Her Royal Highness: A Romance of the Chancelleries of Europe

by William Le Queux

without waiting to switch on her lamps,Pietro Olivieri leisurely descended the hill. But as he passed onthrough the grove of dark cypresses a human figure crept stealthily outof the shadows and, looking after him, muttered a fierce imprecation.

  The pair who had believed themselves unseen, had been watched by a verysharp pair of eyes!

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

  HER HIGHNESS'S WARNING.

  The grey morning mist hung over the Tiber and over the Eternal City, butoutside the town it was bright, crisp, and sunny.

  Away at Frascati on the pleasant mountain slopes with those lovely viewsover the Campagna, fifteen miles from Rome, the day was charming, and atnoon quite warm and delightful.

  Perhaps of all the _contorini_ of Rome the Frascati is the mostattractive. By road and rail it is easy of access, and perhaps thisfact had induced Lola to telephone to Hubert and give him an appointmentin the beautiful grounds of the Villa Aldobrandini, where therecertainly would be no other person, save perhaps a few odd Britishtourists who would not recognise either of the pair.

  At noon, therefore, both having arrived by train from Rome, they had metat a spot appointed by Her Highness, and were standing together againstan old broken piece of statuary under a high hedge of dark ilex. Thegreat old sixteenth-century villa, built by Cardinal PietroAldobrandini, nephew of Clement VIII, is now, alas! falling into decay;its fountains are dilapidated; its statuary broken; its terraces, oncetrod by papal dignitaries, moss-grown; while over the steps of itsprincipal entrance the green lizards flash in the sunshine.

  Its grounds, however, are still the delight of the traveller, with theirterraces, their fantastic grottos, their fountains and rocks, theirgreat oaks, their funereal cypresses, and their splendid extensiveviews.

  From where the diplomat stood beside the Princess he could see far awayacross the plain to where the great dome of St Peter's rose in theblue-grey mists of the panorama, while on the other hand lay the ancientTusculum, and the range of blue hills dominated by the Corbio--as theItalians call the Rocca Priora--while a little to the right shone theLake of Albano, lying like a mirror in its basin in the sunshine.

  Lola had arrived there first, but as he came swinging along the path aflush of pleasure mounted to her pale cheeks, and she put out her glovedhand, greeting him warmly.

  Dressed in dark grey, and wearing a magnificent set of blue fox, shepresented a very different appearance to that of the previous night whenshe had worn the old dress and close-fitting bonnet of Renata's.

  Hubert Waldron thought he had never seen her looking so charming, yet hewondered why she had made that appointment so far away from Rome. Hewas still wondering, too, why that letter of Henry Pujalet's should havehad such an effect upon her. With her last strenuous effort, however,she had destroyed it. Why?

  "Your man seemed awfully dense this morning," the Princess laughed."When I telephoned he thought it was the manageress of your fishmonger,and told me that you required nothing to-day! Your English servants arehorribly abrupt, I assure you."

  "I'm so sorry," he said, hastening to apologise. "I fear abruptness isone of his failings, but he is honest. I've reprimanded him lots oftimes."

  "Ah! I expect he hears a good many female voices on the 'phone," shelaughed, teasing him; "and he has orders to what you call it in English,to choke them off--eh?" and she laughed.

  Together they walked along the gravelled path to where, beneath a tallcypress, was an old semicircular stone seat, one of those placed therewhen the great cardinal laid out the grounds of his princely villa.Upon that they seated themselves when suddenly Her Highness, with ananxious look upon her face, turned to her companion and said, stillspeaking in English.

  "I fear that we may be watched, therefore I made this appointment withyou here."

  "Watched?" he echoed. "Who by? Old Ghelardi, I suppose?"

  "No. I have no great fear of him," she answered. "But you have enemieshere, in Rome," she went on very seriously. "I have discovered thatthey are desperate and intend to do you some grievous harm. Therefore Iurge you to make some excuse to leave Rome at once."

  "Why, whatever do you mean, Princess?" he asked, staring at her.

  "How often have I forbidden you to use that title to me?" she criedpetulantly. "To you I am Lola, plain Lola, as always," she said,looking very gravely into his eyes. "We are friends. That is why I amhere to warn you."

  "But I really don't understand," he protested. "What enemies can I havehere? And if I have, what harm can they possibly do me? I'm notafraid, I assure you."

  "Ah! I know you are not afraid," she answered. "But from what I haveheard, it seems probable that these people, whoever they are, must be infear of you--they suspect you are cognisant of some secret of theirs."

  The word "secret" held him speechless for some seconds. She knewnothing of the theft that had been committed at the Ministry of War.The only "secret" which he had tried to discover was the identity of thethief.

  "But how came you to know this?" he asked at last.

  "I--well I heard a rumour last night," was her vague reply; "and Ithought it my duty, as your friend, to warn you lest you should beentrapped or taken unawares."

  "Then you really and honestly believe that these mysterious, unknownpersons, whoever they are, mean mischief?" he asked, looking anxiouslyinto her pale, anxious countenance.

  How handsome she was! How deeply, too, was he in love with her. Heheld his breath, remembering how frantically he had kissed her hand; howhe had told her of the great burning passion within his heart, thoughshe had lain there with all consciousness blotted out.

  "If I had any doubt, Signor Waldron, I should not trouble to raise thisalarm," she answered in a tone of slight reproach.

  "But how can I leave Rome?" he asked, for he was reflecting that toadopt her suggestion was impossible. His duty to the King, as well ashis duty to the British Service, precluded it at present. "Cannot yougo on leave again? Or--or cannot you get appointed to another post forsix months--or a year?"

  He was silent, his eyes fixed upon hers.

  "Are you so very anxious then to get rid of me?" he asked gravely.

  "To get rid of you?" she echoed blankly. "To get rid of you--my mostsincere and devoted friend! How can you suggest such a thing?"

  "Well, it almost seems so," he answered with a smile.

  "My dear Signor Waldron, I warn you most seriously that you are in gravepersonal peril, and that--"

  "But you do not tell me how you know this, Lola," he interrupted. "I amnaturally most curious to know."

  "Without doubt," she responded, her eyes cast down. "But theinformation is from a source which I have no desire to divulge. Ilearnt it entirely by accident."

  "It was not contained in that letter I brought you from Brussels?" heasked very slowly, for of that he held a faint suspicion. He looked herstraight in the eyes.

  "Oh no," was her reply. "That letter--ah! it was about something--something which affected me very closely. I know that I was veryfoolish to allow it to upset me so. It was absurd of me to faint as Idid. But I could not help it. I suppose I am but a woman, after all."

  It was on the tip of his tongue to describe how old Ghelardi haddiscovered them together in the room of the Minister of the Household,but he hesitated, fearing to unduly cause her annoyance. He had defiedthe chief spy of Italy, but was as yet uncertain whether the crafty oldfellow had not gone secretly to the King and told him the story--withmany embellishments, perhaps.

  "Your indisposition was not your own fault, Lola," he answered in avoice of deepest sympathy. "No doubt Monsieur Pujalet's lettercontained something to cause you the gravest disconcern."

  "Disconcern!" she cried, starting up wildly, her big expressive eyesfull of anxiety. "Ah! you do not know--how can you know all thetortures of conscience, of the daily, hourly terror I am now suffering!No! You cannot understand."

  "Because you will explain nothing," he remarked with dissatisfaction.

  "I
cannot, I dare not--even to you, my most intimate friend!"

  "Well, Lola, I confess that each time we meet you become more and moremysterious."

  "Ah! Because I am compelled. Surrounded by enemies, even myassociation with you seems to have placed you also in a deadly peril.That is why I am appealing to you to leave Rome."

  "I can't," he said. "That is entirely out of the question. But nowthat you have warned me I will be wary--and will carry my revolver, ifyou think it necessary."

  "Cannot you leave Italy? It would be far safer."

  "And leave you in this perilous position? No," was his prompt anddecisive