Crowned by Music Read online

  There was a beautiful necklace to go with the tiara and bracelets for Linetta’s wrists.

  She knew that she would be shining in the lights from the candles on the altar and in the sunshine when she and her husband drove back to The Palace.

  ‘It will make him think of my music,’ she thought to herself.

  She knew that she would be inspired to play new tunes that not even her mother and father would have heard before.

  She was dressed and ready sooner than her father expected.

  But he insisted on them all having a meal before they set out for the City.

  “No one can ever be particularly brave on an empty stomach,” he said. “Therefore, as we all have to be very brave today, I can only pray that it will not be as bad as we anticipate.”

  They ate an excellent but very hurried luncheon and Linetta finally put on her beautiful wedding dress.

  Then they left the Battleship to get into the carriage that was waiting for them on the quay.

  They had not gone far when, to Linetta’s delight she saw the soldiers she had asked to meet them marching down the hill towards the sea.

  There was a great deal of saluting and shaking of hands and congratulations from the Officer in charge.

  Because Linetta did not want them to recognise her, she pulled the veil of her wedding dress over her face.

  Also, as they were in a closed carriage, it would be more difficult for them to have more than a quick glance at her when they welcomed her father and mother.

  The Officer in Charge, then thinking that she was just the daughter of Prince Vladimir and not seeing her in the carriage, made an elegant speech of welcome to which she bowed her head.

  She murmured her appreciation as if she was very shy.

  Then they set off again, but this time much slower than Linetta had travelled on her way to the Port.

  At last after quite a long time in the carriage, they saw ahead of them the tall spires of the Churches and the towers of The Palace.

  It was exactly a quarter to four.

  Linetta felt a wave of excitement rising within her.

  Now she would not only see the Prince again but marry him!

  She had known when he kissed her that he was the man who had been in her dreams, but who she thought she would never meet in real life.

  It was difficult for her to explain, even to herself, what she felt.

  But she knew when his lips met hers that her whole body, as well as her heart, responded passionately to him.

  This was love, but very much more exciting and marvellous than she had ever imagined it to be.

  As they entered the City and their carriage rode on towards the Cathedral, she felt that he had been as moved by the kiss as she had been.

  She had known then that she must marry him.

  Not just because in doing so she would save the people of Samosia from the dreaded Russians, but because she herself wanted to belong to the Prince.

  She found herself, as they drove on, praying that he would be safe.

  The Russians, perhaps in fury because two of their men had been found dead, might do everything they could think of to destroy him before they would be obliged to leave Samosia because it was under British protection for ever.

  ‘I love him! I love him!’ she kept saying to herself in her mind.

  The wheels of the carriage when they touched the hard roads of the City seemed to repeat the words over and over again.

  In the short time she had given them to prepare for the marriage they had, to her delight, found a number of Union Jacks which were now flying from the windows of the houses they were passing.

  To her surprise there was also a large brass band playing God Save the Queen in the Square outside the Cathedral.

  It was exactly one minute to four o’clock when the carriage drew up outside the steps that led up to the West door of the large and ancient Cathedral of Samosia.

  It had stood proudly there for many centuries and was revered by endless pilgrims from all over the Balkans, who would come to pray and present their offerings to the Patron Saint of Samosia, St. Demetrius.

  The soldiers who had escorted them were joined by those waiting for Linetta’s arrival at the Cathedral.

  On what had obviously been their orders they stood in line and made a passage for her from her carriage to the West door.

  The soldiers’ bayonets were raised over her head so that it would be impossible for her to be fired at by an enemy.

  As Linetta reached the West door with her mother and father behind her, the organ inside the Cathedral began to play a rousing march.

  The ten bridesmaids were waiting for her looking like a bunch of roses themselves.

  The two girls who were the daughters of the Count rushed up to her and she kissed them both.

  She told them all how beautiful they were and how grateful she was.

  “It is marvellous, absolutely marvellous,” they kept saying over and over again.

  As she moved up the aisle, the eldest girl put the bridesmaids into order and they followed Linetta as if they were part of her wedding gown.

  A Verger walked slowly ahead of her and her father carrying a golden cross.

  When they reached the choir, Linetta was at once aware that the Prince was waiting for her standing on the Chancel steps.

  She had thrown back her veil before she left the carriage, so that all of the packed congregation could see her face.

  She was wondering, as she moved forward on her father’s arm, what the Prince was feeling.

  She then looked down as if afraid to face him.

  Only when she arrived at the altar and the Prince had come to her side did she raise her head.

  It was then, just as she had been hoping, that she saw an incredulous and amazed expression in his eyes.

  It was as if he could hardly believe that he was not dreaming.

  He looked radiant in his ceremonial Army uniform in the light coming from the candles on the altar. There was a blue sash across his chest and his medals gleamed brightly.

  He looked every inch a King.

  Then he reached out his hand.

  Although it was incorrect, Linetta slipped hers into his.

  Almost as if she had known that this would happen, she had not only thrown back her veil before she entered the Cathedral but taken the gloves from her hands.

  When he clasped her fingers so tightly that it was almost painful, she knew that he was just as thrilled and delighted as she wanted him to be because she was about to become his wife.

  The Wedding Service was extremely moving and was beautifully conducted by the Archbishop of Samosia.

  The prayers had a sincerity about them that made her feel as if they were carried from the Cathedral up into the clouds and into Heaven itself.

  After the Prince had put the wedding ring on her finger and they knelt for the final blessing, the Archbishop and the five Priests with him solemnly began the prayers of the Coronation Service.

  It was just a short Service, but one that astonished everyone in the Cathedral.

  They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

  As Linetta and the Prince moved down the aisle as man and wife and King and Queen, the choir burst into the Samosian National Anthem.

  The strength and beauty of the notes continued until they had reached the West door.

  It was then, because they had been told what was happening inside the Cathedral, that the vast crowd outside went mad with delight.

  They cheered and cheered as they covered the bride and bridegroom with rose petals.

  They were throwing every flower they could find in the square at their feet.

  When they came to the last step down to the open carriage, which was waiting for them, the Prince raised his hand and there was complete silence from the hundreds of people gathered there.

  He thanked them for coming to what he was sure would be a day they would always remember, which would go down in th
e history books.

  “I am the luckiest and most blessed man in the world by marrying such a beautiful and intelligent English bride,” he told the crowd. “She has not only saved this country from its enemies but has brought a new era to it in that it is now Royal.”

  He paused to look round at all the people listening to him before he went on,

  “As King and Queen we will help to save not only ourselves but the whole of the Balkans from those who are trying so wickedly to destroy our independence and turn us into slaves.”

  There were huge cheers.

  Then the Prince proclaimed,

  “As King and Queen, we dedicate ourselves to you all. We pray that through our endeavours your children and, I hope, ours will find this a very much better world than it has ever been before.”

  Now the men in the crowd were waving their hats and the women their handkerchiefs, as they cheered until they were hoarse.

  “Together,” the Prince continued, “we now intend to make Samosia great. Not only here at home but to help all those who are persecuted and threatened.”

  He turned and smiled at Linetta.

  “I believe in peace,” he said, “and, when I achieve it, I will fight with my heart and soul to rid ourselves of the evil of those who through greed want to take away from us that which is ours, that which we were given by God when we were born.”

  Again he paused before he finished emphatically,

  “What is ours is ours and will remain so if you will fight for your children as my wife and I will, so that they will all grow up in peace and, if we really use our brains, prosperity.”

  There were wild cheers as the Prince’s speech came to an end.

  As Linetta and he stepped into an open carriage, the horses moved slowly away from the square followed by the crowds of those accompanying them.

  They were once again proudly singing the National Anthem of Samosia and then to Linetta’s and the Prince’s delight, they broke into a rousing God Save the Queen.

  The noise of the people’s cheers and singing made it quite impossible for the Prince and Linetta to speak.

  They merely held hands and raised the other hand in answer to the cheers and excitement of the crowd.

  When they eventually reached The Palace and the carriage stopped, the Prince jumped out and helped Linetta down the steps.

  Then he turned to her and said very softly so that only she could hear,

  “I am now completely sure that I must be dreaming, my darling.”

  “If you are dreaming, then I am certainly dreaming too,” Linetta whispered.

  She looked up into his eyes as she spoke.

  For a moment neither of them could move.

  As they went into The Palace to be joined a few moments later by Linetta’s parents and a large number of dignitaries, there was no further chance of them talking to each other.

  There was an endless supply of champagne to drink their health with and it was poured out liberally by a small army of attendants.

  Also there was an enormous wedding cake that had been made by the chefs at The Palace as soon as they learnt that there was to be a Royal Wedding.

  *

  It was late before anyone made a move to leave The Palace and all the festivities.

  When they did, the Prince said,

  “My wife and I are exceedingly grateful for your congratulations and good wishes and that you came to our Wedding.”

  There was a respectful silence before he smiled and went on,

  “But, as we have both had a very long and arduous day, I now insist on my wife retiring and I know you will understand if we now bid you goodnight and go to our own Private Apartments.”

  There was clapping and cheering after he had said this.

  Then, when they were just on the point of moving away, there were cries of,

  “God bless the bride and God bless you both now and for ever.”

  Linetta put her arm through the Prince’s.

  As they walked up the stairs together, he said,

  “I still think I am dreaming. How could you have deceived me so cleverly, my darling.”

  “I had to decide whether or not I would marry you,” Linetta replied. “I could not contemplate marrying a man I had never seen.”

  “You played your role as Governess to the Count’s children so very cleverly, Miss Lane, and you completely deceived me and even so I fell madly in love with you,” the Prince answered, “but we will talk about it later.”

  *

  They had reached her bedroom by this time and he added,

  “We have now been crowned the King and Queen of Samosia thanks to you, my darling, but I feel more that we have been crowned by music, your wonderful music that is not of this world.”

  She saw that there were two maids waiting inside the help her out of her wedding dress.

  The Prince went to his own room which was next door.

  Because they realised that she wanted to be quiet, the maids undressed her quickly and then helped Linetta into one of the beautiful nightgowns that her mother had bought for her in France.

  The maids left her after murmuring,

  “Goodnight and God bless Your Majesty.”

  Linetta walked to the window.

  As she expected, the moon was turning the garden to silver.

  The many fountains were still throwing their water up into the sky.

  There was a full moon and the stars were coming out.

  It was so beautiful that she felt almost as if it really was just a dream and so could not be happening to her.

  Then suddenly, as she had not heard him entering the room, the Prince was at her side.

  For a moment they looked into each other’s eyes and did not speak.

  Then he said in a voice that seemed strange even to Linetta,

  “You are so lovely, so perfect and so exactly what I asked the wishing well to give me, but I still don’t believe you are true.”

  He put his hand over hers as he went on,

  “I feel you may fly away into the sky and become one of the angels and I will never find you again.”

  “I am yours,” Linetta sighed gently. “I promise I will never leave you.”

  “That is all I want to hear,” her husband answered. “Oh, my darling, how could you have been so clever and so brave not only to save my life but to leave me without the slightest idea that you were the marvellous bride who was to save my country and me from destruction?”

  “I had to see you first even though I knew that it was my duty to save Samosia,” Linetta said in a low voice.

  She smiled as she went on,

  “But when I saw you for the first time I knew that you meant something more to me than any man could.”

  Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper as she said,

  “When you kissed me, I knew that I had found the love I had always prayed for which I thought I would never have.”

  “I felt exactly the same,” the Prince replied. “I was marrying for my country and from the first moment I saw you I knew that you meant something very special to me that no woman has ever done.”

  He drew in a deep breath before he went on,

  “But when I kissed you I knew you were everything I had ever dreamt of, believed in or prayed for. Oh, my precious, my darling one, how could we have ever been so lucky? How could we have been able to find each other when under the circumstances it seemed so impossible that we should?”

  He pulled Linetta to him as he spoke.

  Then his lips were on hers.

  He was kissing her wildly and passionately.

  At the same time he felt that he had found the Holy Grail and it was his for ever.

  *

  A long time later they moved into the huge bed that was ornamented with golden cupids, birds and butterflies.

  As the Prince carried Linetta from the window, he set her down very gently against the pillows.

  Then, blowing out all the candles rou
nd the bed, he joined her.

  He did, however, leave the curtain open.

  The magical moonlight came streaming in through the window making the room, the Prince thought, feel as it had when Linetta had played the piano to him.

  To Linetta it was as if the angels themselves had come down to encircle them both with the real love that only comes from God.

  Then, as the Prince drew her even closer to him and his kisses grew more demanding, the touch of his hands made Linetta feel as if he drew her heart from her body and made it his.

  “I love you! I adore you, Ivor,” she whispered not once but time after time.

  Then he said in a voice which hardly sounded like his,

  “You are mine, now and for ever. Oh, my darling Linetta, how could God have been so kind to us both?”

  As he kissed her wildly, then very gently, so as not to frighten her, he made her his.

  It was then at that moment of sublime rapture that Linetta knew they had reached Heaven, the Heaven that so graciously had brought them together.

  It had given them the Love that came from God, was part of God and was theirs for Eternity and beyond.

  Where to buy other titles in this series

  The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-

  www.barnesandnoble.com - epub format for the Nook eReader

  www.whsmith.co.uk - epub format for the Smiths/Kobo eReader

  www.firstyfish.com - epub format

  ebookstore.sony.com - epub format for Sony eReaders

  www.amazon.co.uk - For UK Kindle users

  www.amazon.com - For international Kindle users

  itunes.apple.com - for Apple iOS users

  www.barbaracartland.com - Printed paperbacks