Rivals for Love (6 page)

He paused for a moment.

“What I have actually organised with the Prime Minister is that I will travel by sea in my yacht to the Gulf of Finland, and when I arrive I will ask for the privilege of conveying to the Empress a message of goodwill from the King of England.”

“What will that be?” asked Lady Violet.

“I think from what I have just gathered that His Majesty should be pleased that the war with Sweden has come to an end. It was in many ways interfering with our shipping in the North Sea.”

Lady Violet nodded as if she thought this at least was a good idea.

Then she said,

“Are you really prepared to look after and, I must say, control Elva? She knows that I love her very much, but she is very impulsive and she has an obsession that she must travel the world. I am only frightened that when you reach Russia, you will find her persuading you to go down to the Black Sea or to join in the Turkish war!”

“I promise you she will do none of those things as long as she is with me,” asserted the Duke. “She has also assured me that if I do take her she will do exactly what I tell her.”

Lady Violet glanced at Elva as if she thought this was most unlikely.

But Elva came in quickly,

“I promise, I swear I will keep my promise. Oh, please, Aunt Violet, do let me go! I will never again have the chance of going to Russia, for I am sure Papa will only be interested in travelling to European countries.”

“The whole idea is just completely and absolutely mad,” insisted Lady Violet. “But if, Varin, you really do believe this will help you and Elva promises to behave herself, it would at least save you from what I feel might become an exceedingly uncomfortable situation when you reach St. Petersburg.”

She spoke a little hesitatingly.

She considered it regrettable that Elva should have overheard everything she was telling the Duke privately about the Empress and her lovers.

But now that Elva had indeed listened in, there was nothing she could do about it.

She could only be thankful that the Duke would not be finding himself in a completely impossible position, such as she happened to know other men had experienced when they visited Russia.

She had fortunately not said as much as she might have done about the Empress's obsession for young men.

Everyone in St. Petersburg was gossiping about her behaviour. There were jokes about her and just before she and Edward left the City, one of her friends had told her that Prince Potemkin was returning to St. Petersburg.

He was most distressed and upset by Catherine's obsession for Platon Zubov.

In the Russian language
zubov
is the word for tooth and according to Lady Violet's friend, Potemkin had written to the Empress telling her he was returning as soon as possible to see her and ‘extract a painful tooth'!

The Empress apparently ignored the pun, but had not believed it was possible for him to leave the Army at such a crucial time.

Yet Lady Violet did consider, however successful Potemkin was in Kiev and the Crimea, that he would have no wish to lose the Empress and there was no doubt in the Palace that Zubov had a far greater hold over the Empress than any of his predecessors.

She had been silent now for a few moments and watching her Elva felt it was impossible for her to breathe.

She felt as if her whole life depended on her aunt's decision.

To her the situation seemed very simple indeed. If she and the Duke were intelligent about it, no one would ever know the truth.

Because the Duke was waiting too, Elva felt she could bear the suspense any longer.

“What you must say to Papa, Aunt Violet, is that I am going abroad with some friends and staying with them in either Portugal or Spain for just a few weeks.”

She saw her aunt was listening to her intently.

“Papa will think they are friends I have met while I have been in London and will not ask any questions. If he does, you do not know the answers. But by the time he is becoming worried or upset by my disappearance we will doubtless be back home.”

She thought as she spoke the darkness was being swept away from Lady Violet's eyes. She looked brighter and less worried.

It was then Elva realised that she was holding a trump card.

It was really what her father would think which was primarily worrying her aunt.

“Papa will surely not be back for at least two or three weeks,” she piped up. “So if I write to him and you write to him as well, he will not ask any questions until he actually returns. By that time I will be on my way home.”

She looked at the Duke as she spoke.

Almost as if she was compelling him to speak up he said,

“It is of course a possibility – ”

Lady Violet was about to submit in what she was beginning to feel was a hopeless battle.

“Very well,” she conceded. “I will agree to this fantastic idea simply because I think it will help Varin and Varin, of course, must assist the Prime Minister of England if it is at all possible for him to do so. But it must be as short a visit as you can possibly manage, Varin, and you and your elderly friend must look after Elva and see that she does not get into mischief or in any way besmirch her reputation.”

“She will not do so, Violet, and I do promise you I will protect her from any unpleasantness there might be, although I cannot imagine what it could possibly be.”

Lady Violet gave a little sigh.

“You do not know the Russians. The unexpected always happens there, but perhaps you two will be lucky.”

“Very well,” the Duke became decisive. “I will go and make arrangements for my yacht to be moored in the Thames below the House of Commons and my friend will be waiting for us at Tilbury.”

For a moment Elva could hardly believe that she had won.

She gave a cry of delight.

“
I am going abroad
! I am really going abroad! After all these years of reading and dreaming about it, longing to be a traveller, I am really going! Oh, thank you, thank you! I am the happiest girl in the world!”

She clasped her hands together and looked very lovely as she did so.

Lady Violet glanced at the Duke.

She was half afraid she would see in his eyes that small look of admiration that was usually the beginning of something more serious.

He was in fact looking at his watch!

“As I have so much to achieve, I think the sooner we are on our way the better. We can leave the day after tomorrow.”

“That is a very good idea,” replied Lady Violet. “Cousin Muriel will not be aware that Elva has returned to London and will think she is still in the country.”

“Elva must be aboard my yacht at seven o'clock on Wednesday morning,” the Duke now stipulated. “The
Sea Horse
will be ready to sail as soon as we appear and no one – and this is important – but no one must have the slightest idea that we are leaving the country, much less that we are heading for Russia.”

“We will make sure of it,” promised Lady Violet. “I am sorry, Varin, I have had to involve you in all these troubles and difficulties just when you expected something very different from me.”

“I think perhaps, my dear Violet, you have saved me from serious problems,” smiled the Duke. “In fact I am most grateful to you.”

He bent and kissed her cheek before walking to the door.

“Goodbye Elva. Please do not forget that from the moment you step on board, you travel as my wife. And as a Duchess I expect you to behave with great propriety and dignity.”

“I hope that Your Grace will not be disappointed,” replied Elva in a humble voice.

The Duke left them closing the door quietly behind him.

Elva threw her arms round her aunt's neck.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Aunt Violet,” she enthused. “Only
you
could be so sensible and realise how wonderful it is for me and very important as well – for His Grace, the Duke.”

She spoke the last few words rather mockingly and Lady Violet scolded her,

“Please, Elva, behave properly. It is essential that Varin should not be mixed up in anything that is at all frivolous or, in this particular case, deliberately deceive a foreign Royalty.”

“I am really going to behave just beautifully, Aunt Violet, so that when I do return every Duke in the country will want to marry me because I have become their ideal perfect Duchess!”

Lady Violet laughed loudly as if she could not help it.

“I can only hope that you keep your word and your promise, Elva, and do not forget that you represent our country. If you blot your copybook, it will reflect not so much on you as on Varin.”

“I am aware of that and I promise I will wave the Union Jack from the first thing in the morning to last thing at night!”

Lady Violet chortled.

At the same time she felt that she had somehow become involved in a situation which might turn out to be extremely dangerous.

Not only to her two relations who were taking part in the masquerade.

But in respect of the impression they might create in another country which for the moment was at peace with England.

The Duke was announced and entered the study.

The Prime Minister rose immediately and held out his hand.

“Good morning, Varin. Please do not tell me you have changed your mind.”

“Very nearly, William,” replied the Duke, “but I think I have found a solution to a very difficult problem.”

The Prime Minister looked surprised.

“What has happened? When you left me yesterday I was certain that you were more than happy to travel to St. Petersburg.”

“I went to visit my cousin, Lady Violet Grange, to seek her views,” answered the Duke.

“Surely no one could advise you better. I have a deep respect not only for your dear lovely cousin, but also for her husband, Edward.”

“I do know, William, but the first thing she said to me was that I could not go to St. Petersburg.”

The Prime Minister looked astonished.

“You could not go?” he repeated quietly. “Why ever not?”

“Because I am tall, dark and handsome!”

The Prime Minster looked bewildered as the Duke explained,

“Apparently that is just what the Empress prefers and in fact insists upon.”

The Prime Minister gave a gasp and then he said,

“To be honest that thought had never occurred to me, but I do see what Lady Violet means.”

“I should have thought that the Empress would be content with whoever she has ensnared at the moment, but it seems that anyone who looks at all like me attracts her attention and considering just who she is, it is almost impossible to say no to her.”

The Prime Minister put his hand on his forehead.

“I must be extremely stupid not to have thought of that.”

“I was remembering in the night,” continued the Duke, “that when we were studying at Cambridge together we attended a lecturer who spoke to us about Russia. Do you remember?”

“I think so,” the Prime Minister replied vaguely. “What particularly did he say?”

“He was talking about how spiteful and vengeful Russians could be if they were offended in any way. He told us about the Empress Anna who was a very plain and unpleasant woman whom no one liked.”

“I remember the lecture now. Do go on, Varin.”

“Apparently,” the Duke continued, “Prince Michael Gallitzin had offended her by refusing to do something she demanded and he also infuriated her by marrying a Roman Catholic.”

“Now I am just beginning to recall the story,” the Prime Minister murmured.

“The Prince made a further mistake by becoming a Catholic himself. The Empress next commanded him to be her page, but that was only the beginning.”

“I remember now,” interrupted the Prime Minister, “and she built an elaborate Ice Palace at a cost of seven thousand pounds!”

“That's right, William, and when the Prince's wife died, she ordered the unfortunate widower to marry again this time to a bride of her own choice.”

“Who was hideous!”

“Exactly,” agreed the Duke. “The Empress had commanded the Provincial Governors to each send the ugliest female representative they could find of the native race they were governing.”

“I remember the lecturer telling us,” the Prime Minister was now warming to the conversation, “that the representatives all travelled to the wedding in barbarous equipages drawn by pigs, dogs and goats!”

“That is indeed right and the wretched bridal pair were forced to travel to the Church in a cage on the back of an elephant!”

“It is too ridiculous to even think about!” the Prime Minister exclaimed.

“You may recall there was more to come,” added the Duke. “The couple were forced to sit on a dais and watch the merry-making at the reception. When the party was over they were ordered into the Ice Palace, stripped naked and made to spend the night in a bedroom in which all the furniture was made entirely of ice. Guards were placed at the doors to prevent them from escaping.”

“I now recollect the story only too well,” the Prime Minister said laughing. “Do you really think something like that might happen to you, Varin?”

“According to dear cousin Violet it might indeed,” the Duke answered, “and it is something I can assure you I am not going to risk under any circumstances.”

The Prime Minister was silent for a moment.

“You mean that you will not go to Russia for me, Varin?”

“I will travel to Russia, but in a manner which demands complete secrecy between you, me and Violet.”

The Prime Minister, who had been beginning to look depressed, brightened up a little.

“What do you mean?” he demanded.

“I mean I shall be travelling ostensibly with my ‘wife', the Duchess of Sparkbrook.”

The Prime Minister stared at him.

“Your
wife
?” he queried.