Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 230: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

222 HER ROYAL LOVER. them. This austere woman had for her grandchil- dren an astonishing tenderness and gentleness. When the late queen, her daughter, had been taken away from her, she had sworn to herself to pour upon those heads all the maternal tenderness that her heart contained; this oath she had fully kept; she loved her children, after the manner of savages without restriction, and without measure. The king’s marriage with Madame de Mineleko was to precede by a few hours only that of the eld- est princess. Kept very secret, the ceremony was to be celebrated in the chapel of the chateau; the witnesses, among the number of which was Mon- sieur de Brandt, entirely devoted to his master, and two or three invited guests, had alone been initiated in the great mystery. Despite the sun which was smiling, despite the bustle, the gayety which was agitating the resi- dence, the morning of this great day had flown for Najeska Ivanowna, slowly and dully. Negligently reclining upon a couch, enervated by the excessive heat which was descending like a breath of fire from heaven, the young woman was indulging in a pro- found reverie; her whole being seemed as if ren- dered immovable by an interesting spectacle. Her large, lovely eyes alone were vaguely wandering from flags to garlands, from these to the tinsel which decorated or rather marred the city, in giving it the appearance of a gingerbread fan. What could be the subject of her thoughts? Who would have been able to divine them from the impassibility of her features, ordinarily so mobile, so expressive? An unexpected visit suddenly withdrew her from her thoughts. Although it was not her hour for receiv- ing, the grandmistress of the palace requested to m Gomiecbooks,. ¢o