Barbara Cartland - The Lovelight of Apollo

“No one shall ever do that,” the Prince asserted firmly.

“But that is exactly what the Queen is trying to do,” the Princess said.

Now the anger was back in her voice.

“Surely there is someone else who would be able to go to Greece?” Prince Holden said turning to Colonel Bassett.

He was still standing somewhat uncomfortably by the door.

He was used to Princess Marigold’s tantrums. Yet he could never make up his mind if it was best to leave the room without permission or to stay and witness her performance.

If he did stay, he would have to listen to her raging endlessly at him or anyone else who might have antagonised her.

“Even if there was, Your Royal Highness,” he replied in answer to the Prince, “I doubt if Her Majesty would change her mind and send someone else in place of Her Royal Highness.”

“Nevertheless you had better find someone,” Princess Marigold said sharply. “For I am not going, even if I have to stay in bed and claim I am too ill to travel.”

“I do so want you to be with me,” Prince Holden said in a low caressing tone. “I was so looking forward to taking you across the North Sea to Denmark or anywhere else you would prefer.”

“And I want to be with you too,” the Princess sighed.

She was looking up into his eyes and for a moment they forgot that Colonel Bassett was in the room.

“I want to stand on deck at night and gaze at the stars,” the Princess said, “and I want to keep counting the days until we can be married.”

“That is what I am doing,” the Prince replied and his fingers tightened on hers.

“Then let’s defy the Queen,” Princess Marigold suggested, “and send someone else in my place. As long as there is someone in dismal black with a Union Jack hanging over their heads, no one will care whether I am there or not.”

“I agree,” the Prince smiled, “but I would really doubt if anyone would be brave enough to impersonate you and risk the terrible wrath of Her Majesty.”

“There must be someone if we could only find her,” Princess Marigold persisted. “Surely you know someone, Colonel Bassett?”

“I am afraid not, Your Royal Highness,” the Colonel answered swiftly.

“Oh, how can you be so unhelpful?” the Princess turned on him. “I thought you were on my side.”

“Your Highness is well aware,” the Colonel said, “that if I encouraged you to intrigue against Her Majesty’s orders, I would be dismissed instantly, if I was not taken to the Tower of London as a traitor!”

He spoke lightly,

At the same time both the Prince and Princess knew that there was a great deal of truth in what he was saying.

As if he thought that it was a mistake to continue with this line of conversation, Colonel Bassett asked,

“If Your Royal Highness will now excuse me, I have a great many letters that need my attention.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” the Princess responded.

The words had hardly left her lips before Colonel Bassett had turned and hurried from the room, closing the door behind him.

The Prince put his arms round the Princess and pulled her close against him.

“I love you,” he breathed, “and it is an agony to think that you have to go away from me. I suppose I could make the excuse that I too wish to go to Greece to attend Prince Eumenus’s funeral.”

“The Queen will not believe that,” the Princess said, “because the other night, when she mentioned to you that he was feeling ill, you said quite positively that you had never ever heard of him.”

The Prince sighed.

“I remember that now and I cannot think why I did not keep my mouth shut!”

“It is the sort of thing Her Majesty would remember,” Princess Marigold said. “Anyway, I am sure that she would not allow you to travel with me, I suppose in a Battleship, unless they are being measly and sending me by train.”

“If you are representing Her Majesty, then you will go by sea.”

Being of German origin he was extremely knowledgeable on protocol.

And the Princess was sure that he was right.

“But I want to be with you, darling Holden,” she insisted. “In your yacht and away from everyone including all these ghastly old fuddy-duddies, who keep on saying that I should not marry you.”

“I am terrified in case you ever agree with them,” the Prince commented.

“You know I would never, never do so!” the Princess answered. “I love you, Holden, and I had never loved anyone until I met you.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately until they were both breathless.

If the Queen had found out that the Princess received Prince Holden in her apartments without being chaperoned by a Lady-in-Waiting, she would have been outraged.

They were both aware that it was lucky that Prince Holden had come to find her when she was with her Comptroller.

It was Colonel Bassett who had suggested in the first place that it would be best for him to see the Princess alone in the mornings. Otherwise she would have her two aged and very garrulous Ladies-in-Waiting with her.

Now they could discuss privately plans on which they had not yet made a final decision without it being talked about all over Windsor Castle.

It had therefore been a golden opportunity for Prince Holden to be alone with Princess Marigold.

This was something with great difficulty that they were continually trying to find in The Castle.

Because the Queen disapproved of the engagement, she deliberately put every obstacle in their way.

Now, as the Prince raised his head, he said in a voice that was slightly unsteady,

“I love you, my dearest! I love you and I know that once we are married, we will be very happy. But I find this waiting just intolerable.”

“So do I,” the Princess said, “and it will be worse still when I have to go away. I suppose it will take a fortnight or even three weeks to go to Greece, attend the funeral, make myself agreeable to a whole collection of boring people and then come slowly home.”

She gave an exclamation of anger as she addrd,

“I am sure that ghastly old woman will tell the ship’s Captain to move at one knot per hour, just so that I cannot be with you!”

“You are not to upset yourself, darling. I swear that we will be married the very day the six months of mourning ends.”

“If she will let us,” the Princess murmured.

She gave a sudden cry.

“Suppose, just suppose, Holden, while I am away, she somehow gets rid of you? I would not trust her not to have you kidnapped or sent to Outer Mongolia or darkest Africa or some such place!”

Prince Holden laughed.

“Now you are just imagining things. I promise I will keep very quiet and out of sight, so as not to annoy Her Majesty, until you return.”

“I will not go! I swear I will not go!” Princess Marigold cried. “There must be someone who can go in my place! Think, Holden, think! Who do we know who looks like me?”

As this was something that they had not thought of before, the Prince stared at her.

Then he remarked,

“It is rather funny that you should say that! I saw a girl last week who was in fact very like you.”

“Was she a relative of mine?” Princess Marigold asked.

“I was staying with the Duke of Ilchester,” the Prince went on, “and I went to Church on Sunday because the Duchess asked me rather pointedly, I thought, to escort her.”

“Yes, yes, go on!” the Princess urged him.

“It was a pleasant village Service. But I was surprised to see in the Church in the front pew, sitting beside an attractive lady, a girl who might actually have been your sister.”

“I don’t believe it!” Princess Marigold exclaimed. “Who is she?”