Wanted A Royal Wife

CHAPTER ONE 1887-1

CHAPTER ONE

1887Lady Latasha Ling rode into the stable yard.

The Head Groom came hurrying out to her horse’s head.

“He is an excellent jumper, Abbey,” Lady Latasha said, “and I think when he has had a little more training, he will beat His Grace’s favourite, who he continually says is unbeatable.”

Abbey laughed.

“That be so very true, my Lady,” he replied. “I’ve great ’opes of this ’ere ’orse, ’e certainly shapes better than any of them other ’orses.”

“I agree with you, Abbey, but we will not upset His Grace until we race him and win!”

Latasha walked on to the house, thinking as she did so that it would be such fun to beat her brother’s champion horse as Solomon had already won quite a number of races.

The sun was shining and the garden was filled with flowers.

She thought that nothing could be lovelier than Norlington Park in the spring.

She walked into the house through one of the many French windows.

She had lived in the great house, which dated back for four hundred years, ever since she was a child.

As she often told herself, she loved every inch of it and she had certainly missed her home when she had gone to a boarding school.

She had returned back home a year ago having won several prizes and with a report that her brother said should be hung in every schoolroom to challenge other pupils to try to equal it.

Walking along the passage towards the hall, Latasha wondered if her brother had returned.

He had left early that morning to visit a farm where there had been a fire and she hoped he would not bring back bad news and that there had not been any great damage.

She reached the hall and was handing her gloves and whip to a footman when the butler announced,

“His Grace has now returned, my Lady, and wishes you to join him in the study at your convenience.”

“I hoped he would be, Barnet, and I hope too that he has brought us good news about Estowe Farm.”

“I hope the same, my Lady. We’ve never had any trouble there before.”

Barnet had been at Norlington Park for nearly forty years.

He had come first as a scullery-boy, moved up to help in the pantry and then, after a number of years as footman, he had risen to the position of butler.

Like all the elderly servants he thought of the Park as his home. He always spoke as if he was one of the family – which indeed he virtually was.

Latasha walked to the study thinking that if the fire at Estowe Farm had been a very bad one, everyone would be feeling concerned for the farmer and his family.

She opened the study door.

Her brother, as she had expected, was sitting at his writing desk.

He had been the Duke for only two years and took his duties extremely seriously, spending most of his time at home in the country looking after the vast estate.

He did however hold a hereditary position at Court.

Queen Victoria liked having young and handsome gentlemen around her.

He had therefore to turn up at Windsor Castle more often than he really wished to do.

As his sister came into the room, he looked up and smiled.

He was a good-looking young man, just as Latasha was a beauty.

She had been acclaimed last year when she was a debutante and all the Society newspapers always wrote in glowingly complimentary terms about her.

“You are now back, Latasha!” the Duke exclaimed unnecessarily, as she walked towards him. “How did the new horse behave?”

“He is magnificent, Harry. In fact I think that he is going to be better than all the rest put together.”

“High praise indeed. I only hope you are right. He cost a lot of money and I am glad to hear you think he is worth it.”

“He is certainly worth at least double or treble what you gave for him. Now tell me about Estowe farm. Was the fire very bad?”

“Fortunately the fire did not touch the farmhouse itself. There are two barns which will need a great deal of repair or rebuilding. Otherwise we escaped lightly.”

“I am so glad. Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“That and something else, which you will doubtless think is more important –”

She raised her eyebrows and sank down into a chair next to his writing desk.

“Tell me what it is.”

“It’s a letter from Kraus.”

He thought his sister looked vague.

“You know just who I mean – His Royal Highness Prince Kraus of Oldessa.”

“Oh, of course, Harry, now I do know who you are talking about. For a moment I could not place the name.”

The Duke picked up a letter from his writing desk.

He stared at it without speaking and after a moment Latasha enquired,

“What’s in the letter? What does he say and what is upsetting you?”

“It is not exactly upsetting me, Latasha. But it is a surprise I had not expected”.

Latasha did not say anything.

She knew of old that her brother was inclined to be hesitant in coming to the point when there was anything of importance to say.

“I think,” he said eventually, “that I had better read you the whole letter.”

“Yes, do,” murmured Latasha.

The Duke began,

“My dear Harry,

I often think of you and the fun we had when we were at Oxford together.

I have always been hoping that you would make an effort to come out and stay with me now that I have become the Ruler of Oldessa.

But things have been somewhat upsetting last year as of course you are well aware.

I was very fond of Alexander and it is so appalling what happened to him. As you can well understand all the small Principalities like my own are afraid that the same misfortune may happen to them.

The only way we can save ourselves is to have the support and protection of Great Britain.”

The Duke paused for breath and Latasha knew just what he was talking about.

Everyone in Europe had been horrified the previous year when the Russians, under their Czar, Alexander III, had contrived in a most disgraceful way to take over Bulgaria which was ruled by Prince Alexander of Battenburg.

Many Balkan Princes had been too weak to stand up to persistent Russian infiltration and they had become nothing more than Russian puppets.

Prince Alexander however refused to submit to the Russian’s demands, but the Czar was determined to have his own way.

Russian agents stirred up a mutiny in the Bulgarian Army, kidnapped Prince Alexander and then forced him to abdicate at pistol point.

He was taken by ship and deposited in the Russian port of Reni.

Latasha could remember the outcry in England and in every other European country.

Queen Victoria raged that the Russians’ behaviour was appalling and ‘without parallel in modern history.’ In fact she was so angry that Czar Alexander was forced very soon to return the Prince to Bulgaria.

Prince Alexander was, however, as all his friends knew, deeply disillusioned by the treachery of his Army, so he surrendered his throne and retired to a quiet private life.

Latasha secretly believed at the time that it would have been braver of Prince Alexander to continue to reign, especially as the Czar had been compelled to give way on his account.

However, she was not all that interested, but merely distrusted the Russians even more than previously.

Her brother was now continuing to read the letter,

“My Prime Minister and my Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs persist in begging me to approach Queen Victoria and ask Her Majesty, as so many Balkan Princes have already done, to provide me with an English bride.

I appreciate only too well what this would mean to Oldessa. But, as I am not at all well, I have no intention of marrying at the moment and may never do so in the future.

However, what I do believe is desirable is that my brother Stefan – who is the heir presumptive as I have no children – should have the enormous advantage of being protected by the British. And that is why, Harry, as an old friend, I am asking you for your help.”

The Duke paused again.

He looked a little apprehensively at his sister.

As she did not speak, he resumed reading,

“I know your sister, Lady Latasha, is now grown up and I remember how pretty you told me she was as a child.

If she would consider marrying Stefan and in a few years, perhaps sooner, rule Oldessa with him, it would be a tremendous benefit from our point of view.

As your sister’s Guardian you will understand what pleasure and happiness it would give to me.”

As he finished the sentence, the Duke looked up.

His sister was staring at him with an expression of sheer astonishment.

“Is he,” she asked, “actually asking me to go and marry his brother whom I have never met or even heard of until now?”

“I met him, Latasha, some years ago. He is a very good-looking and charming young man and from what I have heard is a great success with the ladies.”

“Hardly a recommendation as a husband,” Latasha retorted sharply.

“Well, you certainly would not want a man who was so unattractive that no one would look at him! Seriously, Latasha, I do think you should consider this suggestion.”

He saw that his sister was about to speak and went on quickly,

“I know a good deal about Oldessa and it is a most delightful country. It is not very large if you compare it with its neighbours, Hungary and Bulgaria, but it breeds horses that can beat those of Hungary and has Steppes to ride on.”

Latasha appeared a little more interested.

“It is, from everything Kraus has always told me, extremely beautiful and the people themselves are friendly, peaceful and remarkably intelligent.”

“You make it sound just like a fairyland,” Latasha countered scornfully. “But I am extremely happy here in England and that is where I wish to stay.”

Her brother held up the letter.

“I think I should read you the next few lines – ”

“I am listening, Harry.”

“Kraus says further – ”

“We are all aware here that Queen Victoria, who is known as the ‘Matchmaker of Europe’, has been providing British Royal brides as a major defence against the Czar’s ambition to take over the whole of the Balkans.

I am therefore half afraid that your sister may well already be spoken for, since I know that your mother was a distant relative of Her Majesty. If this is so, I shall be very angry with myself for not having written to you sooner.

If by a fortunate chance your sister is still available, please can you persuade her that we would do everything in our power to make her happy.

I would love her, not just because she is your sister, but because she would save my country from the greedy ambitions of the Russian Czar.”

Listening, Latasha knew this was in fact true.

Queen Victoria had supplied an astounding number of relatives as Consorts to European rulers.

She could quite understand that Oldessa desired the protection of Britain and the best way to be sure of it was to have a Queen on their throne who was British.

The Duke had heard many speeches on the subject in the House of Lords and had discussed with Members of the Cabinet what could be done about the situation in the Balkans.

Bismarck had set out to unite the smaller German Principalities into one large Empire and his great success had made Czar Alexander III think that if Prussia could do so, well, Russia could do even better.

He was furious that Russia had failed in what he thought was her mission to dominate the Balkans and win control of the Dardanelles and thus give the Russian fleet full access to the Mediterranean.

Stubbornly the Czar was determined to win what he desired by more subtle means.

He would not under any circumstances go openly to war, but he would gain his ends by surreptitious methods which would not be recognised until it was too late to fight back against them.

Although the Duke was well aware how serious the situation was, he had never imagined for one moment that he or his family might be personally involved.