‘And also, they’ve taken you off my list for the Royal dinner, the night before the coronation. You will be attending a lower level dinner in the same room, but not near me. And they’ve taken you off the list for a dance the night after, a disco. It seems that I won’t be near you until they all go, and that will only be a day or so. Are you angry?’
She was watching me very carefully through the screen and the truth is that I was disappointed more than angry.
‘This is exactly what I feared, Princess. We spoke of it. I’m the commoner and I’m being put in my place and it all couldn’t have been done more neatly. I thought you ran the place, at least once you’re crowned? I don’t resent not being near you, Tessa. A few days doesn’t matter. It’s the clarity of our different positions and what it means to our future. I have to think, and you must too, that despite all our soft words, this will overwhelm us. And now, sweet Tessa, I have to think that there’ll be too many obstructions in our way and that I’m an embarrassment to you and will be in our life together. So, thanks for the invitation, but I think I’ll pass.’
She didn’t cry or beg.
‘I do run the place, Bart, but you have to understand that I need a lot of help. I don’t do it all by myself. There are nations to whom we owe debts and their representatives have to be respected and treated carefully. This is Europe, Bart, and they can be very touchy, just like Barton Corrigan. I’ve done my best but have had to give in, reluctantly. Please reconsider?’
‘Tessa, I meant what I said. You just confirmed it all. You’re up there, with your obligations, and I’m down here, with my unreasonable hopes. Sorry, darling!’
And turned off the computer, her beautiful computer.
****
My phone rang, the next day.
‘Hello, is that Inspector Barton Corrigan, Bart the Bastard, please?’ A beautifully modulated English voice.
‘Yep. And let me say that you can’t be any harder on me than I’ve been on myself.’
‘I’m Sophie Woods, but since you seem to be so hot on ranks and titles, and your lack of them, Lady Sophie Woods. My father’s a lord but more importantly, Tessa is my best friend. Need I say more?’
‘No, ma’am.’
‘She hasn’t cried. She’s moved on with the things that she has to do, rehearsals, decisions on where people sit and even where they sleep. This should all be a joy—hard work but a joy, planning what will be one of the most important and happiest days of her life. It should be! But you just took care of all that, Inspector Bastard, with your fragile ego and sense of inverted snobbery. Now you may speak.’
‘Thank you, Sophie. I know about you but not about your mouth. You’re a good friend. I can guess how she’s feeling and how she looks. If it helps, which it won’t, I haven’t slept since, going over and over how I treated her. I do truly love her. I’ve been plucking up the courage to switch on my computer and beg her forgiveness. I’ve been sitting here with my finger near the switch for half an hour, rehearsing. Is she near hers?’
‘In among all the demands on her time, she’s barely moved away from it. Do it!’ and she hung up.
I pressed the button and there was my Tessa, drawn face and all.
‘Don’t say anything, Tessa. Please just listen and respond. Please forgive me?’
‘Oh, yes, Bart!’ She really was a sweet girl.
‘Is my bed still booked?’
A wonderful smile. ‘Oh, yes! It was never cancelled. Sophie rang you didn’t she? I asked her not to but nobody takes any notice of me around here anyway.’
‘I love you, Tess, just as I said before. Everything that’s going to happen is just fine with me. It will only be for a few days anyway, won’t it?’
‘A lot’s beyond my control, but I hope so.’
‘Any longer and I’d want to elope.’
And then a really beautiful smile. ‘Sophie and I have discussed that already. Yes, elope! I’d want to do that too.’
‘I’m sorry that I hurt you. Sophie told me that you didn’t cry and I’m glad. I don’t want to make you cry. Ever! As soon as I hung up on you I knew I couldn’t live without you, Princess. I just had to swallow my rotten pride. Now you know. Will you still marry me?’
‘Of course I will. I was never not going to marry you. I don’t give up that easily, my darling! But I had a few things on my mind. I hoped that you’d come back but if you hadn’t, my first official duty was to travel to Australia and beg you. That’s when I would have cried!’
‘Boy! I’m a happy cop now. I will see you and you will see me. Is my cop’s uniform ok? A new one.’
‘Yes. Will you wear your medals, please? I know you’re a bit self-conscious about them, but, please, for me?’
I was surprised. ‘How did you know? I’ve never told anyone about them.’
‘You told me, one moonlight night at The Gums. I asked you and you told me. I’ve remembered all of our conversations, my precious man. And now, duty calls. Polish those medals. Gerhardt Miller will meet you at the airport on Tuesday night. He’s my driver but he’s also a lawyer and a sort of bodyguard. Sophie will pick you up in the Palace soon after you arrive and Tessa will be dreaming of you, darling, all the time. It might take a while but we will be together, Barton. I promise. Goodnight.’
‘Auf Wiedersehen, mein SuBe.’ That meant ‘farewell, my sweetheart.’ You see, I was trying.
If I hadn’t known it before, I knew now what a wonderful, sweet prize of a girl loved me and how lucky I was. My pride had nearly made me lose her.
I’d forgotten to ask her how she knew about my birthday. So I googled myself on the Queensland Police site. And there I was with my birthday on 16th of May. She’d been googling me and I couldn’t have been happier.
****
Gerhardt Miller was a tall blond-haired young man waiting for me at the Vienna airport. He didn’t use a name placard, he told me later, because he’d seen my photograph and had also looked at me on the computer as Tessa was winding up one of our sessions. Those wind-ups were sometimes pretty warm so I wondered if she knew he was nearby. Or else he was close in the establishment.
His English was accented. He told me he was an Austrian lawyer who, somehow had become involved with the von Pramberg family through an Austrian jurist with whom he’d served. The judge had monitored Tess and her brother, David, when their parents had died, so Gerhardt was assigned to Tessa, in particular to watch over her in recent years. That was interesting because he was still quite a young man.
I had a feeling that I was being given the once over but that was ok.
As we started to drive, he gave me a note from Tessa—
‘My darling, darling man. At last you’re here and please understand that I can’t meet you or see you for a while. But now my happiness is nearly complete. My beloved Bart is in my little country and soon we’ll be together. I yearn for you, Barton. Soon, darling!’
Gerhardt watched until I folded the note and put it away.
‘May I speak to you frankly, sir?’ he asked.
‘By all means, Herr Miller.’
He laughed. ‘Gerhardt will do just fine.’
‘And Bart on this side.’
‘The royal best friend, Sophie Woods, will take you over when I deliver you to the Palace, but you should understand that Bassenburg du Mont is in Europe which is full of intrigue and plotting. Centuries of it. It is not big, friendly, open Australia. People are always scheming here and Her Royal Highness is not immune from being the target. It’s been an achievement to get to a coronation. I think she has told you a little of the plotting that has seen you almost removed from the function. Her councillors have consistently altered her plans for you and you’ve been most gracious and understanding. But all this shows you that she needs somebody strong at her side. If what I hope is going to happen, does happen, you’ll be the best thing that has happened to Her Royal Highness and this little country. Your patience will be tested but please be patient. I hope I’ve not been impertinent, sir, but that’s the way things will be.’
‘Glad to have your input, Gerhardt. Will I get the same from Sophie?’
‘Probably.’
It was hard to see the countryside in the dark, but not when we got near Bassenburg du Mont. The country was lit up in celebration along the way from the Austrian border and the palace was like a fairy castle, with towers and turrets and big heavy doors, all lit up. Very Olde Worlde.
As we pulled into the courtyard I looked for Tessa but she was nowhere. Never mind. I’d expected that.
Gerhardt took my bags and I followed him in to the grand entrance and towards a grand staircase, but not up it. Instead, we walked beside it, down a passageway to a room amongst a bank of others. It was a comfortable room.
In it was a beautiful new Australian stockman’s saddle, on a wooden stand, with bridle gear hanging over it. The rein was braided cord, in the green and gold colours of Australia.
There was a note in an envelope stuck to the saddle—‘My darling. Another gift for the man I love. You can use it when Sophie takes you for a ride tomorrow. I have one just like it. Soon, darling!
Gerhardt admired it and said, ‘You were supposed to be higher up in the accommodations, but the councillors gradually wore her down and this was the best she could do. She asked me to apologise, sir.’
‘No need, old son. Just to be under the same roof as her is reward enough. I’ve come a long way.’
Gerhardt began to unpack for me and hang my two Police uniforms and other finery, carefully made for me by the Queensland Police tailor.
‘A valet will check everything tomorrow morning. It’s essential that you be seen at your best for the State dinner dance tomorrow night and for the ceremony the next day, even though, once again, you’ll be kept away from her, sir. But, just in case. If Sophie has her way I think you may get close. Feel free to wander the Palace sir. There’ll be guards. But food and drink will be available, just by pressing that button. I think Sophie will be looking for you soon, so please stay close to your room for a while. Goodnight, sir, and I hope you enjoy your stay. You’re a very special guest.’
And now the redoubtable Sophie, Tessa’s best friend since early schooldays and University in England. Inseparable, I gathered from my moonlight talks with Tessa and, I knew from experience, a straight-talking and loyal friend.
I waited.
She was worth the wait---a beautiful brown-eyed brunette, perfectly formed and she and Tessa together must have been a sensational sight.
I opened the door and she leaned up and kissed me on one cheek and then the other. Then she leaned her lovely cheek on mine for a while.
‘I’m so glad that you came. Since that was all decided, the girl has been glowing. You’re the only one she wants but must have others, of course.’
‘And you, I’m guessing,’ I said.
‘Not even me, if she could have one choice. Has Gerhardt briefed you?’
‘In a way, Miss Woods or Lady Woods or Lady Sophie…’
‘Or Sophie. You’re an Aussie aren’t you? And Tessa wants to be. So let’s all be mates!’
She took my hand in her warm one and said, ‘Let’s go for a walk down to the village. There’s a nice inn down there which could be important to you. I have a lot to tell you. A lot for you to understand.’
I said, ‘I’m curious.’ We walked out of the castle gate down a cobbled roadway, pretty steep, and there was a small village, visible in the moonlight, about a kilometre down the slope.
‘Are you jealous, Bart?’
‘Generally, not. But I could be as far as Tessa’s concerned. I love her very much.’
‘And she’s besotted with you. Keep that knowledge in your heart. Even now, Tessa is being courted by some young, handsome and rich men. They have much to offer because they want her beauty but also they want access to this little country and its magnificent ski fields, or the prospect of them. Skiing holidays are bigtime here but they see that they could be even bigger, so these people are bringing marriage and investment billions.’
I said, ‘What does Tessa think of all this?’
‘Not interested, but David is and he’s hooked. As far as he’s concerned you don’t count. He didn’t want you here. I gather you shot a shaft into him in Australia.’
‘We exchanged barbs.’
‘So this is why you won’t see much of Tessa or even any of her, until the festivities are over. The coronation is important to her, naturally, but so are you. Be patient and trusting Bart. And here we are at Richard’s Rest and you now have me at my scheming best. Your shout.’
We sat and had beer, good beer.
‘I think that you and Tess are going to be frustrated by David and the councillors so you must elope. When the festivities are drawing to a close, and the investors I talked about are expecting an engagement announcement with one of theirs, Gerhardt will bring you here to this inn. I’ll bring Tessa. We’ll all go to Vienna to Gerhardt’s judge, Dr. Elmaden. He has your marriage papers prepared now. He’ll marry you and Tess; you stay in Vienna or elsewhere for your wedding night and then return to the Palace where Tess will announce it all. She’ll be the ruler, with you at her side. David will be on the outer and the intruders will be frustrated. No Tess, no big investments. Are you game?’