The King Without a Heart (16 page)

Even as he did so and before he could release his hold of the stiletto, the lights in the library flashed on.

The curtains over the long windows opened and into the room stepped the King, the Prime Minister, the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Chief Justice.

Standing on the balcony were Darius and Kastri with revolvers in their hands.

Prince Frederick stared at them.

Then he looked down at the dummy figure into which he had just stuck his stiletto. It was very lifelike, but with no face, only a false wig to imitate the King's hair.

For a moment there was complete silence. 

Then the King said,

“I deeply regret that this should have occurred, Frederick, and that you were so anxious to take my place that you were prepared to murder me.”

“I can explain,” answered Prince Frederick quickly. “It was just a joke.” 

The King did not deign to answer, but merely continued,

“You know as well as I do that the punishment for those guilty of treason against the person of the King is to be beheaded.”

One of the Prince's
aides-de-camp
let out a scream of terror and flung himself onto the floor.

“We were made to do it, we were made to do it!” he cried.

The King took no notice of him.

“I have decided, however,” he continued, still looking at Prince Frederick, “that as you are my half-brother, there should be no scandal attached to those who bear our name, so I intend to be extremely merciful.”

“I can explain – “ Prince Frederick began to say again, but the King held up his hand for silence.

“I do not wish for any explanation, nor do I want a trial. What I have decided is that you and your wife will go immediately into exile. You will leave early tomorrow for the Island of Platicos where you will stay for the rest of your life. You can have anything you require and you and your wife will be quite comfortable.”

He paused for a moment.

“At the same time should you attempt to leave Platicos or ever again set foot on Velidos soil, you will be taken in front of the Lord Chief Justice who will administer the Law of the Land as it is written for those who commit treason against the King.”

Prince Frederick was defeated and he knew it. 

He turned and without a word walked out of the library followed by his
aides-de-camp
who were both in tears.

 When Titania reached her bedroom after leaving the King to his preparations to foil Prince Frederick's plot, she went down on her knees beside the bed.

She prayed more fervently than she ever had prayed in her whole life that the King would be saved.

She thought nothing could be more terrible than to learn tomorrow or perhaps tonight, that things had gone wrong and he was dead.

She wondered, if that happened, whether she would be brave enough to tell the truth, but there would perhaps be no point if he was no longer alive.

‘Save him, God – please save – him,' she prayed over and over again.

Then as she prayed, she knew that she loved the King.

She had not realised it before, because she knew so little about love.

It had been a joy and a delight to be with him and she had been miserable when he had stayed away and did not come riding in the early morning with her.

Now she understood that she had given him her heart.

She loved him to the point that if he died she had no wish to go on living.

‘I love him, God,' she prayed, ‘please – save him – please –
please
.'

She felt as if she was sending a thousand prayers up to Heaven on wings and somehow they would reach God.

Equally she recognised that the whole situation was desperately dangerous, not only for the King, but for herself.

‘I do not matter,' she said beneath her breath. ‘If I die no one will worry, but if he dies then – everything that might benefit this country will be left undone. The whole population will miss him even if they are not aware of it.'

She prayed until she heard the maids come in to bring her bath as they always did before dinner.

It was with the greatest difficulty that she behaved naturally, talking to the maids in their language. She hoped she looked calm and not agitated, as far as they were concerned.

Tonight she told them that she had a headache and would not be going down to dinner and would they please arrange for her to have a light meal in her room.

They were very solicitous that she should be feeling unwell and because she thought she must keep up the pretence, she climbed into bed having had her bath.

She lay back against the pillows.

“I hope you're not sickening for something, miss,” one of the maids said. “There be very bad fevers around here sometimes and they make one feel awful.”

“I will be alright,” replied Titania. “It is just that I am overtired.”

“It's all that riding you does,” the maid answered. Then she went on, “I hear His Majesty brought a little boy who had been hurt back to his mother when he'd been riding this morning.”

“Who told you that?” asked Titania. “Oh, they're all talking about it downstairs and everyone in the City is astonished at the King's kindness.”

Titania could not help smiling as this was what she was hoping they would be saying about the King.

She was only apprehensive that Sophie would hear that she had been riding with him as, of course, the maids who looked after her were well aware of her early morning excursions.

When they called her she had already left her room and when she returned, she had changed from her riding clothes. She had made them promise not to tell anyone else that she went riding early in the morning.

She wondered now if it was something she would ever do again.

She could not imagine what would happen to Sophie when the King denounced Prince Frederick and she did not want to think about the penalty in Velidos for treason.

She knew in London it had meant all down the ages that the offender was taken to the Tower and beheaded.

It was impossible for Titania to eat any of the delicious dishes that were brought upstairs for her dinner as she was too agitated.

When her tray was taken away, she told the maids that she did not wish to be disturbed as she was going to sleep and they hoped that she would have a restful night.

At last she was alone. It was agony not to know what was happening downstairs and what the King was doing.

Again she feared that at the last moment something might go wrong and he would die. ‘I love him –
I love him
,' Titania prayed. ‘Please –
save him
.'

*

 Much later, in fact it must have been nearly midnight,

Titania was still awake and praying, when she heard a knock on the communicating door that opened into her boudoir.

She jumped out of bed and pulling on her dressing gown she ran to the door.

It was Darius.

“What – has – happened?” she asked breathlessly.

“Everything is all right,” replied Darius. “You have saved His Majesty's life.”

Titania took a deep breath and it was with the greatest difficulty that she did not burst into tears from sheer relief.

“Thanks to you, His Majesty was prepared and when Prince Frederick came into the library there were witnesses of what he was attempting to do waiting behind the curtains.”

He told Titania about the dummy and who the witnesses were and how he and Kastri were stationed on the balcony.

“His Royal Highness has been very mercifully treated,” he finished. “His Majesty has sent him and the Princess into exile on Platicos which is a pretty island and boasts a small Palace, which was built by His Majesty's grandfather when he wanted to take a holiday.”

“And they have to – stay there?” asked Titania hesitatingly

“They are forbidden to leave the island, but otherwise they can have everything they may require.”

The relief was so overwhelming that Titania felt as if she might sink onto the floor.

“I must leave you now,” Darius informed her, “but His Majesty wanted you to know at once what had happened and also that it will be impossible for him to go riding tomorrow morning.”

“Of course, I can quite understand.”

“You have been very wonderful and everyone who knows what has occurred is in your debt and extremely grateful to you.”

To Titania's surprise he went down on one knee and, taking her hand in his, kissed it.

Without another word he turned, walked across the boudoir and left her. Titania climbed back to bed.

Now she prayed again, but it was a prayer of thankfulness that God had heard her fervent pleading.

The King was safe
.

*

 Titania awoke and realised that it was very late in the morning.

She had not gone to sleep for a long time after Darius had left her and even now she felt a little drowsy.

At the same time, when she remembered that the King was safe, she felt as if a shaft of sunlight was sweeping through her body.

‘I must get up,' she determined, ‘and I wonder when I can see him.'

It was a question she asked herself every minute that passed and she wanted to be quite certain that he was alive and really had survived the dastardly plot against him.

‘He is so kind and so wonderful and there is so much for him to do now that he is interested in his people and in making Velidos prosperous.'

She remembered that she had left the book on prospecting for gold, which she wanted the King to read, on the balcony in the library.

It would still be lying on the spot where she had hidden it from Prince Frederick and she thought that when the King sent for her she would tell him about it.

She ate her breakfast alone and did not like to leave the boudoir or her bedroom until she was told she could do so.

She supposed that her cousin would be packing up to leave on the ship that was to take her and Prince Frederick to Platicos and she did not expect that Sophie would want or be allowed to say goodbye to her.

It must have been nearly half-past nine when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

Titania crossed the room to open it.

Outside was the lady's maid who spoke English and who had been attending Princess Sophie.

“What is it, Christa?” asked Titania.

“Her Royal Highness,” replied Christa, “says that you are to go with her to Platicos. You are to hurry and have your clothes packed. Their Royal Highnesses are leaving in two hours.”

Titania stared at the woman.

“Did you – say I was to go – with the Princess?”

“That is what she says, miss.”

Titania pushed her to one side and ran down the passage. She ran without thinking or considering anything but the horror she felt. The idea of having to go into exile with Sophie and Prince Frederick was terrifying.

She ran through the hall and along the corridor which led into the library.

She pulled open the door and rushed in.

The King was at the far end of the room, not sitting at his writing table, but standing in front of the window.

He heard her approach and turned round.

As Titania ran towards him he saw the expression of horror on her face and the fear in her eyes.

“What is the matter, what has happened?”

Titania flung herself against him and had to hold on to him or she would have fallen down.

“They – tell me,” she stammered in a breathless voice that was hardly articulate, “that I am to – go with Sophie into – exile. Please, please do not – make me – do so. Please – let me stay here.”

The words seemed to fall out of her lips without Titania realising what she was saying.

The King put his arms around her.

“Do you think I could possibly lose you?” he asked.

Then his lips were on hers. He kissed her, not gently but fiercely, as if it was something he had long wanted to do and could no longer control himself.

To Titania it was as if the Heavens had opened and a light from God suddenly enveloped her.

When she felt the urgent pressure of his lips, her body seemed to melt into his.

She gave him not only her heart but her soul.

The King kissed her until she felt as if they were no longer of this world, but were flying up into the sky.

Then he raised his head and looked down at her.

“
I love you
,” he said and his voice was very deep.

“And I love you – I love you,” murmured Titania, “and I would rather die than have to go away – and never see you again.”

“You will not die, my darling, but you will live to show me exactly how I can love my people as you want me to.”

Titania hid her face against his shoulder.

“Did you – really say – you love me?” she whispered.

“I have loved you from the first moment I saw you, but I felt it was something I dared not feel, because everything I have ever cared for has always been taken from me.”

Titania realised he was thinking of how he had lost his dog and how cruel his stepmother had been to him. Without being aware of it she moved even closer to him and almost as if she was speaking to herself she told him,

“No one shall ever hurt you again.”

“That is what I thought you might say to me,” sighed the King, “but I was desperately afraid.” Titania looked up in surprise. “Afraid of – what?”

“That I would not be allowed to marry you,” the King replied.

Titania gave a little gasp. Somehow the thought of marriage had never occurred to her when she was thinking about the King and loving him.

“But of course – not,” she said. “I am sure you are – not allowed – to marry a – commoner.”

“Do you think,” the King asked her, “that I would offer you anything else? Even a morganatic marriage. My darling, I love you too much for that.”

Because of the emotion in his voice and the look in his eyes, Titania felt a quiver of rapture run through her. She hid her face against him again.