The King Without a Heart (5 page)

The Equerry was a young man who looked almost Greek and he had, Titania thought, a twinkle in his eye.

There was, however, no chance of anyone speaking except Sophie who was showing off and the Duchess was already complaining about the difficulties of travelling in a ship of war.

As it happened, Titania had been aboard quite a number of Battleships at one time or another, as her father had often called on Naval Captains in foreign ports where it was unusual to see an Englishman.

She thought as soon as her aunt and Sophie were settled into their cabins she might have a chance to explore the ship. However, she kept in the background, as she had been told to do.

It was only when they were underway and she went out on deck that the Equerry came and spoke to her.

“Are you looking forward to the voyage, Miss Brooke?”

“I love being at sea,” she replied, “and I am thankful to say I am never seasick.”

“If that is true, then this will certainly be an unusual voyage. I have never passed through the Bay of Biscay without every woman on board locking herself in her cabin.”

Titania laughed.

“I can assure you I will not do that.”

He was speaking quite good English and as he seemed friendly, Titania asked him,

“I wonder if you would do me a great favour.”

“Of course I will do anything I can.”

“I want to learn the language of your country,” Titania told him, “and I do not think it will be difficult because I already speak Greek and a little of some of the other Balkan languages.”

The Equerry looked at her in surprise. “I have been told to teach a little of our language to Lady Sophie if possible, but I had no idea there would be anyone aboard who could speak Greek.”

“As I have never heard anyone speak Velidosian, please say something to me in your language.”

The Equerry gabbled off several sentences. Titania said that she recognised several words amongst them.

“Now what did you say?” she asked.

“I said, ‘you are so very pretty, Miss Brooke, and that you might have just arrived from Olympus and undoubtedly the Gods you have left behind will miss you'.”

Titania laughed.

“No wonder I found it difficult to guess what you were saying. Thank you for the compliment, but as unfortunately we are not going to Olympus, I want to learn as much Velidosian as I can.”

“Very well,” the Equerry replied. “Shall we set a time for your lessons?”

“Of course, and I suggest, if it suits you, eleven o'clock in the morning however rough the sea may be.”

She knew as she spoke that the Equerry was quite certain she would not turn up while they were crossing the Bay of Biscay and she was also hoping that Sophie would not require her at that time.

When she entered Sophie's cabin to see if she had everything she wanted, her cousin asked sharply,

“Where have you been, Titania, and why are you not looking after me?”

“I am sorry. I was watching the ship move out of dock.”

“Well, as Mama insists on Martha unpacking her trunks first, you can start on mine until Martha is free.”

Titania, without making any comment, began to unpack Sophie's dressing case. She did, however, think to herself that her cousin might have said ‘please'.

She never said ‘thank you' for anything that was done for her.

“If there is one thing I hate,” Sophie was saying, “it is being at sea. I know I am going to be seasick and the sooner I can lie down the better.”

Although Titania said it was likely that the English Channel would be calm, Sophie insisted on getting into bed.

“I intend to stay here,” she announced arrogantly, “until we arrive and it is no use arguing with me. What is more I have no wish to talk to those ugly old women who have been sent to accompany me.”

“They are your Ladies-in-Waiting,” cautioned Titania, “and they will take umbrage if you refuse to speak to them.”

“Let them. Once I am married to Frederick, they will have to do as I tell them. After all as Crown Prince he is very, very important in Velidos.”

“What about the King?” asked Titania.

She thought as she put the question there had been very little said about him. She knew, of course, that his name was Alexius and he was the elder brother of Prince Frederick who was marrying Sophie.

But neither her uncle nor her aunt had had anything to say about him, which seemed a little strange.

Then she told herself that the person who would be able to answer her questions was the Equerry. He, at least, seemed friendly.

Unless somebody prevented her from having lessons with him, she would be able to ask him everything she wanted to know.

The Captain's cabin had been put at Sophie's disposal and it was where they dined that evening.

The English Channel through which the ship was now moving was, Titania thought, as smooth as the proverbial duck pond. However, the Duchess said she preferred to eat in her own cabin and Sophie was already in bed.

The dinner party therefore consisted of the Captain, the Minister of State, who Titania found was a rather charming man, the Equerry and the two Ladies-in-Waiting.

They both spoke very little English, but were quite fluent in French, which made it easy for Titania to converse with them.

The Captain and the other two male passengers had a great deal to say to each other and they were talking about the role British Battleships played in the Mediterranean and whether it was still important, as it had been some years earlier, for them to patrol the Aegean Sea.

Titania knew that when the Russians were infiltrating the Balkans and threatening Constantinople, Queen Victoria had sent five Battleships into the Straits and the Grand Duke Nicholas had been forced to move his forces back, losing a great number of Russians on the way.

In addition the reverse had cost the Russians a great deal of money which they could ill afford at the time and was the main reason why they dared not provoke Great Britain into war.

Because Titania was a woman, the three men did not draw her into their conversation, but she listened carefully to what they were saying and found it all extremely interesting.

Her father and mother had always talked intelligently to her as they were both wrapped up in the political situation of the different European countries and other places in the world they themselves had visited.

Titania had found the conversation at Starbrooke Hall very dull and uninteresting.

The Duke, who spoke very little, would occasionally complain about the farmers and workers on his estate as well as deprecating the lack of game birds as being the fault of the gamekeepers, but at least he did approve of the number of his horses in foal.

The Duchess, unless the servants were in the room, was continually moaning about the staff. She found the younger members frivolous and careless and those who had been at the Hall for many years she said were growing lazy.

Titania was not expected to join in with this sort of conversation nor did she want to. She merely thought miserably of the interesting discussions there had been at home between her parents, who had invariably let her join in and express her opinions.

There was always some new book just published, which her father found enthralling and he received many letters from his friends in Egypt, India and Japan.

Invariably he had an anecdote or story about the country concerned which made Titania and her mother laugh.

‘I wish Papa was with me now,' mused Titania. ‘It would be so helpful if he had been to Velidos and could have told me all about the country.'

When dinner was finished she went up on deck. It was twilight and the stars were just coming out and a new moon was creeping up the sky.

She was leaning over the rail when the Equerry joined her.

“What are you thinking about, Miss Brooke?” he asked.

She had learnt over dinner that his name was Darius.

“I was thinking it is fascinating to be at sea again, but I wish I was going to a country I knew something about.”

“What do you want to know about Velidos?” Darius enquired.

“Everything you can tell me,” replied Titania eagerly. “Its history, its people and of course its King. I know very little about him.”

“I find him a most interesting man,” said Darius slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully. “But at the same time he is very little known to the people of Velidos.”

Titania looked at him in surprise.

“What do you mean? Surely as King he must have a large role to play in the development of his country.”

“I am afraid not,” answered Darius. “King Alexius is a very intelligent man, but extremely reserved and that is why his people know very little about him. Even those like myself, who serve him, find it is difficult to break down the barriers with which he surrounds himself.”

Titania became interested.

“That seems strange. I never thought of a King being like that. In fact in most countries they are very busy and continually in the public eye.”

“I wish I could say the same about Velidos. King Alexius is almost a recluse.”

“What does he do? What is he interested in?”

“He is writing a book at the moment on the history of Velidos, which is actually, as you have just said, very little known to the outside world.”

“That is helpful at any rate,” Titania said. “But surely if he is writing a book about his country, he must be interested in it.”

“I think as far as his book is concerned he is only at the beginning, when hundreds of years ago Velidos was part of Greece.”

“I had no idea.”

“It's true and of course the people in those days obviously accepted the Greek philosophy and their belief in their Gods and Goddesses.”

“I want to believe in them now,” Titania told him.

“That of course is what your King must give his people.”

Darius laughed.

“I doubt if His Majesty would accept such a suggestion, even if you had the chance of making it.”

“Are you saying it is difficult to see the King?”

“He finds the luncheon and dinner parties which take place at the Palace extremely boring. He prefers to dine with one other Equerry and myself and while we are very privileged and it is most interesting for us, I often wish those who criticise him could understand what he is feeling and thinking about his country.”

Titania was intrigued. This was something she had never expected to hear and was certainly different from any Royalty she had visited when she had been travelling with her father and mother.

“Tell me more about the King,” she begged.

“I do not want you to become interested in him,” replied Darius, “and then be disappointed. I find him an exceptional person and it's only because he isolates himself from the ordinary people that I feel he is making a mistake in the way he is reigning Velidos.”

“Have you told the King about your feelings?” enquired Titania.

“I doubt if he would listen to me. He has chosen his way of life and left the Crown Prince to take over many of the duties which should be his.”

Because Titania was very perceptive, she realised from the inflection in Darius's voice that he did not like Prince Frederick.

“I suppose,” she said a little tentatively, “what you are saying is that, since there is no Queen, my cousin will have a great deal to do.”

“Perhaps she will enjoy it. I only wish the King would take on some of his duties and get to know the people who are alive in Velidos now rather than those who lived there hundreds of years ago.”

“I suppose he finds research very absorbing,” commented Titania. “My father undertook a great deal of research before he visited the countries which interested him. As soon as I was old enough I used to help him.”

“And then you travelled with him?”

“I have been to a great many places in the world, which is why I do not think I will find it very difficult to learn your language.”

“We will start your lessons tomorrow,” Darius promised, “and of course I will be a very strict teacher. You will have to work very hard if you are to speak fluently by the time we arrive.”

Titania knew he was teasing her. He clearly thought it would be quite impossible for her to learn a language in so short a time and it made her even more determined than she was already that she would speak Velidosian fluently.

She was looking out to sea, aware that the moonlight was now turning the water to silver and the night held an enchantment that was difficult to put into words.

She was not thinking of him, but she suddenly became aware that Darius was looking at her.

“You are very lovely, Miss Brooke,” he murmured, “and as we in Velidos love beauty, I promise you that you will be a great success in our country.”

Titania smiled at him.

“It is very kind of you to say anything so encouraging, but I doubt if I shall be allowed to meet many of your people or, as I would like to do, explore the country.”

“Why should you not do so?” he asked.

Titania thought quickly that it would be a mistake for him to realise what an unpleasant position she occupied in the family to which she belonged.

“I think,” she said at length, “that I must retire to bed. My aunt will be displeased if she hears I am on deck talking to you and of course unchaperoned.”

“Now you are making difficulties,” protested Darius. “I assure you most people take such matters of etiquette more easily at sea and forget all the social restrictions that are so important on land.”

“I only hope you that are right and I don't wish to be forbidden to take my lessons with you. I must therefore go and ask both my aunt and my cousin if there is anything I can do for them before I retire to bed.”

She put out her hand as she spoke and added,

“Good night and thank you for saying you will teach me what I want to know.”