“Of course. Of course.”
“And I’m engaged to be married; so why can’t he be? Anyhow he is, for she told me so. I asked her and she said yes!”
Gorman did not feel equal to arguing about the precise nature of Madame Ypsilante’s claims on the King.
“You haven’t told me yet where you found her,” he said.
“Kalliope and I,” said the Queen, “were picnicking in a little bay a long way from this, quite the other side of the island. There was a fishing boat standing in towards the shore. It came to our beach and she got out. That’s all.”
“Quite simple after all,” said Gorman. “I suppose you were scarcely even surprised.”
“Well, I was rather,” said the Queen, “just at first until she told me.”
“Told you what?” said Gorman. “You’re skipping all the interesting part.”
“Don’t be stupid,” said the Queen. “She told me about being engaged to the King and thinking that he was going to marry me. Of course, when she thought that she came here as quick as ever she could to see him. Any one would. Not that I’d ever think such a thing about Maurice. But then he wouldn’t. Still, I quite understand her coming here in a boat. But I do wonder what made her think he was going to marry me. He never even tried. Who could have told her such a thing?”
“Probably the Emperor,” said Gorman.