Виктория Холт - The Queen's Husband

‘What about Albert?’ cried Alberinchen.

‘Well, there was another little boy, an attendant of the Princes, who was sleeping in a bed near that of Albert and they mistook him for Prince Albert and took him instead.’

Alberinchen’s face puckered. It seemed that Prince Albert was going to be left out of the adventure and he didn’t like that.

‘Albert was clever,’ said Grandmama quickly. ‘He saw at once that a mistake had been made, so he said nothing and when little Graf von Barby, the boy they had mistaken for Albert, was dragged away, he hid under the bed in case they came back.’

‘And what happened then?’

‘They discovered their mistake and came back for Albert. They found him under the bed.’

‘But he was clever to hide there,’ said Alberinchen.

‘It was very clever. Well, the good Duke Frederick was not going to allow his sons to be kidnapped, so he sent his trusty soldiers after the villains and they caught them and the boys were restored to their father. Now, that is a true story and it happened in the year 1455.’

‘I like that story,’ said Ernest.

‘So do I,’ Alberinchen laughed. ‘I liked it when Albert hid under the bed.’

‘It’s history,’ said Grandmama Saxe-Coburg. ‘Now you know how exciting history is you must pay great attention to your lessons.’

‘I like history when it’s about us,’ said Alberinchen.

‘That wasn’t about us was it, Grandmama?’ asked Ernest.

‘It was about our family. And as most royal families are connected with each other, history is about us.’

‘I like history,’ said Alberinchen. ‘I wish Mama would come. I want to tell her about how Prince Albert hid under the bed.’

They were playing the capture of the Princes. It was a good game because they could each play the part of a prince, but there were other exciting roles. They both wanted to be the wicked Kunz at the start of the game and Duke Frederick at the end. Ernest thought he should have the choice as he was the eldest, but Alberinchen did not agree with this and it seemed as though the game was going to end in a fight and the inevitable tears when their mother put her head round the door and said: ‘Are my boys pleased to see me?’

The game was forgotten. They dashed at her.

‘My darling, darling Alberinchen. Dearest Ernest!’

‘Oh, Mama, how beautiful you look.’

‘That’s because I’m pleased.’

‘Why are you pleased, Mama?’

‘Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you all about it. We’re going to have a children’s ball.’

‘What’s that, Mama?’ asked Ernest.

‘We’re going to dance.’

Alberinchen’s face puckered.

He didn’t like dancing, he said. It made him tired.

‘Tired!’ cried Mama. ‘Why I could dance all night and not be tired.’

‘So could I,’ said Ernest. ‘It’s only silly Albert who can’t.’

Alberinchen’s lips trembled and his mother hastily embraced him. ‘Albert is not silly, are you, Alberinchen?’

‘I’m clever like Albert who hid under the bed.’

‘Oh, that story, yes. It was interesting, wasn’t it, my pets? Now you’re going to love my ball and we’re all going to dress up. What would you like to be, Ernest?’

Ernest could not think but Alberinchen wanted to be Prince Albert who was nearly kidnapped.

‘Well, I don’t think so, darling. I’ve got a lovely idea for you.’

‘What is it, Mama?’

‘It’s a surprise. You’ll learn all in good time.’

‘A surprise!’ The little boys danced around joyously.

‘Now,’ said Mama, ‘who doesn’t want to dance? Look at Alberinchen.’

The surprise was his costume. He was to be dressed as Cupid.

‘Who was Cupid, Mama?’ asked Alberinchen.

‘The God of Love. He carried arrows with him and when he shot them into people they fell in love with each other and married.’

‘Like you and Papa?’ asked Ernest.

Alberinchen watching her face saw a strange expression flit across it. It frightened him but he did not quite know why.

‘Like people who fall in love,’ said Mama.

‘Shall I have arrows?’

‘Oh, yes.’

‘You can shoot them,’ cried Ernest. ‘Mama, I want arrows too.’

‘No, darlings, you won’t shoot them. Alberinchen will just carry them and he will dance with the pretty little girls.’

‘I don’t like little girls,’ growled Alberinchen.

‘Oh, my dearest boy. You are not very gallant.’

‘What is gallant?’ asked Ernest.

‘It’s something nasty,’ Alberinchen said, confident that it must be if he was not it.

‘Well, it’s something Princes must learn to be.’ Mama laughed and hugged him. ‘My precious little Cupid!’ she added.

So there he was in satin costume and Ernest was similarly garbed.

‘What darlings they look,’ said the grandmothers to each other; and their fearful eyes were on the Duchess Louise who was rather hysterically gay as though she knew that there would not be many more such balls where she would be able to dress up her children and join in the fun.

All the young guests were lined up together.

‘You know the steps,’ whispered Ernest to his brother. ‘They’re those you learned yesterday.’

‘I don’t like those steps,’ said Alberinchen.

But Ernest wanted to dance; he liked the look of the pretty little girls who were placed opposite them, and it was interesting to be with other children.

Ernest took his partner’s hand and they danced along the line of children as they had been taught to do, while the grownups looked on and were enchanted.

‘Ernest is quite the little gentleman,’ said Grandmama Saxe-Coburg.

‘A real little Prince,’ agreed Grandmama Saxe-Gotha.

Alberinchen stood sullenly. He did not like being dressed as Cupid. He wanted to be dressed as Prince Albert. He did not want to dance with silly girls but to hide under the bed and then fight and scream when the wicked Kunz came to take him.

They were waiting. The music was playing. The little girl was standing before him, smiling. He hated her; he hated all little girls. He stood sullenly, his eyes lowered.

‘Albert.’ Grandmama Saxe-Coburg was calling to him. But he remained, his eyes lowered.

His mother came over. ‘Alberinchen, darling, it is your turn to dance.’

He would not dance. He hated dancing.

He began to cry. He was aware of the shocked dismay all about him, so he yelled; soon his screams were drowning the music. His face was red; they were always afraid when he screamed like that and he knew that they wanted to stop him at all costs.

One of his nurses came forward at a sign from Grandmama Saxe-Coburg, seized him and hurried him away.

In the room he shared with Ernest he stopped screaming. Once again his tears had brought him what he wanted.

But that was not the end of the affair.

Grandmama Saxe-Coburg came into the room. He stood eyeing her defiantly.

‘Albert,’ she said, ‘I wish to speak to you.’

The fact that he was called by his proper name was a sure sign that he was in disgrace.

The tears started to fill his eyes.

‘Your conduct in the ballroom was not what I would have expected of a Coburg Prince,’ said his grandmother.

‘I didn’t want to dance,’ said Albert.

‘But what about the little girl, your partner? She wanted to dance.’

‘But I didn’t.’

‘And because of you, she couldn’t. Was that kind?’

‘It makes me tired,’ said Albert pathetically.

‘What, you, a Prince … too tired to dance with a little girl!’

‘I don’t like dancing. It’s silly.’