Ruled by Love Page 3

  Prince Lászlé knew exactly what she was saying.

  He realised that because of her rank it was exactly what might happen to her in the future.

  “Forget it, Zoleka,” he told her affectionately. “Just believe you will find real happiness as I did and it will happen when you least expect it.”

  “That is so exactly what I want to believe. When I marry I want to be as happy as Mama was with you.”

  “And as I was with your mother,” her father ended wistfully.

  She realised by the sad expression in his eyes that once again he was grieving over the wife he had lost. He was obviously feeling that nothing could ever be the same without her.

  Zoleka rose and placed her arms round her father’s neck.

  “What we both have to believe, Papa, is that Mama is guiding us. Maybe it is Mama herself who has suggested to the Krnov Prime Minister that he should do something urgently about his country?”

  “It is what I would like to believe, Zoleka, and then I should not feel so guilty in sending you there, because I know instinctively it is going to be very dull for you.”

  “I shall have to think of some way of livening it up, Papa! In the meantime concentrate on thinking how soon I can come back to you.”

  “I will certainly do so,” he promised her, “and you must be quick in finding out all I want to know.”

  Zoleka gave a little sigh.

  “I can only hope the Palace is busy like ours, with people coming in and out and something happening every half-hour and the people in the City are all happy and contented.”

  Her father laughed, but he did not comment.

  Then Zoleka continued,

  “Instead of which I have a feeling that their Palace will be filled with a fleet of courtiers bowing and curtsying every few minutes. The food will be horrible and nothing will happen unless there is a thunderstorm from one week to the next!”

  The Prince chuckled as she meant him to do.

  “It could not possibly be as bad as that!”

  “Mama warned me that that was what most Palaces, where she had stayed, were like. She found them so dull, which made her so determined that here in our Palace life would always be fun with everybody laughing.”

  “That is exactly what your mother achieved and I think you and I have carried it on.”

  “Of course we have, Papa. But if you expect me to create that wonderful atmosphere out of nothing in Krnov, you are mistaken.”

  “Now do not be prejudiced before you actually get there,” he warned her. “Then if you have to wake them up with a bang do so and come back to me quickly.”

  “That is just what I am planning to do!”

  She put her arms round her father’s neck again and kissed him.

  “The trouble is, Papa, there are not enough Princes like you in the world to make it as much fun as it should be.”

  Her father did not say any more but kissed her on her cheek.

  Only when Zoleka retired to bed did it occur to her that her father would undoubtedly be lonely and miserable without her.

  ‘I think my real duty is here with Papa,’ she mused, ‘rather than trying to cheer up some obscure and tiresome people who have not the sense to amuse themselves.’

  As she undressed, she recalled the real reason why she was being sent to Krnov.

  The Prussians with their gaudy uniforms, their guns and long marching columns of men were waiting poised on the borders.

  One day they would march straight into the country and Krnov would lose its independence overnight.

  ‘I have to save them from that ghastly nightmare, if I possibly can,’ she determined.

  At the same time she had not the slightest idea how she could possibly do it.

  She did not want her father to find out, but she was feeling afraid.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Before Anton Bauer started out for Krnov to report that Her Royal Highness, Princess Zoleka, would be most delighted to be Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Udele, Zoleka had a long talk with him.

  Her father was back working on his book, so there was no interruption.

  She was quite determined to find out as much as she could about the Palace in Krnov.

  “Tell me all about it,” she urged him coaxingly.

  He seemed more relaxed than he had been with her father.

  “As a matter of fact, Your Royal Highness, I have brought with me a plan of the Palace, thinking I might be asked for it.”

  “That was most thoughtful of you,” she remarked to him flatteringly. “Please let me see it.”

  He took it out of his pocket and proudly showed her the entrance, which seemed impressive, and the reception rooms on the ground floor.

  There was a staircase going up to the next floor.

  “Is that where the State rooms are?” she asked.

  Anton nodded.

  “That is right, Your Royal Highness, although I am afraid they are usually empty as we do not entertain very often these days.”

  “That must be very boring for the Princess now she is eighteen,” replied Zoleka.

  There was no answer to her remark from Anton, so she next looked carefully at the plan of the State rooms.

  “You have quite a number of them. Tell me which is the prettiest.”

  “They are all named after flowers,” Anton replied, “and everyone admires the one which is called ‘Roses’.”

  “I suppose it is decorated in pink!”

  She looked at the wings of the Palace and asked,

  “Now where does Her Royal Highness sleep?”

  “The schoolroom and the Princess’s bedroom are located on the second floor of the East Wing,”

  “And she has not moved out now she is grown up?”

  “Oh, no!”

  Zoleka said no more about the Palace, but enquired about her arrival.

  “Your Royal Highness will be greeted at the border of our two countries,” Anton told her, “and, as I have had the privilege of meeting you, I expect I shall be sent with a carriage to convey you to the Palace.”

  He thought that Princess Zoleka was looking a little disappointed as if she expected a more formal welcome.

  He added quickly,

  “There is a good Posting inn just inside the border and I thought you would like to stop there for luncheon.”

  “That is a good idea,” agreed Zoleka. “I expect you have already been told that I shall have an aide-de-camp with me, as well as my lady’s maid who will travel with the luggage.”

  “I will make all the necessary arrangements, Your Royal Highness,” he promised.

  When he had left, Zoleka thought over what he had told her.

  She decided that she must, as her father had urged, wake up the Palace at Krnov with a bang.

  She did not, however, say anything to her father, but made plans in her own mind.

  To her lady’s maid, Marla, she said,

  “I have to appear impressive and there is no time to purchase any more clothes. What is there in my wardrobe that will make the Krnovians look up, if nothing else?”

  There was a pause before Marla replied tentatively,

  “Your Royal Highness knows that your mother’s beautiful gowns will fit you.”

  “Of course they will and I know Mama would not mind my using them when I have a very important reason for doing so.”

  She and Marla walked into her mother’s room.

  It had been left exactly as it was after she had died and her father had ordered that nothing was to be moved.

  Zoleka knew he often went to her room by himself, feeling that he was with his beloved wife again.

  All the gowns that her mother had bought for State occasions were hanging in the wardrobe and they had been carefully looked after by the Palace housekeeper.

  She chose three that glittered with diamante, which had been worn by her mother on special occasions like the Opening of Parliament or the wedding of a relative.

  There was one g
own her mother had worn at a huge ball that had been given at the Palace.

  Zoleka had been too young to attend it, but she had, however, been allowed to watch all the glamorous dancers from the balcony.

  She could remember how beautiful her mother had looked as she received the guests and opened the ball with her father.

  Zoleka now went to the wardrobe-room next door, where there were hats, wraps to wear in the evening and a great many attractive handbags.

  She and Marla chose what they thought was most suitable for her, all far grander than any she would ever have worn at home.

  Again Zoleka did not tell her father, as she thought it might upset him, although he had, in fact, suggested she should take some of her mother’s jewellery with her.

  “Now you are older you can wear pearls round your neck,” he conceded, “and very occasionally bracelets in the evening.”

  He smiled lovingly at her before adding,

  “You are so lovely, my dearest girl, that you do not really need gems to make you glitter.”

  Zoleka kissed him for the compliment.

  She packed the jewels most carefully into a case, as she knew the loss of any of them would upset her father because they were such a strong link with the wife he had adored.

  For her arrival at the Krnov Palace she put on one of her mother’s smartest dresses.

  But she did not wear a hat when she went down to breakfast with her father.

  She thought he would not remember the gown, but undoubtedly he would notice the hat was a lot smarter than anything she had worn when she went out with him to visit someone in the City or attend a banquet.

  However he was not concerned at that moment with her looks, but that he was losing her.

  “I shall miss you every moment you are away, my dearest,” he admitted. “And it would be quite safe for you to write to me, if it is only to tell me you are missing me.”

  “You know I shall be doing just that, Papa. I will send Pieter Seitz back with any information which I think is especially significant.”

  “I think you are wise to have chosen him. He is an intelligent man and I have told him I want to know what is concerning the ordinary citizens of Krnov with whom you would not be able to circulate.”

  “I have chosen as my other aide-de-camp someone who can come backwards and forwards more often. And it is someone who may surprise you.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Count von Hofmannstall.”

  Her father looked at Zoleka in astonishment.

  “The Count! Why on earth have you invited him?”

  “For one reason because I want to impress, or rather wake up, the Prince and his entourage at the Palace. Also because the Count is such an intelligent young gentleman that he may be able to find out more about His Royal Highness than I can.”

  Prince Lászlé remained silent as he was thinking.

  Franz von Hofmannstall was the youngest member of one of the most distinguished and influential families in Austria.

  His father, the Arch-Duke, son of the Emperor of Austria, was well known and welcome in many countries in Europe.

  He had sent his son to Opava because the Prince’s horses were so famous and young Franz was very anxious to become an even better rider than he was already.

  The Arch-Duke, who was a long-standing friend of Prince Lászlé, had written,

  “It will be very good for Franz to have a change of air, but I don’t wish him at the moment to go too far away.

  I am therefore sending him to you where I know he will be very thrilled with your horses and learn to ride as brilliantly as you do yourself.

  It is also most important for him to get to know all about the three Austrian Principalities that are still free of the Prussian yoke.

  But to mix with people it is wiser for him not to use his real title. He will therefore just be the Count Franz von Hofmannstall.”

  Prince Lászlé had welcomed Count Franz to Opava with open arms, but he was just a little perturbed that his daughter was now taking him away with her.

  “I will not keep him long, Papa,” Zoleka said as she read his thoughts, “but it will be very good for him to see what Krnov is really like and it is he who will be bringing you the most secret reports I will be sending you.”

  “I see your reasoning, my dearest, and of course it is most astute of you.”

  “Thank you, Papa. I have asked the Count to ride in charge of my Mounted Escort.”

  She paused for a moment before she added,

  “I have also asked him to choose the six men who will form the Escort.”

  The Prince threw back his head and laughed.

  “You are certainly doing it in style, dearest, but you are quite right! Let them see from the very beginning that you intend to behave as Royalty which, from what I hear, they are not doing in Krnov.”

  They did not hurry over breakfast because the border was only three hours drive away and if they were to arrive at luncheon time, there was no reason to leave before ten o’clock.

  Zoleka made the most of the time with her father.

  Only when it was nearly ten did she go upstairs to put on her hat and make sure Marla had packed everything they required.

  When she came down again, the two carriages were outside the door.

  The one Zoleka was to travel in was large and most imposing. It was the one her father always used on State occasions and was drawn by four perfectly matched white stallions.

  The coachman and footman were dressed in Opava State livery and looked extremely smart.

  Zoleta had already told the Count that they were to arrive with a flourish and all flags flying!

  He too was dressed in his smartest uniform with a splendid feathered hat and he was riding one of her father’s most spirited and best-bred horses.

  The Escort consisted of six uniformed Cavalrymen who were also beautifully turned out.

  There was a distinct smile and a twinkle in the eyes of Prince Lászlé when he saw his daughter off.

  “Goodbye, darling Papa,” she called. “I am trying to think of this as the beginning of an adventure, but I keep wishing you were coming with me.”

  “I would find it very amusing. You must write and tell me all about their reactions to your appearance. It will undoubtedly be a shock to the Krnovians!”

  “That is just what I intend it to be!”

  She put her arms round her father’s neck.

  “Please, darling Papa, think of me and pray for me. Without you it is all rather frightening.”

  “You can be sure I shall be praying for you every day and missing you.”

  He kissed her again as she stepped into the carriage.

  Pieter Seitz, also smartly dressed, was in attendance and they drove off.

  Zoleka waved to her father until they were out of sight.

  She could see with some satisfaction that they were being followed by another large carriage in which Marla was sitting with all the luggage.

  *

  The horses were fresh and they moved swiftly over the roads which the Prince had insisted must be improved all over Opava.

  “If there is one thing I dislike,” he had often said, “it is rough rocky roads when they need not be so.”

  He had therefore given a great deal of employment to men out of work and they had widened and resurfaced the roads in every part of the Principality.

  As they drove along, Zoleka said to Pieter Seitz,

  “I know my Papa has told you why we are going and how important our mission is, but maybe we are being over-anxious. We may find that Krnov is much more up-to-date than we expect and all our fears are groundless.”

  “That is the news I hope to take back to His Royal Highness,” replied Pieter. “But from what I gathered from the envoy who brought us the Prime Minister’s request, who I understand will be meeting us at the border, things are even worse than we have heard already.”

  “I thought maybe you would get him to talk, Piet
er. He was too frightened of Papa to give him the information he wanted and he thought I was far too young and frivolous to be interested in anything serious!”

  Pieter laughed.

  “It is because Your Royal Highness is so pretty few people realise what a clever brain you have.”

  “Well, we don’t want them to be aware of that too quickly in Krnov. If they do believe I am just a superficial young woman, they will not be guarding their tongues. We want to know the worst as speedily as possible.”

  “That is what His Royal Highness has said, but I am afraid it may take longer than he hopes.”

  “We can only do our very best and I would like to tell you how very pleased I am, Pieter, to have you with me and to be able to rely on you.”

  “I promise I will not fail Your Royal Highness.”

  They drove on and as they approached the border, the country became a little wilder.

  Not far away was a range of low mountains where many minerals were mined that contributed so much to the great prosperity of Opava.

  The same range extended into Krnov and as far as Zoleka had been able to ascertain, nothing was being done about them on their side of the border.

  The Krnovians had not employed, as her father had done, experts from all over Europe to find out which minerals the mountains actually contained.

  ‘How can they be so incredibly stupid?’ she asked herself now, seeing the mountains stretch out into the far distance, the sunshine dazzling on their peaks.

  As they crossed the border, she saw that this part of Krnov was very like her own country, but it seemed to be almost uninhabited. The people they did see were poorly dressed and their cottages were in a bad state of repair.

  As Anton Bauer had said, the inn where they were to have luncheon was just a short distance from the border.

  They drew up outside it at exactly one o’clock and Anton was there to meet them.

  He stared in a mixture of amazement and surprise at the Princess’s Escort with the Count riding ahead of her carriage.

  As Zoleka stepped out, he bowed and greeted her to the Principality of Krnov.

  “Are you alone?” she asked in an astonished voice.