Love Rules E-Book

Barbara Cartland

• Herausgeber: Barbara Cartland Ebooks Ltd
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: The Eternal Collection
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 234

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

When her father orders her to marry a cousin of the Russian Czar, whom she does not even know, let alone love, Princess Margarita of Altauss is horrified. Forced to travel to St. Petersburg, she demands that her English friend, Paulina Handley, daughter of a British Diplomat, goes along with her as her Lady in Waiting. Very experienced in the ways of the world and of love, her father, Sir Christopher Handley, urges Paulina to beware Russian aristocrats and Royalty, who would make effusive declarations of love, but would never actually be allowed to marry a commoner. However, no sooner than she has arrived in St. Petersburg with his words still ringing in her ears, Paulina falls head over heels in love with the Princess's brother, the handsome Prince Maximus – and he with her. To her chagrin though, the Prince must return to the Caucasus, scene of his recent heroism in battle and, anyway, how can she, a commoner, ever marry a Prince? So, before it even begins, their love seems to be doomed.

Leseprobe

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Shamyl, Imman of Daghestan, fought against the invading Russians in a terrible bloody war that lasted from 1804 to 1861.

In one battle he lost his precious Koran and it was picked up on the battlefield by Prince Alexander of Hesse. When I held it in my hands, I felt as if I had stepped into a momentous and thrilling piece of history.

The hero in this story follows in some ways the dramatic romance of Prince Alexander’s elopement and marriage, which began the famous Royal Line of Battenburg to Mountbatten.

CHAPTER ONE ~ 1845

Paulina Handley, driving in a carriage over the long dusty roads to The Palace, wondered why Princess Margarita had sent for her.

They were great friends and were continually together but, as she had seen the Princess only yesterday, it seemed strange to receive such an urgent summons to visit her again today.

Ever since Sir Christopher Handley had been appointed to be British Minister to the small Royal Duchy of Altauss, Paulina had been very grateful that the Grand Duke Louis’s daughter was the same age as herself.

Her father had been so depressed at being posted to Altauss that Paulina had expected to find herself isolated in a dull and regimented country with no friends.

Instead, from the moment she had seen Altauss, she had thought how pretty it was with its high mountains bordered on one side by Prussia and on the others by Saxony and Austria.

What was more the people of Altauss were charming, good-natured and apparently very content with their Ruler, the Grand Duke.

This was something that both Paulina and even more so her father had not expected.

“We are being exiled to the back of beyond!” he had grumbled. “We shall have to do nothing but bow and curtsey to a set of stiff-necked and disagreeable minor Royalty, who will think they are God Almighty and are detested by the populace they rule over.”

Paulina, who loved her father, was both sorry for him and very understanding in regard to the predicament that he had landed them both in.

The fact was, as she had told herself before, her father could not help being so handsome that he was irresistible to women, so that wherever he went there was always a chance of his affaires de coeur causing gossip and scandal, which was frowned on by the Foreign Office in England.

Sir Christopher, who had been Number Two to the Minister in Rome, had hoped that he would be appointed British Ambassador to Paris.

Unfortunately a beautiful and alluring Italian Contessa had proved irresistible and so her husband had not only challenged Sir Christopher to a duel but had caused so much trouble in Diplomatic circles that he had to be posted to a more obscure part of Europe.

It was severely unfortunate that, after so many tempestuous and fiery love affairs, when approaching the pinnacle of his career, he should be punished for what he considered a very minor crime.

He was in fact so depressed that Paulina found it hard to comfort him, thinking as she had thought so often before, that none of this would have happened if her mother had not died.

She had never known two people so happy and so much in love with each other as her parents had been and, when her mother had been carried off by a fever within a week, she had thought that her father would never recover from the blow.

At first he had seemed but a shadow of his usually buoyant self. Then when another man might have turned for consolation to drink, Sir Christopher allowed the lovely women who had always before pursued him hopelessly to try to make him forget with the softness of their arms and lips.

Paulina, brought up in the Cosmopolitan atmosphere that was inevitable for a Diplomat’s daughter, had understood that no woman could take the place of her mother whom he had really loved.

But to be posted to the Grand Duchy of Altauss had been, as far as Sir Christopher was concerned, to move into exile and was as depressing as being sent to Siberia.

Paulina discovered, however, it was no punishment for her father when he found that the Grand Duke Louis was a most intelligent man with a sense of humour and the Nobles who surrounded him were not only sportsmen, hard riders and excellent shots but also as cultured as he was.

While Sir Christopher made a number of friends, Princess Margarita offered Paulina a close friendship that she had never had in any other country where they had been posted.

The Princess was very pretty with dark hair, sparkling eyes and a grace that came from her Polish mother, while her expertise as a horsewoman was undoubtedly inherited from her Hungarian grandmother.

And Paulina admired her wholeheartedly.

They also had a bond in common in that Paulina’s mother had Hungarian blood in her veins, which accounted for the fact that she too could ride in a superb way that evoked the admiration of every man who saw her and the envy of every woman.

Because Paulina had travelled with her father since she was small she had become fluent in many languages.

As Princess Margarita had the same proficiency, they talked with each other in French or Italian, German or Russian, thinking it amusing that other people present understood little of what they were saying.

In fact the Princess would often say something outrageous just to make Paulina laugh and she would say to her afterwards,

“You must please be careful, Your Royal Highness! You know as well as I do that, if your Statesmen think I am laughing at them, I shall be in as much disgrace at home as poor Papa is at the moment.”

“I don’t believe that your father could be in disgrace with anybody,” the Princess replied. “He is so handsome and so charming that whatever crimes he may have committed he would undoubtedly be forgiven immediately.”

That might be true, Paulina thought wryly, if the Foreign Office consisted of women rather than stern and disapproving men, who took a very serious view of the complaints that reached them from Europe.

Yet after five months in Altauss, Paulina was beginning to hope that the reports wending their way by devious routes back to Whitehall would be so complimentary about her father that any past sins would soon be committed to the archives and forgotten.

At the same time she personally was in no hurry to leave Altauss.

There were plenty of tall, handsome young men with whom to dance, there were picnic parties in the foothills of the mountains and now that the weather was growing warmer she was sure that, although it seemed very daring, she and the Princess might be allowed to swim in one of the numerous beautiful lakes that the country abounded with.

‘I like being here,’ Paulina told herself as the horses moved swiftly despite the fact that the ground rose sharply as it led up to The Palace.

It was a Fairytale building standing high above the valley, which was filled with the pink and white blossom of fruit trees and the alpine flowers that grew in profusion at this time of the year.

Looking up at the blue sky above The Palace, Paulina was not aware that the blue was reflected in her eyes.

She took after her father in colouring.

Her hair was the pale gold of ripening corn, her skin translucently pink-and-white and her eyes that seemed to fill her small heart-shaped face were fringed with long lashes, which dark at the base were tipped with gold.

Sometimes those who admired her thought that she looked like a lovable and very young child, but she was too intelligent to leave this impression in anybody’s mind for long.

There was also something very attractive in the way that her expression would become mischievous and two provocative little dimples would appear on either side of her mouth.

“You have a naughty face!” the Princess had said once.

“I hope not,” Paulina replied, “and I think it is unkind of you to say so.”

“I do not mean wicked,” the Princess protested, “I just mean that you look as if you might be up to mischief of some sort. It is really very alluring.”

Paulina had laughed and she well knew that the Italians in Rome who paid her fulsome compliments had said much the same thing.

“I think you are an angel in front of whom I should kneel and burn candles,” one of the young men had said. “But when you laugh at me, I know you are a little demon sent from Hell to torment me!”

Paulina had laughed at him again, but she remembered that her Nanny had always said that everybody had two sides to their character.

“There be an angel sittin’ on your right shoulder,” she had said when Paulina was old enough to understand, “and a little devil sittin’ on your left. They are both whisperin’ in your ear and it’s up to you as to which one you listens to.”

Paulina had often sat very quietly listening to what the ‘angel’ and the ‘little devil’ were saying to her and she had the suspicion that what the ‘little devil’ said was more exciting!

The carriage had now reached the great ornamental gates of The Palace and the sentries standing outside their boxes, which had been painted with pink and white stripes, presented arms.

Paulina had seen them often and so she now bent forward to wave her hand and smile, recognising the two young soldiers on guard duty and thinking how smart they looked in their red and white uniforms.

She was met at the door of The Palace by a servant who led her through the impressive hall with its statues of former Grand Dukes and portraits of their plump Duchesses, up the red carpeted staircase and along a wide corridor to the Princess’s rooms.

Paulina, who had been there so many times before, could so easily have found her own way.

But she knew that to suggest such a thing would offend the protocol of The Palace and the servants would not understand why she should wish to dispense with their services.

Accordingly, as she had to follow behind a fat middle-aged manservant with his white wig causing beads of sweat on his forehead, she had to move a great deal more slowly than she would have done had she been alone.

But eventually they had reached the apartments in the West wing that were the Princess Margarita’s and the manservant knocked on a large door painted artistically with the wild flowers of the district on a background of peacock blue.

It was opened by one of the Princess’s maids, who dropped Paulina a small curtsey.

“It is very good to see you, gracious Fraulein,” she said. “Her Royal Highness has been asking over and over again how it is possible for you to take so long in coming to her.”

“Long?” Paulina queried. “I came immediately I received Her Royal Highness’s note and the horses moved as if they had wings on their feet.”

“That be what we’ll all need before we are finished,” the maid said almost beneath her breath.

She opened a door and announced,

“Fraulein Paulina Handley, Your Royal Highness.”

With a cry of delight the Princess sprang up from the chair that she had been sitting in, upsetting a large number of articles that had been in her lap as she did so.

“Paulina! Thank goodness you have come!” she exclaimed in English. “I began to think you had deserted me.”

“Deserted you?” Paulina exclaimed in surprise. “Why should I do that?”

“I had to see you. I have so much to tell you and you must help me.”

The maid had closed the door behind her and they were alone and the Princess, taking Paulina by the hand, pulled her towards the sofa.

“What do you think has happened” she asked.

“I cannot imagine.”

The Princess drew in a deep breath.

“I am to be married!”

This was most certainly not what Paulina had expected and so she looked at her friend in astonishment.

“But – to whom?”

As she spoke, she thought of all the young men who had been in attendance at the balls, and could not imagine that any of them were particularly suitable husbands for the Princess Margarita, however well they might qualify as dancing partners.

The Princess did not reply for a moment and then, holding Paulina’s hand tightly in hers, she said,

“Will you promise me on everything you hold sacred that you will do what I ask?”

Paulina smiled.

“I cannot promise that unless I know what you want me to do.”

“It is quite simple,” the Princess replied. “I want you to come with me to Russia.”

Paulina stared at her in astonishment.

“To Russia?” she echoed. “But why – and what has – happened? Can you be going to – marry a Russian?”

The Princess nodded her head.

“Papa told me last night,” she said. “Oh, Paulina, it is thrilling in some ways, but at the same time I am frightened. Frightened of going so far away from Papa and of being alone in a strange country.”

Paulina covered her hand with hers.

“Start from the beginning,” she begged. “I cannot understand at all what has happened.”

“You cannot be more bewildered than I am.”

The Princess paused and drew in a long breath before she began,

“Last night after you left, Papa sent for me. I could see from the moment I entered the room that he was very delighted about something, but I never suspected – I never had the – slightest idea of what it – might be.”

Paulina said nothing. She was merely thinking how pretty Margarita looked, even though her lovely eyes were dark with apprehension and there was no smile on her full lips.

“It was then,” she went on, “that Papa told me what had happened.”

“And what was that?”

“You will remember I told you that my brother, Maximus, has been in Russia for some years?”

“Yes, you told me,” Paulina replied, “and that the Grand Duke had received an invitation from the Czar for him to live at the Court and serve in the Russian Imperial Army.”

Although Paulina had heard the story many times, she had never met Prince Maximus so she had not been particularly interested.

“The Czar is very pleased with Maximus,” Princess Margarita went on in a low voice, “so pleased that he has promoted him to the rank of Major-General, because he has won great glory in the War in the Caucasus.”

“Your father must be delighted,” Paulina exclaimed.

She knew how proud the Grand Duke was of his only son and that he had distinguished himself in battle would delight the whole of the Duchy.

“Yes, Papa is very excited,” the Princess agreed, “but in the same letter Maximus wrote that he had won the Order of St. George in battle and he said that the Czar had agreed that I should marry his cousin, the Grand Duke Vladirvitch.”

Paulina’s eyes widened.

She was a little vague about the hierarchy in the Russian Court, but her upbringing in the Diplomatic Service had taught her that the position of Grand Duke was a very important one and to be a cousin of the Czar carried in itself enormous prestige.

Even so, Paulina felt that happiness in marriage was far more important than any title, however grand and powerful it may be.

“Have you met the Grand Duke?” she asked.

“Just once,” Princess Margarita replied, “but the trouble is, Paulina, I cannot remember what he was like. He came here for a short visit and The Palace was filled with relations from all over Europe to celebrate Mama and Papa’s twenty-fifth Wedding Anniversary.”

For the first time she smiled as she went on,

“The Emperor of Austria had a very attractive aide-de-camp and, as I was talking to him and dancing as many times with him as I dared, I did not notice the other guests.”

“The Grand Duke certainly must have remembered you!”

“That is what Maximus says and, not only does he want to marry me but the Czar has given his permission.”

“Oh, dearest, I can only hope that you will be very very happy!” Paulina cried.

“But Russia is so far away,” the Princess complained, “and I will only contemplate going there if you will come with me.”

“But how can I? Will they not think it strange – ?” Paulina began.

“You will come as my Lady-in-Waiting,” the Princess interposed. “I am certainly not going to take that boring old Baroness Schwaez with me and I just doubt if she would come anyway. She has a large family and is always moaning of how unhappy she is to be away from them.”

“I don’t – think Papa will – let me go,” Paulina said hesitatingly.

“If I explain to Sir Christopher just how much I need you and that I promise not to keep you for a very long time, I am sure he will understand,” the Princess said. “Oh, please, please, Paulina, you cannot desert me – not when I need you so terribly.”

Paulina was touched by the appeal in her voice.

No one knew better than she did how sensitive Princess Margarita was about many things and that it would be a great strain on her to have to live away from her own country and in Russia of all places.

The stories about Russia, while very intriguing, were also rather frightening and the tales about the Czar Nicholas had lost nothing in the telling.

Paulina thought that she could think of nothing more terrifying than to be married to a Russian and live under the edict of a Ruler whom even the most Diplomatic of Diplomats described amongst themselves as both ‘eccentric and tyrannical’.

However, because she loved Margarita and wanted her to be happy, Paulina knew that in no circumstances would she ever repeat such opinions to her.

She was wise enough to understand that the Princess was being offered a position that from a worldly point of view exceeded anything that the Grand Duke Louis could have hoped for or desired for his daughter.

Whatever the Princess might feel, she would be married to the Grand Duke and therefore she must accept the situation whether or not it fulfilled her dreams.

Because she knew that it was the right thing to do, Paulina said,

“I think you are very very lucky and I am sure that you will be extremely happy with the Grand Duke.”

“In Russia?” the Princess queried.

“Why not?” Paulina asked. “And, as it is now so much easier and quicker to travel by train, I expect your husband will take you to Paris, London and undoubtedly the South of France.”

“Papa was saying the other day that the Russian aristocrats enjoy France because it is so gay,” the Princess remarked, “but he never mentioned that their wives went with them.”

This was a problem that Paulina had no answer for and she said quickly,

“The Czar and his family are enormously wealthy so you will live in great grandeur.”

“I shall be very important at Court,” the Princess said, as if she spoke to herself.

“Of course you will,” Paulina agreed, “and Papa says Russian aristocrats have the most fabulous jewels in the whole world, so you will look very beautiful at the balls that are given at The Winter Palace.”

Some of the anxiety seemed to fade from the Princess’s face.

Then she said swiftly,

“I refuse to go unless you say you will come with me.”

“I shall have to talk to Papa before I can promise you that,” Paulina replied.

“I will ask my father to speak to him too,” the Princess said. “You never know, if the Czar takes a fancy to you he might easily insist that Sir Christopher be appointed as British Ambassador to St. Petersburg!”

Paulina laughed.

“I can see that before you are finished all your friends will somehow find their way to the Imperial Court.”

“Why not?” Princess Margarita asked. “If I am going to be so grand, I might as well have what I want and I want you, dearest Paulina, far more than I want diamonds and emeralds.”

Paulina realised as the Princess was speaking that she was gradually becoming used to the idea of leaving her home and living in Russia and they talked of what it would be like, exchanging their limited knowledge of a country that neither of them had ever seen.

When it was time for Paulina to leave and drive back to her father, the Princess pleaded with her,

“Promise, promise that you will not fail me,” she begged, “for even though Maximus will be in St. Petersburg it will not be the same as having you there. No man could ever understand how frightened I feel of marrying someone I cannot even remember.”

Paulina thought that she too would be very frightened in the same position.

But she knew that Royal marriages were always arranged and there was no question that, if it was something that the Czar had decreed, Princess Margarita would be unable to refuse.

At the same time, as she drove back in the carriage, she thought how lucky she was to be a commoner.

Her father and mother were married because they loved each other and that was why they were so happy.

‘When I marry somebody it will be because I love him and it will not matter whether we live in a Palace or a cottage as long as we are together,’ she told herself.

Paulina had lived for too long in Diplomatic circles not to realise that such a freedom of choice was only for those of no social consequence and certainly not for anybody who had Royal blood.

It was true that the Grand Duke Vladirvitch was thirty-five and Margarita only eighteen, but she knew that the Princess might easily have been chosen as the bride of a man who was very much older and perhaps desperate for an heir before he died.

‘Arranged marriages are a hideous idea,’ she told herself firmly.

She knew that very few people would agree, but to her it seemed criminal that regardless of any human feelings Royal blood must be espoused to Royal blood and a Nobleman must marry a woman of noble birth.

“Perhaps in complete contrast I shall fall in love with a crossing-sweeper,” Paulina said with a little smile, “or perhaps an ordinary soldier with nothing to recommend him except his smart uniform.”

This thought came to her as she could see the sentries outside the British Ministry, who presented arms as her carriage then drew up outside the front door which was surmounted by a Union Jack.

Paulina jumped out and ran into the house.

“Where is His Excellency?” she asked of the servants in the hall.

“In the study, miss.”

Paulina ran down the passage and burst into the study, hoping that her father would be alone.

She was fortunate.

Sir Christopher was sitting comfortably in a deep leather armchair with a newspaper on his knees, although his head was laid back against a cushion and his eyes were closed.

“Papa, wake up, Papa!” Paulina cried as she ran towards him.

“Hello, my dear,” Sir Christopher replied in a drowsy voice. “I must have dropped off.”

Paulina, taking off her bonnet, flung it down in a chair and knelt down beside her father, her full skirts billowing around her.

“Listen, Papa, listen!”

Sir Christopher’s eyes were on her face as she spoke and he thought with a pang in his heart that his daughter was very like her mother.

Only to think of his wife whom he had loved so deeply was to bring back the agony of losing her and he put out his hand to Paulina as if he would hold her close and never let her go.

“I have just been over to The Palace, Papa,” Paulina said, “and what do you think has happened?”

Sir Christopher smiled.

“The Grand Duke Vladirvitch has proposed marriage.”

“Oh, you knew,” Paulina exclaimed.

“The Prime Minister told me as I was leaving after a conference we had this afternoon. It is a great honour, not only for the Grand Duke but for the Duchy.”

“And you think Margarita will be happy?” Paulina asked.

Her father shrugged his shoulders.

“We can only hope so, for there is no reason to believe that Vladirvitch resembles his cousin, the Czar, at least we hope not for your friend’s sake.”

Paulina drew in her breath.

“The Princess says that she will not go to Russia unless I can go with her.”

Sir Christopher stiffened.

“What are you saying?”

“She has begged me to be her Lady-in-Waiting. She refuses categorically to take the Baroness and she has to have somebody.”

“But why you?”

“She trusts me – and I think she loves me.”

There was a faraway look in Sir Christopher’s eyes as he said,

“This is certainly something I did not expect.”

“Neither did I,” Paulina agreed. “I could not imagine why the Princess was sending so urgently for me when I was at The Palace only yesterday.”

There was silence.

Then after a moment she went on,

“You know I have no wish to leave you, Papa, but the Princess is very insistent that she will not go without me, although of course, she can be forced to do so. But I think it would hardly augur well to arrive in St. Petersburg in chains!”

“I agree,” Sir Christopher nodded.

After a moment’s thought he added,

“In a way it might be interesting and educational for you to visit Russia.”

Paulina smiled.

“Princess Margarita is sure that she will be able to persuade the Czar to ask for you to come to St. Petersburg as the British Ambassador!”

Sir Christopher laughed.

“I think that is very unlikely while I am still in disgrace, but you never know how things will work out.”

“Can I tell her I may go, Papa?”

“I will not urge you to do so if you dislike the idea,” Sir Christopher replied. “At the same time, if your visit is limited to a few months, I must try to manage without you.”

“But you will miss me, Papa?”

“Of course, my dearest child. You know how much you mean to me. I shall be very lonely when you are gone.”

Paulina smiled.

“I think you will find there are plenty of lovely ladies only too eager to console you. In fact I was wondering when I came into the salon whether the Baroness von Butzweil would be here looking up at you adoringly.”

Father and daughter both laughed.

“She is most certainly very beautiful,” Paulina said, “although I think she is not as good-natured and as kindly as the Contessa Valmaro.”

Sir Christopher put back his head and laughed.

“Instead of you choosing suitable women for me,” he said, “I should be choosing eligible suitors for you!”

“I am only pointing out that you will not be lonely without me,” Paulina said, “whilst I, on the other hand, will miss you desperately, Papa. You must promise me if I do go you will stipulate that I must return at the end of two or perhaps three months at most, like a parcel, intact and undamaged.”

Sir Christopher laughed again.

“You can be quite sure of that and quite frankly I think three months is a long time.”

“It would be so for me, Papa,” Paulina said softly, “so make it clear that you will give your permission for me to accompany the Princess only on condition that I am back here in July.”

“If you overstay, I shall come and fetch you myself,” Sir Christopher promised.

Paulina put her arms around his neck.

“I love you, Papa, I love being with you, but I am also very fond of the Princess and I have a feeling that it is my duty to try to make her happy.”

“I think only a husband can do that,” Sir Christopher said dryly. “At the same time you can help dispel some of her shyness and her quite understandable apprehension at becoming a member of the Czar’s family.”

“Is he really so ferocious and awe-inspiring?”

“I am afraid that a great number of the stories about him are too fantastic to have been invented,” Sir Christopher replied, “but there is no doubt that he is a devoted family man as Princess Margarita will discover when she joins the family.”