Виктория Холт - Indiscretions of the Queen

Louise Demont, whom she had brought with her, told her she was writing an account of the journey for she believed few princesses would have made it before.

‘How terrified I am, Your. Highness, that we shall be set upon by bandits in some of these strange places. And what if pirates boarded us!’

The Princess laughed. ‘I doubt not that I should be able to persuade them not to harm us.’

‘Your Highness can be most persuasive.’

‘You must let me read your account of the journey.’

‘If Your Highness would so honour me—’

Caroline read, the accounts which Louise wrote every day and found them interesting. She walked the decks with Pergami and chatted freely with the sailors. She ordered Pergami to arrange for balls on board which he did and she danced with all the men in turn.

There never was such a princess, was the comment.

And many of them believed the stories they had heard of her.

There were occasions when her suite was in fear of their lives; she was the only one who seemed unafraid. She thrived on adventure.

When she reached Tunis, she was welcomed by the Bey and settled down to enjoy a pleasant stay there. For, she commented to Countess Oldi, ‘I find these barbarians less barbarous than some Christians I have known.’

The Bey sent her the finest Arab horses and she made up her mind that she would stay for some time in his pleasant land.

But this happy sojourn was interrupted by the arrival of the Dutch and English fleets. The pirates whose head quarters were in Tunis had been intercepting too many Dutch and British ships and the fleets of these countries had come to demand a settlement.

In the pleasant villa which had been at her disposal Caroline received a visit from Admiral Lord Exmouth who explained the situation to her.

‘I’m not afraid of a little conflict,’ Caroline told him.

‘But, Your Highness,’ the Admiral replied, ‘it would not be possible for you to remain here while these er— negotiations are going on.’

‘Why not?’

‘There could be trouble.’

‘The Bey is my good friend.’

‘Today, Madam, but perhaps not tomorrow. I have orders to ensure your departure.’

She argued but it was no use. Her suite were decidedly nervous and for their sake she gave in. Pergami persuaded her to do so.

‘It is wisest, Your Highness,’ he said ‘I always do as you say, my dear,’ she answered.

So from Tunis to Athens and on to Turkey and Constantinople. The stay there was brief owing to an outbreak of plague, and her entourage was by this time longing for the return to Como; and when she went to the Pyramids and had to take with her two hundred soldiers to guard the party as it crossed the desert, even Pergami tried to persuade her end the tour.

But she laughed at them all. Her eyes flashed with excitement. It was long since she had been so pleased with life.

‘At last,’ she cried, ‘I am doing what I want.’

Poor Willikin was beside her in all her travels. He was too young to realize the dangers through which they passed and seemed to have a blind faith in her.

She was the Princess whom nothing could harm and as long as he was close to her, he was safe.

And after Cairo, Nazareth where she decided to found an Order of Knighthood. She called this The Order of St. Catherine of Jerusalem; it was to recompense those who had been with her on her pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Pergami received the Order, so did Willikin and so did her secretary Hownam.

She must of course visit Jericho and after that started on the return journey., By the end of October 1816, she was back in the Villa d’Este.

It was good to be back in the Villa. She called Maurice Credé to her and asked if all had been well during her absence.

‘Very well, Your Highness,’ he told her.

‘You look a little sombre,’ she told him. ‘Is everything going well with you?’

‘Very well, Your Highness.’

‘Well, I trust you are pleased to see me back.’

Credé bowed. It was her way of talking. And how foolish it was and how it gave her enemies the chance to do what had been bribed to do.

Pergami went about the house to assure himself that everything was in order, and in Credé’s apartments he was surprised to find an extra set of keys.

He examined them closely and ascertained that they were a copy of the keys to the Villa. Now for what purpose should Credé provide himself with an extra set of keys? He could ask Credé. But if he did, that would put him on his guard. No, he would do no such thing. Instead he would watch Credé.

Pergami had long been aware that the Princess was under observation. He was her chamberlain and it was his duty to protect her. He was going to find out what Credé was doing with that set of keys.

He did not at this stage mention the affair to Caroline. She was so indiscreet and he imagined what her reaction would be. She would declare that Credé was a very good servant and she refused to harbour any suspicions towards him. He, Pergami, would watch Credé.

He soon discovered that he was leaving his room at night and prowling about the villa. But this was in search of Annette.

An idea struck Pergami. He would dismiss Credé for seducing one of the maids. It was an adequate reason; and then he would confiscate the keys and would have no more need to alarm himself about them.

He summoned Credé.

‘I no longer have need of your services,’ he told him. ‘You are dismissed.’

‘But— why— what have I done?’

‘You are behaving in an improper manner with one of the maids. I cannot accept such behaviour in this household.’

Credé was dumbfounded but Pergami went on, ‘I will take all your sets of keys. I know that you have two.’

Alarmed, realizing that his affair with Annette might not be the true reason for his dismissal, Credé handed them over meekly and Pergami was about to ask why he had had the second set made, but he refrained from doing so. He would not in any case believe Credé’s explanation.

Credé stammered: ‘Is this not rather harsh to dismiss me because—’

‘Because of immorality?’ Pergami raised his eyebrows and looked Credé full in the face. ‘I do not think so. There is enough gossip about the Villa— all false tales. We have therefore to be particularly careful. I have no wish to discuss this matter further. You will leave immediately.’

With that he turned and left the bewildered Credé.

Dismissed from the Princess’s service, where could he find such opportunities again? Credé turned over the matter in his mind and decided that it was certainly not merely because of Annette that he had been turned out. There was another reason.

Could it be known that he had been working for d’Ompteda? If he made a confession of this, if he explained everything to the Princess, if he told her that he wished to be faithful to her and it was for this reason that he was confessing to her, he might be taken back.

The most important thing in the world was for him to be taken back.

He had the answer. It was confession.

He would not tell Pergami because he had a notion that Pergami would not listen so he wrote to the Chevalier Tomassia, one of the Princess’s equerries.

He was dismissed, he wrote, because of an intrigue with one of the Princess’s waiting women and he was full of remorse and hoped that the Chevalier would prevail upon the Princess to reinstate him. He deserved what had happened to him because he had been seduced from his duties by Baron d’Ompteda who was attempting to betray her. Baron d’Ompteda had asked him to procure keys which would enable a spy to be secreted in the Princess’s bedroom. He had been threatened by the Baron that if he did not obey he would be ruined and when the Baron had offered him money for his services he had given way. He knew that he had been wicked and he trusted that the chevalier would have pity on him and give him a chance to show his true repentance in his service to the Princess.

When Tomassio received this letter he took it immediately to Pergami.

So this was the answer, thought Pergami. How right he had been to dismiss the man!

Pergami went at once to Caroline and showed her Credé’s letter.

‘So Your Highness now has clear proof that we are being spied on,’ said Pergami.

‘d‘Ompteda!’ cried the Princess. ‘I should not have believed it of him. So Mrs. Fitzherbert’s husband has appointed him spy-in-chief. This makes me laugh.’

‘Perhaps Your Highness’s laughter should be tempered with caution.’

‘Dear, dear Bartolomeo, you are right as usual.’

The Baron d’Ompteda was asking for an audience with the Princess.

‘Tell the Baron,’ said Caroline to Pergami, ‘that I am having a reception to celebrate my homecoming. I shall expect him to be my guest.’

Pergami looked unhappy.

‘My dear good friend, leave this to me,’ she soothed him. ‘You know how outrageously I can behave when the need arises.’

So she had not learned the lesson, thought Pergami. She was going to receive d’Ompteda. She was going to snap her fingers at all the intrigues. ‘Where will this lead us?’ he asked his sister, Countess Oldi.

‘She is too warm-hearted, too forgiving,’ sighed the Countess.

But Caroline was on this occasion determined on revenge.

When d’Ompteda arrived at the reception, she called for Pergami to bring her a huge cardboard key and this she presented to him.

He looked bewildered. ‘My dear Baron,’ said Caroline, ‘knowing your love of keys I give you this one. I hope it will satisfy you.’

Caroline turned to Pergami who was standing by.

‘Please give the Baron one cup of coffee, and tell him that he may leave and that I do not wish to see him again.’

Publicly dismissed! Before all these people he was given the great key and a cup of coffee. What humiliation! He understood that someone had betrayed him and immediately thought of Credé. This was disaster, for he had failed in his mission. What hope had he now of secreting himself in the Princess’s bedchamber!

Captain Hownam sent a challenge to d’Ompteda. In view of certain facts which had come to light concerning his behaviour, he challenged him to a duel.

D’Ompteda was to name the place and he would inform his seconds without delay.

The wretched d’Ompteda did not reply; he had reported to Hanover and was awaiting instructions. If ever a spy had made a hash of a mission he was that spy.

Caroline meanwhile had heard about the challenge. She did not wish dear Captain Hownam to risk his life for that worthless creature, she declared, so she wrote to the governor of Naples telling him how her privacy had been invaded while she was in Italy and begged him to intervene on her behalf.

D’Ompteda was ordered to leave the country; and this he did almost gratefully and with the utmost speed.

THE Villa d’Este had lost all charm for her. Every time she went into her bedroom she wondered whether anyone was spying on her. Her conduct became even more suspicious. She could not help it. It was her nature to behave more indecorously simply because she was suspected of immorality. She walked about with scarcely any clothes on. She allowed Pergami to be in her bedroom when she was there alone. It was some mischievous spirit in her which drove her to such conduct. It was like that occasion when she had pretended to be in labour knowing perfectly well that in the future it would be believed by many people that she actually had been.

She was misunderstood. She had always been misunderstood. She was not promiscuous. She had dreamed of love and marriage and a family of children.

That was what she had wanted. If they had allowed her to marry Töbingen she would have been a happy wife and mother. But they had separated her from him; they had married her to a man who loathed her and made no secret of his loathing and her brief experience with him had not made her long for more physical relationships. But could she explain this to people when they so clearly believed the opposite?

She was affectionate towards those who served her; she was familiar; but she did not seek the ultimate familiarity. No, she had no lover in the full sense of the word, but she liked to pretend she had. It amused her to pretend, also to deceive her husband in a topsy-turvy way. Deceive him into thinking she was an unfaithful wife.