Isabella Rockwell's War (19 page)

Hassan shook
his head.

“No the
Ambassador is attending tea with his majesty. He was told to wait
here.”

“The king must
have forgotten. No matter I will return and wait for Alix outside
the dining hall. I hope to see you later.” She felt Hassan’s eyes
on her as she retreated the way she had come and at the end of the
corridor she turned to wave, but he was no longer there. He must
have gone into the library.

Sitting on a
gold satin chaise longue near the door to the dining hall, Isabella
was surprised at how relieved she felt now she knew Alix would be
living with the king for the foreseeable future; surprised at how
much she wanted a happy ending for Alix. It would seem it wasn’t
just Alix who was getting attached.

She swung her
feet over the polished floor. She needed to keep her thoughts on
the present. If she were to take the picture tonight and then not
leave until the morning, someone might notice it was missing. If
she were to take it tonight, she should leave tonight.

Shouting
distracted her. Where was it coming from? She got to her feet and
went to the door of the dining hall.

“I understand
your worries, William, really I do, but she is to be queen. She
can’t just run away from her home when she has a little accident.”
There was a muttering and then Isabella heard the voice again.
“Well, no, I know it was more than that, but it was still an
accident, and accidents happen. She needs to show a bit of
backbone. You know… get back in the saddle.” It was Prince Ernest.
“What will the public going to think if she suddenly starts living
here?”

The king’s
voice was rising. “Why does it matter, Ernest? Poor little mite
looks all in. I want her here with me and that’s all there is to
it.”

Well, I think
you’re a fool,” roared Ernest so loudly, the doors shook.

Now it was the
king’s turn.

“That’s enough
Ernest, you forget yourself. I can’t help feeling you’ve more
invested in this than you’re letting on.” Isabella could hear the
bluster in Ernest’s voice.

“What do you
mean?”

“Well,” the
king still sounded furious. “If the duchess gets her money, that
doesn’t leave much in the pot left for you does it? And diamonds
might grow on trees in India, Ernest, but they don’t over
here.”

Ernest
snorted.

“I don’t know
what you mean.”

“Yes you do.
Now, Alixandrina will move here the day after the ball, and I don’t
want to hear another word from you about it. In fact, I want your
support in this matter.”

“But…but I
just think she should stay…”

The king cut
him short.

“Not another
word, Ernest! Not another word.”

Isabella heard
footsteps and rushed back to her seat. The door was flung open so
hard it banged against the wall outside and Isabella froze. Ernest
stomped out across the hallway, not even noticing her presence. She
sat for a moment. What should she do?

“Isabella,
there you are! I’ve been looking for you.” It was Alix, appearing
like a wraith at her elbow.

“Oh, you made
me jump. I got the wrong room – the Russian Ambassador was in the
one I thought I was supposed to go to, so I came back down here to
wait for you. I thought you were still inside the dining room with
the king.” She gestured with her head. Alix shook her head.

“No, Captain
Courageous arrived so I thought I’d come and find you. Come on,
shall we play some cards?” Isabella smiled, pleased Alix had heard
nothing of the exchange between the king and his brother.

“I’m very good
at cards,” she remarked following Alix up the same corridor as
before.

“You say that
about everything.”

“I am
though.”

Alix snorted.
“You can’t dress yourself. You couldn’t put together a nice outfit
if your life depended on it.”

“Sorry your
highness, I thought we were talking about being good at things that
are important.”

Alix laughed.
“In my life, that is very important.”

Isabella
hugged her with her good arm, walking next to her. “That is why you
are going to make such a wonderful queen.”

Alix smiled,
more relaxed than Isabella had ever seen her, as if a load had
lifted from her shoulders.

“Do you really
think so?”

Isabella
nodded. “I do.”

Alix stopped
outside a pair of double doors.

“But this
is
the room I came to earlier. The Russian Ambassador is
waiting for the king in here. I saw Mr Al Hassan in the corridor.”
Isabella muttered in a stage whisper, having no wish to exchange
pleasantries with the grim faced Ambassador.

“No he’s not,”
replied Aix, opening the door. Inside the cosy room, by the fire
sat Mrs Jolyon doing her tapestry.

“Hello girls,
did you have a lovely lunch?” Isabella blinked.

“I must have
gone to a different room.” She scratched her head.

“Why dear?”
asked Mrs Jolyon, rolling up her tapestry and getting out her
cards.

“I came here
earlier, but the Russian Ambassador was here. I saw Hassan outside,
so I went to wait for Alix downstairs.”

“Oh. Well I
haven’t seen him. Now then, what shall we play?” There was another
knock at the door. It was the queen and two of her ladies. A
pleasant afternoon was enjoyed, during which Isabella spent
thinking of the coming evening. She wished she didn’t like Alix so
much. When Isabella thought of her, she found her guilt about the
upcoming raid overwhelming. When she thought of the duchess,
however, she found those feelings disappeared. She just didn’t want
Alix to think she’d stayed with her out of greed rather than
friendship, but she couldn’t think of a way to avoid it. She would
have to accept that Alix would think badly of her. For her friend,
it was a price she was willing to pay.

That night, as
they returned to Kensington Palace, they’d barely taken off their
wraps, before John Conroy shot from one of the rooms off the main
hall. He must have been lying in wait for them.

“Your mother
wishes to speak with you, your majesty.”

“Why? As if I
didn’t know.” She added in an undertone. “Come on Isabella, come
with me.”

“She wishes to
see you alone.”

Alix turned on
John Conroy like a snake.

“If Isabella
doesn’t come with me, I am not coming at all.” John Conroy took a
step backwards.

“Your majesty,
please!”

“Don’t say one
more word to me John Conroy or I will have you taken away.” Alix’s
face was white but her eyes were furious. Her temper hung by only a
thread. Sensing this John Conroy remained silent, watching as they
walked down to the Blue Salon.

“I’ll see you
in the morning dearest,” said Mrs Jolyon “and,” she whispered,
“good luck.”

“Good night
Mrs Jolyon,” said Isabella smiling at the kind woman she liked so
much. If all went well, this was the last time she would see her.
She sent up a little prayer to Abhaya for Mrs Jolyon’s future
happiness… she deserved it. She watched the small upright figure
walk up the stairs and then she turned, squared her shoulders and
followed Alix. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

The duchess
seemed not to have heard Alix clearly.

“What are you
talking about?”

“I am going to
live with King William and Queen Adelaide until… for a little
while…. They have asked if I would like to stay with them for a
bit.”

“Don’t be
ridiculous. Your home is here, with me.”

“It isn’t
Mother. A home is a place of refuge and a place where you’re loved.
This palace has stopped being one and never was the other.”

The duchess
gasped.

“How can you
say that, Alix? After all I’ve done for you? All I’ve given
up?”

Alix’s face
was diamond bright and unreadable.

“What are you
talking about, Mother? What exactly have you given up for me? Your
clothes, your jewels, your admirers, your title… your time?” The
duchess’s mouth was opening and closing now.

“You’ve given
up nothing for me… if you had have given up maybe one tiny thing
for me, we might not be having this conversation now. The king and
queen love me… they love me for who I am, not for who I might
become. I am going to go and live with them.”

The duchess
looked at her, her face drained of colour.

“Here,” Alix
took a bank draft with a royal seal on it out of her skirt pocket
and waved it under her mother’s nose. “This becomes valid on New
Year’s Day, as soon as I am safely at St James’s. It’s for the full
amount, twenty thousand pounds. Quite a good price for your only
daughter, I thought.” Alix’s voice was like dead leaves on a stone
floor.

“Come on
Isabella.” Isabella followed her from the room. She didn’t speak as
Alix’s frantic pace gradually slowed and as they approached her
apartments, her shoulders relaxed.

“I’m sorry you
had to see that.”

“Don’t be
sorry. I don’t care. I’m glad you said it.”

Alix
nodded.

“So am I. It’s
all over now.”

Alix’s room
was warm and her bath had been drawn earlier. There was a tray with
warm biscuits and a cup of hot chocolate with cream. Alix fell on
the biscuits.

“Gosh, I
couldn’t eat a thing at lunch I was so upset. Now all the nasty
stuff is out of the way, I’m starving!” Isabella slurped the hot
chocolate. Alix threw a gold taffeta dress at her.

“Here, try
this on whilst I have my bath.” She pulled at the bell for Bea to
come and help.

Isabella took
the dress into the dressing room feeling she’d better go through
the motions. If she refused, Alix might get suspicious. Alix must
think she was going to be at the ball. To her great surprise the
dress fitted her perfectly. Alix must have had it quietly altered
since she’d been here. How very kind of her. She knocked on the
bathroom door and opened it to find Alix nose deep in pink
bubbles.

“What do you
think?” Isabella twirled in front of her.

Alix smiled,
her white bath cap skew-whiff and her cheeks pink from the warmth
of the bath.

“I think I am
a genius.”

Isabella
frowned.

“Why?”

“To transform
a wretch like you into a lady. Look in the mirror. Isabella went
pink, but she was entranced by her reflection. The gold brought out
the red lights in her dark hair and made her skin look olive
instead of sallow and the only suggestion of what she’d been
through was now the shadows beneath her eyes. She’d even put on
weight.

“You’re right
– I look very nice, the nicest I’ve ever looked, probably. No one
from home would recognise me.”

“What, because
you’re clean?” Isabella threw a handful of bubbles at Alix’s head.
“Go and get my brown velvet cloak and hat, they will go beautifully
with it.” Isabella slipped the heavy garments on, the cloak a
little short, but the hat fitted her well. Lifting her hair up into
a bun, she shoved it under the hat and paraded slowly into the
bathroom.

“Ooh Miss, you
gave me such a start,” said Bea, hands full of towels. “I thought
it was the princess coming in!”

“Don’t be
daft,” said Isabella, laughing. “I don’t look anything like
her.”

“Well, Miss,
with the clothes and the hat covering your hair, you do a bit. She
loves that hat….”

Later, when
they were ready for bed, Isabella came to Alix’s room to say
goodnight. She found herself clinging to the princess, tears
pricking behind her eyes.

“Steady on,”
laughed Alix. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you in
the morning,” said Isabella biting back all the words she wanted to
say, but which would have given her away. She forced herself to
turn from Alix and walk steadily back to her own room, but once
there she had to stuff a hanky into her mouth to stop herself from
crying out loud. Locking the door, she packed her belongings and
then opened her father’s satchel. Taking out her locket, she
breathed on it to clean it, and then left it carefully propped up
on the lamp next to the bed. She wanted to write Alix a note, but
she couldn’t find the words and didn’t want to incriminate herself.
Hopefully Alix would find the locket and that would be enough.

Her money was
secured at her waist, her boots were mended, her old clothes were
clean and in her bag, and she had odd pieces of silver she’d
pilfered and the chocolates wrapped in tissue within her clothes.
She looked up at the beautiful dress and cloak on the wardrobe
door, and then she put them on, and sat down to wait.

A brief
thought of the Molesey’s house went through Isabella’s mind as she
tiptoed down the servants’ staircase at the back of Alix’s
apartments. That night had been a night of fear and cold with the
awful feeling of being out of control. Tonight, she felt different.
She was in charge and she had a plan which would work. There was no
reason, in two nights’ time why she shouldn’t find herself on board
the clipper bound for Bombay. She just had to be careful and keep
her wits about her.