The Princess Dehra Page 3

  III THE ROYAL COUNCIL

  Count Epping was the last of the five Ministers to arrive at the Council,the following morning. He came in, a few minutes before the hour,acknowledged with grave courtesy, but brief words, the greetings of theothers, and when his secretary had put his dispatch box on the table heimmediately opened it and busied himself with his papers. It was hisway--and none of them had ever seen him otherwise; but now there seemedto be a special significance in his silence and preoccupation.

  The failure of the Court Journal to appear that morning had broken acustom that ante-dated the memory of man, and the information which waspromptly conveyed to the Ministers that it was delayed until evening, andby the personal order of the Prime Minister, had provoked both amazementand expectancy. It could mean only that the paper was being held forsomething that must be in that day's issue, and as they had promptlydisclaimed to one another all responsibility, the inference was notdifficult that it had to do with the new King's first proclamation.

  "The Count was at the Castle last evening," Duval, the War Minister, hadremarked, "and I assumed it was to submit the proclamation and have itsigned."

  Baron Retz, the Minister of Justice, shrugged his shoulders.

  "May be you assumed correctly," he remarked.

  The others looked at him with quick interest, but got only a smile andanother shrug.

  "Then why didn't he sign it?" Duval demanded.

  The Baron leaned back in his chair and studied the ceiling. "When you say'he,' you mean----?"

  "The King, of course," the other snapped. "Who the devil else would Imean?"

  "And by 'the King,'" drawled Retz, "you mean----?"

  There was a sudden silence--then General Duval brought his fist down onthe table with a bang.

  "Monsieur le Baron," he exclaimed, "you understand perfectly whom I meantby the King--the Archduke Armand. If he is not the King, and you know it,it is your duty as a member of the Council to disclose the fact to usforthwith; this is no time nor place to indulge in innuendoes."

  The Baron's small grey eyes turned slowly and, for a brief instant,lingered, with a dull glitter, on the War Minister's face.

  "My dear General," he laughed, "you are so precipitate. If you ever leadan army you will deal only in frontal attacks--and defeats. I assure youI know nothing; but to restate your own question: if the Archduke Armandbe the King, why didn't he sign the proclamation?"

  Steuben, the grey-bearded Minister of the Interior, cut in with a growl.

  "What is the profit of all these wonderful theories?" he demanded, eyeingRetz. "The ordinary and reasonable explanation is that the proclamationis to be submitted to us this morning."

  "In which event," said the Baron, "we shall have the explanation in avery few minutes," and resumed his study of the ceiling.

  "And in the meantime," remarked Admiral Marquand, "I am moved to inquire,where is the Duke of Lotzen?"

  Steuben gave a gruff laugh. "Doubtless the Department of Justice can alsooffer a violent presumption on that subject."

  "On the contrary, my friend," said Retz, "it will offer the very naturalpresumption that the Duke of Lotzen is hastening to Dornlitz; to thefuneral--and the coronation."

  "Whose coronation?" Duval asked quickly.

  "My dear General," said the Baron, "there can't be two Kings of Valeria,and it would seem that the Army has spoken for the Archduke Armand."

  "And the Department of Justice for whom?" the General exclaimed.

  A faint sneer played over Retz's lips. "Monsieur le General forgets thatwhen the Army speaks, Justice is bound and gagged."

  It was at that moment that Count Epping had entered.

  When the clock on the mantel chimed the hour the Count sat down andmotioned the others to attend.

  "Will not the King be present?" Retz asked casually, as he took hisplace.

  The Prime Minister looked at him in studious comprehension.

  "Patience, monsieur, patience," he said softly, "His Majesty willdoubtless join us in proper time. Have you any business that requires hispersonal attention?"

  The Baron shook his head. "No--nothing. I was only curious as to whatuniform he would wear."

  A faint smile touched the Count's thin lips.

  "But more particularly curious as to who would wear it," he remarkeddryly.

  Retz swung around and faced him.

  "My lord," he said, "I would ask you, who is King in Valeria: theArchduke Armand or Ferdinand of Lotzen?"

  The old Minister's smile chilled to a sneer.

  "That is a most astonishing question from the chief law officer of thekingdom," he said.

  "But not so astonishing as that he should be compelled to ask it," wasthe quick answer.

  "Is there, then, monsieur, any doubt in your mind as to the eldest maleof the House of Dalberg?"

  "None whatever; but can you assure us that he is king?"

  "What has my assurance to do with the matter?" the Count asked. "By thelaws of the Dalbergs the Crown has always passed to the eldest male."

  The Baron laughed quietly. "At last we near the point--the Laws. There isno doubt that, by birth, the Archduke Armand is the eldest male; yet whatof the decree of the Great Henry as to Hugo? As I remember, Frederickexplained enough of it to the Council to cover Armand's assumption of hisancestor's rank and estates, but said no word as to the Crown." He leanedforward and looked the old Count in the eyes. "And I ask you now, mylord, if, under the decree, Armand became the Heir Presumptive, why wasit that, at all our sessions, the Duke of Lotzen, until his banishment,retained his place on the King's right, and Armand sat on the left? Is itnot a fair inference, from the actions of the three men who know theexact words of the decree, that, though it restored Hugo's heir toarchducal rank, it specifically barred him from the Crown?"

  The Prime Minister had listened with an impassive face and now he noddedcurtly.

  "There might be some weight to your argument, Monsieur le Baron," hesaid, "if you displayed a more judicial spirit in its presentation--andif you did not know otherwise."

  "I shall not permit even you----" Retz broke in.

  The Count silenced him with a wave of his hand. "You have sat at thisboard with us, and since the Duke of Lotzen's absence, at least, you haveseen our dead master treat the Archduke Armand, in every way, as hissuccessor; and on one occasion, in your hearing and to yourknowledge--for I saw you slyly note the exact words, on your cuff--hereferred to him as the one who would 'come after.' Hence, I say, you arenot honest with the Council."

  "I felicitate your lordship on your powers of observation andrecollection," said Retz suavely; "they are vastly more effective andtimely than mine, which, I confess, hesitate at miracles. But with duemodesty, I submit there is a very simple way to settle this questionquickly and finally. Let us have the exact words of Henry's decree. I amwell aware it is unprecedented for any but a Dalberg to see the DalbergLaws; but we are facing an unprecedented condition. Never before has aDalberg king failed to have a son to follow him. Now, we hearken back forgenerations, with a mysterious juggle intervening; and it is for him whoclaims the Throne to prove his title. Before the coming of the Americanthere was no question that Lotzen was the Heir Presumptive. Did he losethe place when Armand became an Archduke? The decree alone can determine;let it be submitted to the Royal Council for inspection."

  "The Minister of Justice is overdoing his part," said the old Count,addressing the other Ministers. "It is not for him nor his Department todictate the method by which the Dalbergs shall decide their kingship, nordoes it lie in the mouth of any of us to demand an inspection of the Bookof Laws. So much for principle and ancient custom. It may be the pleasureof the Archduke to confirm his right by exhibiting to us the Laws; or theDuke of Lotzen may challenge his title, and so force their submission tous or to the House of Nobles for decision. But, as the matter stands now,the Council has no discretion. We must accept the eldest male Dalberg asKing of V
aleria; and, as you very well know" (looking directly at Retz)"none but a Dalberg may dispute his claim--do you, Monsieur le Baron,wish to be understood as speaking for the Duke of Lotzen?"

  Retz leaned back in his chair and laughed.

  "No, no, my lord, no, no!" he said. "I speak no more for Lotzen than youdo for Armand."

  "So it would seem--though not with the same motives," the Countsneered--then arose hastily. "The King, my lords, the King!" heexclaimed, as the door in the far corner opened and Armand entered,unattended, and behind him came a manservant bearing a brass-bound,black-oak box, inlaid with silver.

  Never had any of the Council seen it, yet instantly all surmised what itcontained; and, courtiers though they were, they (save the old Count)stared at it so curiously that the Archduke, with an amused glance at thelatter, turned and motioned the servant to precede him.

  "Place it before His Excellency, the Prime Minister," he said; and nowthe stares shifted, in unfeigned astonishment to Armand--while theCount's thin lips twitched ever so slightly, and, for an instant, hisfaded blue eyes actually sparkled, as they lingered in calm derision onthe Baron's face.

  And Retz, turning suddenly, caught the look and straightway realized hehad been outplayed. He understood, now, that the Count had been aware,all along, of the Archduke's purpose to produce the Laws to the Council,this morning, and that he, by his very persistence, had given the grimold diplomat an opportunity to demonstrate, in the most effectivefashion, the unprecedented honor Armand was now doing them. It wasirritating enough to be out-manoeuvered, but to have his own ammunitionseized and used to enhance another's triumph was searing to his pride;and, in truth, this was not the first time that the Prime Minister hadleft his scar and a score to settle between them.

  "Be seated, my lords," said Armand, "and accept my apologies for mytardiness," and he took the chair at the head of the table.

  Count Epping drew his sword and raised it high.

  "Valeria hails the Head of the House of Dalberg as the King!" he cried.

  And back from the others, as their blades rang together above the table,came the echo:

  "We hail the Dalberg King!"

  It was the ancient formula, which had always been used to welcome the newruler upon his first entrance to the Royal Council.

  And it had come as yet another scar to Retz, for it put him to thechoice--whether to play the fool now, or the dastard later--and that withevery eye upon him, even the Archduke's, whose glance had instinctivelyfollowed the others'. Yet he had made it instantly, smiling mockingly atthe Count; and his voice rang loud and his sword was the last to fall.

  But Armand knew nothing of this old ceremony, and the surprise of itbrought him sharply to his feet, with his hand at the salute, while hisface and brow went ruddy and his fingers chill. It was for him to speak,he knew, yet speak he could not. But when led by Count Epping, theycrowded close about him and bent knee and would have kissed his hand, hedrew back and waved them up.

  "I thank you, my lords, I thank you from my heart," he said gravely,"though not yet will I assume to accept either the homage or thegreeting. They belong to him who is King of Valeria, and whether I be heI do not know. As the eldest male, the presumption is with me; yet as themonarch has full power to choose his successor from any of the Dalbergs,it may have been his pleasure, under the peculiar conditions nowexisting, to name another as his heir. Hence it is my purpose to submitto you the Book of Laws, that you may inspect the decrees and ascertainto whom the Crown descends. I am informed this is a proceeding utterlyunknown; that the Dalberg Laws are seen only by Dalberg eyes. Yet, as Iapprehend there will be another claimant, who will have a heartyfollowing, and as, in the end, it is the Laws that will decide betweenus, it is best they should decide now. If, by them, I am King of ValeriaI will assume the Crown and its prerogatives; and if I am not King, thenI will do homage to him who is, and join with you in his service."

  He paused, and instantly General Duval flashed up his sword.

  "God save Your Royal Highness!" he cried. "God grant that you be King."

  And as the others gave it back for answer, their blades locked above theArchduke's head, the corridor door behind them swung open, and Ferdinandof Lotzen entered and, unnoticed, came slowly down the room.

  All night, with a clear track and a special train, he had been speedingto the Capital, anxious and fearful, for in an inter-regnum hours countas days against the absent claimant to a throne. But when, at thestation, he learned from Baron Rosen that the Proclamation had not yetbeen issued and the Council had been called for ten o'clock, the prospectbrightened, and he hurried to the Palace.

  Yet there was small encouragement in the scene before him, though thewords of the acclaim and the black box on the table puzzled him. Why,with the Laws at their disposal, should there be any doubt as to who wasKing! So he leaned upon a chair and waited, a contemptuous smile on hislips, a storm of hate and anger in his heart. Those shouts, those swords,those ardent faces should all have been his; would all have been his, butfor this foreigner, this American, this usurper, this thief. And hisfingers closed about his sword's hilt and, for the shadow of an instant,he was tempted to spring in and drive the blade through his rival'sthroat. But instead he laughed--and when at the sound they whirledaround, he laughed again, searching the while every face with his craftyeyes, and, save in Retz's, finding no trace of confusion nor regret.

  "A pretty picture, messieurs," he jeered, "truly, a pretty picture--praydon't let me disturb it; though I might inquire, since when has the RoyalCouncil of Valeria gone in for private theatricals!"

  And Armand promptly gave him back his laugh.

  "Our cousin of Lotzen appears in good time," he said very softly. "Willhe not come into the picture?"

  Ferdinand shook his head. "In pictures of that sort, there can be but onecentral figure," he answered.

  The Archduke swung his hand toward the Ministers.

  "True, quite true," said he; "but there is ample space for Your RoyalHighness in the background."

  Lotzen's face went white, and he measured Armand with the steady stare ofimplacable hate, though on his lips the sneering smile still lingered.

  And presently he answered: "I trust, monsieur, you will not mistake mymeaning, when I assure you that there isn't space enough in such apicture to contain us both."

  "It is a positive pleasure, Monsieur le Duc," returned Armand quickly,"to find, at last, one matter in which our minds can meet."

  And so, for a time, they stood at gaze, while the others watched them,wondering and in silence. Then the Archduke spoke again:

  "And now, my dear cousin, since we understand each other, I suggest wepermit the Royal Council to continue its session. Be seated, messieurs;"and with a nod to the Ministers, he resumed his place at the head of thetable.

  Instantly Lotzen stepped forward.

  "My lords," he cried, "as Heir Presumptive I claim the Throne of Valeria.I call upon you, in the name of the House of Dalberg, to acknowledge meand to proclaim my accession."

  "Upon what does Your Royal Highness rest your claim?" Count Epping askedformally.

  The Duke pointed to the box; he saw now it was shut tight and the key notin the lock--and this, with what had occurred as he entered, undoubtedlyindicated either that the Book had not yet been examined or that itcontained no decree fixing the Succession. In either event, he stood achance to win; and, at least, he had need for time.

  "Upon the Laws of the Dalbergs," he replied, raising his hand in salute;"and under which, as you all well know, I have been the Heir Presumptivesince my father's death."

  "And you will accept them as final arbiter between us?" asked Armandquickly.

  Ferdinand turned and looked at him fixedly.

  "For the Crown, yes," he said very softly; and not a man but understoodthe limitation and the challenge.

  And the Archduke smiled, and answered in a voice even softer and moresuave.

  "So be it--I will chance the rest." Then he addressed t
he Council. "HisExcellency, the Prime Minister, has the key to the box; with yourpermission I will ask him to explain when and under what circumstances hegot it."

  And the Count took care that Armand should lose nothing in the telling,and when he had finished, he drew out the queer little key, and holdingit so all could see looked at the two Dalbergs inquiringly.

  "Shall I unlock the box?" he asked; and both nodded.

  But the key would enter only a little way; and while the Count workedwith it, Armand remembered suddenly the unusual motion Frederick had usedthe day he showed him the Laws.

  "Turn the bit sidewise and push down and in," he said. And at once thekey slipped into place and the lock snapped open.

  At the sound, the Ministers eagerly craned forward; but the Count did notoffer to lift the lid until he received the Archduke's nod; then heslowly laid it back, and leaning over peered inside. And he peered solong, that Lotzen grew impatient.

  "The Laws, Epping, the Laws," he said sharply; "let us have them, man."

  The Count looked at him and then at Armand.

  "The box is empty," he said.