A Sacrifice for Love

CHAPTER ONE 1879-1

CHAPTER ONE

1879Princess Caterina took the note that the servant was presenting to her on a silver salver and opened it quickly.

There was very little for her to read, just the words,

“I must see you. Please, dearest Caterina, come to me at once.

Henriet.”

She read it through twice before she said to the servant,

“Tell the groom who brought this letter that I will come to the Palace of Istria as soon as possible.”

The servant bowed and hurried from the room and Caterina wondered what could possibly be the trouble.

Was there perhaps some crisis? Princess Henriet of Istria was her great friend.

But as they lived in separate, though neighbouring Provinces, Caterina usually only ever went to the Palace of Istria when she was invited.

Princess Henriet had not sent for her for some time and, as she knew that she would have to stay the night, she hurried upstairs and instructed her lady’s maid to pack her a suitcase.

“Will Your Highness be staying for long then?” the lady’s maid asked.

Caterina shook her head.

“I don’t think so, but put in an extra dress or two in case I do.”

Then she walked downstairs to write a note to her father to tell him that she was going to Istria.

Prince Otto was not of great political significance and he was seldom asked to the Palace and was therefore delighted when his daughter received an invitation.

“I don’t know why Henriet requires me,” Caterina wrote to him, “but you will understand, Papa, I must stay for as long as she wants me.”

With the note finished, she ordered a chaise to take her to the Palace.

Then she changed out of her dress into something smarter and which had a really attractive hat to go with it.

Princess Caterina was exceedingly pretty.

In fact, she resembled her mother, who was now dead and was hailed as one of the most beautiful women in Austria. It had been a great surprise to everyone when she married Prince Otto, who was not considered nearly senior enough for her.

However, the Emperor of Austria had given them his blessing without making any difficulties.

Theiss was a small Principality with a large and impressive Palace and Prince Otto and his wife were happy in it, making the garden a picture of flowers.

They also rode on the best horses the Prince could afford over what was now his domain on succeeding his father to the throne.

When Caterina was born, they were thrilled and delighted to have her, although the Prince had, of course, hoped for a son.

Unfortunately there seemed to be no chance of any other children and so they gave Caterina all the love and attention that she might have had to share with brothers and sisters.

She had grown up, becoming more beautiful year by year and her mother was soon discussing with her father where they would find a charming but influential husband for their precious daughter.

“There is plenty of time for that,” the Prince said, “and you know, darling, whoever I may suggest, you will demand someone better!”

His wife had laughed and kissed him and for the moment they forgot Caterina’s future and thought only of themselves.

She was perfectly happy with her father’s horses and the dogs which were allowed in the house. Other people kept dogs in kennels, but her parents wanted their dogs with them and they were as much a part of the family as their delightful daughter.

When her mother died unexpectedly one really cold winter, Caterina realised that her father was broken-hearted and tried in every way to fill her mother’s place.

Aged eighteen she was running the Palace for him and she chose the special dishes he enjoyed with the chef.

She rode with him and learnt to fish and shoot, so that she could accompany him when he was alone.

Fortunately, as he was very popular and extremely charming, Prince Otto had a great number of friends and they too tried to make things easier for him after he became a widower.

Caterina arranged all his dinner parties and, as her father loved her so much, she was hostess even when he entertained only his men friends.

It was a strange life for a young girl, but, as she was very intelligent, it made her understand others older than herself, besides enabling her to keep up with conversation, because she read so many books and newspapers.

It was not surprising that Henriet, the Princess of Istria, should turn to her when she was in trouble.

A great number of people asked Caterina for her advice and Henriet seldom took a serious step without her guidance.

It was because Caterina was so keen on learning so many subjects that Henriet had agreed that she must learn them too and her father had engaged the very best Tutors.

They had both learnt French from a teacher who taught them to speak in Parisian French and he instructed them so perfectly that when they visited France no one guessed for a moment that was not their mother tongue.

They also had a German Tutor and then finally an English one and, when he left, he boasted that they were both perfectly fluent.

“No one in England, if you ever go there,” he told them, “will think that you are foreigners.”

But Caterina had not seen so much of Henriet lately as she had when they were both younger.

This had not particularly disturbed her, except that she was very fond of her friend and rather missed spending much of her time in the Palace at Istria.

“I expect,” her father said, “Henriet now has so many suitors that she has little time for her girlfriends.”

Caterina had laughed.

“I was thinking the same, Papa, and, of course, as she is very pretty besides being of such social significance, I should imagine that all the unmarried heirs to a throne are considering what benefits they would obtain from having an Austrian bride.”

Prince Otto had looked serious for a short moment before saying,

“I think the answer to that is that they are afraid of having too many.”

“Too many, Papa?” Caterina enquired.

“Austria has been becoming so strong lately that a great number of European countries are afraid of her and I think the Emperor has frightened quite a number of them.”

Caterina was aware of the political situation, so she had merely remarked,

“Then I hope that Henriet finds someone she really loves.”

“I hope so too, but you know as well as I do, my dearest, that, when Royalty marry, they must think of duty to their country rather than the person they are marrying.”

Caterina knew this to be true and she hoped to see Henriet soon and hear if any were approaching her.

She drove away in a comfortable carriage drawn by four perfectly matched horses.

She thought that perhaps Henriet had been asked to marry the heir to some throne and if so, she hoped that it would be a country whose language they had so diligently and painstakingly learnt.

She drove through the beautiful countryside with the sun shining on the lakes and trees and as she did so she was trying to think of which country would wish to be affiliated with Austria.

Henriet’s father was a nephew of the Emperor of Austria and this meant it was a matter of great importance when it came to the marriage of his daughter.

Unfortunately there were, at the moment, very few Crown Princes who would be acceptable to the Emperor and Caterina found it difficult to think of any Prince of the right age whom the Emperor would approve of.

There was no one in Holland and the Russians had a great number of Princes, but none of them was a direct heir to the Czar.

The same applied in Germany where the children of the reigning Monarch were hardly out of the nursery.

‘It’s not going to be easy,’ she thought to herself. ‘Perhaps I am just imagining that is the reason why Henriet has sent for me. In fact I may find that she merely wants me to help her choose her clothes or maybe attend a ball.’

Then she decided to wait for the information when she arrived.

The Palace was looking magnificent in the golden sunshine and the garden, although not as beautiful as her own at home, was ablaze with colour.

The carriage drew up at the front door.

To Caterina’s surprise, Henriet ran down the steps to greet her.

The two girls kissed and Henriet exclaimed,

“It’s angelic of you to come at once, I was so afraid that you would refuse and I want you so desperately.”

“Of course I will always come when you want me,” Caterina replied. “What has happened? What is wrong?”

Henriet looked over her shoulder and replied,

“Don’t say a word until we are alone. I told Papa I wanted to give a party and have asked you to come to help me to choose the guests.”

Feeling a little bewildered, Caterina said nothing more until they were in Henriet’s private rooms.

They were at the far end on the first floor and it was a very comfortable suite with large bow windows looking out over the garden on one side and the lake on the other.

The sun was streaming in through the windows and because Caterina knew it so well she felt almost as if she had come home.

Henriet had followed her into the room and was now closing the door.

Then, as she walked towards her, Caterina asked,

“What has upset you? I can see you are worried.”

“I am very worried and I thought, dearest, that you would be the only one who would be able to help me.”

“Of course I will help you if I can. But what has happened?”

Henriet paused for a second and then said almost in a whisper,

“I am in love.”

Caterina gave a little cry.

“Oh, Henriet, how exciting, it is just what I hoped would happen to you. Who is it?”

“That is the whole point,” Henriet replied.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong except that he is not important and I know that Papa will never let me marry him.”

“Who is he?” Caterina enquired breathlessly.

Henriet again looked over her shoulder at the door and then whispered,

“He is Fritz Hofer. He is a Major in Papa’s own Regiment.”

Caterina knew who he was. In fact he was a very handsome and impressive-looking man and she was not in the least surprised that Henriet, who had obviously seen him often, was in love.

But she knew only too well that Henriet’s father, Prince Adolphus, would not allow his daughter to marry an ordinary soldier.

“I am sorry, dearest,” she said, “I can see it is going to be difficult.”

“It is worse than that – ”

“In what way?” Caterina asked.

“There is someone else Papa wants me to marry.”

Caterina’s eyes opened even wider, but she waited without asking the obvious question.

“He is an Englishman, a Duke.”

“A Duke!” Caterina exclaimed, “but surely your father will want you to marry Royalty.”

“Well the Duke is Royal in that his mother was Princess Lillian of Saxe-Coburg and a very close friend of Queen Victoria.”

Caterina remembered that Queen Victoria had been married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and the Duke was therefore related to the Queen.

“And the Duke wants to marry you?” she asked her, trying to clarify the whole story in her mind.

“I have not met him yet,” Henriet said, “but it has all been arranged by the Emperor who is very anxious for us to have a close tie with Great Britain.”

“Have you been told that you must marry him?”

“He is on his way now to stay with us and Papa told me last night that he is going to propose to me.”

Henriet gave a deep sigh before she went on,

“Both the Emperor and Queen Victoria think that it would be an excellent match, forming a tie between the two countries.”

“But you are in love with someone else,” Caterina said softly.

“I love Fritz. I love him with all my heart,” Henriet murmured. “And he loves me.”

Caterina looked at her without asking her any more questions.

Then Henriet continued,

“We meet each other secretly at night in the garden and sometimes when it has been safe in parts of the Palace where no one goes after dark.