Page 126
Then, in a more solemn voice: “Princess Brunhilda von Wolfbach, will you please be my wife?”
“Oh, yes!” said Hildie, ready to burst into tears.
But she did not have a chance. Taking her by her elbows, Richard went up on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his betrothed’s face. It was at this point that he discovered that Hildie was very good at stooping, and the chaste kiss very soon turned into a passionate embrace.
“Oh, Lord!” said Richard, coming up for air. “Perhaps we should sit down for a moment.”
Taking Hildie’s hand, Richard sat down beside her on the bamboo settee on the balcony.
“Well! What a day!” he said. “I feel like I’m dreaming. I don’t want to pinch myself lest I wake up.”
With a giggle, Hildie pinched him.
“Ow! Very well, I’m awake! How strange life is! I remember the first time I saw you in that hotel in Vienna, on the stairs. One has these little fantasies, you know. I noted immediately your comely figure and rued the fact that I looked like I had been rolling in a byre. Then, when you stopped me and I looked into your eyes, I was so taken by your beauty.”
“And then you noticed that I was standing on the step below,” said Hildie. “Do not deny it! I saw your eyes flick down.”
“It was merely an observation!” defended the colonel.
Hildie squeezed his hand. “You know, I mistook you at first for your brother...”
Richard grimaced.
“I thought I detected a resemblance to the miniature I was given, though I cannot see it now. But when I saw the expressions on your face, I concluded you to be a good man. I thought I was saved! That you could not be a reprobate after all!”
“Saved? So, then you knew of my brother’s reputation?”
“Yes. We heard through the Swedish ambassador.”
“But then why did you go through with it?”
“Oh, Richard! I am not sure I should tell you, but if you seek a diplomatic post, I am afraid that information may get back to you that could upset you. You see, I was engaged twice before and they both cried off. My uncle had given up finding an eligible gentleman in Vienna.”
“Cried off? Whatever for? Because of your height?”
“I am afraid so.”
“What idiots!”
“The trouble was that my second fiancé... we were engaged for over a year. He kept delaying the ceremony for various reasons and when he finally cried off, he let everyone know that he had taken advantage of me.”
“What a cad!”
“So, you see, it was impossible for my uncle to find another match in Vienna.”
“I see. So, you are no longer a maid?”
“Of course I am still a maid. Nothing was consummated. But, well, if we are to marry... I thought you should know,” she finished lamely.
“Is there any doubt about our marrying?”
“I just thought I should confess first, before this goes any further.”
“Ah! Giving me a chance to cry off, eh? Well, not likely, even if you had a couple of brats running round, though I thank you for letting me know about potential rumours in advance.”
There was a slightly awkward silence after Hildie’s confession, which did not sit well with Richard. Although he cared nought for her minor indiscretion—after all, who was he, with his opera dancers, to cast the first stone?—Richard disliked feeling uncomfortable.
“So, you fell in love with my soulful face, did you?” he joked.
