I love him! I love him!' she admitted to herself.

She was wondering if she could possibly remain in Krnov and be present when he married Udele.

She must never betray the fact that it would break her heart.

‘How and
why
has this happened to me?'

People had asked this very same question since the beginning of time.

But it had happened and her love was throbbing in her heart and in her soul.

Finally she fell asleep and dreamt of Prince Vaslov as she had seen him the very first time, walking towards her in the garden.

Then suddenly she awoke and opened her eyes.

The room was in darkness except for the moonlight streaming in through the sides of the curtains.

Yet she was aware that something was wrong.

Something that was very very dangerous.

She could feel the threat so strongly that she knew it was not her imagination.

It was her instinct and her Third Eye was clamouring at her urgently.

Danger was close and coming nearer and nearer.

‘It just cannot be true,' she tried to stammer.

Without thinking what she was doing, she climbed out of bed and walked to the window.

She pulled aside the curtain.

Her room and Udele's looked out over the garden.

The moonlight turned the water in the fountain to silver and the garden itself looked enchanting.

Then as she stood staring down, she noticed a movement on one side among the bushes.

At first she felt certain it must be the wind and then she could feel at the open window that there was no wind.

She looked again at the bushes.

Faintly touched by the moonlight, she realised that someone was moving through them.

Not one person but several and they were moving towards the Palace.

She was now seeing the peril she had sensed within herself and she recognised that she must do something.

Running across her bedroom, just as she was in her nightgown, she opened the door.

The Count and Prince Vaslov had been given State rooms without any argument and they were on the opposite side of the corridor to hers and Udele's.

The nearest, Zoleka knew, was Prince Vaslov's.

She ran across towards his door, opened it without knocking and went in.

The room was dark as on this side of the Palace no moonlight filtered in from the sides of the curtains.

But she could just make out in the total blackness that Prince Vaslov was asleep in a large four-poster bed.

She ran to the side of it.

“Wake up!” she called. “Wake up quickly! There is danger.”

With the alertness of a soldier he woke at once.

“What is it?” he asked.

“There are a number of strangers moving through the bushes towards the other side of the Palace. I can see them from my window.”

Prince Vaslov sat up in bed.

“Go and wake Franz, while I get dressed.”

Zoleka did as she was told.

She rushed from the room, down the corridor and into the room occupied by the Count.

He woke as quickly as the Prince had done.

“It is what I expected,” he muttered. “Tell Prince Vaslov to operate his alarm. I will look after Udele.”

Without waiting to hear any more, Zoleka did as she had asked.

She left his room and ran back to the corridor again.

There she saw Prince Vaslov, wearing his shirt and trousers and carrying a large object in one hand, going into her bedroom.

She hurried after him.

“The Count,” she whispered, “said you are to use your alarm.”

“That is exactly what I am going to do.”

He went to the window and Zoleka followed him.

He pulled aside the curtain and looked out and she did the same.

Now there was no movement in the bushes where she had seen it before.

The leaves were all still in the bright moonlight, but there was a definite movement a little further away beneath some trees and behind a large flower bed.

Prince Vaslov stood looking out into the garden and Zoleka saw him lift up what he was carrying in his hand.

He threw it out of the window up into the air and, as he did so it exploded, making a loud noise in the silence.

At the same time it emitted a brilliant light.

It was so unexpected that Zoleka gave a cry and he put out his arm and pulled her against him.

“It is all right, my darling,” he told her. “It will not hurt you, but it will bring help. Go and hide yourself by the bed.”

The endearment he had used made Zoleka look up at him in astonishment.

And next she felt his lips touch hers gently before he pushed her away.

As she crouched down beside the bed, she saw him draw a revolver from his belt.

There was silence.

Despite the danger Zoleka felt she must see what was happening in the garden, so she rushed back to stand beside Prince Vaslov.

He glanced down at her with a faint smile.

He was closely watching, she was aware, the wing of the Palace the wing where Prince Majmir's apartments were situated.

She dared not speak.

Then suddenly the Prince bent forward and fired his revolver.

Not, as she had expected, towards the wing of the Palace, but straight in front of him.

Now she could see several men coming through the trees and bushes at the far end of the garden.

They were moving quickly and silently, which had something sinister about it.

She was convinced that they were Prussians.

As the explosion of the Prince's revolver rang out, the men in front hesitated.

Then there was firing from every side of the garden and Zoleka knew that it was from Prince Vaslov's soldiers.

The noise seemed to echo and re-echo around the Palace and was almost deafening.

She had the idea, although it was so difficult to see, that although the Prussians were carrying guns, they were slow in using them.

Suddenly and almost as quickly as it had all started, the firing ceased.

Zoleka could see that there were bodies lying on the ground beyond the fountain.

She looked to the right and saw there were a number of men sprawled just outside a door leading into the Palace.

Prince Vaslov waited for a minute just in case there was any more firing and then he put his revolver back into his belt.

“I must find Franz and go down to the garden with him to see what has happened.”

He put his arm round Zoleka.

“You have been superb, my dearest, as I knew you would be.”

He kissed her forehead.

Then as if he was forcing himself to press on with the business waiting for him, he strode from the room.

Zoleka reckoned that the Count was with Udele so she followed him.

It was only a few steps to the door to Udele's room and it was ajar.

Prince Vaslov opened it and they were both about to walk in when they stopped.

At the far end of the room, silhouetted against the window, the Count held Udele closely in his arms and was kissing her fervently.

Prince Vaslov stiffened for a moment and stared as if this was something he had not expected.

He quietly closed the door and put his arms around Zoleka.

“If that,” he murmured, “is how the wind blows, it certainly suits me.
Now
, my darling, I am free to tell you how much I love you.”

His lips were on hers.

Almost before she realised what was happening to her, he was kissing her demandingly and passionately as if he would never let her go.

It was sublime, it was glorious, it was unbelievable.

She felt as if the whole Palace was turning topsy-turvy over her head.

She was flying up to the stars.

“I love you, I adore you, Zoleka,” Prince Vaslov breathed in a deep and rather unsteady voice. “But now I really must go and find out what has happened.”

He was about to turn away when the Count opened the door.

“Oh, there you are, Vaslov,” he called. “I think we ought to go down and clear up the mess.”

“I agree with you, Franz, but the girls are to stay up here.”

“Of course.”

Udele had followed the Count across the room and now she asked in a trembling voice,

“Do you think many of our men are dead?”

“I shall be surprised if there are any. You are not to worry about it. We will tell you and Zoleka all about it in the morning.”

The Count hurried after Prince Vaslov who was already walking briskly towards the stairs.

Udele put out her hand towards Zoleka.

“Will we be – safe?” she asked her in a whisper.

“I don't think there is anyone left to harm us. Now we must do as they have told us. We must go to bed and try to sleep as there is sure to be an enormous amount for us to do tomorrow.”

“You are quite sure that Franz will be safe?”

Zoleka realised it was difficult for Udele to think of anything except the man she loved.

“I am quite certain,” she told her quietly, “that both of them will be safe, now come along with me. There is plenty of room in my bed for both of us.”

“Oh, can I? I am so frightened – of being alone.”

“Don't worry so, we will be together and we can lie quietly in bed and think how lucky we are to have two such wonderful men to protect us.”

She nearly added,

“ –
and to love us
.”