“But the claims of the Prince Albrevics and his marriage with Princess Gatrina?”
“Why, of course, mere rot. The Princess stands in the direct line of succession, but she’s a woman and barred from the throne. Albrevics is an impossible; everyone knows that—and a very unsavoury impossibility too. But the Princess has or had something of a following and they would be glad to see her on the throne if a husband could be found who’d be received as King. They know this at Court, and so the plan is hatched to marry her to Albrevics and get her out of the road. It’s an infernal business, for she’s just as good as gold. But she’s in the way of the Court schemes and consequently is to be sacrificed. That’s a specimen of the royal methods.”
“Isn’t there another scheme about here—to marry her to the Duke Barinski?”
“So you’ve heard that, eh? That’s the Russian plan. He’s a tool of Russia and would make a pretty puppet for them if they could succeed. But they won’t. The army won’t have it; and what the army decides will be done.”
“You astound me,” I exclaimed in surprise at the freedom with which he spoke. “Does everybody know everybody else’s schemes in this extraordinary country?”
“Pretty well. I suppose it looks odd to a stranger; but our chief talk here is conspiracy of one kind or another. Why, even the plans of the army have been carried to the Court; and they are so blind that they won’t believe them. It isn’t etiquette there even to think that anything hostile to the Court can happen.”
“Are there any other plots?” I asked with a smile.
“Heaps; but you’ve got hold of the three that count for anything; and only that of the army will come to a head. Next, please;” and he threw himself back in his chair and laughed at my look of surprise. After a moment he added: “There’s only one person in all the mess I pity—the Princess Gatrina. She may find things very ugly; although there’s not a soul who knows about her who would do her an injury. You’ve heard the tattle about her?”
“What is that?”
“She was kidnapped the other night; at least, so we believe. At any rate she disappeared and no one knew where she’d gone. There was a story that she had been carried off by brigands; but that’s all rot, of course. Nobody knows exactly what happened except herself, perhaps; although I doubt if she does.”