The Gates of Paradise Read online

  “I went into the garden to read, having nothing else – to do,” Narina began.

  Despite herself she was visibly trembling and her voice was even jerkier than it had been before.

  The Lord Chamberlain did not speak, but rose and walked to a side table holding a number of decanters.

  Narina saw him pour a liquid into a glass and then he brought it back and put it in her hand.

  “Drink this slowly,” he advised her. “Then please go on with what you were telling me.”

  She sipped it and realised it was a local brandy that she had been given before by Maria.

  “It’s sweet and it’s made from our local grapes,” she had said proudly. “And I finds it delicious.”

  Narina sipped the liquid slowly and then when she felt that her heart was no longer banging inside her body, she continued,

  “I am sorry to seem so stupid, but having seen this man I knew you would want – to know there are Russians near us.”

  “I will come and talk to the man you have rescued, but first go on with your story. You have not yet told me exactly what has happened.”

  In a calm voice and now speaking almost normally, Narina related how she had heard the man coming through the trees behind her.

  “When he said, ‘the Russians are just behind me,’ I knew there was no time to lose.”

  The Lord Chamberlain smiled.

  “I might well have guessed as your father’s daughter you would be sensible and extremely resourceful.”

  He paused before he added,

  “Any other woman would have questioned him. In which case the Russians might have appeared and carried him and you away.”

  Narina gave a cry,

  “That was just what I was afraid might happen.”

  “Naturally you were. Now I will come and talk to this Englishman and find out who he is and why he is in trouble with the Russians.”

  “Do you not think that a whole Army of Russians are approaching us at this moment?”

  The Lord Chamberlain shook his head.

  “If there was a whole Army of them, our guards on the frontier would have notified us by this time. I think, although I may be mistaken, this is a one man battle.”

  Narina looked relieved.

  “I hope you are right, Lord Chamberlain.”

  “I am hoping the same myself.”

  He saw that Narina had emptied her glass and took it from her.

  “Now we will walk slowly back as if we are only concerned about His Royal Highness’s eyesight and then we will find out exactly who you have rescued.”

  “I never thought anything like this could happen so near to the Palace,” Narina remarked nervously.

  “Where those rapacious Russians are concerned, it might be anywhere,” the Lord Chamberlain replied.

  In a more concerned tone he added,

  “Are you sure that you feel like walking back? We can rest a little longer if you wish to.”

  “No, of course not, anything may be happening and you may have to send out soldiers to capture the Russians who are obviously trying to take this man a prisoner.”

  “We will soon find out the truth.”

  The Lord Chamberlain opened the door of the room and they walked back the way Narina had come.

  He stopped to greet several visitors whom he had not yet seen and told them he would be with them as soon as he was free, but he did not introduce them to Narina.

  The aides-de-camp in the hall waited for his orders, but he did not give any.

  They walked slowly up the stairs and only as they reached the top did Narina glance back and see the aides de-camp talking with each other.

  She guessed they were speculating as to why she had called for the Lord Chamberlain – they were obviously thinking that perhaps His Royal Highness had taken a turn for the worse.

  However, she did not say anything.

  They walked in silence down the long corridors to the Royal apartments.

  Only as they reached them did Narina say,

  “Can I come in with you or shall I wait outside?”

  He considered for a moment and then he smiled,

  “As you are responsible for this man and for putting him where he is, I think I would be very ungracious if I left you in ignorance.”

  Narina felt relieved as she had been thinking that it would be frustrating and ignominious to be left outside, as after all the stranger had been clearly fighting the Russians and was injured while doing so.

  He knocked on the door three times, which was the agreed signal to Paks that it was either herself or the Lord Chamberlain.

  It only took a second before Paks was at the door.

  “Is our visitor now decent?” the Lord Chamberlain enquired. “Her Royal Highness wishes to accompany me.”

  Paks grinned.

  “He be in bed, my Lord, and ever so grateful for the comfort of it.”

  The Lord Chamberlain then strode into the dimly lit room and Narina followed him.

  As they moved towards the bed Narina saw that the man she had rescued was propped up against the pillows.

  Paks had put a plaster on his forehead where it had been bleeding and there was another one on his cheek.

  The Lord Chamberlain reached the side of the bed.

  “I hear that you have been rescued by Her Royal Highness and I, as Lord Chamberlain of Alexanderburg, am anxious to hear the story of why you are here.”

  “Of course, you are,” replied the stranger. “And I may say how deeply grateful I am to Her Royal Highness for saving me by a hair’s breadth. I can only express my deep gratitude by saying that she behaved with a quickness of intuition I have never encountered before.”

  Narina stared at him.

  Then she and the Lord Chamberlain sat on chairs that Paks had brought to the side of the bed.

  “Now first of all, may I ask your name – or is that a secret?”

  “It is no secret from you, Lord Chamberlain. My name is Michael Ward.”

  To her considerable surprise, Narina realised that the Lord Chamberlain stiffened.

  Then he exclaimed in sheer astonishment,

  “Michael Ward! But naturally I have heard of you. What are you doing here so far from India?”

  “If you have heard of me, that is very much to my disadvantage and explains why I was very nearly captured by the Russians,” replied Michael Ward.

  “So I understand, but I am definitely astonished to see you here. When I was in India, the Viceroy told me of some of the missions you undertook and the brilliant way the Army was able to circumvent the Russians, thanks entirely to the information you supplied to them.”

  “As you will recognise, the least said about where I am the better. At the same time I have been following one particular Russian for two months, but was unfortunate on the outskirts of your country to be recognised by a man I nearly killed two years ago.

  “My disguise having been pierced, there was only one thing I could do and that was to run for it. I regret to say the Russians who are trying to catch me have followed me over your frontier and now know I am in the Palace.”

  “Are there many of them?” the Lord Chamberlain enquired.

  “Not enough to worry you at present, but I would certainly double your defences as soon as possible. In fact when I have completed my current task, I was going to see that you are informed that the Russian bear has his eagle eye on you, and they are beginning their usual trickery in an endeavour to take over Alexanderburg.”

  “I am aware of that already,” the Lord Chamberlain replied. “In fact you have come at what may be a fortunate time because, as you may well have guessed, His Royal Highness is away on a secret visit of which no one knows about except myself, the servant who has looked after you, and – Her Royal Highness.”

  He hesitated before he said the last three words.

  Narina realised that he was wondering whether he should tell Michael Ward that Princess Louise was with her husband or leave
him thinking that she was Louise.

  As if he wished to inform her that the latter was his intention, the Lord Chamberlain looked at her and said,

  “I think, Your Royal Highness, it is only right that I should explain to you that the gentleman you have rescued is a member of a very secret band of British Officers who are trying to counter Russian ambitions against India.”

  Narina smiled.

  “I think you are talking about The Great Game.”

  “You have heard about it, Your Royal Highness?” Michael asked.

  “My father is a close friend of the Viceroy, Lord Ripon. He told him in confidence how the information won by member’s of The Great Game had saved the Forts on the North-West frontier, and how they brought in reports on Asia where the Cossack hordes are riding to victory day after day.”

  Michael laughed.

  “We always imagine that no one but the authorities are aware of our activities and we flatter ourselves that we get away with it time after time. Yet Your Royal Highness knows our secret!”

  “Only second-hand until now!” replied Narina.

  “If that made you as quick as you were in taking me to safety, I can only repeat how grateful I am that, thanks entirely to you, I shall live to see the sun rise another day.”

  Narina gave a little cry.

  “I understand what you are saying. But, of course, you are still vulnerable and now they know where you are, they may well try again.”

  “I am aware of that,” he replied looking at the Lord Chamberlain.

  “And so am I,” said the Lord Chamberlain. “Now I understand who you are and why you are here, I am going to increase our defences of the Palace considerably. But, as you are both aware, no one else except ourselves must have the slightest idea as to why this is necessary.”

  “No, of course not,” Narina responded. “But will Mr. Ward really be safe, or would it be wise to send him away somewhere else?”

  “I think he will not only be safe,” mused the Lord Chamberlain as if he was thinking it out, “but I also believe that he could be extremely useful to us.”

  Narina gazed at him in surprise and so did Michael.

  “I don’t suppose, Mr. Ward,” the Lord Chamberlain went on, “that Paks, the servant, has told you that you are being hidden here in His Royal Highness’s bed because it is unoccupied? Everyone in the Palace believes that His Royal Highness is lying here suffering from a fall when out riding which has affected his eyes.”

  “I thought there must be some reason for the lack of sunshine and the dimness in this beautiful room.”

  “The reason is quite simple, but a complete secret. His Royal Highness is, at the moment, undergoing a small operation in Constantinople. It would be a great mistake, as you will appreciate better than anyone, for the Russians to know that he is not here in the Palace.”

  “I can understand that, but I feel sure that you have already taken every precaution.”

  “We thought we had until a member of The Great Game has come to take his place – ”

  “You can trust me, that I do promise you.”

  “I am not only trusting you, Mr. Ward, but I really want you to stay here until His Royal Highness returns.”

  Michael stared at him in surprise.

  “You will be far safer here than anywhere else. No one knows better than you do that the Russians never search openly for their prey if they can possibly avoid it, as usually the only way they can be defeated is if the man they are seeking dies.”

  Narina gave a little cry of horror.

  “I am not exaggerating, as Mr. Ward knows. But it will actually make things much easier for us if he is here, and we need not be frightened that by some mischance the Russians learn that not only is His Royal Highness’s bed empty, but that he has left the country.”

  “I can appreciate that. In fact it might be just what the Russians are waiting for. Of course, as I am somewhat exhausted at the moment and there are so many sore places on my body, I am only too delighted to accept your most kind invitation.”

  “Thank goodness for that. Now I shall be able to sleep more comfortably at night.”

  “There is only one thing I would very much like to know,” Michael enquired, “and that is who is the beautiful lady I thought must be Her Royal Highness?”

  The Lord Chamberlain gave a laugh.

  “Let me introduce, and this is equally a great secret, Miss Narina Kenwin, who has most kindly taken over the place of Her Royal Highness Princess Louise.”

  “I can only say how grateful I am to you,” Michael responded. “I never imagined that any woman would be so quick in understanding my position. Most women would have just been frightened of me and run away.”

  “While you were in India, you must have heard of Miss Kenwin’s father,” the Lord Chamberlain remarked. “When he was last there, he was a Canon, but since then he has been made the Bishop of St. Albans.”

  “Of course I have heard of him. In fact I met him once. I was told that he is an extremely brilliant man.”

  “Then you will not be surprised that his daughter is brilliant too!” the Lord Chamberlain added.

  “Now you are both making me feel embarrassed,” said Narina. “Although we have jumped one fence, I have an uncomfortable feeling there are a great number of others ahead of us.”

  “Yes, indeed there are,” replied Michael, “but if you and I cannot jump them together then, I will be quite prepared to eat my hat or whatever the expression is.”

  They all three laughed and the Lord Chamberlain rose to his feet, saying,

  “I am going back to tell the General in command of the troops that the Palace Guard is to be doubled and they must be quite certain that no one gets through.”

  He was silent for a moment.

  “If the Russians could dispose of you, Mr. Ward, and His Royal Highness at the same time, it would be a coup they have been hoping to achieve for a long time.”

  “They are not doing that badly,” he added grimly.

  “And as you well know their Empire was once two thousand miles from India, but they have lately been decreasing that space by over twenty miles a day.”

  “As bad as that!” the Lord Chamberlain exclaimed.

  “Worse than that, if we count in the Caravan towns and Khanates they have taken over so unscrupulously with very little resistance.”

  “Now you are making me more scared than I was already,” complained Narina. “Surely we are safe here as long as they believe that the Princess on the throne is under the personal patronage of Her Majesty Queen Victoria?”

  “That is just what we all want to believe,” the Lord Chamberlain said before Michael could reply. “Equally if either the Princess or the ruling Prince is absent, they will claim that gives them every right to take over the country.”

  “Again you are scaring me even more than before,” Narina chipped in.

  “I can assure you both,” declared Michael, “that the Government of India is determined that Russia will never take possession of her. And the Balkans, if they are clever and resolute can be saved as well.”

  “That is not true of all the Principalities – ”

  Michael smiled.

  “It has to be true of this one. Therefore please do increase your defences immediately and as soon as I have had a good night’s sleep, I will be able to tell you a great many things I don’t believe you are currently aware of.”

  “I will look forward to that,” the Lord Chamberlain answered.

  He put his hand on Narina’s shoulder.

  “Before Mr. Ward goes to sleep, I suggest that you talk to him and reassure yourself that he will act the part we request of him with a brilliance that no one else could.”

  He sighed before he continued,

  “I am hoping that he will be willing to stay here, as you will, until Their Royal Highnesses return. But just as you were yesterday taken by surprise and performed your duty beautifully in Princess Louise’s absence, we may
have to call on Mr. Ward to do the same thing.”

  Narina drew in her breath.

  Then she looked at Michael to see if he was about to protest.

  Even in the dim light of the room she could see that his eyes were twinkling.

  “There is one lesson I have learnt in this world,” he volunteered, “and that is no one gets anything for nothing. Very well, my Lord Chamberlain, I am at your service, and if I have to play the part of a ruling Prince or a reluctant mule, I am perfectly prepared to do either!”

  The Lord Chamberlain chuckled.

  “I thought that you would, Mr. Ward, but I can only hope for your sake it will not be necessary. Just remember that for everyone here, you are His Royal Highness Prince Rudolf, who is suffering from an accident while out riding that has threatened his eyesight.”

  “I will not forget, my Lord Chamberlain, and I am only grateful that I can play the part to help you.”

  “I will come and see you later this evening and tell you what orders I have given.”

  The Lord Chamberlain walked towards the door.

  As he reached it he turned back to raise his hand.

  Then he went out and Narina heard him speaking to Paks, who was keeping watch outside.

  As she looked at Michael, she realised that he was extremely tired as he lay back against the pillows.

  “I think,” she suggested, “you would go to sleep if I left you alone. After all you have been through, you must be completely exhausted.”

  “I have not been able to sleep at all for the last three nights. I have been moving around in the darkness as that was much safer and I only managed to snatch an hour or two’s rest each day in a hayrick or a dry ditch.”

  “Then you must go to sleep now, Mr. Ward. Shall we wake you up when it is time for dinner to be brought to you here – or would you rather sleep on?”

  “I think as I have had very little to eat, I would like to join you for dinner not only because I would very much enjoy something to eat but because I can then talk to you.”

  “Well, close your eyes and know that you are quite safe, and Paks is always available if you need anything.”

  Michael smiled at her.

  Narina realised that his eyes were slowly closing.

  She did not say any more as she walked towards the door and when she reached it and looked back, she had the feeling, although it was difficult to see clearly, that he was already fast asleep.