After luncheon Lady Rose told Valona that she was going to rest and did not wish to be disturbed.
“I have not brought a lady’s maid with me, so I do hope you will help me later with my gown.”
“Of course I will,” replied Valona.
Lady Rose continued,
“My brother’s valet, who has been with us since I was a little girl, is so clever at packing and unpacking it would be such a nuisance to have a lady’s maid on board as well, who anyway would doubtless be seasick!”
She did not say anything else, but walked into the Captain’s cabin and closed the door.
Valona had no wish to lie down when she might be on deck, so she ran up the companionway.
At the top she almost bumped into the Marquis who was just going down the stairs.
“If you are looking for Arthur,” he said, “you will find him somewhere on deck, or he might be on the bridge with the Captain.”
“Thank you,” Valona replied.
The Marquis then hurried down the companionway.
She thought it a little strange that he should wish to be below. As he was a man he was not likely to be tired like Lady Rose.
On deck the sun was shining and Valona thought that any man would want to be out in the fresh air.
In a short time there would be a touch of salt in the air blowing in from the sea.
‘It’s all so wonderful,’ she told herself, ‘and I have no wish to miss anything. I will tell Mama about it when I write to her.’
She went out on deck and saw the Duke leaning over the rails.
When she joined him, he smiled at her.
“I suppose you would like to see us move into the Channel.”
“I want to see everything and miss nothing!”
“I will try to help you do just that,” offered the Duke.
“You are so kind,” answered Valona. “Nothing as fabulous as this has ever happened in my life before.”
She was obviously so thrilled with everything and looked so lovely that the Duke smiled at her.
However he knew that every mile they steamed on made his sister more miserable.
And it was the same for the Marquis.
There was nothing he could do to help them.
At least they would be able to be together until they reached Larissa.
It seemed cruel that it was all they would have to remember for the rest of their lives.
Yet he supposed it was better than nothing.
“You are looking worried, Cousin Arthur,” Valona piped up unexpectedly. “Have I said something wrong?”
“No, of course not. I was just reflecting that very few people are as happy as you are at this moment. I wish we could wave a magic wand and give happiness, if not to the whole world, at least to those we love.”
“It would be marvellous, if we could do it! When Mama was so unhappy after my Papa died, I felt helpless because I could not bring him back to life.”
“I can understand.”
“Mama was very brave,” said Valona, “because she believed that Papa, although he was no longer with us, was looking after and protecting us. Perhaps it is all due to him that I am having this superb treat.”
“I do hope everything you do in life will be equally wonderful for you, but I expect like everyone else we will have our ups and downs and setbacks, however hard we try to avoid them.”
“Of course we will, but when we manage all on our own, or perhaps with the help of those we cannot see, to be given such a unique opportunity as I have been given, it is the magical happiness which we seek and when we have found it, we must hold on to it very very tightly.”
“You are so right,” he agreed. “Perhaps in that way we shall miss very little and gain a great deal.”
He was thinking as he spoke that it was impossible for Rose and Gerald and he could only hope that the short time they were now together would be some compensation.
CHAPTER THREE
They reached Gibraltar without suffering too much from a rough sea in the Bay of Biscay.
Valona was quite right in thinking she would not be seasick.
She managed to spend a great deal of time on deck watching majestic waves break over the ship’s bow and did not mind occasionally being sprayed herself.
Lady Rose stayed mostly down below.
The second day they were out, Valona suggested,
“You know, Rose, you really must start learning the language of Larissa, because you will be asked to make a speech as soon as you arrive.”
“Why should I have to do that?” she asked rather disagreeably.
“Mama told me that when Royal persons arrive in a foreign country, they are always met by the Prime Minister and Members of the Cabinet. After they bid you welcome, you are expected to reply in their language.”
“Well, it had better be short, otherwise I shall not remember what I am to say!”
Valona had already written down a little speech for Lady Rose to make.
She tried to teach it to her word by word, but she had the feeling that Lady Rose was not listening, but was anxious to get away from her.
The next day Valona tried once again, but she flatly refused.
Then she realised it was because she wanted to be with the Marquis. They spent the afternoons sitting close together in a shady part of the ship, where they could not be seen or overheard by any of the crew.
Valona sensed it was no use trying to disturb them and because the Duke was afraid that was what she might do, he challenged her to a game of deck tennis.
Valona had never played it before, but she picked it up quickly and although the Duke won easily, she managed to make him fight for it.
Dinner was a quiet meal with the Duke doing most of the talking.
The Marquis and Rose just gazed at each other.
Valona by this time was absolutely convinced that they were in love and she felt that the whole situation must be most difficult for them.
She was somewhat worried in case she did anything wrong and so she said to the Duke the next day when they were alone,
“I have been attempting to encourage Lady Rose to learn a short speech for when she arrives at Larissa, but she does not seem at all interested. I just feel that she is unhappy at having to marry the King.”
“Of course, she is unhappy, Valona, but the Queen made it almost a command. In any case it is hopeless for Rose to stay on in England without being able to see my friend Gerald.”
Valona thought that this was a strange thing to say.
She merely glanced at the Duke questioningly and he explained,
“You must realise by now that they are in love with each other – it is impossible for them to hide it. But there is nothing they can do.”
“Because the Marquis is married?” Valona asked in a low voice.
“If you know that fact, I suppose whoever told you added the information that his wife is incurably mad!”
Valona looked startled.
Her mother had said that the Marquis was married, but she had certainly not added that information about his wife.
There was a silence before Valona remarked,
“It must be very sad for him – ”
“It is a terrible tragedy. She was very beautiful and apparently charming in every possible way. No one told him that she had certain seizures and although he has consulted dozens of doctors, they have been able to do nothing for her.”
Valona thought it was the most dreadful story.
“I am sorry, so very very sorry. Of course, Lady Rose does not want to leave him and everyone else she loves.”
“You must help her if you can,” urged the Duke.
“Of course I will. She is so sweet and I want her to be happy, but if you cannot do anything, who can?”
“I suppose, Valona, that if Gerald and Rose were of little importance, they could run away together and would soon be forgotten, but they come from powerful families, who would both suffer from the scan
dal, and if Rose had children they would not have a name.”
Valona felt it was the saddest situation that anyone could be in.
She was thus more attentive and gentler with Lady Rose than she had been before.
It was as she was fastening her gown before dinner that Lady Rose blurted out,
“I think you realise, Valona, how unhappy I am.”
“Your brother has told me,” she replied, “and I am so very sorry for you.”
“I am sorry for myself, but there is nothing I can do and it would be wicked to drag Gerald’s name through the mud.”
“Of course it would,” agreed Valona. “And I shall pray every single night when I say my prayers that perhaps one day you will be able to be together.”
Lady Rose did not answer.
Valona realised she was thinking it was impossible for there to be any way out of their misery.
Quite suddenly Lady Rose put her hands up to her eyes.
“I just cannot bear it,” she moaned. “I really think I would rather die than be married to another man, knowing I can never see my darling Gerald again.”
There was a painful pause before she added,
“I think I will kill myself. I believe drowning is not too unpleasant.”
“Suppose you did so,” replied Valona, “and then by some miracle the Marquis became free. Can you imagine what he would feel?”
Lady Rose took her hands from her face.
Her tears had overflowed down her cheeks and she looked very pathetic.
“How can there be any chance of that?” she asked. “Gerald’s wife is only twenty-three and the doctors say she could live until she is sixty or seventy.”
“You never know, Rose, something might happen, but in any case it would be really wicked to take your own life. Remember, if you are suffering, I am sure that the Marquis is suffering too.”
“He is,” agreed Lady Rose, “and it breaks my heart when he tells me how much he loves me whilst I know we can never be together.”
“I do think, Rose, that you are giving in too easily. You must believe that things will come right. Not at once, but maybe at some point in the years ahead. Then it would be terrible for you both if, when you could be together, one of you was missing.”
Lady Rose gave a little sob.
“I understand exactly what you are saying to me. I only wish I could see even one small ray of sunshine in the darkness ahead.”
“But it is there! I am sure it is there.”
Valona was silent for a moment and then added,
“Mama told me that, as I was born under a lucky star, the people in Papa’s country believed that I had a magic eye. They claimed that when I was older I would be able to tell fortunes.”
Lady Rose was listening and Valona went on,
“Mama said they used to touch my pram hoping it would bring them luck and, when everyone was so terrified at the time of the revolution, I was quite certain that Papa, Mama and I would be able to escape.”
“And with your magic eye you can see that Gerald and I will be together?”
“I am sure in my heart that one day, I have no idea when, your love will unite you both and that you will be happy.”
“I want to believe you,” groaned Lady Rose. “God knows I want to believe you.”
“Then you must pray every night for what you want as my Mama taught me to do, and your Guardian Angel or perhaps even your very special star in the sky, will bring you happiness.”
“I will tell Gerald what you have said, although he will doubtless pooh-pooh the idea, I do know that he would love to believe you are telling the truth.”
“I am telling you something that I sincerely believe is the truth, Rose, and I am quite certain it will all come true, although you may have to wait a little while.”
“Every day spent without my Gerald will seem like an eternity. But you have made me feel happier and for the moment I promise you I will not drown myself.”
“You are certainly not to do anything so wicked, or even think about it,” Valona scolded her.
The two girls were smiling as they walked into the Saloon for dinner.
The Marquis jumped up from his chair and ran to Lady Rose’s side and exclaimed,
“You are looking happy. What has happened?”
“I will tell you all about it later,” she answered him mysteriously.
Dinner seemed more amusing that night than it had been on previous nights.
When they went to bed, Valona thought it had been the happiest evening they had spent together yet.
She was feeling particularly excited because they were stopping at Gibraltar tomorrow and she so wanted to visit the Rock.
The Duke had promised he would take her ashore and she would see the famous monkeys.
She felt so glad that they were not going to Larissa without stopping en route.
*
“Was there anything waiting for you at Government House?” the Duke asked the Marquis when he returned on board after their short stop in Gibraltar.
The Marquis shook his head.
“Nothing of any importance except that my trainer has entered one of my horses in the big race at Epsom this afternoon.”
“Do you think it will win?” the Duke enquired.
“It might do.”
“It’s a pity you are not there to see him first past the winning post!”
The Marquis smiled.
“I would rather be here at the moment,” he replied emphatically and walked away.
The sun was shining brightly and the Mediterranean was blue and Valona thought it was very beautiful.
The battleship did not take long to reach Marseilles and again the Marquis set off to visit the British Consulate.
The Duke, however, told Valona that there was no point in going ashore as there was very little to see.
“Just a busy French commercial town,” he told her, “and you can do all the sightseeing you could ever desire when we reach Naples and then on to Venice.”
“I am longing to see the canals,” said Valona, “and I have read the complete history of Venice and, of course, seen pictures of it.”
“I just hope you will not be too disappointed. I have often found myself, when I have been travelling, that the description of the place is often far more exciting than the place itself.”
“I think that sounds rather blasé. Perhaps travelling to too many cities has spoilt you? I really cannot believe that there is not something new and exciting to see in every foreign town.”
The Duke chortled.
“As you are so much of an optimist, I will merely wish you luck and not try to disillusion you, Valona.”
“I don’t think I shall be disillusioned in any way,” she persisted. “But books always pick out the very best of the sights and historic buildings to write up, and sometimes they ignore special little gems of even greater interest than the major attractions.”
The Duke laughed and continued to tease her.
At the same time he felt it was quite extraordinary that this young girl, having no experience of the world, had worked out such truths for herself.
He had noticed at dinner that she always had something unusual and intelligent to contribute to the conversation.
In fact, he said to himself, she is almost too good to be true!
‘She looks,’ he ruminated, ‘just as beautiful as she ought to in the clothes I have provided for her!’
He liked the unselfconscious way that Valona had thanked him and she politely asked his opinion about every new gown she put on.
“Mama hesitated over this one,” she had remarked this morning when she came up on deck. “She thought that any colour would be a little too bright for England, but I hope you will think this is just right for the Mediterranean.”
“You look very lovely in it,” commented the Duke.
Valona gave a little skip of delight.
“That is exactly what I want to hear and I shall wr
ite and tell Mama what you have said.”
The Duke thought when they returned to England he would organise one of his relations to introduce Valona to London Society.
She would certainly shine at all the balls that took place every night in the Season.
He would also ensure that she and her mother were invited when there was a ball or some particularly grand occasion at Windsor Castle.
‘Valona will enjoy every moment of it,’ he told himself. ‘She has managed to cheer up Rose a little today, for which I am very grateful.’
That night when the girls retired to bed, Lady Rose asked Valona,
“You are praying for me to your special star?”
“Yes, I am, Rose, but you must pray to your own star as well. I strongly suspect it does not work for anyone else.”
She spoke very seriously and so obviously believed in every word she was saying that Lady Rose did what she was told.
When she repeated to the Marquis what Valona had told her, he said,
“Now I think of it, I have heard that is one of the beliefs of the people of Piracus, but it didn’t do much good for the poor Prince. The throne was shaky before he inherited it and I doubt if that country will ever again have a Royal Ruler.”
“Their star did not look after them properly,” Lady Rose responded.
“Perhaps they were a bit remiss with their prayers and we can only hope, my darling one, that your star will listen to you.”
As there was nothing more to say, he kissed Lady Rose tenderly.
And for a moment they were both transported into a special Heaven of their own.
*
The next port of call was Naples.
Despite its poverty Valona thought how attractive the City was.
The others became a little interested as well and the Duke took them to Pompeii.
Valona was shocked to see how cruelly the people living there at the time had suffered, their daily lives caught forever in the molten lava. Yet she found the ruins entrancing, so much still remained of what had once been a great City.
They drove back along narrow roads with the sea on one side of them.
Valona slipped her hand into the Duke’s.
Love and Apollo Page 5