The Wonderful Dream Page 6

  Finally Princess Louisa relaxed.

  By the time they had to go and dress for dinner she was talking to Claudia volubly in French, as she was more fluent in this language than in English.

  The Prince spoke English extremely well and Claudia was luckily perfectly at home in French.

  Her mother had insisted that French should be her most important subject at school.

  Princess Louisa herself took Claudia upstairs to see her bedroom,

  “Of course, as you were not expected,” she said, “this was to have been the Marquis’s room, but now it will be yours and he will use the dressing room next door.”

  The room was large and exquisitely furnished like the rest of the Palace.

  There were touches of the Moslem world mixed with the grandeur of Spain.

  Hanging on the walls, because, as the Princess said, her father knew the Marquis would appreciate them, were pictures by Velazquez, Goya and Caravaggio.

  The luggage, which had arrived before them, was already being unpacked.

  “I knew that the Marquis was bringing somebody with him,” Princess Louisa said, “but I did not tell Papa in case it annoyed him. He does not like surprises.”

  “I do hope he is not angry now with my poor – h-husband,” Claudia said. “He has been so looking forward to seeing your father’s horses and it will spoil his visit if His Royal Highness is angry.”

  “Papa is never angry for long,” Princess Louisa answered, “and I am glad to have you here with me.

  “I am thrilled to be here,” Claudia enthused.

  The Princess smiled back and left to go to her own room.

  Claudia heard the Marquis come up and go into the room next door and she wondered if he would come and speak to her.

  But two maids were waiting to help her take off her gown.

  After she had had a bath, which was brought to her room, she chose what was the grandest of her evening gowns.

  She remembered her mother once saying, ‘first impressions are the most important.’

  One of the maids had arranged her hair and she was looking at herself in the mirror when the maid said,

  “You have jewellery, señora!”

  Claudia remembered that, as the Marquis’s wife, she would have had the sort of beautiful jewellery that her Godmother had possessed.

  There would be diamonds and sapphire necklaces and a collection of fine emeralds and besides these a number of bracelets, rings and earrings would all glitter with valuable jewels.

  She thought that she would have to explain that she had come away in such a hurry that she had forgotten her jewel box.

  It was, however, too difficult to put that into Spanish for the maid.

  Instead she opened her own little jewel box and quickly put on her mother’s ring, which contained three diamonds.

  It was unlike the Marquis, she thought, not to have remembered that she would need a Wedding ring.

  She pinned the diamond brooch to the front of her bodice and put on the pearl earrings.

  There was nothing to go round her neck and she only hoped that she would not look too naked without it.

  She was just wondering if the Marquis would come to escort her down the stairs when there was a knock on the door.

  Princess Louisa called out,

  “May I come in?”

  “Of course you may!” Claudia answered.

  The Princess came in.

  She was looking much more attractive than she had before in an evening gown that cleverly concealed the defects of her figure.

  Claudia was aware that she was a sturdy young woman with a large waist and wide hips.

  Her evening gown was flattering and her hair had been arranged in curls on the top of her head.

  She was wearing an unusual amount of jewellery for a young girl.

  “Are you ready?” the Princess asked. “I thought that you would like me to take you down to the salon where we are to meet before dinner.”

  “That is very kind of you,” Claudia replied.

  “You are wearing a very beautiful gown!” the Princess remarked.

  “Thank you. It came from Bond Street in London.”

  She thought how fortunate it was that her Godmother had been so generous.

  Without thinking the Princess suddenly exclaimed,

  “But you have no necklace!”

  “I was just thinking how foolish it was of me,” Claudia said, “but I forgot my large jewel case because up to the last moment when my grandmother was so ill, I thought that I would not be accompanying my husband on this visit.”

  “I am very glad you came,” the Princess said, “and, of course, I will lend you some jewellery. I have some of my mother’s, which I am not allowed to wear until I am married.”

  Claudia hesitated.

  “Perhaps your father might think it – presumptuous of me.”

  Princess Louisa laughed.

  “I don’t suppose for a moment that he will remember that it was Mama’s, as she had so much. Wait here! I will fetch a necklace for you.”

  She ran along the passage.

  Claudia then wondered whether the Marquis would be annoyed with her for accepting the Princess’s offer.

  She hoped, however, that he would be relieved that she was looking exactly as she should as his wife.

  The Princess was away only a short time before she came hurrying back.

  “I have brought you Mama’s aquamarine set,” she said, “which will match your eyes.”

  She clasped the necklace round Claudia’s neck.

  Then she removed the pearl earrings from her ears and gave her larger ones of aquamarines and diamonds.

  There was a bracelet to match the necklace and also a ring.

  By thinking quickly Claudia managed to twist round the ring she was wearing with the three small diamonds so that it looked like a Wedding ring.

  She slipped the aquamarine ring on top of it.

  “Thank you so much,” she said to the Princess. “You are very kind and now I shall not feel like the beggar-maid at the feast!”

  Princess Louisa laughed.

  “You could never look like that! But Papa always likes women to glitter and that is why they all wear their best jewels when they come here.”

  “I am not surprised,” Claudia remarked. “Never have I seen such lovely rooms and they glitter too.”

  “I will show you the whole Palace tomorrow,” Princess Louisa promised. “Now we had better go downstairs. Papa will be furious if we are late!”

  Claudia hesitated, wondering if she should tell the Marquis what she was doing.

  Then to her relief he came to the door.

  “Are you ready, Claudia?” he asked.

  Then he saw that Princess Louisa was with her and said,

  “How kind of you, Your Royal Highness, to help my wife. She was feeling nervous, as she has never stayed in a Palace before and certainly not one as impressive as this.”

  “The Princess has very kindly lent me some of – her jewellery,” Claudia explained a little nervously.

  She was looking at the Marquis as she spoke to see his reaction.

  “I have told the Princess,” she said quickly, “how I came away in such a hurry that I – forgot most of mine until we were – already at sea.”

  “That was very remiss of you,” the Marquis said.

  Then turning to the Princess he said,

  “I am extremely grateful to Your Royal Highness for being a friend in need.”

  “You will not tell Papa,” the Princess said in a conspiratorial whisper. “As I have told the Marchioness, he likes women to glitter. And now she looks like a Fairy Princess!”

  “That is exactly what I was thinking,” the Marquis agreed, “but you said it for me.”

  They walked down the stairs.

  Claudia knew without his putting it into words that the Marquis was pleased that she was getting on so well with the Princess.

  When they reached t
he salon, it was to find that a large company of people had been invited to meet the Marquis.

  They were all very distinguished and Claudia was certain as the evening wore on that the Prince had intended it to be an introduction of the Marquis to his Peers.

  A prelude to the announcement of his engagement to his daughter.

  Claudia was very perceptive and she knew that, behind the courtly and pleasant way in which the Prince addressed her, he was distinctly piqued that his plans had gone awry.

  The dinner was a very formal one.

  Claudia talked dutifully first to the Duke on her right and then to the Nobleman on her left.

  Since they spoke neither French nor English, the conversation was somewhat stilted.

  She wondered if the Marquis usually found dinners of this sort extremely boring.

  She had, however, never been to such a huge party before.

  She also had no idea what the Marquis’s friends in England were like, so she could hardly make a judgement.

  At the same time she had heard a great deal about aristocrats from Walter Wilton.

  He always related to her mother what had happened at the parties where he had been present and Claudia was certain that they were anything but dull.

  After dinner they moved into an enormous salon.

  There was classical music played by a quartet and a woman who Claudia learned was a star of the opera house sang two songs.

  Then, with a good amount of bowing and curtseying, the guests left.

  Those who were staying in the Palace were ready to go to bed.

  There were three elderly ladies whom, Claudia gathered, chaperoned Princess Louisa and they also acted as her Ladies-in-Waiting.

  There were several close friends of the Prince who were about the same age as he was.

  When Claudia went to her own bedroom, she thought that the poor girl must have a very dull life.

  There were many visitors to the Palace but they were all very old.

  She was not surprised that Princess Louisa had kissed her affectionately goodnight.

  She said that she was looking forward to tomorrow.

  In her bedroom a maid was waiting to undo her gown.

  When she climbed into bed, the maid told her that she would be called at eight o’clock in the morning.

  She then extinguished the lights, except for those beside the bed.

  When she was alone, Claudia looked up at the ceiling with its painting of Venus surrounded by endless cupids.

  ‘I have never been in such a grand room as this before,’ she thought, ‘and it is something I must always remember.’

  It was then she heard a knock on the communicating door between her room and the Marquis’s.

  Before she could answer it he came in.

  He was wearing a long dark robe that reached to the ground. It was frogged, giving him a military appearance.

  As he walked across the room towards her, she looked at him wide-eyed.

  When he reached the bed, he said,

  “I came to say ‘goodnight’ and also to tell you how splendidly you behaved tonight. I want you to know how grateful I am for such an outstanding performance.”

  “I was – afraid I might – do something wrong,” Claudia stammered.

  “No, you were perfect!” the Marquis assured her. “And what did you think of your first Royal party?”

  Claudia gave him a little smile.

  “I was very impressed. However, I could not help feeling that, if you had to do that night after night, year after year, you would soon find it very dull.”

  “You are quite right,” the Marquis agreed, “I would find it excruciatingly boring.”

  “Princess Louisa is a very nice girl,” Claudia remarked.

  “As a friend I agree with you,” the Marquis answered. “As my wife – no!”

  The way he spoke was so emphatic that Claudia laughed,

  “You are quite safe now.”

  “Thanks to you,” the Marquis replied. “But you do realise that we have to be very very careful not to make anyone suspicious.”

  “You must tell me what I have to do,” Claudia answered.

  “I had intended to do that tomorrow,” the Marquis said, “but first let me say again how grateful I am to you for not having put a foot wrong.”

  He sounded so relieved that Claudia thought that it was almost insulting.

  Then she remembered that he had no idea that her mother would have taught her how to behave as a lady.

  He did not know she had been to a school where almost every pupil was the daughter of an aristocrat.

  “We need not, in the circumstances, stay any longer than we have to,” the Marquis was saying. “But, as I came to see the Prince’s horses, I cannot appear to be in too much of a hurry to leave.”

  “I hope he will be impressed by those you were driving,” Claudia said.

  “He will see them tomorrow,” the Marquis replied, “but I suspect what he really wants is that I should admire his stables.”

  “I do hope that I shall be able to come with you,” Claudia said. “I love horses!”

  The Marquis raised his eyebrows.

  “You can ride?” he asked.

  “Yes, I can ride,” Claudia answered, “but I have never been able to do so as often as I would have liked.”

  She thought how she had always ridden when her mother and Walter Wilton had taken her to the country.

  They had all ridden horses then.

  Walter Wilton, having ridden as a boy, was in fact a very good horseman.

  But her mother had been exceptional.

  She had therefore insisted that Claudia should have riding lessons whenever they could afford it.

  It was not so much that she needed lessons, but that this gave her horses to ride.

  The instructors would take her and other pupils into the Park.

  Wistfully Claudia said now,

  “What I would like, although I know it is impossible, is to ride some really fine horses on the land we drove over on our way here.”

  “It might be arranged,” the Marquis said, “but I doubt it.”

  He did not seem particularly interested and Claudia said quickly,

  “I must not be greedy. You have given me – the moon. I must not ask for the stars as well.”

  The Marquis laughed.

  “I am glad you are satisfied. You certainly have an impressive room to sleep in.”

  “It was intended to be yours,” Claudia told him, “but I would hope the one that you have been relegated to is comfortable.”

  The Marquis did not speak for a moment.

  He seemed to hesitate.

  Claudia suddenly had the frightening thought that perhaps there was no bed in the dressing room.

  Then he said,

  “I think you will understand, Claudia, as we are supposed to be on our honeymoon, that it would look strange if I slept in the dressing room and the servants were aware that only one side of this bed had been slept on.”

  Claudia looked at him in sheer astonishment.

  As if he realised that what he had said shocked her, he added rapidly,

  “What I am going to suggest is that I lie down for a short while on the other side of the bed. It will look in the morning as if it has been occupied, although of course, as I promised you, I will return to my own room to sleep.”

  “Oh – I understand,” Claudia said. “Of course it is – very clever of you to – think of that!”

  “I thought you would agree,” the Marquis answered.

  He went round to the other side of the bed, pulled back the bedclothes and crumpled the top sheet.

  He then lay down on the top of the bed with his head on the pillow.

  Claudia watched him wide-eyed.

  “I have always believed,” the Marquis said, “that, if you are going to tell a lie, it must be a good one. No doubt the Prince is disappointed that there is no question now of my becoming his son-in-law.”r />
  “I thought – he was a – little upset,” Claudia said.

  “I think it was Fate, or perhaps just my good luck, that you appeared at exactly the right moment to save me.”

  As the Marquis spoke, he got off the bed, giving the pillow a punch where his head had lain.

  He then walked across to the communicating door.

  “Goodnight, Claudia,” he called out. “Sleep well and tomorrow you must not forget that I am relying on you.”

  “As I am – relying on – you,” Claudia repeated.

  “You can always do that,” the Marquis answered.

  He reached the door and smiled at her before he went into his own room.

  Claudia blew out the candles.

  In the darkness she said to herself,

  ‘He is very very much nicer than I expected he would be and he no longer frightens me.’

  She paused, wondering if her mother and Walter Wilton were watching over her.

  Then she added,

  ‘Wherever you are, Mama and Walter, I hope that you can see me now and how grand I have suddenly become! It will not last, but for the moment it is very exciting!’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Claudia found to her disappointment that after breakfast the Prince took the Marquis off to see his horses.

  She was not invited to go with them.

  She found, however, when Princess Louisa joined her that she had arranged to take her into the City.

  Claudia was anxious to see the sights of Seville as she had read so much about them.

  Yet it would not be the same as being with the Marquis and seeing the Prince’s horses.

  Princess Louisa had now accepted her as a friend and she talked quite intimately of herself and her family.

  “I want to be married,” she admitted, “and as quickly as possible. In fact, I had hoped, as Papa did, that the Marquis could be my husband.”

  “But surely,” Claudia questioned, “you don’t want to have an arranged marriage?”

  The Princess looked at her in surprise.

  “All our marriages are arranged and only when I am married will I be free.”

  She realised that Claudia was looking puzzled and explained,

  “At the moment I have these Ladies-in-Waiting with me always. They listen to everything I say and never stop telling me what I must not do.”