The King Without a Heart

by Barbara Cartland

  She did not wait for an answer, but ran across the cobbled yard towards the back door which led into the Palace.

  The King watched her until she was out of sight before giving orders to his Head Groom as to which horses he would require the next morning.

  Titania ran upstairs to her bedroom.

  She could hardly believe that what had happened was not part of a glorious dream, but she knew that Sophie would make a great fuss if she heard about her adventure and so she changed quickly into her morning dress.

  She next walked into the boudoir where her breakfast was ready for her.

  She ate swiftly, but there was no need to do so as it was nearly an hour before Sophie sent for her.

  When she reached her cousin’s bedroom, she found that beside the lady’s maid whom she already knew, there was another in attendance.

  Sophie was addressing the newcomer in English and the woman was then being told by the Velidosi lady’s maid what she had been told the day before and had put out the clothes that Sophie required.

  “Oh, there you are, Titania,” Sophie called as her cousin entered the room. “I have been supplied with a new lady’s maid who speaks English and I suppose it’s better late than never.”

  “I am sure it will be much more comfortable for you,” said Titania in a low voice.

  “You can supervise her to save me the trouble of explaining what I require,” Sophie told her in an uncompromising voice.

  But she did not sound as disagreeable as she usually did in the morning and Titania could only hope that she was happy in her marriage.

  A little while later a message came that Prince Frederick had arranged for Sophie to drive with him into the City, where they were to receive a special wedding present from the Velidosian Members of Parliament which they had not been given the previous day.

  Sophie was immediately in a tizzy, insisting on looking very smart and tried on several hats before she was satisfied with her appearance.

  When she was told that the Prince was waiting for her, she hurried downstairs.

  Titania gave a sigh of relief and went to her boudoir, hoping that Darius would soon appear to take her to the library.

  She was not to be disappointed.

  He came into the room after about five minutes and she jumped up from where she was sitting.

  “Is it safe for me to visit the library now?” she asked Darius.

  “Quite safe and I will take you a special way which will avoid the footmen on duty in the hall from seeing you.”

  “We sound like conspirators,” Titania smiled at him.

  “As it happens,” Darius told her, “I think that is what we actually are. I assure you that everyone at the Palace would be absolutely amazed if they realised you were being allowed to interrupt His Majesty when he is working in the library.”

  “I had to ask him if I could have something to read,” explained Titania. “I could not sit here doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs all day.”

  Darius laughed.

  “I cannot imagine you sitting around being idle and I am sure we can think of various ways to keep you amused.”

  Titania did not answer, thinking it was not amusement she needed but occupation.

  Darius took her down a side staircase and they walked along several deserted passages. Finally they reached the library which was situated at the other end of the Palace.

  Titania was taken in through a different door from the one which was used by other visitors, Darius told her.

  One glance at the library told her it was absolutely magnificent and indeed it was exactly as she hoped it would be.

  The upper shelves near the ceiling were reached from a balcony with a balustrade consisting of an elaborate tracery of gilded flower-leaves.

  There must, Titania conjectured, be thousands of books in the room.

  Then she saw the King’s large writing-desk just in front of the door Darius had taken her through and he was sitting at it writing with his back to them.

  Yet without Darius speaking he became aware that they were behind him and rose to his feet.

  Titania remembered to curtsy and said excitedly,

  “This is the most magnificent library I have ever seen! How lucky you are to have all these marvellous books.”

  “That is just what I think,” agreed the King, “but I have never met anyone else who was particularly enthusiastic about them.”

  “I think they are wonderful and I would like to read every single one!”

  The King laughed.

  “I am afraid that will take you a very long time, though of course I shall only be too delighted for you to be my guest for at least a hundred years!”

  Titania laughed too.

  “Now what particularly would you find of interest?” he enquired.

  “I was wondering what you are working on at the moment,” replied Titania.

  She had noticed as she entered the room that there was a huge pile of books by the desk and several ancient tomes open on the desk itself.

  “As I expect Darius has told you that I am writing the history of Velidos. I discovered only a short while ago that one of the Kings a century or so ago was interested in religion. He therefore invited representatives of all the great religions at that time to come to Velidos and tell him of their beliefs.”

  “That is a subject that would have fascinated my father.”

  “At the moment,” the King continued as if she had not spoken, “I am researching a religion I am sure you have never heard of – that of the Sufis.”

  Titania gave a little laugh.

  “Certainly I have heard of them, Sire, and actually I met and talked to a number of Sufis when we were travelling in the Middle East.”

  The King stared at her as if he thought it was somewhat unlikely.

  Titania continued,

  “I am sure you have many books in this amazing library about the mysticism of Islam, and, of course as you will know, the Sufis have a fascinating store of legends and stories.”

  She looked at the King waiting for his comment, but he merely nodded,

  “Go on.”

  “They have, Papa thought, raised poetry to the highest level of aspiration and, what I found more exciting, brought song and dance into the lives of artisans and peasants.”

  The King sat down in his chair.

  “I do not believe it!” he exclaimed. “You cannot be saying all this to me. I have never met anyone in Velidos who knows anything about the Sufis.”

  Titania smiled.

  “Who else came to your ancestor’s meeting, Sire? Perhaps I have heard of them too.”

  The King looked down at his papers in front of him and she felt he was deliberately choosing one of the more difficult religions before he responded,

  “The Zen Buddhists for one. What do you know about them?”

  He spoke as if it was a challenge.

  “I have been to some of their monasteries and was thrilled with the stonework they carved to describe what they felt about ‘the wisdom that has gone beyond’.”

  She paused for a moment.

  “Papa, of course, was allowed to go inside the monastery, which I was not, but he did write down some of the stories they told him that he found extremely interesting.”

  “I would like to see your father’s notes.”

  Titania made a helpless little gesture with her hands.

  “I was not allowed to keep them, but I might have saved one or two of them at home. My uncle sold my father’s house and all its contents and that included all the notes he had written about our journeys abroad.”

  There was a hint of pain in her voice which the King did not miss.

  “Tell me about the other religions you encountered when you were travelling with your father.”

  “Of course, when we were travelling I was very young,” Titania told him. “But I feel that a great deal that went into my mind at the time will come back to me. We visited Egypt, and I longed to know
the secrets behind the Sphinx! I remember being thrilled with the Pyramids and the long arguments between the experts as to why and how they were built and what exactly they meant to the Egyptians themselves.”

  “Egypt interests me too,” admitted the King.

  Titania was thinking before she added,

  “I know of one very strange religion that might have been represented at your ancestor’s conference, but most people know very little about it.”

  “What is that?”

  “It is what Papa called the Wisdom of the Forest,” Titania answered.

  As she spoke she saw the King look at her even more incredulously.

  “It was in the forests of India that men meditated and sought for union with the World Beyond the World. We talked to some of the Indians who had suffered tortures from the heat and the cold as well as wild animals and insects in the deep forests, where they attempted to master all the powers that transcend the Universe.”

  She spoke the words dreamily.

  She was remembering how she had seen the ascetics in question and what they had said at the time. Then feeling as if perhaps she was talking too much, she looked at the King questioningly.

  “I think,” he said, “that you have been sent to me like a messenger from the Gods to help me just as I was feeling I had come up against a brick wall. And I should like from now on to address you by your Christian name.”

  “That is very gracious of you, Sire, my name is Titania and I will help you if I can, but as I said I was young at the time, perhaps only fifteen, when we met those who were seeking wisdom either in the perilous mountains or in the depths of the jungle.”

  “What you have said already, Titania, is a tremendous help to me, and I want you to search through your mind for what you think you may have forgotten, but which I am sure you can find again.”

  Titania laughed.

  “Now you are talking in the way some of the Priests and devotees talked to Papa. It sounded very grand, but it all boiled down to one thing – they wanted to improve themselves and to rise from the world they were living in into something more sublime.”

  “I think that is just what we all want,” commented the King.

  “Not everyone unfortunately – “

  She was thinking of her uncle and aunt who were completely content with themselves exactly as they were.

  “Now you have to help me,” proposed the King, “but in the meantime I can offer you in return the freedom of my library. Come when you like, take what you like, but please while you are searching for yourself, search as well for anything that you think will help my book.”

  “Of course, Sire, I would be delighted, and as it means so much to you I am sure it will help a great many other people.”

  She was not certain as she spoke whether the King had that idea at the back of his mind or not.

  She was trying to make him see, as her father would have done, that he must lead a practical life with and for his people, as well as soaring up into the clouds in search of the unknown.

  She thought, however, it was a mistake to say anything so provocative so soon.

  Instead she walked towards the spiral steps which led up to the balcony.

  “Can I go up the steps?” she asked.

  “I was going to suggest it, because books in which you are particularly interested are on the top shelf at the far end.”

  “Then I must look and see if there are any volumes that I have read before, but if they are in your language then I am going to find it hard work.”

  “I can hardly believe it, when Darius tells me how quickly you have learnt to speak Velidosian so fluently.”

  “I wish that was true,” answered Titania. “But much of your language is very like Greek and I have spoken Greek ever since I could toddle.”

  “I don’t believe it,” the King exclaimed, “unless of course Darius was right when he told me that you are undoubtedly a reincarnation of one of the Goddesses from Olympus!”

  “I have never aspired as high as that,” smiled Titania.

  She had reached the balcony by this time and was looking down at the King.

  Again it flashed through his mind how lovely she was.

  Her fair hair was shining against the dark covers of the books behind her and he felt he would not be surprised if she vanished and was not real, but just a figment of his imagination.

  He watched her as she moved along the balcony.

  She occasionally put out her hand to touch a book very gently as if she treated it with reverence.

  The King tried to go back to writing his book, but instead he found himself waiting for Titania to turn round to speak to him.

  It was a long time before she finally leant over the balcony.

  “I have seen three books here, Sire, which I am very anxious to read. One is about Zen Buddhism, so that I can talk to you about it later. May I take them with me?”

  “I have already told you, Titania, all I have is yours.”

  “That is a very Eastern way of talking, Sire. Beware lest I take you at your word!”

  He noticed as she smiled that there were little dimples at the side of her mouth and it made her even more entrancing.

  She walked along the balcony carrying three large books bound in red leather and the King reached up and took them from her before she reached the last of the steps.

  “Now I must leave you, Sire, because I know I am interrupting your work and that is something I am told you very much resent.”

  “Not when someone is helping me as much as you are,” responded the King. “I want you to read those books, Titania, and then come and tell me exactly what you have learned from them and what would be of interest to me.”

  “I am beginning to become worried that Your Majesty is expecting too much of me and I would hate you to be disappointed.”

  “I have a feeling that I shall not be disappointed. Incidentally I have already sent the cables to your uncle and to my Ambassador and I am hoping that both Nanny and Mercury will be with us as quickly as possible.”

  “How can you be – so kind? And how can I tell you, Sire, how – grateful I am?”

  “There is no need for words. I think we are both aware that the Gods we are seeking have brought us together.”

  “I can only hope that is true and thank you, Sire, thank you again and again.”

  She curtsied and went out of the door behind his desk.

  She found that Darius was waiting for her and he took the books from her arms.

  “I am glad you found something to interest you.”

  “There are a million books in there to interest me, Darius, and as I read very quickly, please do not let the King forget how much I need something to occupy my mind.”

  “I should have thought there was plenty of knowledge in your mind without books,” remarked Darius. “I wonder whether you would like to see the City this afternoon.”

  “I would love to.”

  “I will take you after luncheon,” Darius told her, “but I am afraid you will be very disappointed if you expect it to be like London or Paris or any other great Capital City.

  “I will tell you what I think after I have seen your City,” Titania promised him.

  She was relieved that there was no sign of Sophie or Prince Frederick at luncheon and she learned later that because they were on their honeymoon they were having their meals in their own Suite.

  She therefore ate with Darius, Kastri and the two Ladies-in-Waiting.

  When they heard that Darius was going to take her to see the City, they insisted that one of them must accompany her.

  “Of course, if you want to come,” agreed Titania quickly, “it will be delightful. There will be no need for you to keep getting in and out of the carriage as I want to do. You can keep an eye on me quite well without over-tiring yourself!”

  She saw a look of relief cross the older woman’s face.

  She found out that they had both had a very tiring morning foll
owing Sophie and having to stand most of the time.

  Titania drove with Darius into the City and noticed again that the shops were very few and not at all enticing. In fact there seemed little or nothing to buy.

  She was once again entranced by the trees in blossom and the flowers which seemed to grow in unexpected places, but she was shocked by the ragged and bare-footed children and the dilapidated state of some of the houses off the main streets was a disgrace.

  Titania thought it was pointless to say anything and yet she wondered again why nothing was being done to bring prosperity to this beautiful country.

  When Titania returned to the Palace, Sophie sent for her to explain to the new lady’s maid which gowns she usually wore and exactly what the arrangement of her brushes and combs should be on her dressing table.

  There were a dozen other small requirements which Sophie could quite easily have explained herself.

  “I hope you are behaving yourself,” Sophie said to Titania before she left her suite. “You are not to go out with any of the aides-de-camp unless you are accompanied by a Lady-in-Waiting.”

  “They will find it rather tiring to follow me around as well as you,” suggested Titania.

  “In which case you must stay in the Palace,” Sophie snapped.

  It was a great relief to get away from Sophie and be able to curl up on the sofa and read her books.

  There were certain passages she longed to discuss with the King and yet she could not help thinking he was only being polite in saying she could help him.

  ‘He is obviously very clever,’ she told herself, ‘and why should he bother about me?’

  However, she could not go to sleep without wondering if the King had forgotten he said they could go riding at seven o’clock.

  Had he really meant the invitation or was it just politeness?

  *

  The next morning she felt apprehensive when she dressed even earlier than was necessary.

  She walked down the back passages which led her out of the Palace and into the stable yard, where the Head Groom greeted her.

  “You’re early, miss,” he said in his own language, “but yesterday His Majesty chose the horse you are to ride.”

  Titania’s heart gave a little leap – so the King had not forgotten and they would be riding together as she had hoped.