In Guards We Trust
Chapter 14 – A matter of state
Jason believed that he had made it plain to both Ruan and Renate that he had enjoyed the previous evening in their company and that he was certainly in the market for a further such invitation. Their last meeting had, after all, occurred at his request. Jason realised that, in normal circumstances, a gentleman was expected to court the lady who took his fancy. The difficulty was that lady who took his fancy was a princess. Normal rules did not seem to apply. Attempting to woo a princess without some indication of interest on her part seemed highly imprudent. However, he realised he could not leave matters be without making at least one further gesture to remove any doubt about his intentions. His efforts to settle upon an approach which was neither inappropriately bold nor futilely subtle were interrupted by the arrival of an invitation from the palace, delivered by the royal messenger. It was from Katia.
‘Her royal highness is much obliged to you for your efforts to arrange for her secure evacuation, and that of the crown prince, from the kingdom in the event of turmoil. As a token of her appreciation, her royal highness requests the pleasure of your company at a variety performance to be held at the Royal Auditorium in Monte Vista. You are requested to present your good self at the main foyer of the Auditorium at twenty minutes past seven this evening, whereupon you will be escorted to the royal balcony to be joined in due course by her royal highness.’
‘I am not sure what to make of this,’ Jason mentioned to Oliver as the latter read the invitation over his shoulder.
‘What do you mean?’ Oliver asked.
‘This may be what it pretends to be. A polite gesture to say thank-you,’ Jason explained. ‘It seems a little strange that I was not requested to accompany her to the Auditorium.’
‘If she wanted to thank you, she could have sent a gift. When a princess deigns to be seen in public with you, she is probably making some declaration of interest. As for a joint arrival at a public venue…that will only happen, I imagine, if you are either engaged or married to her.’
As Oliver’s interpretation of the invitation was more charitable than had been his own, the former was promptly discarded in favour of the latter.
Jason arrived at the auditorium clad in a black evening jacket with matching black trousers which tapered into his finest pair of formal boots. His embroidered white silk shirt was one he had recently imported from Naples. He was approached by Luciano Monteverdi immediately after he entered the crowded foyer.
‘Lord Cavendish. Long-time no see. And this is the first time I see you at this auditorium. If it is not too much to ask, would you do me the great honour of joining me and my guests in my private balcony? The view from there is the best you can have.’
‘I am sure it is. But I doubt it’s nearly as good as the view from the royal box.’ He could not supress a grin.
‘You are right. Not as good as…’ Monteverdi paused as the import of the reply struck him. ‘Are you the guest of the crown prince, or dare I say, the princess?’
‘The princess,’ Jason said quietly.
‘I think that the princess usually only shares the royal box with the ladies in waiting and with the family,’ Monteverdi declared. ‘Am I to assume that there is something to announce.’
‘I am told I have been invited as a thank you gesture. I imagine it is best not to read too much into it.’
‘You say that. But when once the public see you in that box with the princess, there will be nothing to be done to silence the wagging of the tongues.’
‘Pardon my intrusion, my lord. Would you kindly follow me?’ The well-spoken voice belonged to a dignified grey haired usher who led Jason up a flight of granite stairs and along a carpeted passage with numerous sets of interspersed double-doors on one side.
Two royal guards stood on either side of the last set of double-doors. Each one opened a door as Jason arrived and their efforts revealed a small balcony containing eight seats in two rows of four. The usher directed Jason to a seat in the front row. The main section of the auditorium below the royal balcony was full. Almost every set of eyes in the house instantly fixed upon him. As Monteverdi had predicted, the hubbub increased significantly as several hundred tongues wagged simultaneously in hushed tones. Although Jason did not know most of the Montugan nobility, most of them were by now well aware of him. Word that the king had granted Jason unrestricted access to the palace at all times had spread throughout the kingdom. Apart from Duke Le Riche and the royal family themselves, no one else in the kingdom, including the other five Members of the Council of Six were entitled to such unrestricted access to the palace and to the king. The purpose for which such privileges had been granted, however, remained a mystery to the Montugan aristocracy. This did not prevent gossipers from indulging in fanciful speculation. However, the influence and power which such access ordinarily commanded went without saying. Some of the French speaking nobles were none too pleased that the king had granted such favour to an English nobleman. Jason realised that his appearance on the royal balcony would no doubt give birth to additional rumours.
‘My Lords, My Ladies, Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise for her royal highness, Princess Renate of Montuga.’ The doors of the royal balcony opened to reveal the princess and her two ladies in waiting. She was dressed in an elegant black evening gown with a matching hat. Her sensual neck displayed a dazzling gold and sapphire necklace.
The entire audience, including Jason, bowed in her direction. She acknowledged the gesture with a polite nod and, after a polite smile directed at Jason, she seated herself next to him. The ladies in waiting took their seats immediately behind the two of them. Jason greeted the ladies in waiting before taking his seat.
‘I presumed that Ruan would also have attended,’ Jason remarked quietly after the greetings were concluded.
‘He is here with a friend. They are seated in another balcony near the rear. He is keeping a low profile this evening.’ Renate whispered whilst simultaneously nodding in the direction of certain of the people seated in the other private balconies.
The variety show comprised of a string quartet, an illusionist and a short play interposed by a couple of jesters. One of the jesters nearly brought the house down when he suggested that the proper definition of a republican revolutionary was someone who would evidently do anything to get ahead. He also mentioned a republican leader who, upon hearing of a complaint by Louis and Marie Antoinette about their abysmal prison conditions, was apparently heard to utter the following unsympathetic reply:
‘Let them eat humble pie.’
It became evident that no communication would be possible during the show. Their prominent position on a balcony at the front of the auditorium placed them in full view of all the other patrons. Renate’s focus on the show was interspersed by the occasional cordial and suitably dignified glance in his direction.
At the end of the show Jason accompanied Renate and the ladies in waiting to an exclusive private lounge also located on the second floor of the auditorium. They were joined by patrons from some of the other balconies. Renate arranged for a corner table for the two of them and the ladies in waiting were instructed to ensure that they were not disturbed.
Renate looked radiant. Now that he had her to himself he found himself at a temporary loss for words.
‘I have to confess I am pleased that it’s only the two of us this evening,’ he said eventually.
Renate regarded him without showing emotion for a few moments before smiling politely at him.
‘I can never tell what you’re thinking, my lord,’ Renate disclosed with a frankness which was disturbingly unexpected. ‘Ruan and Katia think you are attracted to me. I do wonder about that. There are these occasional chilling, yet oddly beguiling glances, which instantly vanish, leaving me to wonder whether I imagined it.’ She hesitated. Her eyes met his, searched his. ‘But strangest of all is that you always seem to have somewhere else you feel compelled to be. I don’t exactly know what to make o
f you.’
‘In truth, I find that your highness is no less mysterious.’ Her frankness had taken him by surprise.
‘If I play my cards close to my chest it is because I am a princess of Montuga. When it comes to gentlemen, everything I do is subject to scrutiny by my father, my brother, the nobility and the public.’ Renate’s tone was a little defensive. ‘I have to be careful not to send out signals which could be misinterpreted.’
‘Since we are being direct, I do wonder about the signal your highness was sending out to the auditorium this evening? Was this a public gesture of appreciation for my role in ensuring your safety and that of Ruan’s? Or was it possibly something else?’ The ill-considered question popped out before he could stop himself. Renate pushed her chair backwards and stood up in one movement.
‘Jason Cavendish,’ she hissed so as not to be overheard. ‘My brother thinks the world of you. But if you cannot appreciate the significance of the invitation, then it would seem that he is evidently wrong about you!’ With that Renate stormed off. The unexpected departure caught the ladies in waiting by surprise. On any other day, he would have found the manner in which they were forced to hurriedly discard their drinks in favour of an undignified rush to catch up to the princess highly amusing.
Jason rose and followed shortly behind the three ladies. He realised that Renate’s sudden departure and his pursuit had captured the attention of everyone in the lounge. There will be time for embarrassment later, Jason told himself. As the royal party descended the stairs leading to the lobby, Jason continued along the passage in a rush. He raced around to the other side of the first floor. He was certain that he would find the staircase allocated to the balconies on the other side of the auditorium. He was correct. He rushed down the empty stairs and managed to make his way out of the foyer and out of the auditorium before the princess and her entourage entered the foyer. He spotted the royal carriage at the bottom of the steps. A few guards stood in close proximity to it. His approach was respectfully, yet wordlessly acknowledged by the guards. They had evidently become accustomed to his frequent audiences with the king and with their commanding officer, the duke.
Despite an almost deadpan expression on her face, Renate’s raised eyebrows betrayed her surprise at seeing Jason standing nonchalantly in front of the carriage.
‘Would you kindly step aside, my lord,’ requested Katia.
‘Not until I have a word with the princess,’ Jason responded.
‘You do realise that if I request the guards to remove you forcibly, they will,’ Katia warned.
The guards remained standing impassively. They continued to regard Jason respectfully whilst keeping an eye on the princess. Although the guards seemed reluctant to become involved, Jason knew that one word from the princess would change that, in an instant.
Renate intervened.
‘Leave us for a few minutes. All of you.’ Once the others were all out of earshot she continued.
‘Well?’
‘It would then indeed be a shame if we allowed my ill-chosen remark to ruin what might have been. Clearly we are both finding it a little difficult to get the measure of the other. May I propose that you invite me for dinner at the palace tomorrow?’
‘How will that change anything?’
‘Surely the only way to eliminate all the uncertainty is by getting to know each other a little better over a dinner similar to the last one we had at the palace?’
‘The same dinner you felt compelled to leave immediately after dessert? Maybe it is too late for that.’ Her impassive expression precluded Jason from detecting whether or not the princess was being serious.
‘I suggest you sleep on it, your highness? If my suggestion appeals to you tomorrow morning, you may wish to do me the honour of sending me an invitation to dinner. I will wait at home until midday tomorrow. If I hear nothing from you, then we will both know where we stand.’
‘Alright,’ the Princess relented. She seemed less annoyed, although she remained aloof.