CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

'It was to be expected that she would accept the proposal,' Princess Helene said with characteristic bluntness. 'It would take a girl of unusual personality to say no.'

'At the beginning I thought she was unusual,' her grandson replied.

'You are a bad judge of women.'

Impatiently he shrugged, unwilling to continue the conversation lest it lead to further argument; and there was nothing anyone could say that would stop him loving Elise.

'When will the wedding take place?' his grandmother asked. 'Have you spoken to Claud about it?'

'Naturally. He sees it as a chance of whipping up royal enthusiasm.'

'Be careful how you treat him,' Princess Helene said. 'Claud is the best Prime Minister we have ever had.'

'He is a great admirer of yours too,' Prince Louis replied. 'It's a pity you aren't on the throne.'

'You don't do too badly yourself,' his grandmother said grudgingly. 'If only you could get Elise out of your mind!'

'Your dislike of her is unreasonable.' He made no effort to hide his annoyance. 'I do not understand it. She has always gone out of her way to show you the greatest respect.'

'She went out of her way to show that she wanted you,' came the retort. 'If only that fool of a husband of hers hadn't died!'

Despite his anger Louis could not help smiling. 'You can't blame the poor man for that. He was nearly eighty.'

'Eighty-two,' Princess Helene said dryly. 'It was a great love match!'

'Elise never pretended she loved her husband,' he protested. 'She has always been honest about it. He wanted a beautiful wife to act as his hostess and she wanted security and the chance to enjoy herself. It was a fair bargain on both sides-. Elise didn't break it.'

'Only because of your good sense,' his grandmother said tartly. 'She threw herself at you from the day she came to Court. If you want my opinion, the only reason she married Breen was to meet you. She would never have got to Court otherwise.'

'You are being unreasonable,' her grandson said impatiently. 'Elise had no means of knowing I would fall in love with her.'

'She has great beauty,' Princess Helene said grudgingly, 'and she knows how to use it.'

'Then you shouldn't blame me for falling in love with her!'

'I do not blame you for wanting her—only for wanting to marry her!'

With an exclamation Prince Louis banged his hand on his thigh. 'Well, now I can't marry her, so that at least should make you happy. Didn't you say as much before I went to England? That you would rather I married a commoner than Elise?'

'I didn't mean it,' the old lady said, taking out a wisp of lace to wipe her eyes. 'You know I want your happiness more than anything else in the world.'

The anger left his face and he moved over to pat the bony black-clad shoulder that barely reached to his chest. 'I know, Grand'mere, and perhaps it is best if we don't talk about it any more.'

Princess Helene put her handkerchief away. 'What is she like, this Miss Benton?'

'Alexi thinks she's pretty.'

'Do you?'

'I don't think I would recognise her if I saw her again.' The blue eyes narrowed. 'She is small—not much bigger than you—and she has brown hair.'

His grandmother sighed, knowing his eyes were filled with a vision of Elise's tall grace and blonde hair. Did this English girl know of Louis's attachment to another woman? The thought of the scandal that might ensue forced her to revert to a subject which, only a moment ago, she had agreed never to mention again.

'Did you tell her about Elise?'

'Not by name; but she knows I love someone else.'

'And she has still agreed to become your wife?'

'To become a princess,' he grated. 'She will never be my wife!'

'Does she know that?'

'Some things it is not necessary to put into words,' he retorted, and looked round with relief as his equerry came in to say that the Prime Minister had arrived.

For the first time Louis was forced to give his attention to his forthcoming marriage. Though to him it was only a means to an end, he knew that for his people it would be a time of rejoicing: the welcoming of a princess to grace the throne and, with it, the hopes of an heir. Never, he thought darkly. Never with any woman except Elise. Even if this farce of a marriage had to continue for five or six years, he would still be young enough to have a family afterwards.

With an effort he forced himself to pay attention to what his Prime Minister was saying. The man assumed he was marrying for love and was delighted that Motavia would at last have a Princess who would serve as a glamorous focal point for the young people, as well as one who was bringing such immense wealth with her.

Louis wondered what Claud would say if he knew the real reason for the marriage. All he did know was that half the mineral rights in Motavia were the property of the Benton Group, while the other half was privately owned by the Royal Family and this, Louis decided, was as good a time as any to announce his plans to give these rights to the country.

Succinctly he said so, and the Prime Minister did not disguise his pleasure.

'It is an extremely wise decision, sir. As you know, the Opposition regularly table a motion concerning royal ownership of the mineral rights.'

'I don't blame them,' Louis retorted. 'I would do the same in their position. The natural resources of the country should belong to the people. It's a pity we cannot get the other half back from the Benton Group!'

'It would be impossible to do that without causing an international incident,' Claud Leclair said hastily. 'They are a company with worldwide ramifications. They can pull strings that can topple governments.'

'Surely not in this day and age?'

'Even today. That is why it is incredible you are marrying Melissa Benton. It is something I would have planned for you—if I had thought of it!'

Louis's smile was tinged with bitterness. 'So you think my marriage will make my throne more secure?'

'There's no doubt of it. With all the money she can bring you, we can ‑'

'Miss Benton is not giving me a dowry,' Louis interrupted. 'Her company will finance the mineral exploration. Nothing more than that.'

'If you say so, sir.'

The Prime Minister spoke in a tone that indicated that he was merely changing the subject without changing his mind, and Louis was certain that once Melissa Benton was his wife, Claud would lose no time in trying to get her to open her purse strings. The thought was ironically amusing and he wondered if the girl would be capable of withstanding Claud's persuasiveness. He could almost hear his Prime Minister encouraging her to believe she was Motavia's saviour and he could guess what the first call on her money would be. Child welfare clinics. Claud had been looking for a way to finance these for years. And after that it would be nursery schools. He sighed. He did not disagree with Claud's aims. Indeed there were many projects he himself would like to do, were it not for the fact that each one required a great deal of money and, until the coffers were replenished, the schemes must remain unrealised.

'I will arrange for the Palace Press Officer to fly to London immediately.' The Prime Minister was speaking again. 'The sooner we inform our people of your marriage the better.'

'Go easy on the publicity,' Louis commanded, 'I don't intend my marriage to be a peepshow.'

'It will be difficult to avoid it, sir. The eyes of the world will be focused on us. People like nothing better than a good romance, and your marriage to a commoner will capture their imagination. Miss Benton must come here at once.'

'I doubt if Miss—my fiancée will come as quickly as you would like,' Louis warned. 'She isn't used to taking orders.'

'She is your bride-to-be,' the Prime Minister smiled. 'She wouldn't be human if she were not anxious to be with you.'

Louis held his tongue, fully aware that Claud was looking at him anxiously. He did not fool himself that eventually the real state of his marriage would become known to his Cabinet, but for the moment it was advisable to pretend. It would do his country no good for it to be publicly known that his marriage was one of expediency, forced upon him by a bankrupt economy.

'By all means try and get my fiancée here as quickly as you can,' he said graciously. 'I will leave all the wedding arrangements in your hands.'

But later, as he paced his private apartments, he could not disguise his depression. How eagerly he had looked forward to his wedding, anxiously awaiting the lapse of time which discretion had warned him to let pass before announcing his betrothal to Elise. Never had he imagined that before that day came he would be forced to offer himself in marriage to a stranger who, by an ironic quirk of fate, held the future prosperity of his country in her hands.

For the past year Motavia's position had been a continuing nightmare to him, and from the moment Krassky had come to see him, armed with geologists' reports, he had known that one day he would be faced with a decision. Even now he was not sure he had done the right thing in refusing Slovenian help. If only his grandmother had not been so opposed to it!

Louis ran his hands through his hair. Perhaps deep down he had agreed with her; otherwise he would never have held out against Elise's pleading. Thinking of her now, and envisaging her reaction to his marriage, he closed his eyes as if in pain.

'How can I live without you?' he muttered. 'My love.

Later that evening, as the warm spring day gave way to the cool chill of evening, his silver grey sports car sped in the direction of the hills which lay to the north of the capital. Here lived many of his country's wealthiest citizens, and outside one of the smaller yet most beautiful mansions, he came to a stop.

There was no need for him to ring on the door, for as he crossed the portico it opened, and he strode across the hall to the music room. The moment he entered he was enveloped by rose-pink arms, his nostrils filled with the scented fragrance of Elise.

'Darling,' she whispered. 'I missed you so much.'

But despite her words she did not remain in his arms and gently but firmly pulled away from him. She seated herself on a brocaded seat, her figure outlined by a pink-shaded lamp. Everything in the room enhanced her beauty, and she could easily have served as the model for any of the delicate Fragonard paintings that lined the damask walls. Even her clothes emphasised her association with that poetic century when the satins and lace of the aristocracy had hidden the squalor and poverty of the masses.

Looking at her, Louis marvelled that she could ever have known the stringent upbringing of her childhood. She seemed the epitome of luxury and indolence, yet beneath the softness there was a firm streak of common sense; a practicality that he admired the more because it lacked the stringent quality of his grandmother. Unlike that indomitable old lady, Elise knew when and where to draw the line; when to give in to an argument, when to stop putting on the pressure. She was a past-mistress in the art of subtle persuasion, preferring to use tenderness and guile to get her own way.

All this Louis knew, yet it did not affect his love, for Elise's ambition was for his success—not her own. It was ridiculous of his grandmother to dislike her because she had married an old man in order to escape poverty. Such beauty had a right to be shown to its best advantage, and if that advantage had come in the guise of an octogenarian, he still could not blame her for accepting it. Count Breen had died a happy man, content in the knowledge that he was leaving his wealth to a woman who would cherish it as he had done.

'Are you admiring my little trinket?' Elise asked, and he saw she was pointing to a coloured enamelled sphere the size of a turkey egg.

As he looked at it, she picked it up and brought it over to him. It was an exquisite piece of workmanship, the top half hinging back to show a crystal interior encrusted with seed pearls, while from the heart of the egg itself came the warm glow of a magnificent ruby.

'It's beautiful,' he murmured, and though he longed to ask who had given it to her, he did not do so.

'I knew you would like it.' She fingered the ruby and Louis caught her hand and squeezed it hard.

'It looks very expensive.'

She shrugged. 'It was a present from Krassky.'

'I don't like you accepting gifts from any man,' Louis said angrily. 'Least of all him!'

'He's the one person you need not be jealous of. He only buys me presents to curry favour with you. He's foolish enough to think I have some influence over you.'

'You have,' Louis said, and pressed her fingers to his lips.

'Have I?' she whispered. 'I don't feel it.'

'Because I try not to let you know,' he said lightly, and dropped her hand.

His dismay at what he had to tell her was robbing this moment of any pleasure it might have held for him. Yet the longer he delayed, the worse it would be, and in swift, staccato sentences he told her that Melissa Benton had accepted his proposal of marriage.

'I had no choice,' he concluded. 'You do see that, don't you ?'

'No, I don't. You are ruining your life for nothing. What right does any company have—no matter how big it is—to control half the wealth of Motavia? You should throw them out.'

'I can't. They have a legal agreement that is enforceable by law.'

'Motavia can make its own laws! Tear up the contract and throw it back at them. Tell them that foreigners can't own any of our natural resources.'

'Krassky is a foreigner too,' Louis replied, 'and I would rather be partners with a British company than a foreign government. You only see Krassky as a charming man who gives you presents, but to me he's a ruthless politician who wants to get control of us.'

'You would still remain Prince!' she cried. 'And you'd have all Krassky's power behind you.'

'For as long as it suited him.' Louis was chilled by Elise's words, even though he knew she did not mean them. She was speaking like this because she was hurt. She could not truly be advocating surrender to a country that stood for everything they both abhorred.

'There is no point going on with this argument,' he said. 'I have already made my decision. And Claud agrees with me.'

'Naturally!' Elise spat out the word. 'He is in league with your grandmother and they're both fools!' She clutched his arm. 'Oh, Louis, can't you see what you're doing? You are ruining our lives for nothing!'

'I am doing it for my country.' His tone was anguished. 'I love you with all my heart, but I cannot marry you. I have to do my duty.'

'Your grandmother's duty, you mean!' Tears filled her eyes. 'Talk to Krassky again; hear what he has to say. He wants to stop other countries taking control of you. Can't you see that?'

'No, I can't. I have made up my mind, Elise. Nothing can change it.'

'Then we must say goodbye.'

'Never!' He caught her close, his body trembling with the intensity of his feelings. 'Never goodbye,' he said passionately. 'I love you. You are the only woman I want.'

'I can't go on being your mistress,' she cried. 'You have no right to expect it.'

'But we love each other. You know why I'm marrying this girl. It won't make any difference to us.'

'It makes all 'the difference in the world.' Elise pulled away from him, her pale blue eyes flashing with anger. 'I have been your mistress because I love you. Because I believed that when I was no longer in mourning, we would get married. But now you're marrying someone else and ‑' She caught her lower lip between small white teeth, fighting for composure. 'It is one thing to be your mistress believing I will become your wife, but you cannot expect me to live with you when you are married to someone else!'

'But it's a marriage of duty, not something I want! You can't send me away, Elise. I won't let you.'

'Is that an order?' she cried. 'Are you commanding me to obey you?'

He caught his breath, furious that she could deliberately misunderstand him. 'You are the woman I love. The only woman I want.'

Disregarding her protests he pulled her close again, burying his head in the soft silk of her hair. He felt her tremble and was overcome with desire for her, as he always was when she was near him. Had it not been for his grandmother, he knew he would have given in to Elise's pleading long ago. But the woman who had brought him up since he was eleven, who had acted as Regent until he had been old enough to take the throne himself, still had sufficient influence on him to make it impossible for him to go against her wishes. Yet how hard it was to obey them when they were separating him from the tender, melting creature in his arms.

'You mustn't leave me,' he begged. 'I love you. I need you.'

'What life will I have?' she sobbed. 'Everyone's expecting us to get married and when they hear you're marrying a foreigner ‑' She beat her hands against his chest. 'I hate you, Louis! I hate you!'

'You don't!' he cried. 'You're only saying it because you're hurt.' He tilted her chin and looked into her eyes. 'As far as my people are concerned, I will have to pretend. But among my loyal friends I can be myself. Bear with me, Elise. In a few years' time things will be different. Even my grandmother has agreed that such a marriage cannot last for ever.'

'Your grandmother said that?' There was a lightening of Elise's expression and Louis felt his tension lessening as he nodded.

'Once we are solvent and strong, I can set myself free. It's only for a few years,' he added. 'After that, we will have all our lives together.'

Elise sighed and nestled against him. 'I almost feel sorry for the Benton girl. She'll find a title a very empty thing when she discovers she doesn't possess the man who goes with it.'

'You are the only one who possesses me,' he said huskily and, placing his mouth on hers, showed her what he meant.

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