Erzsébet ~ Intrigues at Court - Prologue

Posted on Wednesday, 10 March 2004

Author's note: I haven't forgotten "Abigail - Darcy's daughter" (This one is finished already and chapters will be posted in due time) but this one has been on my mind for a long time. This story takes P&P to the Imperial court of Austria around 1865. Elizabeth becomes Hungarian lady in waiting Erzsébet Belay in the service of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, one of the most beautiful and enigmatic women of her time. Even though she originally came from Bavaria and married the Emperor of Austria Elisabeth's love belonged to the Hungarian people. Her ladies in waiting were mostly Hungarian and had to fight intrigue, envy and the mood swings of the empress. Will Erzsébet succeed as lady in waiting and win the trust of her Empress? Will she find love at this hostile court? And what effect will her appearance have on the beloved empress "Sissi"?

Vienna, 1865

Yes I shall build a ship for me!
Prettier than any you´ll ever see.
Freedom at its mast will fly
Freedom on its prow so high.

See then if all your constant telegraphs
will drag me back to court for a feast or a dance
at the prison palace at your behest;
The seagull catches its fish when it wills,
in waters cloudy, or clear and still;
Hurrah, we´re free, we´ve flown the nest!

(Empress Elisabeth, Poetic Diary)

It seemed that the capital of the realm wouldn't welcome Erzsébet with open arms after all. Having lived in a little Hungarian village close to Budapest for all her life the little knowledge she had came from books, stories and pictures. Her father had opposed the young emperor in 1848 but he was pardoned after the revolution had been forced down. Ever since then he was overflowing with stories on Vienna's beauty and the unjust Habsburg ruler at court. Bitterness had sunk into many Hungarian hearts even though there were some who did not want to quit fighting for freedom, justice and the future of Hungary. Their struggle had appeared hopeless until a woman who'd later be called Hungary's Guardian Angel at Court came to Vienna. Her name was Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria; she was merely sixteen years old on her wedding day in 1854. Unhappy with her strict life at court this carefree bird spread its wings whenever it felt like escaping the tight corset, forced manners and deceitful people at the "prison palace" as she called it in her bitter poems.

Her first journey to Hungary had been afflicted with misery. In 1857 the dangers coming from tempestuous Hungary had taken a turn for the worse; the emperor and his beautiful young wife finally decided to travel to Hungary taking their two daughters with them. The empress had insisted on having her children with her threatening to abandon the project if her mother in law was to be obeyed again. Torn between the wife he adored and the mother he respected the emperor gave in to his wife. A decision the young couple would regret for the rest of their lives. In Hungary their two year old daughter Sophie got sick, dreadfully sick. Being misled by the doctor's promises of a speedy recovery the worried parents traveled on to Budapest where the horrible news struck; their daughter was dying. Returning to the bed of their child they found it in agony. The empress would not leave her child and it was her who, bathed in tears of remorse and guilt, closed her little daughter's eyes after she had passed away.

But no matter how sad the memories were, Hungary had fallen in love with its new queen, for Elisabeth wasn't only Empress of Austria but also Queen of Hungary. Elisabeth, who was a brilliant horsewoman, admired the Hungarians for their pride, their yearning for freedom and their passion for parforce riding. The emperor was reported to have said that the charm and the divine beauty of his wife had been more effective than all his armies and generals. Hostile voices spoke of Elisabeth's constant absence from court for after yielding her children to her demanding mother in law the young woman was living for herself alone. Traveling from Madeira to Corfu; from Corfu to Hungary and from Hungary to England and France this woman never seemed to find rest; her riding and walking for hours wore the strongest ladies and gentlemen out.

Erzsébet had heard many stories about her future mistress and wondered how many of them were true. The empress was said to slap her coiffeur if there was too much fallen out hair left in her comb; her mood swings from biting humour to depressing silence and sadness were legendary. Some attributed it to her family which was famous for being strange and weird at times. Others explained it by stressing the fact of her unhappy marriage to a man who was at her feet but did nothing to support her against her demanding and cold mother in law. Whatever it was, Erzsébet's curiosity was aroused to a high level. So far only one Hungarian lady in waiting was in the queen's service and that was a young woman like herself; she was called Ida Ferency. It was through her that Erszébet had been brought to the attention of the queen of Hungary.

At first sight nothing about this place was beautiful at all. It was cold and it rained, the entire city appeared dull, grey and overcrowded. Leaving the train Erszébet felt drops of cold rain getting through her cape and on her face; truly not a loving welcome! Blinking nervously she observed a young woman in a tasteful black gown who seemed to wait for her. The young lady appeared to be very refined; her dark hair was plaited exquisitely beneath the fashionable little bonnet and her grey eyes were glowing with sympathy. Coming towards Erzsébet she offered her a share of her umbrella which Erzsébet gladly accepted.

"You must be young Erszébet Belay, it is a delight to meet you at last!" she greeted her in flawless Hungarian. "I'm Ida Ferency, but you may call me Ida if you like. We're both from the same country, that makes us sisters in spirit!" Her greeting was cheerful and returned some of Erszébet's hope.

Bowing to Ida she smiled joyfully. It was soothing to hear a familiar sound in this strange city where everyone was speaking so fast that Erszébet felt lost after only a few moments of conversation. "It is an honour and a delight to meet you, Ida. It was such a long journey but after receiving such a kind greeting I have to admit it is worth it!"

Ida's face grew serious at this. "Erszébet, may I give you some advice as a fellow Hungarian and future friend? Do not feel too comfortable here at once. When I came here I had practically the entire court against me. Were it not for Her Majesty I might have become the victim of intrigues and hatred. Us Hungarians aren't loved in this snakepit. It's only thanks to the other Erszébet, our kind queen, that I'm doing so well here. Erzsébet, trust me in this that you cannot place your trust in anyone here except Her Majesty and my humble self. Others might have sweet words for you but once you're out of hearing they'll spread the most dreadful lies about you!" Her sad face clearly showed her own experience in this field and Erszébet admired her for keeping her countenance like this. Surprised at such unusual praise for a mistress whom she had imagined to be a difficult, cold person she wondered who was closer to the truth. Ida's praise clearly was partly founded on gratitude and affection at least. But Ida wasn't a fool despite her kindness towards her; her warning about the society clearly revealed her prudent nature and her careful way of tackling challenges.

"I'm sorry that your experiences here weren't more cheerful or rewarding!" Elizabeth offered kindly.

Ida was smiling again and patted Erszébet's shoulder lightly. "Now, now, I wouldn't call myself unhappy. I have the kindest, loveliest mistress in the world and now I have a good friend from home too. I would call this a blessing, wouldn't you?" She laughed quietly to which Erszébet responded with an affectionate smile. She liked this this Ida already, it was like finally having a sister. Erszébet was the only girl out of five children and she had always prayed for a sister.

"Is that all your luggage?" Ida asked looking at Erszébet's two little coffers.

"Why, yes. I do not have that many clothes but I took those which I thought might be useful with me!" She had not foreseen that her clothes might be out of fashion or too modest to be worn at court. Her dilemma was obvious but once again Ida stepped in to help her.

"You can have some of mine. Even though I'm a little taller we're much alike when it comes to our figures. Also, Her Majesty daily gives dresses away to her ladies in waiting. You have a tiny waist like hers, her dresses should fit you better than they do me!" Ida smirked with laughing eyes.

Erszébet's worried frown melted into a lovely, thankful smile. If everything could be solved as easily as this maybe it wasn't that problematic after all. With Ida by her side she would get ready to meet the enigmatic Empress Elisabeth and hopefully gain her trust and love. She had learned several sentences in German to communicate a little bit even though she knew that Elisabeth did speak Hungarian very well. It was always good to be prepared for the worst; experience had taught her that and even though she felt rather hopeful now she would soon learn that being at court meant to be on your guard towards everyone, otherwise it would bring doom, shame and disgrace which she was to learn sooner than she had intended to.

To be continued…