He smiled ruefully before he continued,
“When my father died and I inherited, I came back almost thankfully to Valdastien, to my horses, my mountain climbing and the other sports I had always enjoyed when my stepmother did not prevent me from taking part in them.”
“What happened to her?”
“She was German and I sent her home.”
“German?”
“She came from the Duchy of Mildensburg,” the King explained. “The people there are partly Prussian, which I think you will agree accounts for a great deal of what I suffered under her jurisdiction.”
“And she was – prepared to leave – Valdastien?”
“She had no choice!” the King said in a hard voice.
Zita knew then that he had compelled his stepmother to go and she gave a little sigh as he went on,
“Then I was my own master and could do what I wanted.”
