I said, ‘Will Tess be in danger, or you or Gerhardt?’
‘I can’t answer that. Not if we all move quickly.’
We strolled back to the castle which glowed like ivory in the moonlight. But I was disturbed. It seemed a simple plan but big money was involved and, in my experience, big money meant big stakes and, often, violence---guns and things. I was in strange territory and I was wary. But I couldn’t refuse. If only I could talk to Tessa.
As we said goodnight, Sophie gave me a healthy kiss, ‘From Tessadonna’, she said. ‘A good long ride to see the country after breakfast; time to yourself to sneak around the palace; and then the Royal dinner dance. We might see Tessa.’
I went to bed, not entirely happy. All the warnings. All the plotting. Tessa deserved more than a furtive elopement although I wanted to be married to her as quickly as possible. But there were quicksands.
14.
So I sneaked around the Palace, as far as I could. There were Palace Guards all over the place and they firmly indicated to me just how far I could go. It was not very far.
Sophie picked me up the next day and we selected two fine horses from the stables, me carrying my new saddle to the stables, and went off down the hillside, past the village and its quaint little inn and out into the beautiful lush green picture-postcard countryside. And yet Tess preferred the Australian bush.
Sophie admired the saddle and said, ‘Did you notice anything about it?’
‘Yes, the stirrup leathers didn’t need adjusting. How did she know?’
‘She checked your buckle holes in Australia and put that info in her bag. She was very upset when the bag didn’t arrive with her, but the Leslies had it and sent it over. Then our Tess was a happy Tess. She loves you very much, Barton.’
‘Only she will ever know how much I love her, Sophie. Let’s ride. I want to break this saddle in.’
Sophie set a good pace and talk was difficult.
Bassenburg du Mont was very pretty but, as we got further in, very mountainous, made for skiing. We had backpacks with wine and sandwiches and eventually stopped for lunch. We climbed a bit and finished on top of a big rock, with a splendid view, and set out the lunch.
We talked, about Tessa and Sophie and their friendship. She would normally be tightly with Tessa at this time but had been assigned to me instead. That’s how important I was, she pointed out.
We rode home and I had a big shower, ready to don my new and somewhat elaborate uniform. The Police tailor had taken some liberties, given the nature and location of the event and I felt a little like a Chocolate Soldier. But for Tessadonna…..!
Indeed, there were two levels in the big ballroom---one for Tessa and her high-level guests and one for us of the lower order. They were connected by a wide flight of two steps. A rail stretched along the upper level. I was surprised there weren’t guards, but there were big potted plants to ensure that those upstairs were immune from us downstairs. Sophie could have been up with the gods but loyally stayed with me. She was good company and we danced as close to the boundary rail as we could, but no sign of Tessa, all through the night. As I took all this in, I had to wonder what life with the Princess would be like, with such a clear delineation between them and us.
After a while, I suggested that, if I called it a night, she could slip up to Tessa, and she agreed. She was obviously anxious about her.
I walked out of the Palace and down to the village. There was great merriment at the inn and I was singing Waltzing Matilda to the gathering before long. But mindful of the power of their local beer, I eventually climbed the hill and fell into bed, leaving my crushed and beer-stained uniform hanging outside the door.
Yeah! They could celebrate, these Bassenburgers. Them of the lower level.
****
It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for the coronation—bright blue sky, a few fluffy white clouds and just a faint breeze.
I went for an early ride and then came home to don the finery again. This time I had my cap which I would don when Tessa’s Crown was placed on her head. All would don their headgear at this moment. Sophie had explained that things were on a much smaller scale than, say, in England. The Crown was smaller and Tessa would hold a sceptre and nothing else. But, she said, prepare to be astonished by the beauty of her.
Sophie spent most of the morning with Tessa but then came to me to accompany me to the Cathedral, next to the Palace. And here the first blow, and the first smile of cynicism from Inspector Corrigan.
I was smack behind a big pillar and would but see her passing by. Not a glimpse of anything else.
Sophie was beside me and could see little more. She was very angry and went off to protest but came back fuming. I gathered that the arrangements were to remain. Oh, well! I’d promised good behaviour and good behaviour was what I’d give. I didn’t know who I could take it out on anyway, and I’d been warned.
Sophie was restless and kept hissing things like, ‘This is wrong, Bart. Tessa will be furious.’ I couldn’t imagine my Tessa ever being furious.
And then she left her seat and disappeared. There were murmurs and glances from the ones nearby but Inspector Corrigan couldn’t give a stuff. The day was over, as far as I was concerned.
I sat for a long time and then Sophie reappeared, reached across the nearby seated ones, with the good seats, and took my hand. She led me down the aisle, turning into a large room at the end.
“Stay there! Don’t move. It’s time for both of you.’ She took my cap and put it on a nearby table.
Then a door opened and there was my Tessadonna, robed and ready and amazingly beautiful. She was fussing with her robe and didn’t notice me until Sophie said, ‘Tessa!’
Tess looked up and saw me.
‘Oh, Bart, my darling. Oh, Bart!’
She looked around the room at her attendants and all the officials.
‘Leave us, please! We wish to be alone.’ She was imperious and beautiful. Some objected but Her Royal Highness was commanding.
‘Leave us!’
When they’d gone, she looked at me tenderly and said, ‘I don’t know what to say. God bless Sophie. I looked for you last night but she said you left early. I’m so sorry about all this, Bart, but we’ll be together soon.’
I said, ‘I want to hold you but know I can’t. You’re beautiful. Marry me, please, Tessadonna?’
‘Oh, yes! Please, darling.’
I had an engagement ring. It had cost a year’s salary and I pulled it out.
‘It’s not much compared with all the jewels that are yours. But it comes from me and Australia. Will you wear it?’
She smiled brilliantly and waggled her bejewelled left hand playfully.
‘Look, darling. A bare third finger, just waiting. Of course I’ll wear it. I love you beyond belief. Put it on me please?’
It slid on comfortably, an Aussie black opal surrounded by diamonds, and she held it out to admire. It flashed myriad colours.
‘This unites us, darling, from Australia. It’s beautiful.’
She leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips and then Sophie and the others came in and said, ‘Time now Tess.’
Tessa turned to the officials and said, ‘I want him at the end of the aisle where I can see him through the whole ceremony and then until I go to the balcony. Don’t defy me on this gentlemen. In my view all the time!’
She turned to the door and the Royal fanfare began. Her Royal Highness the Jillaroo reached out her hand gracefully to touch mine, took a deep breath, lifted her head and began the magnificent progress along the aisle to her throne. She graciously bowed her head to each side as the gathering bowed and curtsied and then did the same when she reached the throne and turned to stand in front of it.
I was in the middle of the aisle at the bottom and, after she’d acknowledged the attendance, she turned her shining eyes to me and bent her head regally. I bowed to her, something I never thought I’d ever do in my life.
I stood there through the ceremony and, except when she had to, Tessa never took her wonderful eyes from mine. At one stage she touched the left side of her robe and nodded at me, smiling. My medals, she was saying, and people turned to look.
I could hear Sophie sniffling quietly somewhere nearby.
I donned my cap as Tessa was crowned, looking wonderfully regal. She made a short and careful progress down the aisle, balancing the Crown on her beautiful head and then turned off to a balcony to greet her people as the ruler of Bassenburg du Mont. She was loved.
****
Sophie and I went downstairs into the crowd but barely got a glimpse of the Princess. She didn’t stay long, as her brother came and spoke to her. She looked startled and looked around the gathering on the Royal balcony. Then she leaned over looking down in the crowd, clutching the Crown onto her head. Then she hurried inside. Something seemed to be wrong.
There were some hours till the dinner/dance to give Tessa a break so Sophie and I went for a ride. Then it was time for the finery again, but I was to wear black tie now and hoped to see my love.
Again it was impossible to glimpse or get near Tessa. I asked Sophie about the elopement. It was all planned, she said. I should pack and make contact with Gerhardt to go to the inn.
But when I found Gerhardt he said, ‘Something’s gone wrong. I have a message to keep you away from the inn. I think the whole thing might be off.’
Sophie appeared, in tears. ‘It’s all been stopped, Bart. You should leave.’
‘No bloody fear, ‘I said. ‘I’m a copper. I don’t scare easily.’
I hurried to the ballroom where a disco was in action as part of the dinner-dance and there was Tessa, dancing happily in the middle, with about six handsome young men around her.
She saw me and came to me, looking down from her upper level, upon me on the lower level.
‘Our engagement is off, Bart. I’m sorry. I cannot marry you. It was all a mistake. You should leave my country. You’re no longer welcome here. Hurry! Go!’ and turned back to re-join the dancers.
I stood looking at her for a minute but she ignored me, dancing happily, so I walked hurriedly to Gerhardt and his car. Sophie caught me and kissed me but I’d had a gutful of this mob. Gerhardt and I drove off to Vienna airport. I can’t describe the feeling in my guts. I’d have cheerfully killed someone if they’d got in my way.
Gerhardt wisely stayed silent, carried my bags to the check-in, shook my hand and said, ‘I’m sorry sir. This is a huge shock. I can’t understand what went wrong,’ and left.
I was not a man who ever got really angry. Anger was a luxury for a detective, I’d thought. But now I did have an anger within me—not against Tessa, but I knew we were finished. Greater powers had prevailed and I’d been out of my depth. I’d always been out of my depth. What role had Tessa played? I wanted the anger to last and eventually I’d find someone to vent it against.
I started to check in to fly home but changed the booking to go to Berlin and then other capitals around the world. I had four weeks’ leave and I was sure there’d be plenty of young ladies along the way willing to drop their pants for Robert Taylor.
But even not thinking clearly, as I was, I knew enough to remove the card from my phone, in Berlin airport, drop it in a bin, drop the useless phone in another bin and buy a new superphone.
I was incommunicado, until I tuned people in. And that wouldn’t include the von Prambergs and their ilk
15.
On my return to La Maison Grunge in Brisbane weeks later I thought I picked up a faint perfume. I couldn’t identify it, but it was familiar. No matter.
I sat down and keyed in all my Police numbers to my new phone and then relatives and friends. No Tessa or Sophie or Gerhardt.
I disconnected my computer—Tessa’s gift, and put it in a cupboard. I requested a new internet address, which took a while. I disconnected my landline phone, a simple process of pulling the wire from the wall connection. I bought a new computer which didn’t need a landline and I thought seriously of sending Tessa’s gift computer back to her. I still had the box it came in. I decided to let all that go for a while.
I made a list of all the people I would have to contact with my new addresses and then went shopping. Someone had certainly been in my flat and I confirmed this when I went to collect my mail from Dick Polson, the neighbour who cared for my things when I was away. He always had an accounting, so I paid him, avoided questions about my overseas trip. He said two very pretty young ladies had stayed at the flat at different times. The first, a beautiful honey blonde, knew where the key was and just moved in, but only to spend a few days. Each used the flat only to sit around, waiting, apparently. Each left after a few days.
He’d tackled the first woman, the blonde, and she’d told him that she was my fiancée. I’d told her where I put the key and I remembered that I’d told Tessa that during one of our talks, if ever she needed a place in Brisbane… I think I was hoping she’d take the hint and move in. That’s when we were friends and before snakes. The second woman had said she was a friend of the fiancée, and of mine. I didn’t bother about corrections. The blonde flashed a ring at Dick, as proof of ownership, I suppose. That was interesting. Tess had broken our engagement, I thought.