I approached the situation from the
viewpoint that I was her friend, not a friend of the house of
Mecklenburg-Schwerein, but that, by knowing them and their ways, I
could be of great assistance to her.
"It is regrettable," I consoled; "but you have no chance for a
legitimate, even a morganatic alliance with the young Grand Duke. I
consider their entire attitude toward you utterly unfair. In view of
your understanding with him, you are most certainly entitled to
adequate recompense from his house. If you went into court you could
obtain this on grounds of breach of promise, but I can understand your
feelings. Such a step would only cast odium upon an old and noble
family such as yours."
That seemed to her liking.
"But what can I do?" she said.
"In view of my friendship for you," I told her, "I would consider it
an honor if you would permit me to act on your behalf. I think I can
negotiate with the young Grand Duke's uncle and I promise that he will
regard the matter in a fair light. I appreciate the extreme delicacy
of the situation and you must observe the necessity of a man handling
this affair."
She shook her head and tapped the letters nervously.
"No. It is intolerable," she said. "Not to be thought of."
I saw that I had to make it stronger. I thereupon invented the most
ingenious lies it has ever been given me to tell. In about five
minutes I had painted the young Grand Duke in such colors that the
adventures of Don Juan were saintly compared to the escapades of his
ducal highness.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100