“His Majesty spoke in a moment of irritation, madame.”
“Naturally; but should I have been likely to teach the child to hate his father? If he perceived that we were not—not on good terms, that I could not help, but the other——”
“Your Majesty wished to say something about the King’s education?”
“Yes,” said the Queen, returning hastily from her attempt at self-justification, “it was an idea of my mother’s. No; she has not been taking part in politics—it is quite a domestic matter. We both feel that the King ought to begin to learn something, and I had looked forward to teaching him myself; but my mother thinks I should not have time to give him regular lessons, and I suppose that is quite true. She suggests that I should appoint as his governess a certain Fräulein von Staubach, who has been lectrice to my aunt the Queen of Mœsia until quite lately. She is a very highly cultivated and excellent woman, besides being very fond of children—But do you know her?”
“And a bitter enemy of Drakovics’s and of mine!” Cyril had added mentally to the list of Fräulein von Staubach’s good qualities. He had no difficulty in fathoming the Princess’s motives when he remembered an occasion on which Fräulein von Staubach had been a passive, if not an active, participant in carrying out a practical joke of which he had been the victim. The mystification had had important political consequences, and Cyril nourished feelings which were the reverse of friendly towards all those who had taken part in it—feelings which he had no doubt were fully reciprocated. But it was unnecessary to explain all this to the Queen.
“I had the honour of meeting the lady some years ago, when I spent a short time in Mœsia, madame,” he answered.
“Ah, then you must know how suitable a person she is for the post. She is devoted to my aunt and to our house, and that is what I want. I could not bear that any one should come between my boy and me.”
“A most natural sentiment, madame.”
“Then you will try and bring M. Drakovics to see it in the same light? Of course, under present circumstances, he will expect to be consulted. But I may depend upon you to smooth the way?”
“So that is what all this frankness comes to!” was Cyril’s mental exclamation. “I might have guessed that she wanted me to do her a favour. Why didn’t the little schemer try some of her wiles upon poor old Otto Georg instead of slanging him? It would have made things pleasanter even if it meant nothing. I will do my utmost to further your Majesty’s wishes,” he said aloud.