Chapter 52 June 1822: Oscar Needs A Beautiful Wife

This morning I dressed very carefully, like a girl who is going to meet her lover. Im forty-two, but my heart was trembling like a girls.

"What time will Prince Oscar arrive?" I asked Lowenhjelm for the twentieth time.

Lowenhjelm is my equerry. He took Rosens place last year. Hes a terribly serious young man. He isnt like Rosen and Brahe at all.

Now he answered slowly: "At half past twelve, Your Majesty. My Uncle Charles, his equerry, is here in Aachen (a city in the west of German) with him. Theyll visit the cathedral at eleven oclock, and theyll walk around the city. Then theyll have lunch with Your Majesty."

"Who else will have lunch with us?"

"Only your Majestys nephew and niece."

My nephew and niece are Etiennes children, Marius and Marceline. Marceline has been my lady-in-waiting since I became Queen. Her brother helps my equerry.

"I dont want to meet my son in front of a crowd of people," I said to Lowenhjelm. "I want to meet him secretly, before he comes here. I havent seen him since he was eleven years old. Now hes twenty-two. I shant even recognize him."

I thought for a moment. Then I went on: "Send your uncle a message. Tell him that you and I will be at the cathedral at eleven oclock. When he sees us, he must quietly move away from His Royal Highness. Then Ill introduce myself to my son. Do you understand?"

Lowenhjelm didnt like this idea at all. He was used to ceremonies, not surprises. But in the end he had to agree.

When we reached the cathedral, I sat down and prayed. Then I thought: "Have I changed very much? Will he recognize me?" I drew a veil over my face, and I waited.

When he came, I recognized him at once. He wasnt in uniform; he was in ordinary clothes. He was almost as tall as his father. I hadnt seen him for eleven years. But I knew his way of walking; I knew how he held his head. A mother doesnt forget those things.

He was trying to read the words below an old stone figure. My Lowenhjelm made a sign to his uncle. Then both equerries moved away, and I boldly touched Oscars arm.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," I said. I was trying not to speak in my usual voice. But could he see through my veil? "Excuse me. Youre Crown Prince of Sweden, arent you? Id very much like to talk with you. My husband is in Sweden, and I need some advice."

He stared at me in silence for a moment. Then he looked around for his equerry. At last he said: "My companion has disappeared. But Im free for an hour. If you will let me offer you a glass of wine, we can sit and talk together."

He led me to a little cafe near the cathedral. There were tables outside, under some trees.

"Its quiet here," he said. "We can talk, and no one will hear us." Then he called a servant and asked for a bottle of champagne.

"Champagne, Your Highness?" I said. "At eleven oclock in the morning?"

"Why not, madame? I dont often drink at a cafe with a beautiful lady. In Stockholm this wouldnt be proper, but in Aachen a man can act more freely." He smiled at me and raised his glass. "Skal, my unknown lady friend! Wont you lift your veil, so that I can see your face? At present I can only see the end of your nose."

"I have an unfortunate nose," I replied. "When I was young, I was ashamed of it."

"My father has a very big nose. But perhaps you dont know my father. Few people do. Hes a very lonely man."

"Lonely? Why is he lonely?" I asked.

"My mother hasnt visited Stockholm since 1811. My father works much too hard. When he isnt working, he spends his time with two special friends: a young nobleman, Count Brahe, and a lady called Mariana Koskull. She sings him Swedish drinking songs. Im afraid he doesnt understand them."

I emptied my glass, and he filled it again. "When Your Highness marries, the King wont be lonely. The court will be gay then," I said.

"The court will never be gay till it has a Queen, madame. My father needs my mothers help. But he cannot go down on his knees and beg her to come to Stockholm. She even refused to come for his coronation."

He looked straight at me. "When I was a child," he went on, "I wanted to see Napoleons coronation. My mother didnt let me. But she promised that one day she and I would go to another coronation. I went to one, but she wasnt there. Madame, my father misses her terribly--- but all Sweden wants her too."

"If that is so, perhaps she had better go to Stockholm," I said very softly. But my soft words had an unexpected effect.

"Thank God, Mama! Thank God! Now take off your veil and let me see you," said Oscar. "Yes. Youve changed. Youre more beautiful than ever. But why are you crying?"

I dried my tears. "Women cry for strange reasons, Oscar. Tell me. When did you recognize me?"

He smiled. "I wanted to meet you secretly. I told Lowenhjelm so. He looked uncomfortable at first. Then he said that you had the same idea. So I was ready for you at the cathedral." He took my hand and added: "Now Ive told you the truth about Papa. How soon will you come to Stockholm?"

I looked uncertain. "They were very unkind to me at the Swedish court," I said.

"Dear Mama, theyll all dead. All except old Princess Sofia. Who can worry you now? Youre the Queen!"

"Yes," I agreed, "Im the Queen. And that reminds me, Oscar; I want to talk to you about marriage. You must marry a girl because you love her---not because she belongs to a royal family."

"I agree, Mama. Unfortunately Papa does not. He would like me to marry an English princess; but hes afraid that the Bernadottes arent good enough for them. So I shall have to find a German one. He has given me a list of those that he wants me to visit. He has also given me a picture of each one. Theyre terribly ugly."

Poor Oscar! A princes life isnt always fun.

"Listen to me, my son." I said. "Next week Im going to Switzerland. To visit the empress Josephines daughter Hortense. I want you to go there with me."

"Im sorry, Mama. Id rather not go. I dont like those Bonapartes."

"Wait a minute. Oscar. I havent finished yet. But first give me another glass of champagne." I waited while he poured it out. Then I said: "I want you to meet Hortenses niece, little Josephine. Her mothers father was King of Bavaria, and her fathers mother was Empress of France. She is just fifteen years old. Ive only met her once, but shes the most beautiful girl in Europe."

"The Empress was the wife of a Bonaparte. Papa will never let me marry a girl from that family."

"Little Josephine has no Bonaparte blood. But dont worry about your father. I can deal with him, " I said. "Now its time for lunch and we must go. The Lowenhjelms will be getting worried."

A we left the cafe, Oscar said: "Promise me one thing, Mama. Promise that you yourself will bring her Stockholm."

I promised. "But if I stay in Sweden, we shall have to change things at court," I added, "Miss Kosull has served the King for many years. Well give her a house in the country--- a long way from Stockholm."

We both laughed very loud at that idea.

"Mama, youve had too much champagne," said Oscar.

Perhaps hes right. But I was laughing because I was happy. I was thinking of the lovely grandchildren that Oscar and Josephine will give me.