The Gates of Paradise Read online

  “I never expected,” she explained to Narina, “to be as happy as I am with Rudolf or to enjoy every moment of my life as I do now.”

  Narina had been delighted and reassured.

  It had been impossible for Prince Rudolf to leave his country and come to England, so sadly Louise had been married in Alexanderburg without Narina as bridesmaid.

  Whilst talking about marriage at school they had always pledged to be bridesmaid to each other, with the one who married first being matron of honour to the other.

  They had imagined that their weddings would take place in one of the great Cathedrals near their homes.

  When they walked up the aisle, it would be with at least eight or ten bridesmaids with the chief bridesmaid, of course, being either Louise or Narina.

  But Queen Victoria had sent for Louise and told her that she was to marry Prince Rudolf of Alexanderburg.

  “I just cannot believe it,” Louise had said when she returned from Windsor Castle. “I thought that I was imagining what Her Majesty said to me, but naturally I could not possibly refuse such an incredible honour. My Mama keeps telling me how lucky I am.”

  Narina, however, had shed more than a few tears when she kissed Louise goodbye.

  Accompanied by her mother, Princess Beatrice, and at least a dozen other relatives, Louise had slipped away on an English Battleship to Alexanderburg.

  Narina worried about her friend to begin with, but then she had received Louise’s letters telling her how blissfully happy she was at Alexanderburg, declaring that Prince Rudolf really was the man of her dreams.

  Then, after a year had passed, the letters grew fewer month by month – she wrote very little about her marriage, although she still seemed to be happy.

  Now Narina calculated she must have been married for over two years.

  In the meantime she herself had received several proposals of marriage, but they were not from anyone she loved or had any wish to marry.

  She was intelligent enough to recognise that Louise had been extremely lucky.

  She had found the man of her dreams, despite it being an arranged marriage, whilst Narina had yet to meet anyone with whom she wished to spend the rest of her life.

  She was in fact exceedingly happy with her father, keeping busy with his affairs as he was constantly moving from one appointment to another.

  Then he was consecrated Bishop of St. Albans.

  Narina felt certain that they would stay there until he was promoted, as she hoped, to Canterbury.

  Fortunately her grandfather’s house was also in Hertfordshire and she had been delighted to discover a great many friends who had been fond of her mother, as well as girls and boys she had known since childhood.

  She certainly did not lack for invitations and there were parties and entertainments of every sort taking place week after week.

  Even so she still missed Louise.

  Although Narina wrote to her every week, as they had done when she first married, she was a little hurt that Louise’s replies came so spasmodically.

  They were not, she thought regretfully, as intimate as they had been when Louise first left England.

  However, this idea of travelling to Alexanderburg because she was needed was something enthralling.

  Narina found it difficult to concentrate properly on what she should take with her to wear and then there were presents to be bought for Louise and her Prince.

  She also thought it would be a mistake not to take a selection of the latest books with her as her father thought that they would be of interest to Prince Rudolf.

  The hours passed by, it seemed to Narina, with a swiftness that left her breathless.

  *

  Finally, early on Tuesday morning, she and her Papa drove off to London.

  She was sure as they did so that they had left half the items she would need behind.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he counselled, “as far as I remember, you and Louise were always exchanging your clothes when you were young and I don’t expect that either of you will have altered that much in the last two years!”

  Narina laughed.

  “That is quite true, Papa. I remember being furious with Louise when she succeeded in ruining my best dress by spilling coffee on it! While she accused me of spoiling her best hat when it blew off my head in a wind!”

  “I only remember how pretty you two girls were and how much I enjoyed having Louise to stay with us.”

  “I always believed, Papa, that she loved you better than she loved her own father, but I was far too tactful to say so.”

  “You were right to keep those feelings to yourself, even though I am pleased to have her regard. Louise is very like her mother, Princess Beatrice, who was a most charming woman. It is only a pity she is not still with us today.”

  Actually the Princess had died only a year after her daughter married and Narina had written to Louise to tell her how sorry she was.

  But today she certainly did not want to remember the sad times – only the happy ones.

  In fact she was feeling quite sure that Louise was not sending for her because she was unhappy.

  In her last letter she had told Narina what fun she and her husband had when bathing in the Black Sea, where they had built a small Summer Palace in a quiet bay some way along the coast from the Capital of Alexenderburg.

  They could easily escape to this idyllic spot and be on their own without too many courtiers and all the pomp and ceremony of the Court.

  Nevertheless when she had retired to her bed in the comfortable cabin she had been given in the Battleship, she found herself wondering over and over again why Louise needed her so urgently.

  Her father had been somewhat surprised at how few attendants there were to accompany his daughter on her journey to Alexanderburg.

  There was only Baron Von Graben and his wife.

  The Baroness was much younger than her husband and she was classically attractive like many Austrian women.

  She always enjoyed travelling with her husband on his diplomatic missions, mostly because the men of any country they were visiting invariably pursued her.

  She enjoyed dancing more than any other activity although the Baron said he was too old to dance, he had the reputation of being an extremely able diplomat.

  He was also a master of many different languages and boasted he could speak with most other diplomats in their own language.

  Besides the Baron and Baroness there was nobody else to look after Narina, except an Austrian maid.

  Narina knew that her Papa was surprised at such a small party, but he was too courteous to comment.

  “One thing, my dearest,” he whispered to Narina when they were alone in her cabin, “you will be able to rest before you arrive and enjoy the books I have given you.”

  He had provided her with four books about Russia and the Balkan States from his extensive library.

  “It is always a good idea,” he advised her, “to learn as much as possible about any country you are visiting – otherwise you might miss something of significance.”

  “You have told me that before, Papa, and as you know, I have always tried to carry out your instructions.”

  “Well, my instructions are for you to read all these books. They will tell you about the people, their religions, their superstitions and above all their aspirations.”

  The Bishop looked over his shoulder to make quite certain that there was no one listening.

  “Be careful,” he said. “The Russians are being very difficult in the Balkans, as Her Majesty was saying to me last week, they are taking over far too many Principalities. In fact Her Majesty is most worried about the situation.”

  “I do realise that, Papa, and I shall be very careful what I say. I cannot help thinking that it must be worrying for Louise.”

  “I am quite sure that Alexanderburg is safe as long as she is still on the throne – ”

  “She did not mention any trouble in her letters, but sadly there ha
ve not been so many letters recently.”

  “I am sure she has a good reason for asking you to go,” the Bishop reflected, “and you must help her in every way you can.”

  He paused, thinking just how Queen Victoria had expressed her anger to him at the Russians’ behaviour.

  “If I had not sent my Battleships into the Aegean Sea,” she had raged, “those Russians would have been in Constantinople by now. Heaven knows how hard I had to fight the Prime Minister to get him to pay any attention!”

  “But you definitely saved Constantinople, ma’am,” the Bishop had added.

  This had been no mean feat, he thought. The Grand Duke Nicholas had been forced to turn back when his Army was only six miles from Constantinople, which had cost the lives of twenty thousand men but made it quite impossible for the Russians to defy Great Britain again.

  Again, it occurred to the Bishop that perhaps Narina was heading into danger, but he sternly told himself he was being unnecessarily perturbed by the idea.

  For as long as the British flag was flying high over Alexanderburg, the Russians would not dare to intervene.

  He put his arms round Narina,

  “Goodbye, my dearest. I know that you will help your friend Louise and it will be delightful for you to be together again. At the same time do not forget your Papa.”

  “As though I could, Papa, I love you. I shall really miss our conversations and most of all your enthralling stories.”

  She kissed her father.

  “Store them all up for when I return home. Then I will appreciate your wisdom all the more.”

  He chuckled and then held her close, kissing her affectionately.

  “I love you, my dearest Narina, and I will pray that God will bless your visit and that you will be able to help Princess Louise.”

  “Yes, don’t forget me in your prayers, Papa, and I will pray for you in mine as well.”

  She went up on deck and, as the Battleship moved slowly away, she waved until her father was out of sight.

  Then she went below deck to help the maid unpack the clothes she would need whilst at sea.

  The maid could speak reasonably good English, but Narina delighted her by replying in German. Soon they had hung all of Narina’s clothes in the smart wardrobes built into her cabin, talking together all the while.

  Once the Battleship was moving more quickly, Narina went to find the Baron and Baroness.

  They were seated in the cabin that adjoined the Captain’s.

  The Baroness was already complaining that the sea was rough, although there was as yet very little movement.

  Narina was sure that when they reached the Bay of Biscay, she would retire to her cabin and not be seen again until the end of the voyage. The Bay was notorious for storms and strong winds, leading to even the most experienced sailor’s often feeling seasick.

  Fear of sickness soon turned out to be only one of the tribulations of the journey, especially travelling in such a small party.

  Narina soon found the rather flowery compliments the Baron kept paying her rather embarrassing.

  Excusing him for merely trying to be kind at first, it soon became increasingly difficult to smile politely and thank him as he made yet another remark about her beauty.

  She reflected that his behaviour was so different to the way that people usually treated her, especially men. As a Clergyman’s daughter, they were often over-polite and inclined to treat her differently from the way they treated other girls.

  In her experience, they all expected her to be shocked at the slightest thing and so never overwhelmed her with compliments on her beauty or the way she was dressed.

  She was well aware, and it rather amused her, that some men thought it was not fitting, as her father was in the Church, for her to be so outstandingly pretty.

  In fact if they did pay her a compliment, they would begin by saying,

  “I daresay your father would think it improper for me to say this, Narina, but you are undoubtedly the most beautiful girl here tonight.”

  When she told her father, he merely grinned.

  “I seem to put a curb on their turning your head too quickly, but I agree with them, you are much prettier than any of your contemporaries. But I promise that I will not rebuke them for being truthful in saying so!”

  “Of course you wouldn’t, Papa, but I am only afraid that I might be missing something.”

  “I think you will be told a great number of times by many men that you are very lovely. I remember when I first married your mother, she told me that men used to say to her, ‘I am longing to flirt with you, Mrs. Kenwin, but I am terrified your husband might put a curse on me’!”

  Narina thought that this was hilarious.

  “And did you, Papa?”

  He shook his head.

  “I had no need to do so. Your mother and I fell in love with each other the moment we met and from then on it was impossible for either of us ever to find anyone else attractive.”

  Narina had always believed that their devotion was the reason that every house the family lived in was filled with love and the sun always seemed to shine.

  It was the kind of sublime love she wanted for herself, but she was secretly afraid that it would never happen.

  Certainly the men she had met so far seemed somewhat dull and rather ineffective compared to her beloved father and, although she enjoyed dancing with them, they had very little else to offer her.

  Her father never seemed to worry, as her mother had, about her getting married.

  And in fact he had said more than once,

  “There is no hurry for you to be married and, as we are so happy together, there is no point yet in your thinking of yourself as an ‘old maid’!”

  Narina had giggled.

  “I certainly don’t do that! It’s only when the girls who came out at the same time as me get married that I begin to feel a little that I am being left behind.”

  “There is no hurry about love,” her father advised. “It will come to you one day out of the blue and it will be the right sort of love we all seek in our hearts and some of us are privileged to find.”

  “As you did, Papa.”

  “As I did. I know that your mother and I will meet again when I join her in Heaven and I am quite certain she is listening to us both now, knowing that what I am telling you is the truth so there is no need for you to hurry.”

  Narina had kissed him.

  “As long as I have you, Papa, I have no wish to be with anyone else.”

  This was true.

  Nevertheless when she was alone, she often wished that there was someone to share her interests – most of all someone to ride with her when Papa was unable to do so.

  Now as the ship was moving out into the open sea she was thinking just how superb it would be if her father could be with her.

  He would tell her, as he always did, stories that other people did not know about the countries they were passing, especially those bordering the Mediterranean.

  There was so much more she wanted to know about Africa and especially Greece.

  Her Papa had been entranced when he was a young man by the wonder and beauty of Ancient Greece and she had learnt the language from him.

  One day she would like to go with someone she loved to Delphi and its shimmering cliffs and visit the Greek Islands, especially Delos where Apollo was born.

  “Every girl,” her Papa had said once, “would like the man she marries to look like Apollo. But I have found that handsome men do not always make good husbands.”

  “Why not, Papa?” she asked quizzically.

  “Because they are more concerned with their own looks than those of their wives. And if there is to be one beautiful person in the family, it should be the woman.”

  “Why, Papa?” Narina persisted, surprised at his words.

  “If you have a husband who is too handsome, you will be fighting very hard to protect and keep him, instead of him fighting to protect you from being s
wept away!”

  It was just the sort of joke Papa would make and Narina laughed.

  But she learnt, as she watched her contemporaries that there was some truth in his words and she had told herself there was no need to pray for Apollo as her husband, but a man who would adore her and fight off any who tried to take her from him.

  At the moment, however, there had been no one for whom she had felt the least affection.

  Anyway it was not affection she wanted, but love – the overwhelming love so beautifully described in books she had read and it was, she was quite certain, what women all over the world were always seeking.

  ‘Perhaps some are just unlucky,’ she mused.

  However, it was very seldom that she worried about acquiring admirers.

  There would be no one on the Battleship, she felt, who would pay her any compliments.

  But to her surprise she was mistaken.

  As she expected, the Baroness retired to her cabin and was not seen again on the voyage and the Baron, when they were alone, plied her with compliments!

  He looked at her with his aging eyes in a way that made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

  If it had not been from a man of his age, she might have felt shy, instead of which she found herself sparring with the Baron in words, being in a way somewhat rude to him. She knew that she should respect him as her elder, but equally she was aware that he must have been a roué in his youth.

  It seemed that it was impossible for him to be alone with a pretty woman and not flirt with her.

  As the Battleship steamed down the Mediterranean and into the Aegean Sea, she found the Baron’s incessant compliments increasingly boring.

  And she was aware that when she was near him, his hands would automatically come out to try and touch her.

  It became quite a game for her to avoid him, but it was a bit difficult in the rather cramped circumstances of the Battleship.

  They sat opposite each other at meals, but while he could not touch her with his hands, his eyes were always on her face and the compliments would come blithely from his tongue in a number of different languages.

  Narina especially enjoyed practising the language of Alexanderburg, which she found was an easily picked up dialect of German, in order to answer the Baron back.