Free The King Without a Heart by Barbara Cartland Page B

the steps until Sophie had actually entered the West door.
    They were seated in one of the Royal pews and Titania had a good view of the Cathedral as well as the marriage ceremony.
    The King had already arrived and was seated on what looked like a throne, surrounded by Bishops and other dignitaries of the Church.
    Titania thought his appearance was most impressive.
    â€˜He certainly looks a King,’ she mused, ‘even if he does not behave like one.’
    The Marriage Service had been chosen, she had been informed, by Prince Frederick himself.
    It took a very long time and was very spectacular and when finally the bride and bridegroom had been blessed by the Archbishop, there was a fanfare of trumpets.
    Titania was affected by the singing of the choir and by the sincerity with which the Archbishop took the Service.
    She only wished that Sophie could understand everything that was said, especially the few quiet words the Archbishop addressed to her and Prince Frederick before he finally married them.
    She could tell by the expression on her cousin’s face that she was very proud to be Prince Frederick’s wife, just as he was exceedingly proud of himself.
    It took a long time for all the principals to leave the Cathedral.
    Titania and the Ladies-in-Waiting had to wait at the bottom of the steps and it took nearly a quarter of an hour before their carriage was able to reach them.
    Whilst she was waiting she looked at the people in the crowd and thought again how poorly dressed and how ragged many of the children appeared.
    The women seemed harassed as if they were worrying about their families and she thought that quite a number of people looked as if they did not have enough to eat.
    â€˜Surely the King could do something about this,’ she thought, as she wondered if she talked to Sophie whether she would understand what was required, but she accepted, however, that this was a hopeless idea.
    Not only would Sophie refuse to listen, but she would say firmly that she had no intention of worrying herself about the common people and that if they worked hard enough they should be able to feed themselves.
    As Titania drove back towards the Palace she was treated to another glimpse of the snow-peaked mountains.
    â€˜It is such a pretty country,’ she pondered, ‘surely someone should try to make it prosperous.’
    She recognised at once that the someone was the King.
    Yet if all she had heard about him was the truth, he was interested only in the past and not the present.
    And another aspect of her situation she found very depressing was that there was no bookcase in the boudoir, which opened out of her bedroom and she had thought at first it was rather exciting to have a sitting room all to herself, but then she realised that unless she was writing a letter, there was nothing else for her to do.
    â€˜There must be books somewhere in the Palace,’ she reasoned. 
    She had asked the aide-de-camp who was sitting next to her at dinner if there was a library.
    â€œWe do have a very large and very important library,” he replied, “but I doubt if you will ever see it.”
    â€œWhy ever not?” asked Titania in surprise.
    â€œBecause His Majesty works in the library,” answered the aide-de-camp . “He likes to keep his reference books all around him and that of course means that no one must disturb him.”
    â€œBut surely there are books elsewhere in the Palace.”
    â€œI cannot think of any at the moment,” the aide-decamp told her, “but I will try to find out for you. You sound as if you are an avid reader.”
    â€œI love books,” enthused Titania. 
    At the same time she thought if she could not read there would be very little to do, except of course to listen to Sophie’s endless complaints and to try to cheer up the fraught Ladies-in-Waiting.
    She thought of the enormous number of books her father had kept at home and they would have