“Used my initiative, my dear. Got a lift as far as I could, then bargained for some skis and skied over the pass. I must say it was a delightful run all the way down to the castle.”

“You’re pulling my leg.”

“Absolutely not. Would I lie to you?”

“Sometimes, I’m afraid.”

He was still holding my wrist and we stood there, staring at each other. “I don’t ever remember lying to you,” he said. “Omitting some of the truth, maybe, on occasions when I wasn’t allowed to tell you everything.”

“So tell me the truth now. Are you here because Nicholas invited you to be his groomsman, or to keep an eye on me, or because you decided to crash another wedding?”

Darcy smiled. “What would you do if I said I couldn’t tell you?”

“I’d say you’ve probably been sent here, by somebody you can’t tell me about. Undercover, for some reason.”

“Something like that. Let’s just say that certain people felt it would be good to have some eyes and ears on the spot, in case of trouble.”

“So you were expecting trouble?”

“Come for a walk with me,” he said, taking my hand.

“Where?”

“In the castle grounds.”

“There is deep snow, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Then go and put on your boots and coat. I’ll meet you down here in five minutes.”

“But I haven’t had breakfast,” I said, looking longingly at the spread on the sideboard.

“Breakfast can wait. We may not have another chance to be alone together. At this minute Their Royal Highnesses are greeting their respective parents and relatives, so we can slip away undetected.”

“All right,” I said. “Just let me pour myself a cup of coffee.”

I gulped it down, then hurried up to my room, where, of course, I discovered that Queenie had forgotten to return my overcoat and thus had to wait while she went to her room to find it. Darcy was waiting impatiently at the foot of the stairs. The guards at the door saluted us as they opened it. Snow had been cleared from the courtyard, where the various motorcars now stood. We crossed it to the big outer gates. The gatekeeper looked at us with surprise when we indicated we wanted to go out. Much snow, he said in German. And nobody was to leave.