The Gates of Paradise Read online

  And at the far side of it there was a small building that appeared to be a Chapel.

  Michael had drawn in his horse so that she could come up beside him.

  As she did so, Narina remarked,

  “It is an ancient Chapel built in the very middle of the wood. How fascinating!”

  “I thought you would think so, Narina, and that is why I have brought you here.”

  “Do you mean we can go inside?”

  “It is a Chapel belonging to an old Priest, who has retired here because he loved the woods as we love them. He feeds the rabbits and the squirrels. The wild stags come here too in the evening because he has tamed them with his love of nature.”

  Narina was listening to him entranced.

  Then to her surprise Michael dismounted.

  “Are we going inside?” she asked him.

  “I am going to introduce you to the Priest. He was very kind recently to me on my way to the City.”

  “Oh, I would love to meet him.”

  Michael lifted Narina to the ground.

  Then he fastened both horses’ bridles to a wooden fence that was obviously for people who visited the Priest on horseback.

  Narina stood looking round her, then up at the stars peeping down overhead.

  “I have brought you here, my very precious angel,” Michael declared, “so that we can be married.”

  For a moment Narina felt she could not have heard him right.

  “To be married?” she asked incoherently.

  “You have saved my life twice, my darling Narina. Therefore, as the old legend goes, I am your responsibility for life. So you now have to look after me and protect me, and that is what I desire more than I have ever wished for anything before in my whole life.”

  Narina gazed at him and she could not speak.

  She only thought that what she was hearing could not be true.

  It must all be part of a dream.

  Then Michael added more softly,

  “I love you, Narina, and I believe you love me. We will talk about it later, but let us now be married so that I can be absolutely sure of never losing you.”

  He took Narina’s hands as he was speaking.

  He drew her up the entrance steps and through the door of the Chapel that was ajar.

  There were six candles alight on the altar.

  The old Priest, wearing his vestments, was kneeling in prayer on the steps.

  As Narina and Michael entered, there was a flutter of wings from many birds, perching above the altar and on the windowsills at the side of the Chapel.

  As they walked towards the Priest, Narina saw that there were rabbits and squirrels peeping out from behind the altar itself.

  They were completely unafraid, only curious as to why they were there.

  The old Priest must have heard their footsteps and he rose from his knees and, as he turned round, he smiled when he saw Michael.

  “You promised me you would return, my son, and I have been praying that all has gone well with you.”

  “All your prayers have saved me, Father, and I was sent by the mercy of God someone else who has saved my life – not once but twice.”

  The Priest turned to Narina,

  “I welcome you, my child, to this Chapel and I feel sure that you will feel the hand of God is here to help you at any time you should need it – ”

  “What I need at this moment,” Michael said before Narina could say another word, “is that you should please marry us now.”

  The old Priest was obviously delighted.

  “Nothing will give me greater pleasure and I know without you telling me that you will receive and give each other the true love that comes only from God.”

  Michael took Narina’s hand in his.

  The Priest turned first to the altar where he prayed and crossed himself, then turned back to them.

  Without further ado, he then started the Marriage Service.

  He said it simply but with a sincerity that seemed in itself to be more Holy than anything Narina had ever heard in her life before.

  When they arrived at the point when Narina was to receive the ring, she wondered what Michael would do.

  Much to her surprise he took a ring from the pocket of his riding jacket.

  After the Priest had blessed the ring he put it on her finger gently and carefully and she saw that it was a plain gold ring with just one large ruby embedded in the gold.

  She guessed it must be Michael’s signet ring and it fitted her finger perfectly.

  The Priest named them man and wife and they knelt for his final Blessing.

  Narina was totally convinced that all the angels and archangels of Heaven were singing overhead.

  Her beloved mother was looking down on her and was feeling happy that she had found someone to love and who really loved her.

  Finally the Priest sprinkled both of them with Holy Water and then he knelt again in front of the altar.

  Narina was praying that she would make Michael happy and that he would never regret having married her in such a strange way.

  He put out his hand to draw her to her feet and then took her to the door of the Chapel and opened it.

  Before they went down the steps he closed the door behind them.

  Only as they reached the horses did Narina suggest,

  “Should we say goodbye and thank him?

  Michael shook his head.

  “I knew that he would be here when I needed him, because he told me he always prays at night. As you saw the birds, the rabbits and the squirrels pray with him.”

  “It was sublimely wonderful, yet somehow it seems unreal. Am I really your wife, Michael?”

  “I intend to convince you I am your husband and it was not just a dream, but at the moment I feel we are flying up into the sky and I only want to think of you and nothing else.”

  He did not kiss her as she thought he would do, but lifted her onto her horse.

  And then he mounted his own and they rode slowly back out of the wood.

  Outside, with the moon was shining down on them, Narina asked herself once more if it was really true.

  Could it be possible that she was now married to Michael without his first asking her if she would be his wife?

  Yet the ring was now firmly on her finger and the old Priest had said all the words of the Marriage Service to them.

  She gazed at the ring and then at Michael riding beside her.

  She was quite certain that she must be dreaming.

  When she woke up, it would only be what she had wished for and not really what had happened.

  As if he knew what she was thinking, Michael said,

  “I will answer your questions, my darling Narina, later tonight when we are alone. But first we have to meet with Louise and Rudolf who we have been impersonating, and then we will be able to be ourselves without feeling we are acting a part.”

  As he spoke Narina thought of what she had always been told – that if you wanted to act well, you had to think yourself into believing that you really were the person you were impersonating.

  That was why Michael was determined they would no longer be pretending to be anyone else but themselves.

  ‘Only he could think of that,’ she mused and it made him fit even more easily into her private world.

  She had read of it in legends and fairy stories until she had imagined herself part of them.

  In the future she would not have to imagine she was anyone else and would be herself with someone she loved and who loved her.

  They would be a part of each other.

  She knew now that Michael was the companion she had longed for in the woods at home, who she thought she would never find.

  As they rode on in silence, she felt certain that his heart was beating the same way as hers.

  They were riding into a perfect happiness which no one would ever be able to take away from them.

  *

  Ahead of her Narina could now see the walls o
f the Summer Palace shimmering in the bright moonlight.

  It was not very large, but it was beautifully designed and from a distance looked like a Greek Temple.

  As they drew nearer, she saw that the garden was ablaze with banks of beautiful flowers and the Royal flag of Alexanderburg was flying proudly on the roof.

  Riding in through the gate that led up to the Palace, Narina could see there were two grooms waiting to take their horses.

  She realised that the carriage must have arrived in front of them and she was certain that the Lord Chamberlain had informed them that they were not far behind.

  The front door was open and servants were waiting to welcome them.

  She and Michael were then formally escorted into a beautifully decorated room that overlooked the sea.

  There was a cry of delight from Louise.

  She jumped up from the sofa where she was sitting beside Prince Rudolf and ran towards Narina.

  “Dearest Narina!” she cried. “You have come and I am so glad to see you. We were just beginning to wonder what had detained you. We were a little afraid in case you had suffered an accident – ”

  “We stopped for a while at the little Chapel in the woods,” Narina explained when she could speak.

  “Oh, it is so enchanting,” enthused Louise. “But I had no idea that you would go there.”

  “Anyway you are now here,” added Prince Rudolf, “and I want to tell you just how grateful I am, not only to you but to Mr. Ward. The Lord Chamberlain has told me how marvellously he had impersonated me at the Parade.”

  Michael laughed.

  “I only hope, Your Royal Highness, that I have not given you too much to do.”

  “The Lord Chamberlain has told us how brilliant you were in giving Prince Hans something to think about. We are both so thrilled with Narina’s idea of the Pleasure Garden and only wish that we had been clever enough to think of it ourselves!”

  “It will certainly keep you busy, Louise.”

  “I only wish you were going to be here to help me, Narina, but alas, dearest, you must leave this evening. The Lord Chamberlain is terrified in case anyone finds out that we are not really as clever as the whole of Alexanderburg thinks, so when you have drunk a glass of champagne, I am afraid we shall have to say goodbye to you.”

  “At least I will not be going alone,” sighed Narina.

  She glanced at Michael as she spoke and he added,

  “I think it is only correct that we should tell Your Royal Highnesses that the reason we went to the Chapel in the wood was to be married. Narina is now my wife.”

  Louise gave a shriek of excitement.

  “Oh, dearest Narina, this is wonderful!” she cried.

  “How thrilled your father will be!”

  “I don’t think he will know much about Michael, but, of course, I will tell him all about his amazing exploits in The Great Game in India.”

  Michael smiled.

  “You will do nothing of the sort, Narina, that is all a secret, as you well know. But strange though it seems, one cannot help people talking.”

  They laughed and then Prince Rudolf chipped in,

  “Maybe I should have informed you, Mr. Ward, as soon as you arrived – ”

  Narina and Michael looked at him, wondering what he was about to tell them.

  “When we were both in Constantinople, I managed to buy a few English newspapers for Louise as she always enjoys them. The Morning Post is nearly a week old, but it reports the death of the Earl of Hereward, who I think must be a near relation of yours.”

  “He is my father!” exclaimed Michael.

  “Your father! But it reports, and here it is, that the heir to the Earldom is Viscount Hereward, an aide-de-camp to the Viceroy of India.”

  Michael smiled.

  “I did indeed go out to India as aide-de-camp to the Viceroy, but when I became immersed in The Great Game, I temporarily gave up my title for obvious reasons.”

  “I am very sorry that your father is dead,” Narina murmured, “it must come as a terrible shock to you.”

  Michael shook his head.

  “My father has been ill for a long time and I knew I would have to go home fairly soon. My brother will have seen to the funeral and arranged it all in my absence.”

  There was silence for a moment.

  Then Prince Rudolf proposed,

  “Well, as you have just been married, we cannot let you be sad or depressed at this particular moment. Let us all drink your health and hope that you and Narina will be as blissfully happy as Louise and I are.”

  “I will drink to that,” agreed the Lord Chamberlain.

  “And so will I,” added Louise.

  They toasted them in champagne and then Michael saw Prince Rudolf looking at the clock.

  “I think that you want us to go?” he queried.

  “I am sorry to seem to be inhospitable, but the Lord Chamberlain has impressed on us both how essential it is that no one should suspect for a single moment that it was not I who spoke so brilliantly at the Army Parade, or that it was not Louise’s idea for the children’s competition, which I know will keep every woman in Alexanderburg busy for the next two months.”

  “The Battleship will take you to England and there is no hurry. If you would like to stop anywhere on the way home, just tell the Captain.”

  “I will do that and thank you so very much, Your Royal Highness,” said Michael gratefully.

  Louise put her arms round Narina and whispered so that only she could hear,

  “I am thrilled that you are now a Countess, dearest Narina. It will make it easier when you come back to stay with us here for a long visit and no one will suspect for a moment that you ever pretended to be me.”

  “I will deliberately try to look very different when I do come back!”

  “And I hope by that time I will look very different too!” muttered Louise.

  Narina squeezed her friend’s hand.

  “I am sure you will have had a baby by then and, of course, Michael and I would really love to be invited to his Christening.”

  “You must – and we will wait until you can come.”

  Narina was kissed goodbye on the cheek by Prince Rudolf and the Lord Chamberlain did the same.

  “I will miss you both,” he said, “but you have left me so busy that I will have no time to think about myself!”

  “You must write to me and tell us everything that is happening,” insisted Narina.

  “Of course, I will,” promised Louise.

  Then they bid farewell to Paks and Maria who were waiting outside the room.

  “I’ve put all your luggage aboard,” said Paks, “and I’ve packed his Lordship with enough clothes of His Royal Highness’s to keep him warm till he gets home.”

  “I am afraid I am robbing you,” Michael turned to Prince Rudolf.

  “I am only thankful I can give you something you really need and we will now think of something suitable as a wedding present which I promise will arrive later.”

  Narina thanked Prince Rudolf and Louise and then she and Michael gave tips to Paks and Maria of enough to open their eyes in surprise and they were almost incoherent in their thanks.

  Then they ran as fast as they could down the Palace steps to the quayside to where a small boat was waiting for them.

  As soon as they were aboard, the seamen started to row the boat rapidly to where the Battleship was anchored in the moonlight.

  Both Narina and Michael waved until they were too far to be seen any longer.

  Then, as Narina slipped her hand into Michael’s, she sighed,

  “We are now saying goodbye not only to them but to Alexanderburg itself. But we will come back.”

  “Yes, we will, my darling, but I warn you there is a great deal to be done in England and you will have to help me take my father’s place, and there will be a large number of relatives who will be keen to meet you and who will be delighted I have married your father’s daughter.”
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  Narina laughed.

  “At least it sounds respectable.”

  “I thought of that myself, but in fact I have married you for a great number of other reasons. And now I shall have a chance to tell you about them.”

  As he spoke, they arrived at the Battleship and the Captain was waiting to greet them.

  “It is very nice to see you again, Miss Kenwin,” he said to Narina, “and I am delighted, sir, to welcome you aboard as well.”

  “I think that you must be told, Captain, that Miss Kenwin and I were married this evening and I have just learnt of my father’s death which means I am now the Earl of Hereward.”

  Marina could see that the Captain felt bewildered as to whether he should offer congratulations or condolences! Somehow he managed to convey both with some dignity.

  As they went into the Saloon, he suggested,

  “I think perhaps it would be more appropriate, as it is so late, to celebrate your marriage tomorrow, my Lord.”

  “Certainly,” he agreed. “I understand it is usual for the whole crew to drink our health and that can easily be done tomorrow evening.”

  “Thank you, my Lord. It will be a delightful way to start our voyage back to England. I know everyone will drink yours and your wife’s health with great enthusiasm.”

  As they were talking, the engines were beginning to turn and the Battleship began to move out to sea.

  “I am just going to sail a little way down the coast,” the Captain explained, “but I don’t intend to pass through the Bosporus until early tomorrow morning. There is a bay nearby where I will anchor for the night.”

  “My wife and I would very much appreciate that,” replied Michael.

  When they went below, they found that two cabins had been made ready for them.

  Their Royal Highnesses had used the Captain’s cabin on their way to and from Constantinople.

  This cabin boasted a large four-poster bed that was usually used by the Captain. It opened out into the sitting room Narina had used on her way to Alexanderburg.

  “I am sorry we are turning you out of your cabin,” Michael said politely to the Captain.

  “I did so for Princess Louise and because she was so comfortable, she asked me to give it to her friend and I find it impossible to refuse her!”

  Michael chuckled.