Free The King Without a Heart by Barbara Cartland

know it myself,” replied the aide-de-camp . “And if you get the chance to sooth down Prince Frederick – he is in one of his tantrums.”
    Titania’s eyes widened for a moment, but she said nothing. She merely thought it was just like the Germans to rant and rave if anything went wrong and it must be the German blood in Prince Frederick which was making him behave in such a fashion.
    However, it was a mistake to waste time speculating and so she hurried back to Sophie with the programme.
    â€œAnd about time too,” snapped Sophie when she saw her. “Frederick has told me that if he has the chance he is going to make this country run more efficiently. But I understand they are trying to prevent him from doing so, simply because they like their lazy easy way of going on.”
    Titania made no comment.
    She only thought, although of course she could never say so, that she disliked Prince Frederick and she was sorry that Sophie would have to put up with him for the rest of her life.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Â The wedding day started badly.
    Sophie struck Titania with a hair-brush, because her hair under her veil was not as she wanted it.
    It was the first time she had ever done so and it made Titania angry, but despite her indignation she considered it was unwise to make a scene on this particular day.
    She therefore re-arranged Sophie’s hair and thought it was almost the same as it had been before.
    Then they went down to the hall, where the Lord Chamberlain was waiting to escort Sophie to the Cathedral as Prince Frederick had already gone on ahead.
    Sophie had said disagreeably while Titania was helping her to dress,
    â€œThe King should have given me away, but he refused. I think it is rather degrading for me to have to put up with the Lord Chamberlain.”
    â€œIt’s a pity Uncle Edward could not come,” Titania put in.
    â€œPapa would have hated every moment of it all,” grumbled Sophie, “because I am not being treated as grandly as he had expected me to be.”
    Titania could not think of her being received any more grandly as Sophie had been treated as the most important person present at every function she had attended so far and she would undoubtedly be the focus of attention in the Cathedral.
    But Titania had learned it was no use arguing with her cousin when she had made up her mind about herself and always insisted that she was right and everyone else was wrong.
    The Lord Chamberlain certainly looked resplendent in his robes and as he was a handsome old man, Titania thought that Sophie should be content.
    There was a splendid glass coach drawn by four white horses waiting to take her to the Cathedral and Titania followed as usual with the Ladies-in-Waiting, but not in the company of Darius.
    She now realised that Darius had been sent to travel with them on the ship as a very special concession on the part of the King, who believed it was essential that Sophie should learn the language of her new country.
    He had therefore temporarily spared Darius who was his most important Equerry.
    Darius would now be entering the Cathedral, Titania was told, with Kastri, his vis-à-vis, the other personal Equerry to the King.
    Sophie had been asked if she would like child bridesmaids to follow her up the aisle, but had refused immediately.
    â€œChildren are always a nuisance in Church,” she had said, “and I have no wish to have them distracting the attention of the congregation away from me.”
    Titania knew that the mothers of the children must have already made their dresses and they would be looking forward to their little ones taking part in the ceremony. They would obviously be very disappointed, but that did not seem to worry Sophie.
    She complained about her bouquet under her breath to Titania and then swept into the glass coach that was waiting for her at the back of the Palace.
    If she had gone out of the front entrance, she would have had to walk down