Bride to the King (2 page)

“Are you – saying, Papa – that the Count has – arranged my – marriage?”

“At my instigation, of course,” the Archduke replied. “But if I am truthful, I must admit that the first suggestion of such an alliance came from the Regent of Dórsia.”

Zosina looked puzzled and, as if her father understood, he added impressively,

“You, my dear, are to marry King Gyórgy!”

Zosina gave a little gasp and then she said,

“But – Papa, I have never – seen him and why should he – want to – marry
me
?”

“That is what I intend to explain to you,” the Archduke said, “so listen attentively.”

“I – am, Papa.”

“You are aware of course,” he began, “that I have been worried for some time about the growing power of the German Empire?”

“Yes, Papa,” Zosina murmured.

As it happened, her father had never discussed it with her, but Zosina remembered how five years ago everybody else in the Palace had talked of little else when the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War made the policy of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck, seem to threaten their independence.

Prussia had long been preparing for that war and Bismarck had cunningly manipulated the situation so that her enemy, France, was made the technical aggressor.

In July 1870 France had declared war on Prussia, Bavaria and other South German kingdoms and small principalities sided with Prussia.

The issue had never been in any doubt and in January the following year, after a terrible siege of one hundred and thirty-one days, starving Paris opened its gates to the enemy.

In the South the small Kingdoms that had not been engaged in the war, like Lützelstein and Dórsia had hoped that their large neighbour, Bavaria, would protect them from Bismarck’s ambitions.

However, King Ludwig of Bavaria, always unpredictable, had been ill and therefore not strong enough to stand up against the pressure applied on him by Prussia’s representative.

All this flashed through Zosina’s mind and she was not surprised when her father said,

“At this particular moment in history, it is absolutely essential that Lützelstein and Dórsia should be independent and keep the balance of power in Europe.”

He paused before he continued impressively,

“We have a weakened Austria on one side of us, a limp Bavaria on the other and Germany growing stronger every day, ready to draw us into the iron net of an inflexible Empire.”

“I understand – Papa,” Zosina stammered.

“I don’t expect you to understand anything of the sort!” the Archduke said suddenly in an irritated tone of voice, “but listen to what I am saying because it is for this reason that a close alliance sealed by marriage between the King of Dórsia and one of my daughters would strengthen the hands of the politicians in both countries.”

Zosina wanted to say again that she understood, but instead she merely nodded her head and her father insisted,

“Well, speak up! Do you grasp what I am trying to tell you? By God, if I had a son, he would see the position quickly enough!”

“I see the reason, Papa, for the marriage,” Zosina said. “But I asked you if the King – really wished to marry me.”

“Of course he wishes to marry you!” the Archduke thundered. “He can understand the situation clearly enough because he is a man and a Royal Monarch at that!”

“I should have thought, Papa, that the King and I – should have – met before everything was – decided,” Zosina replied in her soft voice.

“Meet? Of course you will meet!” the Archduke snapped. “That is exactly what I am going to tell you. If you would stop interrupting, Zosina, I would be able to get to the point.”

“I am – sorry, Papa.”

“Your marriage is arranged to take place as soon as possible, as a warning to Germany that we will not be interfered with. But, because we must do things in a proper manner, I have arranged that the Queen Mother should pay a State visit to Dórsia and take you with her.”

Zosina’s face lit up.

“I am to go with Grandmama to Dórsia, Papa? That will be exciting!”

“I am sorry I cannot go myself,” the Archduke said. “Both your mother and I would prefer it, of course, but, as you see, this damned leg of mine makes it impossible.”

He winced as he spoke and Zosina asked quickly,

“Is it very painful, Papa?”

The Archduke bit back a swear word and instead said hastily,

“I have no wish to talk about it. What I was saying is that you will accompany your grandmother on a State visit at the end of which your engagement will be publicly announced.”

Zosina was silent for a moment and then she said,

“Supposing – Papa, the King – dislikes me and I dislike him? Would we still have to be – married?”

Her father glared at her before he answered,

“A more stupid idiotic question I have seldom heard! What does it matter if you like or dislike each other? It is a political matter, as I have just explained, if you had listened!”

“I
did
listen, Papa. At the same time – political or not, it is I who have to – marry the King.”

“And think yourself extremely lucky to do so!” the Archduke stormed. “Good God, I have four daughters to get off my hands one way or another. You cannot imagine I am going to find available Kings for all of them!”

Zosina drew in her breath.

“I suppose – Papa, you would not – consider Helsa – going instead of – me? She is very anxious – to be married, while I am quite – happy to stay here with – you and Mama.”

Her question, spoken in a somewhat hesitating voice, brought the blood coursing into her father’s face.

“How
dare
you argue with me!” he raged. “How dare you suggest that you will not do as you are told! You ought to go down on your knees and thank God that you have a father who considers you to the extent of providing you with a throne, which is not something to be picked up every day of the week!”

His voice deepened with anger as he went on,

“You will do exactly what I tell you! You will go to Dórsia with your grandmother and you will make yourself pleasant to the King – do you understand?”

“Yes, Papa – but – ”

“I am not listening to any arguments or anything else you have to say,” the Archduke roared. “It is typical that, after all I have done for you, I find that I have been nurturing a viper in my bosom! You are ungrateful besides apparently being – half-witted!”

He coughed over the word, then continued,

“There is not a girl in the whole Duchy who would not jump at such an opportunity, but not you! Oh, no! You have to complain and find fault! God Almighty! Who do you expect will ask to marry you –
the Archangel Gabriel
?”

The Archduke was really carried away in one of his rages by now and Zosina, knowing that nothing she could say would abate the storm, rose to her feet.

“I am – sorry you are – angry, Papa,” she said, “but thank you for – thinking of me.”

She curtseyed and left the room while he shouted after her, “Ungrateful and half-witted to boot! Why should I be afflicted with such children?”

Zosina shut the door and was glad as she went down the passage that she could no longer hear what he was saying. ‘I should have kept silent,’ she told herself.

Her father had taken her by surprise and she knew that she had been extremely stupid to have questioned in any way one of his plans. It always annoyed him.

‘He is also annoyed,’ she thought, ‘because he cannot make the State visit himself. He would have enjoyed it so much. But it will be fun to go with Grandmama.’

Queen Szófia, the Queen Mother, was both admired and loved by her four granddaughters.

Because she had an abundance of traditional Hungarian charm, she had captivated most of the population when she reigned in Lützelstein.

But there had been a hard core of Court officials who found her frivolous and too free and easy in her ways.

Now, when she was well over sixty, she still appeared to laugh more than anyone else and life in the small Palace to which she had retired five miles away, always seemed to Zosina a place of happiness and gaiety.

She reached the hall and was going towards the stairs when out of the shadows emerged Count Csàky, the Ambassador to Dórsia.

He was an elderly man whom Zosina had known all her life and as soon as she realised he wished to speak to her, she went towards him with her hand outstretched.

“How delightful to see you, Your Excellency!” she exclaimed. “I did not know you had returned home.”

“I only returned two days ago, Your Royal Highness,” he replied, bowing over her hand. “I imagine His Royal Highness has told you what news I brought him?”

“We have just been talking about it,” Zosina said, hoping the Ambassador had not heard her father raging at her.

He smiled,

“In which case I have something to show you.”

She walked with him into one of the anterooms where distinguished personages usually sat when they were awaiting an audience with her father.

The Count went to a table on which she saw a diplomatic box. He opened it and drew out a small leather case.

He handed it to her and, when she opened it, she knew without being told that it contained a miniature of the King of Dórsia.

He was certainly good-looking with dark hair and eyes. He was wearing a white tunic resplendent with decorations and appeared very impressive.

“I thought you would like to see it,” the Ambassador murmured beside her.

“It is very kind of Your Excellency,” Zosina said. “I had been wondering what the King looked like, but actually, although I did not say so to Papa, I thought he was too young to marry.”

“His Majesty comes of age in a month’s time,” the Count replied. “He will then be able to reign without the Regent and the Prime Minister and the Privy Council consider it very important, when his uncle retires, that he should have a wife to support him.”

“His uncle has been the Regent for a long time?” Zosina asked, thinking it was expected of her.

“Yes, for eight years. The King was only twelve when his father died and his uncle was appointed Regent and has, I may say, ruled Dórsia on his nephew’s behalf extremely well. It is a rich country, thanks to him. Your Royal Highness will have every comfort besides living in what is to my mind one of the loveliest places in the world.”

There was so much warmth in the Ambassador’s voice that Zosina looked at him in surprise.

“I am not being disloyal, Your Royal Highness, to Lützelstein,” the Count said quickly, “but as it happens, my mother came from Dórsia and that is one of the reasons why I was so delighted to be appointed Ambassador there.”

Zosina looked down at the miniature she held in her hand and said,

“I asked my father if the King – really wanted to marry me, but it – made him angry. I would like to – ask you the same – question.”

She raised her eyes to the Count as she spoke and he thought any man would be only too willing and eager to marry anyone so lovely and so attractive in every way.

He had always thought Zosina was an exceptional girl and he was sure that, with her intelligence, her beauty and her inescapable charm, any country over which she reigned and any man she married would be extremely lucky.

Then, as he realised that she was waiting for him to answer her question, he said,

“As it happens, Your Royal Highness, I took with me to Dórsia a miniature of yourself since I thought the King would wish to see it, as I have brought his portrait to you.”

“And what did His Majesty say?” Zosina asked in a low voice.

“I do not know His Majesty’s reaction,” the Ambassador replied, “for the simple reason that my negotiations for the marriage took place with the Regent. I gave him the miniature so that there would be no mistake about it reaching His Majesty’s own hands.”

Zosina could not help being disappointed. She would have liked to know exactly what the King had said when he saw her portrait.

“I do understand,” the Count said with a tact that was part of his profession, “that it is difficult for Your Royal Highness to contemplate marrying somebody you have never seen, even though you realise how expedient it is from the point of view both of Lützelstein and Dórsia.”

“I – accept that I have been born into a certain – state of life,” Zosina said hesitatingly, “at the – same time – ”

She stopped because she knew she could not put into words – and if she did there was no point in it – that she did not want to be just a political pawn, but someone much more important to the man she would marry.

“Tell me about the King,” she asked before the Ambassador could speak.

“He is, as you see, very handsome,” the Count replied and Zosina felt he was choosing his words carefully. “He is young, but that is something that time will always remedy and he enjoys life to the – full.”

“In what way?”

She had a feeling that this question the Count would find rather hard to answer and he hesitated quite obviously before he replied,

“All young men find life exciting when they are first free of their Tutors and studies and the King is no exception. But I think, Your Royal Highness, it would be a mistake for me to say too much. I want you to judge for yourself and not go to Dórsia with a biased mind.”

Zosina had the idea that the Ambassador was trying to get out of a rather difficult situation.

But why it should be so difficult she was not certain.

She thought to herself shrewdly,

‘He wants me to like the King and he is afraid that anything he might say would prejudice me one way or another.’ She looked down again at the miniature.

The King was good-looking and almost as if she spoke to herself, she said,

“He is –
very
young.”

“Two years older than Your Royal Highness,” the Ambassador replied, “and I am told by those who know him, that he has old ideas in many ways, which is not surprising seeing that he has been King for so many years.”

“But it is the Regent who does all the work!” Zosina flashed.

“Not all of it,” the Ambassador replied, “and I think Prince Sándor has gone out of his way to see that the King fulfils a great number of official duties from which he might have been excused.”