‘I think it’s in the ancient nature of the assassin to choose a public stage for his coup, isn’t it?’ Lily suggested. ‘And your glittering event would have provided him with an unforgettable backdrop for his effort.’
‘Yes, the hashashin! You’re right. They liked an audience for their dramas. And still do in the modern world. So many men shot and hacked to death in theatres, in arenas, in the course of parades! If one were very naive, one might almost suspect an international conspiracy.’
Lily felt a keen mind at work in the sophisticated woman she was taking into her confidence and decided to press her further. ‘Your Highness, we’re seeking not a man but a woman, and a woman who may have a connection with the political ambitions, not of your country, but of another.’
‘Great heavens! But by whom does she feel threatened — the invincible Britannia? Could you be speaking of the Irish? I’ve read in the newspapers that … A Fenian attempt? On poor Edward? Under cover of my party? Oh, I see … How dare they!’ Her outrage swiftly dimmed to foreboding. She shuddered. ‘Surely not? Can it have come to this? Such barbarity! France … Greece … Russia … Continents swept by a tide of red, murderous madmen. Incompetent nihilists! Children who break what they do not understand and are incapable of repairing it. Must England suffer the same fate of death and destruction? I had thought it safe from Vandal hands.’
‘We have other ways — civilized ways — of managing these things in our country,’ was the most neutral comment Lily could come up with.
‘Ah, yes. You have Sandilands and his like.’ The princess nodded. ‘Bastions of law and order. You probably believe that if only there had been a Scotland Yard presence in Sarajevo that day in 1914, a swift arrest would have ensued, the murderer of the archduke would have been instantly popped into the local jail in handcuffs and a convincing and totally consoling cover story put in place. The whole affair dampened down … war avoided … millions of lives saved.’ Her voice was impatient and pitying. ‘I admire your motives but I despair of your naivety. Never! The guns had been manufactured, sold and stockpiled. Armies were standing by, flexing their trigger fingers; commanders were strutting, heads of government were whipping up ancient grievances. The men of Europe were straining for a war. When the will to war is there, one bullet from a madman’s gun outweighs years of diplomacy.’
Lily was silent, her heart and her head with the princess as she plunged on with her denunciation: ‘And perhaps the will to a further war is gathering already? So soon! Your commander has seen this. I admire him but he is no more than a quixotic boy who has blocked a hole in a crumbling sea-wall with his finger.’
These were Lily’s sentiments exactly, so she was surprised to hear herself murmuring: ‘Strong finger, though. What would you have him do? See the danger and selfishly run away from it? That is not in his character. That is not in our tradition.’
A cynical bark of laughter greeted this pious but heartfelt assertion.
‘My dear Lily! You are too much in awe of your cousin and your country. Sandilands is an admirable man but he serves a selfish mistress. Britannia picks and chooses the causes she espouses and completely without sentimentality. When she meddles in the affairs of a foreign nation, it is always in the pursuit of her own interests.’