Chapter 13 – Royal shelter
The king, like most Montugans, knew that the departure of the French frigate on the previous day was unlikely to herald the end of French intervention in Montuga. Jason decided that there was no time to lose in refitting his fleet. Four of the seven ships had already departed for various destinations whilst three provisionally stayed behind. The three ships served as some protection for the port whilst also doubling up as the means of escape for the prince and the princess if required. Jason also decided that he needed to meet with the prince and the princess to discuss the contingency plans for their evacuation as a matter of some urgency.
To this end he approached Katia, the princess’s lady in waiting, to arrange an audience.
‘Your lordship, I shall convey your request to her royal highness. However, I cannot say whether she will consent to it. Particularly if regard be had to the last occasion you were permitted in her presence.’
‘I did not come here to be scolded by a lady in waiting,’ Jason made no attempt to hide his annoyance. ‘I am here on the king’s business… to make arrangements for the safe evacuation of the princess.’
‘Your lordship can always discuss the arrangements with me and I can pass the necessary details on to her highness,’ Katia offered quietly as she confidently stood her ground. Jason realised that he stood little to gain by a confrontation with her. He yielded with a grin.
‘Perhaps you might tell me what it is, if anything, that I did to offend her majesty.’
‘Do you seek a list, my lord?’ Katia asked. Her tone was more professional than sarcastic.
‘Yes.’ It occurred to Jason that Katia was simply trying to fulfil her duty as a lady in waiting in the manner expected of her – nothing more.
‘Since you ask. It is not permitted to take leave of the presence of the princess until you are excused by her. Her royal highness was the co-hostess of the royal ball you attended. Nothing or no-one at the ball, barring the crown prince, takes precedence. Your lordship had no cause to excuse yourself without seeking her leave to do so. In addition, one may never presume to introduce anyone to the princess without advance consent granted by her royal highness directly or indirectly through one of her ladies in waiting. This avoids embarrassing situations where the princess might be introduced to someone to whom she may not wish to speak. It also prevents the princess from being introduced to someone whom she, or the royal family, may deem to be unsuitable. These rules may seem peculiar or unnecessary, but they serve to prevent embarrassment to the princess in addition to protecting the person you are seeking to introduce. No-one wishes to be the victim of a royal rebuff. It is also considered unseemly for a princess to be seen to publicly snub someone.’
‘I had no idea,’ Jason remarked. ‘I would be most willing to apologise to her royal highness in person if she is agreeable to meeting me to discuss her safety and that of the crown prince.’
‘I would have thought that the English nobility would be aware of such rules of etiquette.’
‘Most would be. Alas, neither of my parents particularly enjoyed the prospect of travelling all the way from our Estate in Kent to London to attend at Court functions.’
‘That would explain it.’ Katia sounded relieved. ‘I shall convey this to her royal highness to demonstrate that the offence which you caused was not deliberately intended.’
Katia’s efforts apparently succeeded. Jason found himself sitting at a dinner table on the palace balcony next to Duke Le Riche a few days later. It was warm and windless summer evening. The duke made the usual excuses for his majesty the king and for Lady Le Riche. In both instances, their declining health did not often permit many evening engagements. It was not long before they were joined by the crown prince, the princess and the two ladies in waiting. The duke announced that he would not be staying for dinner – only long enough to hear the evacuation plans. Jason requested that the ladies in waiting be excused for the duration of the discussion. The ladies immediately left the table without glancing at the princess. The ladies seemed to understand that, on matters of the prince’s and the princess’s safety, Jason spoke with the authority of the king.
‘My lord, I trust my ladies implicitly,’ the princess stated indignantly. ‘They have been with me for years and their loyalty is not in doubt.’
‘My apologies, your royal highness,’ Jason responded. ‘I intend no offence to either of your ladies, or indeed, to you, your highness. It is, however, necessary that the utmost secrecy be maintained. Bear in mind that if the ladies were to fall into enemy hands during an evacuation, they could be forced to reveal this information against their will.’
‘I agree,’ the duke intervened. ‘Utmost secrecy is essential. Continue, my lord.’
‘Thank you, your grace. As soon as his majesty the King, Duke Le Riche or I determine that either of you are in imminent danger, your highnesses will be escorted from the palace to the harbour by the royal guard. Your highnesses are both good riders. Where possible your highnesses will both wear royal guard uniforms. An empty carriage accompanied by another set of royal guards might be used as a decoy, if necessary. If we have the luxury of choice, the time of evacuation will be whenever I determine it to be safe or ideal. If we do not have satisfactory control of the roads for any reason, we will attempt to effect the evacuation at three thirty in the morning. I chose this time because most people are so deeply asleep then that we could probably do an evacuation right under enemy noses. If there are no ships in the harbour or if the harbour is not an option for any reason, then your highnesses must find a way to reach the lagoon and to hide in easternmost part of the forest. Emergency supplies, including lighting, have already been hidden in the hollow portion of the trunk of the eastern most tree at the front of the forest. If things become chaotic in the kingdom, and our ships are prevented from entering the harbour for any reason, a ship will endeavour to come as close as possible to the eastern portion of the beach near the lagoon. If we see three flashes of light from a lantern or a torch from within the forest, we will send two rowing boats ashore to collect you. We will keep patrolling off the beach at around three thirty in the morning each morning for about fifteen minutes until we have both your highnesses on board. Are the any questions?’
‘Who decided that you will have the power to determine when we are in imminent danger?’ As usual Renate elected to challenge Jason.
‘Your highness, your father and I determined that if Lord Cavendish is vested with the onerous responsibility of ensuring your safety, he must have the power and authority to make that determination,’ the duke explained. ‘It is envisaged that he will consult with you if possible. But if there is no time for consultation or if there is any disagreement between your highnesses and his lordship on this matter, his lordship’s determination shall be final for as long as the king is alive. That is the express wish of the king. And it is mine too I should hasten to add. We both have the utmost faith in Lord Cavendish’s judgement and in his capabilities.’
The duke’s intervention seemed to placate Renate.
‘I should also mention that this plan is not to be discussed with anyone at all. Not even the ladies in waiting. They can accompany you if it is feasible, but they cannot know our plans or our destinations in advance,’ Jason continued.
‘I have no reason to distrust my ladies in waiting.’
‘Give it a rest Renate,’ Ruan declared. ‘He is empowered by our father to make these decisions. And I do not mind telling you that when I am king he will retain that power.’ After directing a mock reprimanding glance in Renate’s direction, Ruan turned to Jason and winked slyly at him. For the second time that evening Renate backed off. She was evidently extremely fond of her young brother. The non-verbal communication between them flowed constantly. It seemed too exhausting to attempt to interpret any of it.
The ladies in waiting returned as soon as the duke excused himself. Dinner was a pleasant, relaxed affair. Jason and Ruan laughe
d and joked easily as if they had known each other for years. The more Renate sensed that Ruan was enjoying Jason’s company, the more relaxed her approach towards him became. Jason decided that now would be an opportune moment to tender his apology. It immediately led to an enquiry by Ruan as to what had precipitated it.
‘So someone had the guts to put you in your place at last,’ Ruan scoffed. ‘He should not have to apologise.’
Before Renate could respond Jason intervened.
‘The choice to apologise is mine,’ he said firmly to Ruan. ‘As Katia has correctly pointed out, I breached rules of etiquette which are there for good reason.’
Ruan’s eyes narrowed slightly in response to Jason’s remark. He was obviously unused to being corrected by anyone outside of the royal family. However, his usual irrepressible mood returned quickly enough. Jason thought that he detected a slight indication of approval on Renate’s face.
The red wine flowed liberally. To Jason’s surprise, Renate asked him a few questions regarding his background and about his fleet. However, as usual, she managed to avoid revealing whether anything he had said intrigued her or struck any chords. Jason waited for a polite interval after the final course had been served. His request to be excused was politely granted by the princess. It had been a most pleasant evening and he decided not to overstay his welcome. Ruan responded by extending an invitation to him to join them for a cognac in the royal library.
‘Thank you most kindly, your highness. I am afraid I must decline. There is still much to be done to ensure that my fleet is ready for the task assigned to it. I have had a most wonderful evening. I look forward to the pleasure of the company of both of your royal highness’s as soon as it may please either of your highnesses to invite me to return.’