I moved towards the door but he was beside me. He had gripped my arm.

“I should be glad if you would remove your hand.”

“Come, Miss Trant, it is not the first time you have been touched.”

“You are insolent.”

“Forgive me, Duchess.” He brought his face close to mine.

“I know a great deal about you, you see.” H& did not release my arm and I was uncomfortably aware of his brutal masculinity. I thought gratefully of Frau Graben.

“If you do no release me this instant.

“What will you do?”

“I will see that the Duke.

* ” My noble cousin is far away. When he returns you will report to him that I have dared lay hands on what is his. Is that so?

His cruel face was close to mine.

“I know a great deal about you, my dear mock-Duchess. You were acquainted with our Maximilian years ago, were you not? You came here to seek him out. You wanted to renew that interesting liaison which took place a number of years ago. It seems an unusual story to you, but to us it is common enough. I have even played it out myself. A simple country maid who is ignorant of the ways of the world. She guards her virtue as a sacred thing, and so a mock marriage is necessary.”

“You are wrong,” I was stung into reply.

“There was no mock marriage.”

“Still deluded. Miss Trant?”

“How do you know of this?”

“My dear Miss Trant, I have a way of discovering what I want to know.

I have my spies and they work well for me. You surely do not believe that my cousin is really married to you! ” I did not answer and he went on: ” Ah, I see you do. You really believe that. Do you think that even he would be such a fool? How easy it is . you would not believe how easy. A simple ceremony, a friend who obligingly poses as a priest. My dear Miss Trant, it has been done a thousand times in the past and will doubtless be done a thousand times more. “

“I cannot discuss the matter.”

“Much as I wish to please you, we cannot always talk only on what gratifies you.”

“Why have you brought me here to tell me this?”

“This was just en passant. I have brought you here to tell you that the children are to take up their quarters here and you, as their teacher of English, will naturally accompany them. I can promise you as pleasant a time here as you enjoy in Klocksburg. What have you to say to that?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“That means you will prepare to leave Knocksburg immediately.”

“I shall not leave Klocksburg.”

“Do you mean you are resigning your post?”

“I should do so if you insisted on the children coming here ” And what of Fritz . , your special protege? ” I flinched. I couldn’'t help it. I had a horrible vision of what his sadistic treatment could be to that boy. In the joy of Maximilian’s return had I neglected Fritz a little?

I had no fear for myself. Maximilian would protect me from this man; but even when there was no longer need to keep our marriage secret, Fritz would still be in his power. I had allowed myself to become deeply involved with the boy. He needed me and I knew I had done a great deal for him.

The Count was watching me slyly, reading my thoughts. He put his face close to mine.

“You have a deep feeling for that son of mine. Miss Trant,” he said.

“I like it. It shows me what a warm-hearted woman you are. It increases my admiration for you. You will come here and continue to look after him. There is no reason why you and I should not become great friends. You could reason with me, if you thought I was too harsh with the boy. You would be able to apply your maternal instincts would you not? Oh, Miss Trant, you are a wonderful woman. I will tell you frankly I adore you.”

“I wish to leave now.”

“And you will consider my proposition. Don’t think too much about that incident of the past, will you? Max and I are very much alike. We always were. Brought up together, we developed similar tastes. That diabolical Graben will tell you that. As for that affair in the hunting lodge be reasonable. I shouldn’`t like you to attach too much importance to it. It was a commonplace in the past and is not so very unusual in the present. And just suppose it were not a mock ceremony.

What do you think would be the result of thati I can tell you.

Trouble! Big trouble! And with Klarenbock. Do you think the people of that state would stand calmly by and accept the degradation of their Princess? And even if they did, what would be the reaction of the people here? They would never accept you . a foreigner of no rank, however attractive you might be. Do you know what would happen? The end of Maximilian. At best he would be deposed. You would not want to make such a disaster for him . for our little Rochenstein. But praise be, it was not so. The ceremony in the hunting lodge was like others before it. They never shook the foundations of the dukedom, so why should this. “

It was our secret no longer. It was out and known to the man who was, I felt certain, our most dangerous enemy.

I must get away to think.

I heard him say: “In due course a carriage will come for you and the children. I look forward to receiving you here. You and I will then be able to continue our interesting friendship more comfortably. That will give me the greatest pleasure. “

I told Frau Graben as the carriage took us back to Klocksburg.

“Take the children! I never heard of such a thing.”

“He says that is what he will do. And he knows about the ceremony in the hunting lodge! He said that was a mock marriage!”

“He’s lying. Maxi was never a liar. Fredy would lie himself out of any trouble. I know him well.”

“He was very offensive to me and I am afraid for Fritz.”

“He wants you because Maxi loves you. He was always like that. He must have what Maxi had. It was an obsession with him. But you’ll not go to that schloss of his.”

“No,” I agreed.

“But what of Fritz?”

Frau Graben narrowed her eyes.

“He’ll not have the children there. The Countess would never allow it. She’s the one person he’s afraid of.

She’d never have her husband’s illegitimate children in her schloss.

I’m certain of that. He’s a bluffer, our Fredy. “

“He knows about the ceremony. How could he have discovered?”

“Spies everywhere. He’s as troublesome as his father was. We’re going to have trouble with him. I wasn’`t stern enough in the nursery.”

“He has a certain respect for you that he doesn’`t seem to have for anyone else.”

She nodded, smiling.

“And,” I went on, ‘he says that if it were known that I were Maximilian’s wife the people would revolt. They’d not accept me and Maximilian would be deposed. “

“Indeed! And Master Fredy would step in to take the dukedom, eh?”

“He did not go so far as to say that.”

“It’s in his mind. It’s always been there rankling. That’s what he’s after and he’d stop at nothing to get it. He wants you, too, you and the dukedom. Everything that’s Maxi’s must be his. I’ve heard too that he’s tired of his innkeeper’s daughter. That was one of his longer affairs. Her father didn’`t like it at all, poor man. He doted on her; she’s the only child. But Fredy comes along and must have his way. Poor girl. Oh, we’ve got to watch Master Fredy.”

“I long for Maximilian to come back.”

“Well, that,” she replied with her bland smile, ‘is right and proper, seeing that he’s your lawful husband. All we can do is wait.

Something’s going to happen soon. I feel that in my bones-and it’s going to be something big. “

I heard her chuckle. I had rarely seen her so excited.

I was very anxious that the children should not hear that the Count had said they were to leave Klocksburg. The more I thought of that, the more inclined I was to agree with Frau Graben. His Countess, whom I had glimpsed briefly, had the appearance of a very determined woman, and I did not think Frau Graben was far wrong in saying that she would never accept the Count’s illegitimate offspring in the schloss where her son was being brought up. Yes, he was bluffing. But there was no doubt that he had learned something and that was that there had been some ceremony between myself and Maximilian all those years ago.

The boys were clamouring to see the royal tomb and the afternoon following the day I had been summoned to the Count’s schloss we went to the Island of Graves. Liesel had not come with us but had stayed behind with Frau Graben.

There was a boat at the moorings and the boys declared they wished to row across themselves rather than wait for old Charon to come and take them over. There was a bit of a squabble as to which one should take the oars.

I suggested that we should toss a coin and decide who should row us over and the other one could row us back. This they agreed to.

Dagobert won the toss and rowed us over, with Fritz watching him carefully to make sure that his strokes were perfect.

As we scrambled ashore Charon came out of his house to greet us. He stood before us, his eyes peering at us through the wrinkled flesh.

Tis been a sad day since you were last here,” he said, looking at me.

He gave me his hand. I remembered how dry and cold it had been on that other occasion. It still was.

“And you`’ve come to see the royal grave.” I remembered the hollow ring of his voice.

“We’ve had visitors lately. Tis always the same when one of the Family comes to the last resting-place.”

I was one of the Family now, and it might be that one day what was left of me would be lying on this Island.