The Daughter of an Empress

by L. Mühlbach

  THE WARNING

  From this time forward Alexis Orloff was the inseparable companion ofNatalie. With the most reverential submission, and at the same time withthe tenderest affection, seemed he to be devoted to her, and equally toadore her as his empress and his beloved.

  He took pains to represent to her that she was necessarily andinevitably destined to become an empress.

  And she had comprehended him but too well. Ambition was awakened in thisyoung maiden of eighteen years; it was an imperial crown that calledher--why should she not listen to this call coming from the lips ofone in whom she had unlimited confidence, and toward whom she feltinfinitely grateful?

  He had unfolded and explained all to her. He had told her of her mother,the good Empress Elizabeth, who had made Russia so great and happy; hehad explained to her how Count Paulo Rasczinsky had flown with heron the day of her mother's death, in order to preserve her from thepursuits of her mother's successor, the cunning and cruel Peter III.,and to insure to her the realm at a later period. He had then spoken toher of Catharine, who had forcibly possessed herself of the throne ofher unworthy husband, and taken the reins of government into her ownhands. He had spoken to her of Catharine's cruelty and despotic tyranny;he had told her that all Russia groaned under the oppression of thisforeigner, and that a universal cry was heard through the whole realm,of lamentation and longing, a cry for her, the Russian princess,the grand-daughter of Peter the Great, the daughter of the belovedElizabeth.

  "You are called for by all these millions of your oppressed subjectsnow trodden in the dust," said he; "toward you they stretch forth theirtrembling hands, from you they expect relief and consolation, from youthey expect happiness!"

  "And I will bring them happiness," exclaimed Natalie, with emotion. "Iwill dry the tears of misery and console the suffering. Oh, my peopleshall love me as my mother once did!"

  "The noblest of the land have pledged their property and their lives togive you back to your people," said Orloff; "we have solemnly sworn itupon the altar of God, and for the attainment of this end no one of uswill shun want or death, treason or revolt. Look at me, Natalie! I standbefore you a traitor to this empress, to whom I have sworn faith andobedience; she has heaped favors upon me, and at one time I waseven passionately devoted to her! But Count Paulo awoke me from thatintoxication; he roused me from the condition of a favorite of theempress; he taught me to see the cruel, bloodthirsty empress in her trueform; he spoke to me of your sacred rights, and when I recognizedand comprehended them, I collected myself, vowed myself your knight,devoting myself to the defence of your rights, and swore to leave noartifices, no dissimulation, nor even treason itself, unessayed for thepromotion of this great, this sublime object! Princess Natalie, for yoursake I have become a traitor! The admiral of the Russian fleet, he whomthe world calls the favorite of the empress, Count Alexis Orloff, liesat your feet and swears to you eternal faith, devotion, and adoration!"

  "Alexis Orloff!" she joyfully exclaimed, "at length, then, I have a nameby which I can call you! Alexis, was not that the name of my father? Oh,that is a good omen! You bear the name of my father, whom my mother sodearly loved!"

  "And whom the empress, impelled by love, raised to the position of herhusband," whispered Orloff, bending nearer to her and pressing her handto his bosom. "Could you, indeed, love as warmly and devotedly as yourmother loved her Alexis?"

  The young maiden blushed and trembled, but a sweet smile played upon herlips, and although she cast down her eyes and did not look at him, yetCount Orloff saw that he had given no offence, and might venture stillfurther.

  He gently encircled her delicate form with his arm, and, inclining hismouth so close to her ear that she felt his hot breath upon her cheek,whispered: "Will Natalie love her Alexis as Elizabeth loved AlexisRazumovsky? Ah, you know not how boundlessly, how immeasurably I loveyou! Yes, immeasurably, Natalie. You are my happiness, my life, myfuture. Command me, rule me, make of me a traitor, a murderer! I will dowhatever you command; at your desire I could even murder my own father!Only tell me, Natalie, that you do not hate me; tell me that my lovewill not be rejected by you; that this passion, under which I almostsuccumb, has found an echo in your heart, and that you will one day sayto me, as Elizabeth said to your father, 'Alexis, I love you, and willtherefore make you my husband!' You are silent, Natalie; have you noword of sympathy, of compassion for me! Ah, I offer up all to you, andyou--"

  He could proceed no further; he saw her turn toward him; he suddenlyfelt a glowing kiss upon his lips, and then, springing up from her seat,she fled through the rooms like a frightened roe, and took refuge in herboudoir, which she locked behind her.

  Orloff glanced after her with a triumphant smile. "She is mine," thoughthe; "I am here living through a charming romance, and Catharine will besatisfied with me!"

  Yes, she was his; she now knew that she loved him, and with joyfulecstasy she took this new and delightful feeling to her heart; shewelcomed it as the joy-promising dawn of a new day, a precious new life.She permitted this feeling to stream through her whole being, her wholesoul; she made it a worship for her whole existence.

  "You see," she said to Marianne, "so had I dreamed the man whom I shouldone day love. So brave, so proud, so beautiful. Ah, it is so charming tobe obliged to tremble before the man one loves; it is so sweet to clingto him and think: 'I am nothing of myself, but all through thee! Iam the ivy and thou the oak; thou wilt hold and sustain me, and if astorm-wind comes, thou wilt not waver, but stand firm and great in thyheroic strength, and protect me, and impart courage and confidence evento me!'"

  She loved him, and clung to him with boundless confidence, but she wasyet so full of tender maiden timidity that she could confess to himnothing of this love; and since that kiss she shyly avoided him, andconstantly left his often-renewed love-questions unanswered.

  At this Alexis secretly laughed. "She will come round," said he; "shewill finally be compelled to it by her own feelings. I will give hertime and leisure to come to a knowledge of herself!"

  And for some days he kept away from the villa, pretending pressingbusiness, and left the poor isolated princess to her languishinglove-dreams.

  It was precisely in these days that, on one forenoon, a carriage ofindifferent appearance, adorned with no heraldic arms, stopped beforethe villa; a man closely enveloped in a mantle, his hat pressed deeplydown over his forehead, issued from the carriage and rang the bell.

  Of the servant who answered the bell he hastily inquired if theprincess was at home and alone; these questions being answered in theaffirmative, and the servant having asked his name in order to announcehim, the stranger said, almost in a commanding tone: "The princess knowsmy name, and will gladly welcome me; therefore lead me directly to her!"

  "The princess receives no one," said the servant, placing himself in aposition to prevent the stranger's entrance.

  "She will receive me," said the unknown, dropping some gold-pieces intothe servant's hand.

  "I will conduct you to her," said the suddenly mollified servant, "but Ido it on your own responsibility."

  Princess Natalie was in her boudoir. She was alone, and thinking, in alanguishing reverie, of her friend, who had now been two days absent. Onhearing a light knock at the door, she sprang up from her seat.

  "It is he!" she murmured, and with glowing cheeks she hastened to thedoor.

  But on finding there a strange and closely-enveloped form, Natalietimidly drew back.

  The stranger entered, closing the door behind him, threw back his mantleand took off the hat that shaded his face.

  "Cardinal Bernis!" cried Natalie, with surprise.

  "Ah, then you yet recognize me, princess!" said Bernis. "That isbeautiful in you, and therefore you will not be angry with me forcalling upon you unannounced. I knew that I should find you alone, andthis was a too fortunate circumstance for me to let it pass unimproved.I must speak to you, princess, even at the hazard of proving tiresome."

  Natalie said, wit
h a soft smile: "You were the friend of Count Paulo,and therefore can never prove tiresome to me! I bid you welcome,cardinal!"

  "It is precisely because I was Count Paulo's friend, that I have come!"said Bernis, seriously. "The count loved you, princess, and what Idid not know at the time is known to me now. Because he loved andwas devoted to you, he hazarded his life, and more than his life, hisliberty."

  "And they have robbed him of that precious liberty," sighed Natalie."For his fidelity to me they have condemned him to a shamefulimprisonment!"

  "You know that!" exclaimed Bernis, with astonishment, "you know that,and nevertheless--" Then, interrupting himself, he broke off, andafter a pause continued: "Pardon me one question, and if you deem itindiscreet, please remember that it is put to you by an old man and apriest, and that his only object is, if possible to be useful to you. Doyou love Count Paulo Rasczinksy?"

  "I love him," said she, "as one loves a father. I shall always begrateful to him, and shall never esteem myself happy until I haveliberated him and restored him to his country!"

  "You liberate him!" sadly exclaimed Bernis. "Ah, then you know not, youdo not once dream, that you are yourself surrounded by dangers, thatyour own liberty, indeed your life itself, is threatened."

  "I know it," calmly responded the young maiden, "but I also know thatstrong and powerful friends stand by my side, who will protect anddefend me with their lives."

  "But how if these friends are deceiving you--if precisely they are yourbitterest enemies and destroyers?"

  "Sir Cardinal!" exclaimed Natalie, reddening with indignation.

  "Oh, I may not anger you," he continued, "but it is my duty to warn you,princess! They have undoubtedly deceived you with false pretensions, andin some deceitful way obtained your confidence. Tell me, princess, doyou know the name of this count whom you daily receive here?"

  "It is Count Alexis Orloff," said the young maiden, blushing.

  "You know him, know his name, and yet you confide in him!" exclaimed thecardinal. "But it cannot be that you know his history: have you any ideato whom he is indebted for his prosperity and greatness?"

  "The Empress Catharine, his mistress," said Natalie, withoutembarrassment.

  The cardinal looked, with increasing astonishment, into her calm,smiling face. "I now comprehend it all," he then said; "they have laid avery shrewd and cunning plan. They have deceived you while telling you apart of the truth!"

  "No one has deceived me," indignantly responded Natalie. "I tell you,Sir Cardinal, that I am neither deceived nor overreached, easy as youseem to think it to deceive me!"

  "Oh, it is always easy to deceive innocence and nobleness," sadlyremarked the cardinal. "Listen to me, princess, and think, I conjureyou, that this time a true and sincere friend is speaking to you."

  "And how shall I recognize that?" asked the young maiden, with a slighttouch of irony. "How shall I recognize a friend, when, as you say, it isprecisely my pretended friends who are my enemies!"

  "Recognize me by this!" said the cardinal, drawing a folded paper fromhis bosom and handing it to the princess.

  "That is Count Paulo's handwriting!" she joyfully exclaimed.

  "Ah, you recognize the handwriting," said the cardinal, "and you seethat this letter is addressed to me. Count Paulo therefore considers mehis friend!"

  "May I read this letter?"

  "I beg you to do so."

  Natalie unfolded the letter and read: "Warn the Princess Tartaroff;danger threatens her!"

  "That is all?" she asked with a smile.

  "That is all!" said the cardinal; "but when Paulo considered these fewwords of sufficient importance to send them to me, you may well supposethey are of the utmost significance."

  "Count Paulo is in Siberia," said Natalie, shaking her head; "how couldhe have written you from thence?"

  "How he succeeded in doing so, I know not, but the firm, determined willof man often conquers supposed impossibilities! Enough--in a mysterious,enigmatical manner was this letter put into the hands of our ambassadorat St. Petersburg, with the most urgent prayer that he would immediatelysend it to me by a special courier, with all the necessary particulars."

  "And was that done?" asked Natalie.

  "It was done! I know why your life is threatened! Princess Tartaroff,you are the daughter of the Empress Elizabeth; and therefore it is thatthis Empress Catharine, upon her usurped throne, trembles with fear ofyou--therefore was it that she said to her favorite: 'Go, and deliverme from this troublesome pretender. But do it in a sly, cautious, andnoiseless manner. Avoid attracting attention, murder her not, threatenher not; I wish not to give people new reasons for calling me abloodthirsty woman. Entice her with flatteries into our net, induce herto follow you voluntarily, that the people of no country in which shemay be may have an occasion to accuse us of using force.' Thus didCatharine speak to her favorite; he understood her and swore to executeher commands, as he did when Catharine ordered him to throttle herhusband, the Emperor Peter; as he also did when she ordered him to shootpoor Ivan, the son of Anna Leopoldowna, for the criminal reason thathe had a greater right to the imperial crown of Russia than this littleGerman princess of Zerbst!"

  "And he shot that poor innocent Ivan!" shudderingly asked Natalie. "Ah,this Catharine is bloodthirsty as a hyena, and her friends and favoritesare hangmen's servants--ah, history will brand this murderer of Ivan!"

  "It will," solemnly responded Cardinal Bernis, "and people will shudderwhen they hear the name of the man who strangled the Emperor Peter, whoshot Ivan, and who, at the command of Catharine, has come to Italyto ensnare the noble and innocent Princess Tartaroff with cunning andflatteries and convey her to St. Petersburg. Shall I tell you this man'sname? He is called Alexis Orloff!"

  The young maiden sprang up from her seat, her eyes flashed, and hercheeks glowed.

  "That is false," said she--"a shameful, malicious falsehood!"

  "Would to God it were so!" cried the cardinal. "But it is too true,princess! Oh, listen to me, and close not your ears to the truth.Remember that I am an old man, who has long observed men, and longstudied life. I know this Russian diplomacy, and this Russian craft;they have in them something devilish; and these Russian diplomatists,they poison and confound the shrewdest with their deceitful smilesand infernal cunning. Guard yourself, princess, against this Russiandiplomacy, and, above all things, be on your guard against thisambassador of the Russian empress, Alexis Orloff!"

  "Ah, you dare to defame him!" cried the young maiden, trembling withanger. "You have, therefore, never seen him; you have never read in hisnoble face that Count Alexis Orloff can never betray. He is a hero, anda hero never descends to a murder! Ah, if the whole world should riseup against him, if it should point the finger at him and say: 'That isa murderer!' I would cry in the face of the whole world: 'Thou liest!Alexis Orloff can never be a murderer! I know him better, and know thathe is pure and clear of every crime. You may continue to call him abetrayer! I know why he suffers himself to be so called! I know thesecret of his conduct, and a day will come when you will all learn it;when you will all feel compelled to fall down at his feet and confess,"Alexis Orloff is no false betrayer!" For the sake of her to whom hehas vowed fidelity has he borne this shame. For her whom he loved has hestaked his blood and his life. Alexis Orloff is a hero!'"

  She was strangely beautiful while speaking with such spirit andanimation. The cardinal observed her noble and excited features with anadmiration mingled with the most painful emotions.

  "Poor child!" he murmured, dropping his head--"poor child, she loveshim, and is therefore lost!"

  "You, then, do not believe me!" he asked aloud.

  "No," said she, with a glad smile--"no, all the happiness I ever expect,all the good that may hereafter come to me, I shall receive only fromthe hands of Alexis Orloff!"

  "Poor child!" sighed the cardinal. "In many a case even death may provea blessing!"

  "Then will I also joyfully receive even that from his hands!" cried theyoung m
aiden, with enthusiasm.

  "It is in vain, she is not to be helped!" murmured the cardinal, witha melancholy shake of the head, and, grasping the hand of the youngmaiden, with a compassionate glance at her fair face, he continued: "Iwould gladly aid you, and thereby expiate the evil you once sufferedat my festival! But you will not consent to be aided. You rush to yourdestruction, and it is your noblest qualities, your innocence, and yourgenerous confidence, which are preparing your ruin! May God bless youand preserve you! How glad I should be to find myself a liar and falseprophet!"

  "And you will so find yourself!" exclaimed Natalie.

  "You believe it, because you are in love, and when a woman loves shebelieves in the object of her love, and smilingly offers up her lifefor him! Like all women, you will do so! You will sacrifice your life toyour love; and when this barbarian thrusts the dagger in your heart, youwill say with a smile: 'I did it! I, myself--'"

  And, bowing to her with a sad smile, slowly and sighing, the cardinalleft the room.

  Some hours later came Alexis Orloff. Natalie received him with anexpression of the purest pleasure, and, extending both hands to him,smilingly said:

  "Know you yet what my mother said to her lover?"

  Looking at her, he read his happiness in her face. With an exclamationof ecstasy he fell at her feet.

  "I know it well, but you, Natalie, do you also know it?" he passionatelyasked.

  Natalie smiled. "Alexis," said she, "I love you, and therefore will Iraise you to my side as my husband!" and with a charming modest blushshe drew the count up to her arms.

  "You do not deceive me, and this is no dream?" he cried, while glowinglyembracing her.

  "No," said she, "it is the truth, and I owe you this satisfaction.You have been slandered to me to-day. Ah, they shall see how little Ibelieve them. Alexis, call a priest to bless our union, and make me yourwife. Whatever then may come, we will share it with each other. If I amone day empress, you will be the emperor, and I will always honor andobey you as my lord and master."

  On the evening of this day a very serious and solemn ceremony took placein the boudoir of Princess Natalie. An altar wreathed with flowers stoodin the centre of the room, and before the altar stood Natalie in a whitesatin robe, the myrtle-crown upon her head, the long bridal veil wavingaround her delicate form. She was very beautiful in her joyful, modestemotion, and Count Alexis Orloff, who, in a rich Russian costume stoodby her side, viewed her with ecstatic and warm desiring glances. Theinhuman executioner led the lamb to the slaughter without pity orcompunction!

  At the other side of the altar stood the priest, a reverend old man,with long flowing silver hair and beard. Near him the sacristan, notless reverend in appearance. No one else was present except Marianne,who, in tears, knelt behind her mistress, and with folded hands prayedfor her beloved princess, who was now marrying Count Alexis Orloff.

  The solemn ceremony was at an end, and the young wife sank weeping intothe arms of her husband, who, with tenderest whisperings, led her intothe next room.

  Marianne, overcome by her tears and emotions, hastened to her own room,and the reverend priest remained alone with his sacristan.

  They silently looked at each other, and their faces were distorted by aknavish, grinning laugh.

  "It was a wonderful scene," said the priest, who was no other thanJoseph Ribas. "In earnest, I was quite affected by it myself, and Icame near weeping at my own sublime homily. Confess, Stephano, that aconsecrated priest could not have better gone through the ceremony."

  "We have both performed our parts," simpered Stephano, the sacristan,"and I think the count must be satisfied with us."

  At that moment the count returned to the room. Natalie had begged to beleft alone--she needed solitude and prayer.

  The priest, Joseph Ribas, and the sacristan, Stephano, gave him sly,interrogating glances.

  "I am satisfied with you," said Orloff, with a smile. "You are bothexcellent actors. This new little countess was pleased and touched byyour discourse, Joseph, my very worthy priest. Where did you learn thisnew villainy?"

  "In the high school of the galleys, your excellency," said Ribas. "Onlythere is one taught such precious things. We had a priest there, a realconsecrated priest, who was sentenced for life. From _ennui_ he gavelessons to the smartest among us in his art, and taught us how to foldthe hands, roll the eyes, and render the voice tremulous. But now, yourexcellency, one thing! You desired to know who it was that warned yourprincess to-day. I can now give you information on that point. It wasthe French Cardinal Bernis!"

  "They are, therefore, beginning to observe our movements," thoughtfullyremarked Orloff, "and these gentlemen diplomatists wish to take a handin the game. Ah, we understand the French policy. It is the same nowthat it was when they helped to make the Princess Elizabeth empress. Atthat time they interposed, that Russia might be so occupied with her ownaffairs as to have no time for looking into those of France. Preciselyso is it to-day. They would compassionate the daughter as they did themother. With the help of Natalie they would again bless Russia witha revolution, that we might not have time to observe the events nowfermenting in France. But this time we shall be more cautious, myshrewd French cardinal. Stephano, let every preparation be made forour immediate departure. We are no longer safe and unobserved here.Therefore we will go to Leghorn."

  "We alone, or with the princess?" asked Stephano.

  "My wife will naturally accompany me," said Orloff, with a derisivesmile.

  "Will she consent to leave Rome?" asked Joseph Ribas.

  "I shall request her to do so," proudly replied Orloff, "and I think myrequest will be a command to her."

  And the proud count was not mistaken. His request was a command forher. He told her she must leave Rome because she was no longer in safetythere, and Princess Natalie believed him.

  "We will go to Leghorn, and there await the arrival of the Russianfleet," said he. "When that fleet shall have safely arrived, then ourends will be attained, then we shall have conquered, for then it willbe evident that the empress has conceived no suspicion; and I am thecommander of that fleet, which is wholly manned with conspirators whoall await you as their empress. Will you follow me to Leghorn, Natalie?"

  She clung with tender submissiveness to his bosom.

  "I will follow you everywhere," murmured she, "and any place to whichyou conduct me will be a paradise for me!"