The King Without a Heart (15 page)

There was nothing Titania could do to prevent all this from happening and it made her increasingly apprehensive.

Later in the afternoon when Sophie had gone out, Titania found it impossible to sit down as she had intended and read the books she had brought from the library.

She moved restlessly around her boudoir.

Suddenly it occurred to her that there should be one or more books in the library about gold deposits and these would certainly be of interest to the King. 

She remembered one particular book that her father had owned on that subject and wondered if she could find it. She was sure the King would never have read this book, which meant she might have some difficulty in finding what she wanted.

‘If I go and look now,' she decided, ‘I will have it ready when we can talk about the subject.'

She left her room and so that no one would notice her she went the rather unusual way to the library that Darius had showed her.

She entered through the door that opened behind the King's writing desk, thinking with satisfaction that she had seen no one on her way to the library.

She climbed up the steps onto the balcony and started to search amongst the older books for anything that looked as if it might contain information about prospecting for gold.

She found one book which she thought might prove interesting, but it was, however, very old, having been published over a century ago and she did not think it would be particularly helpful.

At least it was an encouraging start, but she searched further to no avail.

Then she had an idea that there might be a shelf on the other side of the library almost opposite the King's writing desk and this time she was lucky.

She found a book which she was certain the King would find most interesting as it described where rich deposits had been found in a number of countries and what type of geology was usually the most productive.

She put the book down on the floor of the balcony and looked to see if there were any more of a similar nature.

As she did so she heard voices. 

Quickly, because she did not want to be seen, she crouched down on the floor of the balcony.

She expected it would be a servant or an
aide-de-camp
entering the library as it was certainly too soon for the King to have returned from the City.

Then, as she peeped through the gold leaves of the balustrade, she saw the door she had come through open.

To her surprise Prince Frederick came in followed by the two
aides-de-camp
who always accompanied him.

Titania had met them both and she had thought them rather like their Master, very pleased with themselves and not interested in anyone else.

Prince Frederick looked round to make sure there was no one in the library.

Then he said in a rather lower voice than he usually used,

“You see how easy it will be if you come in through this door. The King will have his back to you and will of course be reading or writing his book.”

There was a scornful note in his voice over the last words which made Titania feel angry.

“Suppose he hears us?” one of the
aides-de-camp
asked the Prince.

He was a man called Henry and Titania particularly disliked him.

“He will hear nothing,” asserted Prince Frederick firmly. “The stiletto will pierce his back and if it is driven in hard enough he will die immediately. Which of you is going to do it?”

He looked at his other
aide-de-camp
, who turned his head away from him.

“I cannot – do it – Your Royal Highness,” he said in a voice which trembled.

“It is not like you to be chicken-hearted and I promise you both superior positions at Court once I am King.”

Neither of the
aides-de-camp
spoke and he continued,

“You know as well as I do that his change of attitude in bringing those craftsmen from an obscure village into the City and carrying an injured child on his horse is making the people aware of him as they have never been before.”

Prince Frederick paused for a moment as if he thought the
aides-de-camp
might say something.

Then as they both remained silent, he went on, 

“I thought, as you are well aware, that if he remained a recluse for long enough, the people would cry out that I should take his place and he would be forced to abdicate. What is now happening is upsetting all my plans.”

“I know, Your Royal Highness, it is extremely difficult,” Henry spoke up at last, “but perhaps, if we remove the girl, he would revert to his normal behaviour, which would make matters better for you.”

“I will deal with her later,” snarled Prince Frederick. “She can have an unfortunate accident. Fall out of a window or drown in the lake.
She is no problem
.”

“But once she is no longer around,” persisted Henry, “it might mean that the King will return to his isolation.”

“It is too late,” snapped Prince Frederick. “I have waited long enough. I intend to be King and nothing will stop me.”

He looked first at one of the
aides-de-camp
and then at the other.

“Very well, as I cannot allow you to mess things up, I will kill him myself. All we have to do is to open the window which is here just behind his chair, which will show how the assassins entered and killed the King while he was working on his book.”

“Your Royal Highness is very clever,” said Henry and the other
aide-de-camp
murmured the same sentiment.

“Now it is all settled,” announced Prince Frederick with satisfaction, “and we will do it tonight as soon as it is dark. With any luck no one will think of disturbing the King until the early hours of the morning when they have been told to escort him up to bed.”

He looked round the library again.

Titania turned her head away in case, by some terrible mischance, he would see her eyes looking at him through the golden leaves.

Then Prince Frederick looked again towards the writing table.

There was an unpleasant smile on his lips as if he could already see his half-brother lying dead and know that he was the King of Velidos.

He turned round sharply and walked from the library with the two
aides-de-camp
following him, closing the door behind them.

Titania could hardly believe what she had heard.

She was trembling with the sheer horror of it.

She was so terrified that she found it impossible to move for a long time after Prince Frederick and his entourage had left.

Could it really be possible that he intended to kill the King himself? And that she also would die in some mysterious way from his hand?

It was a treacherous and wicked plot and she realised that the only person who could prevent it happening was herself.

Now it was vitally important that no one should see her leaving the library as by some mischance they might mention it to Prince Frederick, as if he suspected she had overheard what he was plotting, he would undoubtedly kill her immediately.

There was only one way she could prevent it from happening and that was that she must stay where she was until the King returned.

Every minute she waited for him seemed like an hour.

She began to be afraid that Prince Frederick had changed his plan and had killed the King in some other way before he returned to the Palace. She knew, even as she thought about it, that it was just her imagination.

She had to keep calm and sensible if she was to save the King.

At last, when it was nearly five o'clock, the main door to the library opened and the King entered followed by a servant who was asking him if he required any tea.

“No thank you,” he answered, “but I would like a glass of champagne later in the evening. See that you put a bottle on ice.”

“I will do so at once, Your Majesty.”

The servant bowed and left the room.

The King walked towards his desk and it was then that Titania rose to her feet and started to climb down the steps onto the floor.

The King looked at her in surprise.

“I did not know you were here, Titania. I suppose you have been finding yourself another book to read.”

Titania ran across the floor towards him.

When she reached him, for a moment the words would not come to her lips. 

She could only look at him and he saw that she was trembling.

“What on earth has happened?” he asked. “What is the matter and why are you so upset?”

Titania put out her hand to hold on to him and in a whisper, which did not sound like her own voice, she told him,

“Prince Frederick is going to – murder you and – I too am – going to – die!”

The words came out incoherently and the King stared at her as if he could not believe what he had heard.

Then as he realised how genuinely upset she was, he said calmly,

“Come and sit down and tell me what has happened.”

He drew Titania towards the sofa by the fireplace and she sat down obediently.

At the same time she hung on to his hand with both of hers, as if she was afraid that should she let him go she might lose him.

“Now tell me what has happened,” repeated the King.

Slowly, finding every word difficult to utter and trembling as she did so, Titania told him what she had overheard.

She explained why she had come to the library to look for a book about prospecting for gold, how she had heard voices and thought it was the servants and, because she was in the library without permission, she had crouched down on the floor of the balcony.

Then she began to relate how Prince Frederick had entered the room and tried to remember every word he had said and every reply that had come from his
aides-de-camp
.

The King did not speak or interrupt. 

His fingers merely tightened on Titania's and his eyes were on her face.

Finally, when she had described how the Prince had gone away with a last look round at the library, she cried frantically,

“You must save yourself – you must have him arrested immediately. Oh, please – please believe what – I have told you.”

“I do believe you,” answered the King quietly. “Now I want you to be very brave and sensible and go to your room and stay there.”

“But he may – come and – kill me as he – has said he will.”

“You will be protected, although no one will be aware of it,” replied the King. “I want you to lock your door and tell anyone who is interested that you feel unwell and have gone to bed and do not want to be disturbed.”

“What – will – you do?

“Thanks to you,” said the King emphatically, “I will live to see another day.”

He took her hand which was still holding onto his and raised it to his lips.

“Thank you, Titania. Now you must leave me at once, because I have so much to do.”

“Promise – me you will – be very careful,” begged Titania. 

“I promise you.”

“You must let me know – later tonight as soon as anything has happened. You know I will be unable to – sleep and will be praying frantically that – you will not be – hurt.”

“That is what I want you to do and to believe that good will triumph over evil as it always has.”

He rose to his feet and then he thought for a moment.

“It would be a mistake for anyone to see you leaving the library who might inadvertently tell Prince Frederick you were here when he came in to plot my murder.”

“That is why I – stayed here until – you came back.”

“That was very brave of you,” the King told her, “and are you brave enough to return the way you came which Darius showed you?”

“Yes, Sire, of course.”

“Then lock yourself in and remember that no one except your maid will be allowed to come near you.”

He took her to the door through which Prince Frederick had entered the library and he was aware that she shivered as they passed through it.

He escorted her to the door which led into the garden.

“Go to your room quickly,” he said. “Do not linger anywhere and start praying because we both need it.”

Titania looked up at him.

She thought, as this morning, that when their eyes met there was a strange expression in his.

She turned away and hurried through the garden. She was almost certain there was no one there to see her.

The King turned back into the library. 

He rang the bell which summoned not the servants but his two
aides-de-camp
when he needed them and Darius and Kastri came at once to see what he required.

When they had closed the door he informed them of everything that Titania had told him and gave them their orders.

Horrified, but obeying him exactly as he knew they would, they hurried away.

After the King had dined alone as he always did and the servants had left the dining room, Darius and Kastri joined him.

“You have everything ready?” the King asked them.

“Everything, Sire,” replied Darius.

The King walked into the library and extinguished all the lights except one on his desk. 

He had recently installed electric light in the Palace which the people had thought was sensational.

Darius and Kastri now carried something large and heavy into the library and set it down on the chair in front of the King's writing desk.

*

 It was an hour later that Prince Frederick and his two
aides-de-camp
crept in from the garden, wearing soft-soled shoes which made no sound.

They entered the King's dining room and moving across it very slowly opened the door into the library.

Ahead Prince Frederick could see his half-brother quite clearly seated at his desk crouched over the book he was writing.

There was an expression of grim triumph on his face as he moved stealthily forward.

Raising his arm he brought the long, thin deadly stiletto which he held in his right hand down with all his strength into the King's back.