“No; her Majesty would not know me, but I am sure she will see me if you tell her my reason for coming. My name is——”
“Pardon me,” said M. Stefanovics again, waving away politely the card which Nadia held out to him; “but I should be deceiving madame with false hopes if I encouraged her to remain. Her Majesty does not receive this afternoon.”
“Still I must ask you to be so kind as to entreat her to grant me a short interview. My husband has been arrested under a misapprehension, and I am relying upon the Queen for his release.”
“But it is impossible, madame! Such matters are the concern of the Minister of the Interior or of the Premier, not of her Majesty. Let me entreat madame to retire, and forward her request to the proper quarter, or at least to turn into my office here, and draw up her petition in writing for presentation to the Queen. Her Majesty is at this moment expecting the arrival of her cousin, the Princess of—— But here is the Princess arriving!”
And the harassed chamberlain hurried out on the steps once more, wondering what he was to do with this sad-eyed woman who could not be brought to take No for an answer. Only an hour ago Cyril had given him strict injunctions not to admit any strangers to the Villa that afternoon upon any pretext, and he was torn between natural kindness of heart and a determination to obey his orders. The children watched him with wide-eyed awe as he escorted into the hall a dark-haired lady magnificently dressed, leading a little girl of two or three years old by the hand; but Nadia uttered a despairing moan as she stood aside among the pillars of the vestibule. The sound roused Philippa to instant action.
“Mother, don’t!” she cried, and running out into the hall faced the strange lady boldly. “Oh, please, are you in a dreadful hurry to see the Queen?” she asked. “Because, if not, would you mind letting mother see her first, just for a minute? It is so fearfully important.”
“Who are you, little one?” asked the Princess kindly. “I have seen you before, have I not?”
“I don’t think so,” faltered Philippa, overwhelmed with sudden shyness, but M. Stefanovics interrupted her. “It is a lady who says that her husband has been arrested by mistake, madame, and she is anxious to entreat her Majesty to obtain his release. I have assured her that it is the business of the Minister of the Interior, but I cannot induce her to go away. I think she must be English.”
“English!” cried the Princess, as though a light had flashed upon her. “Now I know you, my child. You are Carlino’s little daughter.”
“Carlino is what mother calls father,” said Philippa timidly, but the Princess was already crossing the hall to her mother.