In Brief Authority Part 31

"Nibbles gave me one of the family fenders," said the Marchioness, "but I never wear it--it gives me such a headache."

"Ah, dear Lady Mus...o...b.., I can sympathise with you--but I have to put up with _my_ headaches. I want you to come and shake hands with my husband--His Majesty, you know."

"Charmed," said the d.u.c.h.ess. "Is that His Majesty with the--er--auburn whiskers and moustache? I thought it must be.... How d'you do, sir?"

"Thank you, your Grace, I'm very tolerably well," said King Sidney, who was not entirely at his ease in welcoming such distinguished guests--especially as he was far from clear as to how and why they came to be there. "Glad you found time to--er--look us up. Hardly had time to settle down here ourselves yet--so you must take us as you find us."

"I never expected to find you all so magnificent, I can a.s.sure you,"

replied the d.u.c.h.ess.

"Oh, well," he said, "my wife likes living in style. And of course when you are Royalties, so to speak, you've got to do the thing well."

"That is my eldest daughter, Edna, d.u.c.h.ess, the Princess Royal ... yes, over there, with the eye-gla.s.ses. Edna, my love, come and tell her Grace how delighted you are to see her, and Lady Mus...o...b.. too."

"How do you do, my dear? You're looking well," said the complaisant old lady, preparing to embrace her hostess's daughter.... "Oh, if you prefer me to kiss your hand, ma'am----"

"You shouldn't be so formal, Edna!" said her mother. "Not with such an old friend as the d.u.c.h.ess. This, d.u.c.h.ess, is my son, the Crown Prince Clarence, and here is my youngest daughter, Princess Ruby."

"I must tell you about Edna, my dear d.u.c.h.ess," said Queen Selina, drawing her apart after these presentations had been effected. "She has only just become engaged--to a neighbour of ours, young Count von Rubenfresser. From a merely worldly point of view she might have done much better. In fact, Prince Mirliflor of Clairdelune came here to propose to her, but she rejected him. Wouldn't hear of anyone but the Count! So as His Majesty and I do not approve of forcing our children's hearts, we have let her have her own way."

"It seems quite a romance," observed the d.u.c.h.ess.

"Quite. And of course the Count comes of a very old family. I forget what the original t.i.tle was, but they've had Castle Drachenstolz for centuries. _Such_ a picturesque old place! And--actually, d.u.c.h.ess!--Count Ruprecht has a pet dragon there--it's the only one left in Marchenland now, and as it's rather a curiosity in its way, and quite inoffensive, we see no objection to his keeping it. You will probably meet the Count to-day, he generally drives over to luncheon now--so devoted to dear Edna! And such a height, too!"

"I shall be interested to meet him," said the d.u.c.h.ess. "He must be rather a remarkable person."

Meanwhile Clarence was engaged in making himself agreeable to Lady Mus...o...b... "Funny thing, Marchioness," he remarked, "but I seem to know your face quite well."

"Perhaps you've seem me on picture-postcards," she said, "or else at the Vivacity. Before I married I was Verity Stilton, you know."

"Oh," he stammered in confusion, "I--I wasn't aware--or else--of course.

Sorry!"

"Why on earth _should_ you be? You don't suppose I'm ashamed of having been on the stage? I should soon have got to the front if I had stayed.

I was offered one of the best parts in 'The Girl from Greenland,' and I threw it up to marry Mus...o...b... His people know perfectly well that I sacrificed my career for his sake." (It might be added that if they did not, it was no fault of Lady Mus...o...b..'s.)

"I remember you," he said. "I used to go to the Vivacity before the Mater came to the throne."

"Ah, you haven't been a Royalty long, have you? Weren't you a Wobbly-something or other before that?"

"Wibberley-Stimpson was the family name," he corrected.

"I knew it was something like that. And when you were--one of those, what did you do with yourself?"

"I was in Finance," he replied largely. "In the City, don't you know, what?"

"Really?" she drawled. "That accounts for my not remembering you.

Somehow, at the Vivacity, we didn't know any City men. All this must be rather a change for you, isn't it?"

"It was a bit, at first, but we soon got into it. Except the Guv'nor, who's never taken very kindly to it--hasn't had the training, what?"

"And you _have_? I see. And what does a Fairy Crown Prince have to do?"

"Well," he said, "I do a lot of riding and hunting. Mostly boar about here. The Guv'nor don't ride, nor does Edna. Can't induce them to get on a horse. So _I_ have to represent the family."

"I expect you're no end of a nut here," she said.

"Oh, really, Marchioness, you're pulling my leg!"

"Am I? I've never pulled a Fairy Prince's leg before, so it's quite a new experience for me. But one _expects_ new experiences in Fairyland--if this really _is_ Fairyland, which I can't quite believe!"

"Oh, it's Fairyland right enough, though, mind you, it isn't the place it _was_. Nothing like the magic that there used to be. Most of it died out. Still, we've got a sort of old Fairy G.o.dmother, as part of the Palace fixtures--goes about in a car drawn by doves--give you my word she does! She has another old turn-out, with storks. We came here in that--and I expect _you_ did."

"Yes, and I see the old gentleman over there who carried me off by main force. He doesn't _look_ as if he was such a good hand at abductions!"

"He looks pretty much the blithering old idiot he is," said Clarence.

"If I'd only known he was going to London I'd have told him to get me a few thousand cigarettes--they've none here of course. But I expect he'd only have brought 'Woodbines,' or the wrong sort anyhow!"

"Does he _always_ bring the wrong sort?" inquired Lady Mus...o...b...

"Well," said Clarence, crudely enough, "he didn't make much mistake about _you_, Marchioness!"

"That's exactly what I expected from you!" she said. "By the way, what has become of the lovely person who was with the d.u.c.h.ess and me when we first woke up? I think your mother called her Hermitage. I don't see her anywhere here."

"Heritage--Lady Daphne, as we call her now. She used to be my kiddie-sister's governess."

"Oh? Well, she's quite the sweetest thing I've seen--don't you think she is, yourself?"

"Not since _you_ came!" was his gallant reply.

"It's lucky Mus...o...b.. can't hear you paying me compliments of that sort,"

she said. "If he did he'd want your blood. And why isn't that Lady Daphne here? I'm dying to see her again. d.u.c.h.ess," she added, as the elder lady, having escaped from her hostess, came towards them, "I've been asking the Prince why that charming little Heritage creature isn't here. You would like to see her, wouldn't you?"

"Certainly," said the d.u.c.h.ess. "Where is she?"

"We'll ask the Court G.o.dmother," said Clarence (it had already struck him that it might give Daphne a higher opinion of him if she could see the terms he was on with a real English Marchioness). "She'll know." But the Fairy could only say that she supposed Lady Daphne was remaining in her own rooms for some reason.

"I wish you'd get her to come down, Court G.o.dmother," said Clarence.

"These ladies would like to see her."

"I will go and fetch her myself," said the Fairy, who was pleased, in spite of herself, that her unacknowledged G.o.d-daughter should be in such request.

She found Daphne engaged in sewing the great pierced jewels in an intricate pattern on the skirt of the royal robe.

"Why, how's this?" exclaimed she. "At work! When they will be sitting down to table directly! The Prince and our two n.o.ble guests have asked me to come and see what is keeping you."

"This," said Daphne, touching the skirt on her knee. "Her Majesty has sent me up to finish it, and forbidden me to come down till it's done."

"Then," said the Fairy, "she ought to be ashamed of herself!"