The King Without a Heart (11 page)

“No of course not!” cried Titania. “You are setting down the history of your country and it is something that should have been done years ago. But equally there are other matters which should also interest you, Sire, because they need your brains and, as I have found, your very kind heart.”

The King looked at her in surprise.

Then as if he did not want to answer her, he suggested they raced each other for the next half mile.

The ground they were riding over was flat and there was a river running down one side. Just ahead the mountains rose up high above them.

As Titania rode towards them she could see how stunning they were, but for the moment she needed to concentrate on racing the King.

Her horse, which was almost as fine as Mercury, was only too willing to compete and it was the horses that set the pace as they strove to outride each other.

Only when they drew them both in did Titania say,

“I think, Sire, you won, but only by a head.”

“You ride better than any woman I have ever seen and that is more than a compliment, it is the truth.”

“Thank you, Sire, and actually I was thinking the same about Your Majesty, but was too shy to say it aloud.”

“I think,” suggested the King, “if we are going to ride like this every morning until your horse arrives, we should be frank with each other and forget the protocol.”

“Did you really say that I could – ride with you every morning?” asked Titania breathlessly.

“I will see that you have a horse that is worthy of you and I cannot believe that it will interfere with any of our other duties if we leave at such an early hour.”

It was then that Titania came back to reality as she had forgotten everything in the excitement of riding with the King and being mounted on one of the most spirited and swift horses she had ever experienced. She looked at the King and whispered,

“I am – frightened.”

“What of?”

“If my cousin learns that I am riding with you, she will – forbid me to do so. I am sure that – my aunt will not – allow it.”

“I think if we are clever,” the King told her, “there will be no reason for anyone except Darius and Kastri to know that you accompany me on my morning ride. They can deal with the other servants effectively and you can be back and ready when Princess Sophie requires you.”

“That is clever, so very clever of you!” exclaimed Titania.

“And now that I have had this wonderful ride with Your Majesty, I would miss it madly if it has to stop!”

“Then that is certainly something we must prevent.”

The King drew his watch from his pocket. “Now we must turn back and ride home.”

Titania took a last look round as she rode beside the King. She thought it was all too marvellous to be true and she was riding a horse that was almost as good as Mercury.

Yet because the King was so kind, Mercury would be with her in a short time as well as Nanny.

‘I am happy, I am so happy,' she said to herself, ‘I want to kiss the whole world!'

 The King and Titania reached the entrance to the Palace grounds a little in advance of the two
aides-de-camp
, who had kept well behind as they were told to do.

As they drew in their horses the King said to Titania,

“I am sure you will be in plenty of time, but why do you have to be with your cousin so early in the morning?”

“Because,” replied Titania, “she has a lady's maid who does not speak English, so I have to translate everything she requires.”

The King put his hand up to his forehead.

“I never thought of that! But it is something that can easily be remedied.”

Titania looked at him questioningly.

Then she said to the King,

“It seems wrong for me to ask you for anything when you have been so wonderful – but there is something I do want very badly.”

“What is it?” the King asked.

“Some books to read.”

The King looked surprised and Titania explained,

“There does not seem to be a book in the whole Palace except in the library and you know, Sire, that is forbidden ground!”

The King laughed a little ruefully.

“That is something else I never thought of, but, of course, you shall have some books. What do you want – novels?”

“I can think of far more interesting books I want to read, especially about your wonderful country.”

She thought that she caught a slightly cynical twist to the King's lips and added quickly,

“My father always took immense trouble to learn about a country before he visited it and then he did as much research as he could when he was there, besides of course meeting as many of the people as possible.”

“You shall have exactly what you want,” the King promised her. As the two
aides-de-camp
joined them, he said to Kastri,

“You are to immediately find a lady's maid for Princess Sophie who speaks English, as I understand that the one who has been provided speaks only our language and that is not, I consider, very hospitable.”

Kastri looked as if he thought the King considered that it was all his fault, but His Majesty had already turned his head towards Darius.

“When Miss Brooke is free of her duties,” he ordered, “take her into the library so that she can choose whichever books she requires. I understand there are none in her sitting room or anywhere else in the Palace.”

“I think, Sire,” replied Darius, “they were put away with the ornaments and all the other superfluous
objets d'art
when Your Majesty's stepmother became Queen.”

“Do you mean they are all preserved in some part of the Palace?”

“Yes indeed, Sire, there is quite an Aladdin's cave in some of the rooms that are never used.”

“I think one day soon I shall have to explore them,” the King reflected. 

He then rode on with Titania beside him until they reached the stables.

As she knew it must be approaching nine o'clock, she slipped from the saddle down to the ground and said to the King who had also dismounted,

“Thank you again, Sire, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have no other words to express what I feel.”

She did not wait for an answer, but ran across the cobbled yard towards the back door which led into the Palace.

The King watched her until she was out of sight before giving orders to his Head Groom as to which horses he would require the next morning.

Titania ran upstairs to her bedroom.

She could hardly believe that what had happened was not part of a glorious dream, but she knew that Sophie would make a great fuss if she heard about her adventure and so she changed quickly into her morning dress.

She next walked into the boudoir where her breakfast was ready for her.

She ate swiftly, but there was no need to do so as it was nearly an hour before Sophie sent for her.

When she reached her cousin's bedroom, she found that beside the lady's maid whom she already knew, there was another in attendance.

Sophie was addressing the newcomer in English and the woman was then being told by the Velidosi lady's maid what she had been told the day before and had put out the clothes that Sophie required.

“Oh, there you are, Titania,” Sophie called as her cousin entered the room. “I have been supplied with a new lady's maid who speaks English and I suppose it's better late than never.”

“I am sure it will be much more comfortable for you,” said Titania in a low voice.

“You can supervise her to save me the trouble of explaining what I require,” Sophie told her in an uncompromising voice.

But she did not sound as disagreeable as she usually did in the morning and Titania could only hope that she was happy in her marriage.

A little while later a message came that Prince Frederick had arranged for Sophie to drive with him into the City, where they were to receive a special wedding present from the Velidosian Members of Parliament which they had not been given the previous day.

Sophie was immediately in a tizzy, insisting on looking very smart and tried on several hats before she was satisfied with her appearance.

When she was told that the Prince was waiting for her, she hurried downstairs.

Titania gave a sigh of relief and went to her boudoir, hoping that Darius would soon appear to take her to the library.

She was not to be disappointed.

He came into the room after about five minutes and she jumped up from where she was sitting.

“Is it safe for me to visit the library now?” she asked Darius.

“Quite safe and I will take you a special way which will avoid the footmen on duty in the hall from seeing you.”

“We sound like conspirators,” Titania smiled at him.

“As it happens,” Darius told her, “I think that is what we actually are. I assure you that everyone at the Palace would be absolutely amazed if they realised you were being allowed to interrupt His Majesty when he is working in the library.”

“I had to ask him if I could have something to read,” explained Titania. “I could not sit here doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs all day.”

Darius laughed.

“I cannot imagine you sitting around being idle and I am sure we can think of various ways to keep you amused.”

Titania did not answer, thinking it was not amusement she needed but occupation.

Darius took her down a side staircase and they walked along several deserted passages. Finally they reached the library which was situated at the other end of the Palace.

Titania was taken in through a different door from the one which was used by other visitors, Darius told her.

One glance at the library told her it was absolutely magnificent and indeed it was exactly as she hoped it would be.

The upper shelves near the ceiling were reached from a balcony with a balustrade consisting of an elaborate tracery of gilded flower-leaves.

There must, Titania conjectured, be thousands of books in the room.

Then she saw the King's large writing-desk just in front of the door Darius had taken her through and he was sitting at it writing with his back to them.

Yet without Darius speaking he became aware that they were behind him and rose to his feet.

Titania remembered to curtsy and said excitedly,

“This is the most magnificent library I have ever seen! How lucky you are to have all these marvellous books.”

“That is just what I think,” agreed the King, “but I have never met anyone else who was particularly enthusiastic about them.”

“I think they are wonderful and I would like to read every single one!”

The King laughed.

“I am afraid that will take you a very long time, though of course I shall only be too delighted for you to be my guest for at least a hundred years!”

Titania laughed too.

“Now what particularly would you find of interest?” he enquired.

“I was wondering what you are working on at the moment,” replied Titania.

She had noticed as she entered the room that there was a huge pile of books by the desk and several ancient tomes open on the desk itself.

“As I expect Darius has told you that I am writing the history of Velidos. I discovered only a short while ago that one of the Kings a century or so ago was interested in religion. He therefore invited representatives of all the great religions at that time to come to Velidos and tell him of their beliefs.”

“That is a subject that would have fascinated my father.”

“At the moment,” the King continued as if she had not spoken, “I am researching a religion I am sure you have never heard of – that of the Sufis.”

Titania gave a little laugh.

“Certainly I have heard of them, Sire, and actually I met and talked to a number of Sufis when we were travelling in the Middle East.”

The King stared at her as if he thought it was somewhat unlikely.

Titania continued,

“I am sure you have many books in this amazing library about the mysticism of Islam, and, of course as you will know, the Sufis have a fascinating store of legends and stories.”

She looked at the King waiting for his comment, but he merely nodded,

“Go on.”

“They have, Papa thought, raised poetry to the highest level of aspiration and, what I found more exciting, brought song and dance into the lives of artisans and peasants.”

The King sat down in his chair.

“I do not believe it!” he exclaimed. “You cannot be saying all this to me. I have never met anyone in Velidos who knows anything about the Sufis.”

Titania smiled.

“Who else came to your ancestor's meeting, Sire? Perhaps I have heard of them too.”

The King looked down at his papers in front of him and she felt he was deliberately choosing one of the more difficult religions before he responded,

“The Zen Buddhists for one. What do you know about them?”

He spoke as if it was a challenge.

“I have been to some of their monasteries and was thrilled with the stonework they carved to describe what they felt about ‘the wisdom that has gone beyond'.”

She paused for a moment.

“Papa, of course, was allowed to go inside the monastery, which I was not, but he did write down some of the stories they told him that he found extremely interesting.”

“I would like to see your father's notes.”

Titania made a helpless little gesture with her hands.

“I was not allowed to keep them, but I might have saved one or two of them at home. My uncle sold my father's house and all its contents and that included all the notes he had written about our journeys abroad.”

There was a hint of pain in her voice which the King did not miss.

“Tell me about the other religions you encountered when you were travelling with your father.”

“Of course, when we were travelling I was very young,” Titania told him. “But I feel that a great deal that went into my mind at the time will come back to me. We visited Egypt, and I longed to know the secrets behind the Sphinx! I remember being thrilled with the Pyramids and the long arguments between the experts as to why and how they were built and what exactly they meant to the Egyptians themselves.”