MATE IN TWO MOVES
Maxgregor made no reply for a moment. It flashed across his mind that
some person or persons were playing a cruel hoax on the queen.
But a moment's reflection served to show that such a thing was
impossible. In the first place the telegram was in the cypher used by
the queen in communicating with Tomani, the only really faithful friend
she possessed in the councils of the government party of Asturia. And
Tomani's honour was beyond question.
The queen was first to speak. She crossed over and laid a shaking hand
on Maxgregor's arm.
"You must be mistaken," she said. "Unless Tomani--but not for a moment
do I doubt _him_. I trust him as implicitly as I trust yourself. And yet
you say--you say----"
"That the king is dead, madame. The king was killed in the disaster that
happened to his special train between here and Paris. Mind you, nobody
knows of this with the exception of the faithful few into whose hands
you would place your life safely. As a matter of fact the disaster was
no accident at all, it was deliberately brought about by Countess Saens
and Prince Mazaroff for their own ends. The miscreants disappeared and I
am afraid that we shall not have the satisfaction of laying them by the
heels. The driver and stoker of the train were killed so that it is
impossible to obtain their testimony. Captain Alexis and Mr. Charles
Maxwell escaped by a miracle, though they are both badly knocked about.
It was Mr. Maxwell who saved the situation and contrived to get the body
of the king smuggled away."
"But the telegram, General, the telegram?" the queen cried. "Tomani says
that the king is in our capital closeted with ministers. Perhaps at this
very moment----"
"But, madame, I assure you that the king is no more," Maxgregor
protested. "There is some strange maddening mystery here that will be
explained in time. I say the king is dead, if necessary I am prepared to
prove that to you. The body was smuggled away so that Russia should have
no pretext for interfering. It was essential that they should not know
what had happened, for the present at any rate. They must not know till
we can get Prince Alix on the scene."
"You are assuming a thing that you can prove?" the queen asked hoarsely.
"Indeed I am, madame. Try and realise the fact that your sway is ended.
It expires with the life of the king as you know. Therefore, we must put
all private feeling aside and strain every nerve to get Prince Alix to
Asturia before the Russians learn what has happened. Once Prince Alix is
nominated to the succession, Russia is powerless. Do you follow me?"
"I should follow you better if I were certain that you were telling me
hard facts, General."
"Heaven only knows that I am, madame. That the king is dead is beyond
question. Let me finish what I am going to say. I have had everything
from Lechmere. He had a mysterious message from Prince Peretori urging
him to go at once to the scene of the disaster. He was told to visit the
cottage of a certain peasant and give proofs of his identity. There he
saw the body of the king hidden away. The body was brought back to
England, and at present it is locked in one of my rooms. I have seen it,
Lechmere has seen it, so has Dr. Varney."
The queen passed her hand across her forehead with a gesture of despair.
"It is all bewildering and so confusing, so sudden!" she cried. "You
come to me and tell me this a few minutes after the receipt of Tomani's
telegram."
"I do not wish to be hard or unkind," Maxgregor interrupted. "But I must
ask you for the present to forget that telegram. That side of the
mystery will doubtless be cleared up in time. What most concerns us now
is the king and the fact that his death must be concealed from everybody
until we have had time to communicate with Prince Alix. Of your dream
and mine we can say nothing; that is shattered. Our whole energies too
must be devoted to the task of defeating Russia. And the king has to be
buried, you understand."
"But that cannot be done without necessary formalities," the queen
protested. "In England----"
"Yes, I know that in England they do things differently to what they do
abroad. But most fortunately, we have Dr. Varney on our side. He
attended the king, he is prepared to certify that death was the result
of a shock and that nothing in the way of an inquest was necessary.
Officially, the doctor is not supposed to know anything about the
railway accident. He is not bound to speak of what has happened until
officially, you, as royal consort, see fit to announce to the world that
King Erno of Asturia is no more. Varney suggests that the body be
embalmed and conveyed to Asturia for burial. You see everything plays
for our hand if we can only be bold and do not lose our opportunities."
The queen made no reply for a little time, she paced up and down the
room lost in thought. A kingdom had slipped through her fingers, all her
darling ambition had fallen suddenly to the ground. The cup of
humiliation was full to the brim and she had to drink it to the dregs.
And yet through it all was the consolation that peace and quietness
henceforth would be her portion. She had been tried beyond her strength
of late.
"Paul," she said, with a gentle sweetness that surprised Maxgregor. "I
place myself entirely in your hands. I have done more than a woman's
portion and I have failed. The fact that I knew that I should fail from
the first does not render my humiliation any the less bitter. The king
is dead, and for his own sake and mine I do not regret it. My married
life has been a nightmare, I am glad that it is over. How can I grieve
for this thing when I remember what I have suffered? Henceforth I take
no part in politics--that is, after we have successfully placed Alix on
a firm throne. The people will follow him as they never would have
followed me, devoted as I was to their interests. When you came in I was
getting ready to start for Asturia. I was going to travel incognito and
let it be understood that I was still in England. And that splendid girl
Jessie Harcourt was coming with me. It is just as well that she should
be out of the way for some little time, and her courage and devotion
are splendid."
Before Maxgregor could make any reply, Jessie came into the room. She
was quietly dressed in black and evidently ready for a journey. At the
sight of the queen's pale face and the presence of Maxgregor she started
and backed towards the door. The queen detained her.
"This is no private conversation," she said, "at least not so far as you
are concerned. I should like you to know everything, for I feel how
implicitly I can trust you. General Maxgregor brings some startling
news. News so strange that I would not believe it for a time. He says
the king is dead."
"Dead!" Jessie exclaimed. "But that telegram, madame. Surely your friend
Tomani----?"
"Is beyond reproach. Nor can I believe that anybody has obtained access
to my private cypher. And yet the king is dead. The General will tell
you all about that."
Maxgregor reported his story over again, Jessie listening with dilated
eyes. How many ages ago, she wondered, since she was filling her dreary
routine duties in Bond Street. But she seemed to have left that old life
behind her years ago. She was piecing the puzzle together as Maxgregor
spoke. At the name of Peretori a sudden light flashed in upon her.
"Prince Peretori," she cried. "It was Prince Peretori who sent that
mysterious telegram to Mr. Lechmere. Then the Prince must have known all
about it, I mean _after_ the accident. And Prince Peretori was the man
who impersonated the king for the sake of a bet and then foolishly
played into the hands of Countess Saens and the rest of them. It was he
who passed himself off to the Editor of the _Mercury_ as King of
Asturia. Surely you can see what has happened?"
"I wish I did," Maxgregor muttered. "It would simplify matters
wonderfully."
"Why, the problem is already solved," said Jessie. "Prince Peretori was
sincerely sorry for the part he had played. He said he would do his best
to make amends. Ah, he is far cleverer in his frivolous way than you
give him credit for. He foresaw something of this and hung in disguise
on the track of the king. He was not far off when the accident took
place. And thus he was on his way when he was assured of the fact that
the king was dead. Once more he played the part of the King of Asturia.
He made up as the king, he would probably use a few bandages and a
discoloured face so as to make detection absolutely impossible. The king
was expected in his capital and the prince went there instead. Hence the
telegram from Tomani who had not detected the imposture. By this time
you may be sure that Prince Alix is on the spot. It is the old story of
the comedy man who comes forward at the crisis and saves the play."
"She is right," Maxgregor shouted. "For a million she has hit the
right nail on the head."