The Gates of Paradise (12 page)

She only wished that she had asked her father more about the convoluted political situation in the Balkans.

And now this good-looking Prince was deliberately poking fun at the Czar, who was beginning to terrorise all of Eastern Europe.

Then unexpectedly the Prince changed his tune and looked Narina full in the face.

“You must now tell me all about yourself, beautiful Princess,” he began.  “In fact, as I am so overwhelmed by your beauty, I have had difficulty in thinking of anything else, least of all the troubles of Russia.”

“But you know that we are interested, Your Royal Highness,” the Lord Chamberlain chipped in.

“You will learn what is going to occur without my telling you about it,” the Prince replied blithely, “and now, because your flowers are famed throughout all the Balkan States, I would like Her Royal Highness to take me into the garden so that I can admire them.”

It was quite obvious he did not want anyone else to accompany them.

She gave the Lord Chamberlain a despairing look.  There was, however, nothing that Narina could do but accompany the Prince as an equerry opened a door into the garden.

They did not go into the private garden, but into a larger garden that was just as lovely, and because she had wanted to keep out of sight, Narina had only peeped at it through the upstairs windows.

Now, as she moved over the grass with Prince Hans beside her, she thought nothing could be more beautiful.

The flowers were of every conceivable colour and there was again a profusion of the white lilies she loved.

“This is just the right setting for you,” Prince Hans was saying.

They had talked in almost every language during luncheon – varying from the language of Alexanderburg, which much to her surprise the Prince spoke quite easily, to French and German.

Now he was talking to her in English with a fluency that told her that he was more intelligent than she wanted to believe.

“Are you enjoying yourself in this very small part of the big world?” he asked.  “Personally I think you are wasting your beauty on such a trifling audience when you might have one which is worldwide!”

Narina laughed.

“I am quite content and naturally am so very happy with my husband, Rudolf.”

“The Lord Chamberlain has told me that I cannot see him, but as I came here specially to do so, I just cannot believe that you will not smuggle me into his bedroom – ”

Narina shook her head vigorously.

“No, Your Royal Highness, that would be wrong.  His doctors have said he is to have complete rest after his fall and remain in darkness.  It is frightening to think that his sight might be ruined forever.”

She felt as she spoke that she was admirably acting the part of an anxious wife.

“I have no wish to upset you, and if I really cannot see Rudolf now, I can always come again another day.”

“Of course you can, and, I assure you, you will be very welcome,” exclaimed Narina.

“
To you
?” Prince Hans enquired.

They had now reached a small lake and there was a wooden seat under the trees.

Without making a comment, as if they both had the same thought at the same time, they sat down.

Prince Hans lent his arm on the back of the seat and moved nearer to Narina.

“Now do tell me about yourself, beautiful one.  I am overcome, in fact bewildered, to find anything so exquisite in Alexanderburg, which I always thought a dull country.”

“Oh, you must not say that, the people are charming and as they love Rudolf, they are delighted he is so happy.”

“I heard you were making him happy.  I also heard that you were extremely clever in winning over the women by paying attention to their tiresome children.”

“Now how could you have heard that already?”

“I hear everything,” Prince Hans crowed loftily.  “I am a mine of information on all subjects and I am aware of many events that are going to occur a long time before the newspapers print it in headlines.”

He spoke so positively that Narina laughed.

“Now you are asking me to believe that you are not human?”

“Of course I am human.  Human enough to find you entrancing and to
long
to touch your lips with mine!”

Narina turned her head away.

“You know as well as I do, Your Royal Highness, you should not talk to me like that.”

Prince Hans chortled.

“Whoever can stop me admiring the most beautiful woman I have ever set eyes on and what beautiful woman does not want to hear the truth about herself?”

“Maybe I am the exception, but you make me feel shy and embarrassed.”

“I adore you when you are shy and I am finding my visit to Alexanderburg so different from my expectations.”

“What did you expect, Your Royal Highness?”

“To enjoy talking to Rudolf and to be bored by his English wife who I was expecting to be rather dumpy and not unlike Queen Victoria!”

Narina laughed because she could not help it.

“How can you be so ridiculous?  Rudolf would not marry anyone like that.”

“And he was astute enough and fortunate enough to find you.  How could you have met each other, if it had not been through the heavy hand of Britain pushing you, as so many others have been pushed, onto a Balkan throne?”

“It is where I am very happy to be,” replied Narina stubbornly and in what she hoped was a dignified tone.

“You must look so adorable on it and undoubtedly every man in this little country, unless he is blind, will fall in love with you.  How do you expect to keep them at bay?”

“Rudolf will do that for me.”

“But just for the moment you and I are alone – ”

Prince Hans did not move, but she had the distinct impression that he was about to kiss her.

She rose to her feet.

“Come and see the lake,” she suggested.  “It is very lovely.”

For a moment he did not move, but merely laughed.

“You are running away,” he smirked sardonically, “but I promise you, my adorable beautiful Goddess from Olympus, that I am a past master at getting what I want in love – and I never take ‘no' for an answer.”

Narina could not respond to this assertion, so she pretended not to hear him.

She walked a little way ahead towards the lake and Prince Hans followed her.

Then, as they stood looking down at the sunlit water, he proposed,

“I would love to take you out swimming, not here where we can be seen, but in the sea where you would look like a mermaid rising from the foam.  I could hold you in my arms without the barrier of that gown between us.”

“Now you are just speculating about something that could
never
happen and I think, Your Royal Highness, that we should walk back to the Palace, because I am sure that the Lord Chamberlain has much more to show you.”

“If it is a question of more horses, then naturally I will have to show an interest in them.  But it is still early in the day and if we are to dine together, as I hope we shall do, I shall have a lot to say to you when dinner is finished.”

He smiled before he added,

“And that is a promise, not a threat!”

“If you frighten me,” answered Narina, “I will run away and hide in Rudolf's room, even though I don't wish to disturb him.”

“Ever since I was a boy I have enjoyed chasing that which I desire, and I claim without boasting that invariably I win, conquer or steal whatever I want!”

They had reached the Palace by now and therefore Narina did not have to reply.

The Lord Chamberlain was waiting for them and he said as they entered the hall,

“We are standing ready for Your Royal Highness's inspection. And you are riding, as I thought Your Royal Highness would wish, on one of your own horses.”

“You are most kind,” Prince Hans answered.

Then as Narina stood back for him to pass, he took her hand in his and actually touched it with his lips.

“
Au revoir
, my most beautiful Goddess.”

As he went off with the Lord Chamberlain, Narina ran up the stairs.

She was hoping that Michael Ward would be awake and that she could talk to him.

When she entered her own part of the Palace, Paks was waiting for her.

“His Royal Highness be still asleep,” he said before she could ask, “and I'm a-thinking he'll sleep for another twenty-four hours at least.”

Narina felt her spirits drop as she was hoping that Michael would be able to tell her how best to behave with the impetuous Prince.

Prince Hans was indeed different from anyone else she had ever met, and she was beginning to realise why he was welcome in every country he visited, although he could be a definite danger because he was so indiscreet.

She thought it would be interesting to hear more about the new Czar, who was already spoken about with so much awe and horror, as she had not talked to anyone yet who had actually met him.

At the same time she had a feeling that dinner was going to be a very difficult meal unless the Prince attached himself to the young attractive wife the Lord Chamberlain had spoken about.

She next spent the rest of the afternoon alone in her sitting room attempting to read her book but finding herself continually thinking about Prince Hans.

She never imagined that anyone, even in a novel, could be in any way like him – he was certainly not a man one expected to meet in real life.

*

When it was time to dress for dinner, she chose a pretty but elaborate gown belonging to Louise.

She had not expected to wear it unless there was a large party or she had to attend an official engagement.

Because it was important occasion, she chose a lot of Louise's jewellery to wear with the gown – not because she wanted to glitter, but she wanted Prince Hans to realise that she was the devoted wife of the reigning Prince.

And therefore he should not be so familiar with her.

She added a small diamond tiara and a necklace of the same stones around her neck.

She felt she looked not only Regal but rather older and someone who should be treated with respect.

As she walked downstairs to dinner, she suddenly recalled that she was due to meet the Prime Minister for the first time and he might, if he was perceptive, realise that she was not Princess Louise.

When she entered the reception room where they were waiting for her, she noticed that the Prime Minister was wearing dark spectacles.

That, of course, was another reason why the clever Lord Chamberlain had invited him to dinner rather than a younger man.  As both he and his wife had poor eyesight they were far less likely to spot the imposter at the table.

As if hearing her thoughts, the Prime Minister's wife curtsied low as Narina welcomed her.

The other couple were not at all interesting and she thought the wife of the Statesman was indeed pretty, but in a somewhat unoriginal way.

It was quite obvious to Narina that Prince Hans had eyes only for her and he had no intention of wasting his conversation or his wit on anyone else.

It was hopeless to make him do anything he did not wish to do, and he talked to her all through dinner making her laugh and occasionally blush at his compliments.

The rest of the guests were merely an audience for his performance – just occasionally he looked at them as if he expected them to applaud!

Then he would turn to Narina to dazzle her with his descriptions of the parties he had attended in all parts of Europe.

He made scandalous allegations about practically everyone of any importance and there was no doubt that all the things he said were unkind and most of them untrue.

But the way he spoke and the quick turn of his wit was, she thought, so amusing that it was impossible to rebuke him, even though he pilloried Queen Victoria and was sarcastic about the British Government.

In fact dinner passed remarkably quickly.

Narina could hardly believe the time when the Prime Minister said he was too old to stay up late and bade everyone goodnight.  The other couple, who had hardly opened their mouths all night, quickly followed his example.

As the equerry showed them to the door, the Lord Chamberlain turned to Prince Hans,

“I expect, Your Royal Highness, after quite a long day, you are prepared to retire to bed.”

“Yes, indeed, and as I am in the same room that I occupied the last time I came here, there is no need for you to escort me up the stairs. If I am not mistaken, Her Royal Highness is on the same floor.”

There was nothing the Lord Chamberlain could do but to bid him goodnight.

Narina and Prince Hans walked up the stairs side by side.

“Now at last,” he whispered, “I can talk to you as I wish and to tell you how, as soon as we met, my heart turned a somersault.  I have the distinct feeling I have fallen in love.”

“That would be a very silly thing to do!”

“How could I possibly help it?  Love is irresistible, and who can resist it when it comes into our lives?”

“You are right about that, it is just what I feel about Rudolf.  It is so sad that he is not well enough for you to meet him.”

“I am content to see you, but, my lovely one, you must now console me for not having the pleasure of seeing my old friend, Rudolf, and make me happy as only you can do at this very moment.”

“I can only hope that you will sleep well,” Narina answered, “and be ready in the morning to visit the many points of interest the Lord Chamberlain has organised for you.”

“I am not concerned about the morning, but about
tonight
.”

They had by now reached the top of the stairs and were walking along the corridor to the Royal Apartments.

It was with a sense of relief, as she was afraid of what he might say or do next, that Narina saw Paks.

He was standing like a sentinel outside the door of Prince Rudolf's bedroom.

Prince Hans's room, as she had already ascertained, was several doors away.