The King Without a Heart (3 page)

Thinking quickly Titania remembered that a month ago the Crown Prince Frederick of Velidos had come to stay after a visit to London, where apparently he had met her uncle and aunt and Sophie.

She had thought him a rather plain, dull young man and there had been something else about him which she had not liked.

She could not explain exactly what it was, but she had her mother's gift of being fey and was seldom wrong when she summed up a man or woman with whom she came into contact.

She had not been particularly interested in Prince Frederick and therefore apart from curtsying to him she had not had any close contact with him.

“Of course we all remember the Crown Prince,” commented the Duchess. “A charming young man and with the good manners that so many Englishmen lack.”

It was the sort of remark she often made when she compared the English to the men of her own country who were always spoken about as if they had every talent under the sun.

“I have here a letter from the Crown Prince,” the Duke was saying somewhat pompously, “in which he asks that Sophie shall proceed as soon as possible to Velidos, where to his great delight his brother, the King, has given permission for their marriage.”

The Duchess gave a little exclamation of delight, but Titania was completely astonished.

She had no idea or else she had not listened very carefully that the Crown Prince wished to marry Sophie or that it had been arranged by her uncle.

He was quite obviously delighted at the idea of his daughter being united with a Royal family, even though it was not at all an important one. Because the bridegroom was a Crown Prince there was obviously some likelihood that he would later become King.

The Duke was waiting for his daughter's response to his announcement and Sophie simpered demurely,

“I am delighted at the news, Papa. How soon will we be leaving for Velidos?”

“
You
will be leaving, my dear,” replied the Duke. “Your future husband has of course invited your mother and me to accompany you, but I am afraid it is impossible for me to get away immediately, which is what he requires, because of my duties at Windsor Castle.”

Titania was aware that the Duke's attendance at Windsor Castle was something he looked forward to and nothing or no one could prevent him from being there.

From what she gathered his duties were hereditary and not very arduous and he had no intention of trying to change them or failing to do what was expected of him.

“If you are not coming with me,” said Sophie plaintively, “it will be very frightening going to a strange country when I cannot even speak the language.”

“I said I cannot go,” added the Duke testily, “but your mother will of course accompany you and your future husband says in this letter that a member of the Cabinet will be in attendance on you as well as two Ladies-in-Waiting, a gentleman usher and several other members of the Royal Household.”

“Well that will be all right, I suppose, but I shall miss you, Papa.”

“And I shall miss you, my dear, and I regret not attending your wedding, but as soon as possible you must bring your husband to stay with us here, perhaps for the shooting or hunting in the autumn.” 

Sophie looked pleased at this suggestion and then unexpectedly, she looked across the table.

“And I shall take Titania with me,” she asserted haughtily. “No one else can do my hair as well as she can.”

“But I cannot go,” Titania exclaimed quickly without thinking. 

“Why ever not,” Sophie asked aggressively. 

“I would have to leave Mercury behind and I am sure there will be excellent hairdressers in Velidos.”

“I have never heard such nonsense,” intervened the Duchess sharply. “If your cousin wants you to accompany her, Titania, you will go and think yourself extremely lucky. Most girls of your age would be delighted to travel abroad.”

She rose from the table as she spoke and Titania recognised that it was no use arguing. 

However her heart sank as if she once left England and Mercury and Nanny, which were all that remained of her life, what would happen to her in the future?

Almost as if the Duke was reading her mind he said,

“You will go with your cousin, Titania, and, as your aunt says, you should think yourself a very fortunate girl. When Sophie has settled down perhaps in six months or a year, you will come back and I shall find a suitable husband for you.”

He paused for a moment before continuing,

“Unfortunately not someone very grand, seeing what a bad marriage your father made, but at least you have the advantage of being my niece and that should count for a great deal.”

Titania drew in her breath. 

She had always been afraid that this was what her uncle would say to her one day.

She had known, when he had been busy arranging Sophie's marriage, he was determined it would be with someone grand and then that he would eventually come round to arranging hers.

She had no intention of marrying someone chosen for her by her uncle and someone she did not love.

She could remember her father saying over and over again,

“I am the luckiest man alive, Titania, because I married your mother who I love so deeply and who loves me. I was not pushed up the aisle with some stupid woman who wanted my title or whose family considered themselves the equal of mine.”

He had laughed when he finished speaking and then added,

“Your mother to me is the Queen of Love and the Princess of Happiness. What man could ask for a finer pedigree than that?”

Titania had smiled at him and became determined that when she married she would be as happy as her father and mother were together.

If ever her father had been away for the day, her mother would wait for his return and when she heard him come in at the front door, she would then run towards him, put her arms round his neck and pull his head down to hers.

“You are – home! Oh, darling, how – much I have – missed you.”

Titania could now hear her voice saying those very words. 

“As I have missed you, my precious one,” her father would reply.

Then he would kiss her mother and it would be some time before he would stop kissing her. 

That was love! 

That was what living meant with someone you adored and who adored you.

It was what Titania wanted to find, even if she remained unmarried until she died, but she knew it was no use explaining her feelings to her uncle.

She must wait until her bridegroom had been chosen for her and then she would have to be brave enough to insist that she would not marry him.

She could imagine only too well how furious her uncle would be and how disagreeable her aunt. 

That, however, was not the problem at the moment.

As if her father was prompting her, Titania knew she must accompany Sophie, even though it meant leaving Mercury behind.

She did not say any more, but followed her aunt and Sophie from the dining room. Only when they were outside and walking towards the hall did Titania slip away.

She ran down the passage and up the secondary staircase which led up to the first floor and there was another flight up to the second. She was running so quickly that she was almost breathless when she reached the top.

She opened the door of the sewing room where she knew she would find Nanny.

She was an elderly woman who had come to Lady Rupert when Titania was born. She had loved the small baby who had been placed in her arms and she had given Titania her whole devotion over the years.

For one terrifying moment, after her mother and father had died, Titania was afraid that her uncle would not allow Nanny to accompany her to Starbrooke Hall.

“Nanny will not only look after me,” she had told him, “but help the seamstress if you have one. She is wonderful with a needle and Mama always said there was no one like her.”

It was fortunate that at that moment the Starbrooke seamstress was growing old and the Duchess was already talking of having to look for a new one.

So Nanny had gone with Titania and she made the parting from her home a little easier to bear than it might have been.

Now she opened the door of the sewing room to find Nanny, as she expected, sitting by the window mending a pillowcase.

She ran across the room towards her and before Nanny could even move, Titania flung her arms around her neck. 

“Oh, Nanny! Nanny!” she cried, “
I cannot bear it
.”

“What is it, dearie?” asked Nanny. “What can have upset you so?”

“Sophie is to marry the – Crown Prince of Velidos,” sobbed Titania, “and I have to go with her – just because I can do her hair.”

Nanny did not say anything, she only held Titania tightly.

“How can I go away and leave – Mercury?” wept Titania, “and how can I leave – you? Uncle Edward says I can come – back when Sophie is settled, but only because he – intends to find a – husband for me. Oh, Nanny, I cannot bear it.”

“Perhaps it won't be as bad as you expect, dearie,” Nanny soothed her. “And it will be a change for you to travel abroad as you used to do with your father and mother and loved every moment of it.”

“But that was because – I was with them and – not with Sophie.”

“Well you never know there might be interesting things to see and I'll remind His Grace that he said you could come home when her Ladyship's settled down.”

Titania wiped away her tears. “I suppose you will think – I am not being sensible, Nanny, but I have – lost Papa and Mama – and the house where I was so happy, and now I have to – lose you and – Mercury and there is nothing left –
nothing
.”

“Now what I'll do,” said Nanny sensibly, “is make you a nice cup of tea. You'll feel better after that.”

“No thank you. I have just had breakfast. It's not tea I want, Nanny, but to – go back to our – little house – where we were all – so happy.”

“You can't put back the clock, dearie, that is something you can't ever do in life. But going to that place where her Ladyship's getting married will be something new and might even be exciting.”

“I doubt it,” sniffled Titania. “Papa used to laugh at those small Balkan countries and say they were all much of a muchness and he would much rather climb the – Himalayas or walk across the – African desert.”

“That sounds very like your father and from what I hear of the African desert it's too hot and too dry and you have to go for miles and miles to find a drink of water.”

Titania laughed as Nanny meant her to. “Oh, Nanny, you always see the bright side of everything! If I don't have you to talk to and – of course Mercury who never answers back, I will be so miserable and will – cry myself to sleep – every night.”

“That'll be very silly,” Nanny scolded her, “making yourself look plain and spoiling your eyes. You listen to me. When you get to this place you'll find something to amuse you and, who knows, perhaps it's your father – God bless his soul – taking you away from this mountain of misery.”

Titania laughed again and it was a very pretty sound.

“Oh, Nanny, darling Nanny, you always cheer me up and of course you are quite right. It will be a change to get away from here and not have to listen to everyone telling me over and over again what a mistake it was for Papa to have married Mama.”

“She was indeed a gift from God Himself,” Nanny told her, “and that's what your father always believed her to be. I've never in all my life known a man so happy and just you remember that when they say anything to you.”

“It's not exactly what they say,” answered Titania. “It's the way they look and the note in their voices and they speak to me as if I was something out of the gutter that had crawled in by mistake.”

Nanny gave her a little shake. “Now you're not to talk like that. I taught you when you were small to see the bright side of life and the best side of people. If they're unpleasant and disagreeable, it's hurting them more than it's hurting you. Always remember that.”

“Oh, Nanny, I love you so much. If I do have to go away, you must write to me every day and tell me how Mercury is and make me laugh by the things you say otherwise I shall just sit – crying until I come home.”

“You'll do nothing of the sort. That would make your father very angry.” Titania thought for a moment and then she said,

“You are quite right, Nanny, he would be ashamed of me running away from an adventure! That is what this has to be. If I have to stay there any longer than six months, I will go on my knees to the King and ask him to let you come out and join me.”

“That'll be the day,” muttered Nanny.

She took out her clean handkerchief and wiped Titania's eyes and then glanced at the clock.

“If you ask me,” she said, “her Ladyship'll be wanting you to do something for her and making a fuss if you don't turn up.”

“Yes, Nanny,” agreed Titania with a little sigh. “I had better go down and see what is wanted. I understand now why we had to shop and shop when we were in London. I could not think why she wanted all those clothes.”

“They'll be her trousseau. I don't have to guess far that I'll be sewing a whole lot of them one way or the other before you go.”

Titania kissed Nanny on both cheeks.

“I love you Nanny. You always make me laugh when I want to cry.”

“As I've told you often enough before, dearie, no woman looks her best with swollen eyes. And crying never got you anywhere, that's for sure.”

Titania kissed her again.

“I am going down smiling,” she resolved, “and telling myself, although it is a lie, that I want to go to Velidos.”

She ran from the room as she was speaking.

Nanny gave a deep sigh and sat down again.

She knew better than Titania knew herself how much the girl was suffering. It was bad enough to lose her father and mother and the home where she had been so happy.