Royal Marriage Of Convenience

‘Goodness,’ she said faintly.

‘Lots of people ski,’ he said, knowing he sounded defensive, but not being able to stop himself.

‘Not in my world they don’t. They trudge round digging out livestock and swearing at the snow in general.’

‘You’ve never skied?’

‘I suspect there’s a whole lot of stuff I’ve never done.’ She turned to face him. ‘Including marrying someone who skies in places like these.’ She shook her head and hugged her dog again. ‘It’s a whole new world.’

‘Do you know what you’re letting yourself in for?’

‘No,’ she said honestly. ‘I know the people. I know there was lots that I loved. But I don’t know the political set-up. Do you?’

‘I’ve researched this well, yes.’

‘It’s more than I have,’ she conceded.

‘You just jumped.’

‘That’s right. Ran, more like.’

‘It does sound appealing,’ he said. ‘Playing princess.’

‘I don’t expect I shall play princess,’ she said absently. ‘As you said, it’s dumb to eat caviar. I guess if I have authority then I’ll start by doing things like selling this ostentatious aeroplane.’

But it seemed she’d said the wrong thing. The screen in front of them was put aside with a decisive click. The man who’d been serving them, Griswold, was staring at them in consternation.

‘You must not,’ he said in his own language. And he sounded desperate.

Rose frowned, confused by his sudden interjection, slipping effortlessly into the language that matched his. ‘We mustn’t sell this aeroplane?’

‘No. I…Not yet.’

‘I guess it’s your job,’ she said, confused.

‘It’s not my job,’ the elderly man told her. ‘Or not very often. I’m sorry. This is none of my business. I shouldn’t have said. Your dinner is almost ready.’

‘So tell us why we shouldn’t sell the plane,’ Nick asked, moving easily into the language as well.

‘We need you to be the royal couple,’ Griswold said simply. ‘Nothing else will save the country.’ And he flicked back the screen and went back to work.

No more was said until the meal was served-magnificent beef steak, which spoke heaps of Griswold’s skill in cooking in confined spaces. No pre-packed airline food this.

There was chocolate mousse to follow, and espresso coffee. Finally as he cleared the coffee cups away Griswold’s severe face relaxed a little. But as he reached for Rose’s cup she took his wrist and held.

‘Tell me what you mean about wanting us to be a royal couple,’ she said.

‘Madame, I can’t.’

‘You can’t do what?’

‘I…’ He shook his head. ‘There’s orders.’

‘From who?’

‘From Monsieur Jacques. The husband of your sister.’

‘Orders to do what?’

‘To tell you nothing,’ he said miserably. ‘To let you do this mock-marriage thing.’

‘It’s not a mock marriage,’ Rose said, frowning more. ‘It’s a real one.’

‘It’s not,’ Griswold said simply. ‘I’ve been overhearing. What Julianna and Jacques have been telling the people is right. That this is a marriage of convenience.’

‘It’s still a marriage.’

‘Yes, but there’s more,’ he said unhappily. ‘Reports are that this marriage is a sham, and so is any goodwill you might have towards our people. You’re outsiders. You’ll sign the right papers and then disappear again. No wrongs will be righted. Taxes will continue to be bled from the people and sent overseas. Our country will be worse off.’

‘That’s not why we’re here,’ Nick said, frowning as much as Rose was. ‘Erhard Fritz-’

‘Erhard Fritz is being discredited by the government-controlled press,’ Griswold said. ‘There’s been a smear campaign. The press is portraying you both as upstart outsiders. You, monsieur, with vaguely sinister intentions and you, madame, as a greedy widow.’

‘Why are you telling us this?’ Rose said slowly, her eyes not leaving Griswold’s face.

‘Maybe…because of the dog?’ he said unhappily. ‘I know that sounds nonsense, but my daughter has a dog such as this one. I listened to you telling monsieur how you took in the dog, and I thought this can’t be a woman such as the press describes. I remembered the stories of you as a child. The press was fairer then, not controlled by the Council. You were always described as a tomboy, more interested in animals than in learning society manners. Then the way you both gave thanks. Little things, but…I heard you talking about a marriage of convenience, and I thought “it doesn’t fit”.’

‘It’s a way of repairing the damage,’ Nick said. ‘We can set in place reforms.’

‘Not if the people rise up against you,’ Griswold said. ‘Which they will if they think you’re here for your own gain. If you sell this plane straight away, they’ll think it’s a first act to siphon money. Things have been said, dreadful things.’

‘I’ve heard nothing of this,’ Nick snapped.

‘Jacques and his friends are too clever to use the main newsprints to spread the worst of the rumours,’ the man said unhappily. ‘But rumours have been sweeping the country nevertheless. And people like Erhard, people of sense, have been effectively silenced.’

‘There’s not a lot we can do about it,’ Rose said doubtfully. ‘We were told it would be simple.’

‘You need to get the people on side,’ Griswold said. ‘People like me. Working people. All of us. I do have some English. All the time I’ve been cooking, I’ve been listening to you. You both can speak our language. That’s wonderful. Madame, the people were fond of you once, as a child. They’ll remember that. You have the little dog. As you walk out of this plane, you need to look happy to be in the country. Happy to be home. You need to speak to as many people as possible. Ordinary people. You need to see and be seen. And you need to hold hands all the time. Speak to each other as a married couple. Don’t appear to have heard a single thing that I’ve just told you. And…’

‘And?’

‘And let the people know that you mean well. And that you’re not trying to deceive them. Let them know that you’re about to enter into a marriage.’

CHAPTER FIVE

THEY landed soon after, questions unresolved. ‘I think that my wife’s cousin will be driving the royal car,’ Griswold told them as the plane came to a standstill. ‘He will wish you well. As I do.’ But his contact with them was over. He stayed aboard, unhappily disappearing into the background as they emerged onto Alp de Montez soil.

They weren’t sure what to expect when they arrived. After Erhard’s silence, Nick had been contacted by someone calling himself the palace Chief of Staff, telling them he was taking care of the arrangements for their arrival. ‘There’ll be some form of official reception,’ he’d told them, and when they stepped off the jet that was exactly what happened.

There were a couple of dozen military officers standing to stiff attention, and a middle-aged man in hugely decorated dress-regalia stepped forward to greet them.

‘Good afternoon,’ the man said in stiff English. ‘Welcome to Alp de Montez, Your Royal Highnesses. Do you wish to inspect the guard now?’

‘No,’ Nick said before Rose could open her mouth. Then he looked at Rose. ‘We don’t want to inspect the guard, do we, sweetheart?’

Sweetheart?

Rose blinked. And then she got the message. What Griswold had said on the plane was that these people were