Wanted a Royal Wife Read online

Prince Kraus smiled.

  “I will make it possible. So I will expect you both at one o’clock.”

  Latasha smiled back at him, dropped him a graceful curtsy and then left the room.

  She was aware without looking back that his eyes were following her until she had passed through the door.

  As the aide-de-camp stared at her as if waiting for an explanation, she hurried away to find Princess Amalie.

  The girl was only too willing to take Latasha round the Palace.

  They inspected all the pictures, the china and the wonderful collection of antique snuffboxes.

  Amalie learnt the English word for everything they admired.

  Eventually they came to the library which was large and impressive.

  Latasha gave a cry of delight.

  “Look at all these marvellous books! I only wish I had time to read them all.”

  “You will find some of them very dull,” Princess Amalie remarked.

  “But most of them very intriguing,” added Latasha.

  She took a book on Greece from one of the shelves and showed Amalie illustrations of the Greek Goddesses and their temples.

  “That one is just like you,” Amalie said, pointing to a picture of Aphrodite.

  “The Goddess of Love! I only wish it was true.”

  “You are so pretty. There must be heaps of men in love with you.”

  “What I am really looking for, Amalie, and what you too must look for, is the one man who will love you with all his heart and soul. You will love him too in the same way. That is what makes a happy marriage.”

  “But I am Royal and I will have to marry someone who will be a help to my country.”

  “I do know that, Amalie, but at the same time some arranged marriages can be very happy.”

  “When Kraus told Stefan that he had to marry an English bride, he was very angry. He said he did not want to marry anyone.”

  “I would undoubtedly expect that one day he will change his mind,” mused Latasha.

  Amalie thought for a moment and then she said,

  “I do think Stefan would like to know lots of pretty ladies before he then ‘settles down’, as Kraus calls it, with a wife and family.”

  Latasha knew this to be very true, but she thought it a mistake to say much to Amalie.

  The girl was obviously intelligent enough to realise what was happening in Oldessa, but, before she could say anything more, Amalie went on,

  “Do you really think that, if Stefan will not marry an English Princess, the Russians will come in and turn us out of the Palace?”

  There was unmistakeable fear in Amalie’s eyes.

  Latasha answered her quickly,

  “I am sure nothing like that will ever happen.”

  “But if Stefan says ‘no’ to the Queen of England, then she will not protect us against the Russians – ”

  Latasha thought it was unfortunate that she should be troubled by this particular question, but it was no use telling Amalie it was all untrue if she had already heard her two brothers discussing the problem.

  Maybe they had both been unaware that she was listening to them.

  “Let’s go and look at the Picture Gallery,” Latasha suggested hastily, “but then I must return to the library to find some more books to read.”

  Amalie gave a little cry.

  “There is a book here, which you will like because it is in English and it is all about your friend.”

  Amalie climbed up to take a book from one of the higher shelves.

  “Kraus brought this little book back from England and told me it was about the people he had stayed with. It was the first time I had seen a family tree that is as old as ours.”

  Amalie brought the book she was talking about to Latasha.

  She saw at a quick glance that it was the history of the Norlington’s. Harry must have given it to Prince Kraus as soon as it was republished.

  That had been immediately after their father died and he became the Duke.

  She took the book from Amalie, saying,

  “How kind of you to show it to me and I will enjoy reading it. Now we must find a book for you and of course it must be in English.”

  “I would like a fairy story,” admitted Amalie. “My last Governess said I was too old for them, but I do like fairy stories so much.”

  “So do I, Amalie, and I am sure there must be one here somewhere.”

  They looked along the shelves and found a very old edition of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

  Latasha carried it up the stairs to the sitting room she was sharing with Amalie.

  They were just sitting down together to read from the book when Prince Stefan came in.

  “I would like to talk to you now, Lady Gloria. Run along, Amalie, and play in the garden until I call for you.”

  His sister got up reluctantly, putting the book down.

  “I am in the middle of one of my English lessons, Stefan, and you should not interrupt us.”

  “I will not keep Lady Gloria for very long and your English is already improving.”

  Amalie smiled at him.

  “I am going to make it as good as yours and then you will not be able to laugh at me!”

  She ran out of the room.

  Latasha looked enquiringly at Prince Stefan.

  “What is it? What has happened,” she asked him apprehensively.

  “I have just read a disturbing report from one of our Generals, who did not wish to worry my brother.”

  “What sort of report?” enquired Latasha.

  “He thinks the Russians are now paying particular attention to Oldessa, as we are so prosperous compared to the other Principalities in this area of the Balkans. They will therefore make every effort to take over our country.”

  Latasha chose her words carefully as she replied,

  “The Duke of Norlington told me before I came out here that you were worried. He asked me when I returned to report to him about the situation as I saw it.”

  “Well you can tell him we are all frightened, but I daresay Norlington told you that if I married a relation of Queen Victoria, we would be safe.”

  “I think that scenario would equally apply to quite a number of Principalities,” commented Latasha evasively.

  “What I am asking you, is what I can do about this situation. I have no wish to marry some English girl I have never seen, who will doubtless be very unattractive.”

  As he spoke, he remembered that Lady Gloria was English and what he had said was therefore rather rude.

  “What I really mean,” he added quickly, “is that if she is as beautiful as you are, she would have been snapped up already and would not then want some obscure Balkan Prince as a husband.”

  Latasha laughed.

  “You are making it sound very unattractive. I am sure the marriages Her Majesty has arranged in other parts of the Balkans and Germany have on the whole been pretty happy.”

  “That is just what they have to say,” replied Prince Stephan. “If you ask me they make the best of a bad job. But that is not my business. What I am concerned with is myself and at the moment I do not wish to marry anyone.”

  “I can quite understand. But you have to think of your country.”

  “That is Kraus’s business as long as he is alive. I am just asking you how I can get out of being tied up to an English wife when I want to be free.”

  “It is, of course,” said Latasha, “a decision I cannot make. When I return to England, I will tell the Duke what you feel and perhaps he can think of a better way of saving your country.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, Lady Gloria, but might I ask when you are leaving?”

  “I think after what you have just told me, it will be perhaps at the end of this week or early next week. I only came on a short visit anyway.”

  Prince Stephan smiled at her.

  “It is most decent of you to take any trouble over me, but to tell the truth I want to enjoy myself while I am still young and liv
ely. A jealous wife would undoubtedly be an encumbrance.”

  Latasha laughed again.

  “That much is true at any rate!”

  He glanced towards the door.

  “Please, please, help me,” he urged her in a low voice. “They are all pushing me, the Lord Chamberlain, all my relatives including Kraus, to send a petition to Queen Victoria.”

  Latasha thought for a moment.

  “Don’t do anything for just a few days. Let’s both have time to think. If they keep worrying you, tell them to talk to me.”

  She paused for a moment before she added,

  “I at least know what is happening in England and I can tell you one thing and that is that Queen Victoria is finding it very difficult to find enough brides for the heavy demands from the Balkans and elsewhere.”

  Prince Stefan looked surprised, but did not speak.

  “What would be a grave mistake,” Latasha went on, “would be for the Russians to know your petition had been refused by Queen Victoria, then there would be nothing to prevent them from walking into this country and taking it over.”

  Prince Stefan stared at her.

  “I understand what you are saying and, of course, you are right. I will do whatever you say and play for time. But, of course, I am worried about Oldessa just as Kraus is. It is our country and why should we allow the Russians to take control of it?”

  “Why indeed? It’s what they have already done to a number of other countries and there is nothing to prevent them from doing it again unless our Queen Victoria stands in their way.”

  Prince Stephan made a helpless gesture.

  “You make it sound as if I am doomed – ”

  “Just do what I say and wait and see. Miracles can happen when we least expect them and all we can do at the moment is to pray for a miracle.”

  He sighed.

  “You are being incredibly decent about this, Lady Gloria, and I am very grateful.”

  “All I am doing at this very moment is trying to make your brother strong and healthy again.”

  “I am afraid it’s impossible. The doctors have told me that there is nothing more they can do.”

  Latasha smiled.

  “Please just wait and see. I always enjoy proving that the doctors are invariably wrong.”

  “I hope you can do so. They are always the same. When things go right they take all the credit, but, when it all goes wrong, they just say it is an act of God and there is nothing they can do about it.”

  “Well, I will try very hard to prove them wrong, but you must give me a little time in which to do so.”

  Prince Stephan walked towards the door.

  “Do come for another ride with me after luncheon, Lady Gloria. The one thing which takes my mind off all this trouble and misery is a very fast stallion.”

  “I agree with you and I am sure Amalie would love to ride with you again.”

  He smiled at her and waved his hand.

  Then he disappeared.

  Latasha walked to the window.

  She could see Amalie sitting in the garden by the fountain.

  She thought how peaceful everything looked.

  And how beautiful all the flowers, the birds and the sunshine were.

  Was it possible that the Russians might walk in at any moment and destroy everything?

  The idea had seemed unreal in England and even here it seemed most unlikely.

  ‘I just don’t believe it and I don’t want to believe it,’ Latasha said to herself.

  At the same time there was a large looming cloud of darkness somewhere out there on the horizon that might easily envelop the sun.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Latasha and Amalie went out shopping in the City.

  She chose Amalie some very pretty dresses which were nearer to grown-up in design than those she had been used to wearing.

  She also bought a dress for herself.

  The Proprietor bowed them respectfully to the door.

  “I hope you are doing well here,” Latasha remarked as they waited for their carriage to be brought round.

  “Not as well as we have been doing,” the Proprietor replied.

  Latasha looked surprised.

  “Why ever not?”

  His voice lowered as he came a little nearer to her,

  “People are worried as to what is going to happen to Oldessa. A number of our distinguished families are thinking of moving out of the country and in the meantime they are not making many purchases.”

  “I am sorry to hear that, but I am sure your fears are unfounded.”

  As she was speaking to him, their carriage came to a standstill opposite them.

  She and Amalie climbed into the carriage.

  As they drove off, Amalie asked Latasha,

  “Did he mean that the people are frightened of the Russians?”

  “Yes, that is what he meant, but I think the whole scare is being exaggerated.”

  “Many of the Palace servants are terrified.”

  Latasha knew that this was true as Nanny had told her that they were in a complete panic below stairs – they kept wondering what would happen to them if the Russians took over.

  “Prince Stephan’s valet is so sure,” Nanny had told her, “that they’d compel His Royal Highness to obey their orders and to run the country under their thumb. But the Head Chef and some of the other men think they’d turn the Royal Family out altogether.”

  Latasha did not answer Nanny.

  She was waiting for a letter from Harry to tell her what was happening in England.

  She had not yet written him a report because it was difficult to know exactly what to say.

  It would be no use just informing him that Prince Stefan did not wish to be married and especially not to an English girl.

  They drove off.

  Some people recognised the carriage and waved to Princess Amalie.

  Latasha suggested that she should wave back and she looked surprised.

  “My Governesses always told me that I was not to notice the ordinary people, but to look straight ahead.”

  “They must all have been very silly women. These are your people and they want to be friendly because they are so fond of you. Of course you must wave to them and be careful not to ignore anyone.”

  “That sounds much more fun!” exclaimed Amalie.

  She almost lent out of the carriage to wave to some children they were passing.

  As they drove on, the flowers were more beautiful than ever and so were the trees in blossom.

  It was such a lovely country from what Latasha had already seen of it and it seemed so cruel that they should be terrorised by the Russians or anyone else.

  They arrived back at the Palace.

  To her delight, when they entered the hall, one of the footmen handed her a letter on a silver tray.

  She saw at once that it was from Harry.

  So she hurried upstairs so that she could read it in the quiet of her bedroom.

  As she opened it, she thought he would reproach her for not having written to him.

  Instead he began his letter,

  “Dearest Latasha,

  Wonderful news and I know you will be delighted.

  Her Majesty the Queen sent for me yesterday and I drove to Windsor Castle rather nervously fearing that she had something to say about you.

  But I was mistaken.

  When I arrived Her Majesty asked me if I would be Master of the Horse now that old Drummond has retired.

  As you can imagine, I jumped at the idea.

  Of course it means I will have to spend more time in London. But it will be worth it to be able to clean up the Royal Stables and buy a great number of better horses than they currently possess.”

  Latasha turned over the page.

  She was thinking that this was undoubtedly the best thing that could possibly happen to Harry.

  If he went to live in London, he would meet many more people than he saw at the moment.

&n
bsp; She had always hoped that sooner or later he would meet someone beautiful with whom he would fall in love and she would make him as happy as her father and mother had been.

  On the next page Harry wrote,

  “I have been hoping to hear from you, but I suppose it is too early for you to make up your mind what you feel about Prince Stefan.

  From all I have heard, he is a bit of a lad with the girls, but I feel sure you could keep him in order.”

  Latasha considered that was very unlikely.

  The letter continued,

  “I have been looking everywhere for a Governess and when I was at Windsor Castle I asked Lady Littleworth and the Countess of Selford if they knew of anyone.

  The latter thought that she knew of a young woman who would definitely fit the post.

  She said she would get in touch with her and let me know if she would be willing to go to Oldessa.

  I have been doing what I can about this issue and I hope you will be pleased with me.

  So much love, my dearest Latasha, and come home soon. I find it very lonely without you.

  Your affectionate brother, Harry”

  Latasha put the letter back in the envelope and hid it in her jewel case.

  She wondered what she could possibly say to her brother about her situation.

  She thought the best answer should be that Prince Stefan had no wish for a British bride and so it was up to him and his brother to keep the Russians from intruding by some other means.

  She had no idea what it could be, but she reckoned that even Queen Victoria would find it hard to press a wife onto Prince Stefan.

  She was tidying her hair when Nanny came into the room.

  “I’ve just heard,” she announced breathlessly, “that His Royal Highness intends to go riding tomorrow!”

  Latasha gave a little cry.

  “It’s too early! He is not strong enough yet.”

  “His valet says as he’s a different man since you’ve been treating him. If you’ve done nothing else for this here country, then they should be down on their knees for what you’ve done for their Prince.”

  “I doubt if they will,” said Latasha with an amused smile. “At the same time I am so delighted that Mama’s remedies have worked so splendidly. I do hope she knows that I have found a Ginkgo Biloba tree here.”

  “I’m sure her knows. Perhaps it was your mother and father who sent you here to help the poor Prince. It made me heart ache, it did, to hear how he’s suffered while the doctors, as we might have guessed, were all helplessly wringing their hands and saying they couldn’t prevent him from dying.”