“I’ve given it some thought,” she said hurriedly. “If it’s at all possible, I thought we should each have our own bedroom – next to one another so that no suspicions could arise. But the rooms would remain private, each to his own. There’s nothing out of the ordinary in that, is there?”
“No, not at all,” he replied, waiting for her to continue.
“There’s just one thing I must ask of you. I understand that you can’t change your personality. But would you please show the courtesy of not taking your friends to your bedroom? Maybe another room – further away – could be used?”
How did she dare speak so freely? Cecilie had taken herself by surprise, but she had to set down clear boundaries and that meant trying to hide her reluctance to talk about the subject. Alexander frowned, obviously giving deep thought to what she’d just said.
“These are reasonable terms,” he agreed, nodding slowly. “The only difference is that you ask that I exercise greater discretion than before. And I certainly need to be more careful for my own sake – despite the fact that Hans was the wayward one in this instance. He didn’t care whether anyone saw him or not.”
As he finished speaking, a pained expression returned to Alexander’s face, and once again the bond he had with the other man took her aback. For Alexander it seemed so filled with – love! There was no other word. Despite herself she couldn’t help but feel a little moved.
“However, we can’t begin to live as you suggest in my rooms here. My family has a manor, Gabrielshus, some distance from Copenhagen – not far from Frederiksborg, as it happens. We’ll move there.”
“But won’t that be too much trouble for you?” she interrupted.
“No! No, not at all – I’ll be pleased and delighted. Besides, you know how I’ve always found pleasure simply in looking at you. Your beauty is rare, with a mystical quality – your dreamy, almond-shaped eyes, skin so pure, and auburn hair. Everything about you fascinates me.”
There was a considered pause, then: “Now, you’re giving me the freedom to meet other ... friends. But how will it be with you?”
“Do you mean that you’re asking for my discretion if I were to mix with other men behind your back? Or are you asking me to be absolutely faithful to you?”
“I’ve no right to ask you to remain celibate when you’ve shown me such ... generosity.”
“So you’re asking me to be discreet and that I choose my friends with care?”
He nodded, his face tense.
Cecilie smiled. “I’ve already told you! I’ll not cross the line. But should such a thing ever occur, and I’m attracted to another man, let’s discuss it then. I believe we owe each other that much honesty. All I’ll say is that, for now, I’ve had enough of men and their affections.”
Alexander took a deep breath. He seemed quite touched by it all.
“Oh, well! Tell me, Cecilie Meiden, small, tough unusual girl that you are ... Do you really want to marry me in spite of all the difficulties?”
Her lips trembled slightly.
“Yes, Alexander, I do – so very much! This will be a marriage of reason. There are a good many such marriages and many of them are very happy. Thank you.”
Alexander took her hands in his. “Considering the hopelessness of our dilemmas and the conditions we’ve set for ourselves, I think you and I have every probability of becoming truly happy. And, of course, I’ll probably be off to war very soon.”
“Oh, no!” Cecilie exclaimed loudly. “Surely not!”
“You are lovely when you’re startled, Cecilie. Nevertheless, you must understand that for me to fall in battle would be the perfect outcome for you.”
Her gaze hardened. She was glaring at him. “That was the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me! I never thought you could be so unkind.”
“No, no, my little powder keg! I wasn’t mocking you. It was simply an observation.”
“You know perfectly well that I love you an awful lot ... as a friend. And I don’t want that friend taken away from me.”
Her words seemed to raise his spirits. “I do plan to return,” he replied with a certain irony.
She smiled with relief. Suddenly she remembered the time.
“But Alexander! Your meeting! You could spare only half an hour!”
“Oh, forget about the King’s Council ... this is far more important! You’re right though, I should leave now, but I’ll see you later on.”
Cecilie, her eyes closed, stood alone for a while. She breathed a long slow sigh before whispering very quietly to herself. “Thank you, Lord.”
She was still not sure whether this marriage was a good solution to her problems. It wasn’t perfect in any way. But considering the muddle she’d got herself into and the problems Alexander was facing, nothing could be perfect.
Chapter 2
After he’d left Cecilie, Alexander Paladin joined the gentlemen of the King’s Council. He couldn’t help noticing that they were most annoyed at his long absence. While he’d been away, King Christian IV himself had arrived in the chamber and when he saw this, Alexander decided to take the bull by the horns and turned directly to address the King.
“Your Majesty: May I kindly request an audience when this Council is adjourned?” he asked, making a formal bow.
“Granted,” answered the King as he inclined his head slightly, giving his troubled cavalier an inquisitive look.
The Council of War resumed its deliberations and the King listened patiently to all the varying shades of opinion that were expressed by its members. He was very keen to intervene in the growing war between Catholics and Protestants in Germany and made no secret of the fact that he was looking for supporters in this. Something approaching a consensus for this policy seemed to be in the offing but the meeting stopped short of an outright final approval of the move. The King clearly felt that he’d almost reached the objective he sought and had gained sufficient support for the interim measures he wished to take. As soon as the discussions had finished, he asked Alexander Paladin to join him in an anteroom.
“So please tell me, Marquis Alexander, what’s on your mind?” They were both fully aware that Alexander’s life depended on the outcome of the trial in four days’ time. The King clearly understood that the request for an audience was directly linked to this matter.
“Your Majesty,” Alexander said awkwardly, “I’m to begin a preparatory march with my troops to Holstein within this week. With so little time at my disposal, I’m asking Your Majesty’s permission to marry at once. Tomorrow perhaps if arrangements can be made.”
The King’s eyebrows had risen skyward and for a fleeting moment his expression was one of utter astonishment. Then, with a visible effort, His Majesty regained his composure. “And whom do you intend to marry?” he asked slowly.
“Baroness Cecilie Meiden.”
A flicker of amusement appeared in the King’s eyes. “Of course! My wife’s Norwegian lady-in-waiting, or I should say, our children’s governess. I’ve noticed that she’s a delightful girl – and talented! Her maternal grandfather was none other than the legendary Tengel whose hands had the power to heal. We never met him but our people in Norway couldn’t praise him more highly. But what’s the noble rank of this family? Meidens – ah yes! There have been several examples of this kind in legion within the family. You’ve enjoyed the company of Miss Meiden for some time, haven’t you?”
“Since first she came to Court, Your Majesty. Yes, it’s been four or five years now.”
“Indeed!” exclaimed King Christian, who was standing at the window of the anteroom, looking through the small glass panes at nothing in particular. His expression had suddenly become one of triumph, which he didn’t trouble to conceal – and nobody but Alexander knew the reason for this.
As usual, the King was locked in a quarrel with his wife, Kirsten Munk, and again, as usual,
the root cause lay in her less than discreet flirtations with other men. At one time she’d even tried to win over Alexander Paladin – who was widely acknowledged to be an extremely attractive man – but that was before she’d heard the rumours whispered about him. When approached, Alexander had told her off in no uncertain terms and given her a very cold shoulder. He’d reminded her that she was married to Christian IV, their King.
The King happened to overhear this conversation and when, like Potiphar’s wife in the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colours, Kirsten Munk became angry at being slighted, she came to her husband to accuse Alexander of trying to seduce her. But Christian himself was able to deny the accusation by telling her he’d overheard everything Alexander had said to her.
Kirsten Munk was able to extricate herself from this awkward situation only by arguing that she had actually been testing the strength of Paladin’s loyalty to the King. But from that moment on, she became Alexander’s sworn enemy. Indeed, the reason for much of her hateful animosity towards Cecilie was because Alexander was so often to be found in the company of the young Norwegian noblewoman. Apparently, he preferred her companionship to that of Kirsten. This was something the beautiful royal found intolerable, and she was determined to prove that Alexander cared nothing for women. These were the complex thoughts and reasons that lay behind King Christian’s smile.
Still smiling mischievously, he turned to his cavalier and said: “We’re happy to grant your request, Marquis Alexander. But we insist that you’re married in our newly decorated chapel at Frederiksborg with all pomp and ceremony!”
‘And what a magnificent victory over Kirsten that will be!’ the King thought to himself.
‘Good heavens,’ thought Alexander on the other hand.
This was all rather sudden, and everything would have to be managed at very short notice.
“Will there be time?” Alexander asked aloud in a hesitant tone. “We decided to marry because I’ll shortly be saying goodbye to Cecilie. It’s unfortunate that Baroness Meiden’s family won’t have the opportunity to attend.”
“There’ll be plenty of time!” roared the King. “In any case, your fiancée will be leaving for Frederiksborg, won’t she? My dear Paladin, please allow us to arrange everything with our director of the Royal Household.”
If it hadn’t been for the need to observe etiquette and decorum, King Christian would have been rubbing his hands with glee. Nowadays, his affection for Kirsten Munk was only superficial. She was a very elegant and attractive woman – something of which she was well aware – and it was her beauty alone that still captivated the King. The deeper marital bonds of companionship, however, had long since been broken.
In fact, one courtier had described Kirsten Munk in the following terms: “She’s a delightful, beautiful woman with a robust figure, rounded, sensual features and fair hair. She may risk becoming very large as she gets older. Full of vitality and eager to flatter, she takes part in entertainment, play and dance with great passion. Impetuous, whimsical and uncontrolled, she’s also intensely erotic. And avaricious. Far from being a caring mother, she makes much of the differences between her children. But she has surprised everyone by announcing that it’s her intention to join her husband when he marches against Germany, if this war comes to anything ...”
This was probably a very apt description of a highly unusual woman. She had many admirers, but her fiery temperament also meant that she had just as many critics and enemies. However, most people suspected that in spite of their marital differences, King Christian continued to retain a bitter, yet faithful, devotion to his unusual spouse.
“Yes, indeed, we’ll do it!” shouted the King. “We’ll arrange a glorious, great wedding for you in the chapel, Marquis!”
Although he was a bit taken aback by the King’s sudden decision, Alexander smiled with genuine gratitude and bowed deeply to thank him for his consideration and generosity.
***
A few days later, Cecilie was sitting at a beautiful desk in her bedroom at Gabrielshus, the manor of the Paladin Family near Frederiksborg. She was still wearing her beautiful, antique wedding dress as she wrote a letter to her her mother, Liv, at Graastensholm. Her hand was shaking slightly as she wrote and this broke the flow of the words from time to time.
Dearest mother and father,
I have so much to tell you that I am at a loss to know where to begin! I am so sad that you, all my most beloved family, are not here today – but time has been so short. Alexander is off to war - it is so awful for men to fight and maybe even die so unnecessarily ...
She broke off and read what she had written. “Oh dear!” she thought, “this letter is such a mess. What will they think of me at home?” However, with a flourish, she finished the muddled sentence quickly and continued in a more controlled hand, determined to express herself more clearly:
Only two days have passed since Alexander Paladin asked for my hand! I accepted with all my heart because he is a very fine man and a good friend. But the ceremony had to take place at once before he leaves for war, and there has been no time to get a message to you even less to hold the wedding at Graastensholm – which would have been the right thing to do.
Ah, if only you could have been here! My dear Mother and Father, Tarald and Yrja, we were married today, and His Majesty the King insisted that we hold the service in his chapel at Frederiksborg, his favourite castle. It was all very grand! The King and his Court were in attendance, with all the little royal children except for Elisabeth Augusta, the youngest one. They looked so sweet and serious. My two charges, whom I love the most – the unhappy Anna Katrine and the self-reliant Leonora Christina – were allowed to join us in the chancel ...
Cecilie was still feeling breathless and overwhelmed by the speed of events. She stopped and put down her quill to look back over the day. She could still see Alexander’s warm calm eyes watching her as she stood shyly at his side in front of the altar. His barely perceptible smile showed he was aware of the pretence and charade in which they were taking part. Even so, he looked so handsome, dressed in his colourful uniform.
Anxious and overcome with emotion, Cecilie had begun to shake as they kneeled side by side, in front of such a distinguished congregation. But as soon as Alexander had taken her hand in his firm grip, her trembling stopped. She was unable to hide her surprise as the chaplain royal read aloud Alexander’s list of titles. There were names and references to Schwarzburg, Lüneburg, Göttingen, Gottorp, mentions of Marquis, Count, Duke and other lesser titles and many other distinguished associations. Cecilie felt so insignificant by comparison. Who was this man she was about to marry? Her own minor title, Baroness Cecilie Meiden of the Ice People, seemed very short by comparison.
A little later, after the ceremony was over, came the most unexpected moment of all.
While they were enjoying a magnificent banquet at a table at which the King was also seated, Alexander’s colleagues began to call for him to kiss the new bride. As she recalled the fury she’d seen in Alexander’s dark eyes at that moment, Cecilie didn’t notice that her pen had made a blot on the leather top of the desk. In fact, his eyes had turned jet black with exasperation, but his anger had subsided when he noticed how disappointed she looked. His expression had quickly softened and he’d reached out his hand to her and lifted her gently to her feet. He had then placed his arms around her, kissing her gently and sensuously to roars of approval. But they both knew that it was merely a show. At that moment, she’d told herself: “Now he really does detest me,” and she’d stood rooted to the spot for a long moment, scarcely able to move.
If only it had been a few months earlier, she thought – before she’d found out about his secret. Then she’d probably have felt joyously weak and ecstatically happy at being kissed by him. Now there was only a sense of despair and discomfort. Still, the whole Court had cheered and applauded wildly for a long tim
e except for Kirsten Munk, whose down-turned mouth had portrayed her acid contempt. In that moment, a fleeting malicious thought came to Cecilie: “If you bite into an old crab-apple often enough, you soon start to look like one.”
Alexander had explained the reason why Kirsten Munk disliked her with such intensity, and the story had amused Cecilie. Even though she knew she’d never have Alexander to herself, it was obvious that they understood each other very well and realised how important they were to each other in their different ways. This meant that they would always have good reason to stand together – just so long as they weren’t forced to extremes in circumstances like that public wedding kiss. It was easy for Cecilie to imagine the wilful Miss Kirsten’s rage when Alexander snubbed her, and just as easy to understand why she looked for every possible opportunity to draw attention to his perverse weakness. Any success in that direction would always comfort her pride and revenge her “defeat.”
Cecilie woke suddenly from her daydreams, looked down at the half-finished letter, and began a spirited description of the beautiful royal wedding dress she’d borrowed, all the glittering finery of the Court and how beautifully the chapel had been decorated.
She heard the heavy oak door being opened and turned to see Alexander standing there. She hadn’t expected him because he’d given the bridal chamber to her and chosen an adjoining room for himself.
The immense four-poster bed had been decorated and made ready for the wedding night with the finest embroidered linen, a heavy silk eiderdown, and a beautifully embroidered bedspread made especially for a bride’s bed. There were freshly cut flowers in the room and a table laid out with wine and every possible delicacy for the newlyweds to enjoy.
In the middle of this great display of luxury, Cecilie stared at Alexander. He was wearing a striking nightgown and in the warm glow of candlelight he looked almost irresistible.
With an apologetic grin he said: “I realised that it wouldn’t give the right impression if the bed in the next room had been slept in on our wedding night.”
Friendship Page 3