Prince Conrad laughed good-naturedly. “Touché,” he said. “With your permission I will proceed with my story. Our cousin, the ex-Queen Yolanda,” he fondled the ex lovingly, “is a determined and clever woman. She summoned me to the Palace, but only some hours after the news of Bela’s supposed death reached ’er. In the meantime she ’ad driven through the city as was her ’abit, and telephoned to ’er friend Countess von Waldek to send this young lady speeding across the country. When I arrived, very quickly, as you can imagine, on the ’eels of her message to me, she brought forward the little Princess Maria Lalena, whom I ’ad seen dead with my own eyes eight years before. The country was seriously divided into factions, and the Royal Family remained in power only because no one had disturbed the status quo. If we made a misstep that would ’ave been a bad moment. She ’ad me, and she knew it. If I ’ad refused to present Maria Lalena to a wondering people, she would ’ave done it ’erself. I agreed to sponsor ’er, not because I believed ’er a Princess; but because I knew that if I did not, Queen Yolanda would raise such a storm as our poor government would never be able to weather, even with the ’elp of my loyal small army from the mountains, and all my ’ocus-pocus. Speed was essential. The crown must be offered to someone, so its proper heir offered it to a usurper.”
Maria Lalena seemed to be on the verge of tears. She raised her wide eyes to Conrad, “I am so helpless,” she pleaded, “I never wanted to do it, and now you are the only person who can help me.”
“I ’ave thought of a way,” he said, quite gently, in a tone he had not used before. “It is a little drastic, but will at once restore me to my throne, and resolve all these difficulties, yours, and ours.”
She seemed surprised for a moment until she realised what he meant, and then she blushed, and there were tears in her eyes. “Oh, Prince Conrad!” she said, managing to look like something off the top of a wedding cake, bright and pretty and very, very delicate and sweet. She lacked all the magnificence of Countess Katerina. She would probably be the perfect wife for Conrad, he could swash enough for any family, even a Royal one. Her eyes were acclaiming him marvelous, and there was no doubt that she meant it. Her cheeks were winsomely pink, her hands clasped ecstatically at her throat. I felt rather proud to have a Queen for a cousin, and such a pretty one. Conrad was smiling down at her in pleased surprise. He had suggested a cool affair of state and found a worshipper. He was flattered. He took her hands in his and kissed them both formally, but with a look which promised less formality later.
“For the moment,” he said, very gently, “I must give my attention to these dull affairs, with your permission.”
“Of course,” she said softly. “Affairs of state must always come first to a King.”
I had felt a little cynical for the first moment or two, remembering the pastries. But why should I be? Conrad was a handsome man, a romantically ill-treated Prince, a forceful person, an idol for any young girl. And she was a pretty, sweet little thing. Any man would think that. Appealingly pathetic and gentle. Her adoration would be agreeable even to a Prince.
Conrad turned to us, and his manner had become a little hurried. The time had come to get us out of the way.
“There are several things to be said to you,” he announced. “But for the moment I will be quick. First, I must apologise. We ’ave been most unkind to you. I was not merely making conversation when I suggested earlier that you be offered posts in Alaria. You are lucky men, and we need luck ’ere. If we can find something interesting for you to do will you consider the offer to stay?”
“Not I, though I am very grateful to you for thinking of it,” I said. “I am for the quiet life as soon as I can find another shoe.”