Free The King Without a Heart by Barbara Cartland Page A

the steps and this she had refused to do.
    â€œI don’t mind climbing up the steps once we are married,” Titania heard her tell Prince Frederick, “but I am not going down alone with no one to support me.”
    â€œYou will have the Lord Chamberlain,” Prince Frederick had answered, looking surprised. “I will go on your arm or nobody’s,” asserted Sophie, tossing her head.
    At first Titania thought Prince Frederick was rather pleased with the compliment, but his lips tightened as if his impulse was to tell Sophie she was to do as she was told.
    Titania could not help reflecting that he would find Sophie very difficult to manage once they were married and then she told herself that Germans usually had quiet placid wives and she suspected that was what Prince Frederick expected Sophie to be.
    As soon as Sophie had driven away in her fairy-tale coach, Titania climbed into the next one and smiled at the elderly Ladies-in-Waiting who were obviously agitated.
    Apparently Sophie had told them rather rudely that she did not want then to intrude on her and at the reception that would follow the ceremony and in the Cathedral they were to keep in the background.
    This was the way she always talked to Titania, but the Ladies-in-Waiting, however, were flustered and felt insulted by Sophie’s peremptory edict.
    The sun was now shining brightly and the route to the Cathedral, which was partly the same as their route from the port, was very beautiful.
    The same crowds of people were there waving flags and staring at the bridal procession.
    As the procession was moving rather slowly, Titania had a chance to look over the heads of the crowd at the shops behind them and was surprised, as she had been told this was the main road of the City, how few shops there were and they seemed to display very inferior articles for sale.
    Titania knew Sophie would be disappointed if she could not go shopping as it was something she really enjoyed.
    In fact she had said to Titania only yesterday,
    â€œAs soon as we have time and I don’t have some doleful collection of women calling on me, we will go shopping. I am sure there will be exciting things for us to buy.”
    Titania knew it was not a question of us .
    She had no intention of spending what money she had brought with her on frivolities as it was there in case she needed to run away or had some really sensible reason for spending it.
    But she thought it would be interesting to visit the local shops, as in many Balkan countries, the women spun, sewed or knitted delightful garments to be sold to tourists.
    â€˜I must take Nanny back some really nice gift,’ resolved Titania, ‘but there is no one else who will expect me to bring them anything.’
    Then she wondered miserably how soon it would be before she could go back to England. She so wanted to ride Mercury and have Nanny to look after her again.
    Sophie had, of course, been allotted a lady’s-maid from the Palace staff, but as she could not communicate with her or give her any orders, Titania had to be with her all the time.
    On the way to the Cathedral Titania found herself sighing.
    While it was a new experience to go to a Royal Wedding, there would doubtless be an enormous amount of work for her to do afterwards.
    The Cathedral was very imposing, in fact far finer than Titania had predicted and it was packed with what she knew must be the elite of Velidos, whilst outside there was a huge crowd of ordinary people who had come to watch and applaud.
    They cheered Sophie as soon as she appeared and Titania thought that at least would delight her cousin.
    There were some steps up to the Cathedral and Sophie walked up them slowly so that the crowd could see her elaborate wedding gown. There was a diamond tiara on her head and her veil had been chosen so as not to obscure her gown in any way.
    Titania and the Ladies-in-Waiting followed slowly and they discreetly did not attempt to climb