“Gracious!” said Nora. “I shall melt! Oh for an ice-cream!”
They walked to the palace and lay down on sunbeds on the terrace, under the big colourful umbrellas. Usually there was a little wind from the lake on the terrace — but today there was not a breath of air.
“Shall we bathe?” said Jack.
“No good,” said Mike. “The water was too warm to be pleasant yesterday — and I bet it’s really hot today. It gets like a hot bath after a day like this.”
A big gong boomed through the palace. It was time for lunch — a late one for the children. Nora groaned.
“It’s too hot to eat! I can’t move. I don’t believe I could even swallow an ice-cream!”
“Lunch is indoors for you today,” announced Ranni, coming out on to the terrace. “It is cooler indoors. The electric fans are all going in the play-room. Come and eat.”
None of the children could eat very much, although the dishes were just as delicious as ever. Ranni and Pilescu, who always served the children at meal-times, looked quite worried.
“You must eat little Prince,” Ranni said to Paul.
“It’s too hot,” said Paul. “Where’s my mother? I’m going to ask her if I need wear any clothes except shorts. That’s all they wear in England in the summer, when it’s holiday-time and hot.”
“But you are a prince!” said Ranni. “You cannot run about with hardly anything on.”
Prince Paul went to find his mother. She was lying down in her beautiful bedroom, a scented handkerchief lying over her eyes.
“Mother! Are you ill?” asked Paul.
“No, little Paul — only tired with this heat,” said his mother. “But listen, we will go to the mountains to the little castle your father built there last year. I fear that this heat will kill us all! Your father says he will send us tomorrow. How we shall get there with all the children and the nurses I cannot imagine! But go we must! I don’t know what has happened this last few years in Baronia! The winters are so cold and the summers are so hot!”
Paul forgot that he had come to ask if he could take off his clothes. He stared at his mother, thrilled and excited. To go to the mountains to the new little castle! That would be fine. The children could explore the country on mountain ponies. They would have a great time. The winds blew cool on the mountain-side, and they would not feel as if they wanted to lie about and do nothing all day long. “Oh, mother! Shall we really go tomorrow?” said Paul. “I’ll go and tell the others.”
He sped off, forgetting how hot he was. He burst into the play-room, and the others looked at him in amazement.
“However can you possibly race about like that in this heat?” asked Jack. “You must be mad! I’m dripping wet just lying here and doing nothing. It’s hotter than it was in Africa — and it was hot enough there!”
“We’re going to the new little castle in the mountains tomorrow!” cried Paul. “There’s news for you! It will be cool there, and we can each have a pony and go riding up and down the mountains. We can talk to the goatherds, and have all kinds of fun!”
Jack sat up. “I say!” he said. “Did you hear Pilescu say that your new little palace was near Killimooin? Golly, what fun! We might be able to find out something about the Secret Forest!”
“We shan’t!” said Paul. “There’s nothing to find out. You can ask the goatherds there and see. Won’t it be fun to go and stay in the wild mountains? I am glad!”
All the children were pleased. It really was too hot to enjoy anything in the big palace now. The idea of scampering about the mountains on sturdy little ponies was very delightful. Jack lay back on the couch and wondered if it would be possible to find out anything about the Secret Forest. He would ask every goatherd he saw whether he could tell anything about that mysterious forest, hidden deep in the heart of Killimooin.
“If anyone knows anything, the goatherds should know,” thought the boy. Then he spoke aloud. “Paul, how do we go to the mountains where the little castle is? Do we ride on ponies?”
“No — we drive most of the way,” said Paul. “But as there is no proper road within twenty miles, we shall have to go on ponies for the rest of the way. I don’t know how the younger children will manage.”
“This is a lovely holiday!” said Nora, dreamily. “Living in a palace — flying about in aeroplanes — peering down at the Secret Forest — and now going to live in a castle built in the wild mountains, to which there is not even a proper road. We are lucky!”
“It’s getting hotter,” said Mike, with a groan. “Even the draught from the electric fan seems hot! I hope it will get a bit cooler by the time the evening comes.”
But it didn’t. It seemed to get hotter than ever. Not one of the five children could sleep, though the fans in their big bedrooms went all night long. They flung off the sheets. They turned their pillows to find a cool place. They got out of bed and stood by the open windows to find a breath of air.
By the time the morning came they were a heavy-eyed, cross batch of children, ready to quarrel and squabble over anything. Paul flew into a temper with Ranni, and the big man laughed.
“Ah, my little lord, this heat is bad for you all! Now do not lose your temper with me. That is foolish, for if you become hot-tempered, you will feel hotter than ever! Go and get ready. The cars will be here in half an hour.”
The boys went to have cool baths. It was too hot to swim in the lake, which was just like a warm bath now. They came out of the cold water feeling better. Mike heard the noise of car engines, and went to the window. A perfect fleet of cars was outside, ready to take the whole family, with the exception of Paul’s father. The five older children, the five younger ones, Paul’s mother, three nurses, and Ranni and Pilescu were all going.
“Come on!” yelled Paul. “We’re going. Nora, you’ll be left behind. Hurry up!”
And into the cars climbed all the royal household, delighted to be going into the cool mountains at last.
Killimooin Castle
It took quite a time to pack in all the five younger children. One of the nurses had the baby in a big basket beside her. The other nursery children chattered and laughed. They looked pale with the heat, but they were happy at the thought of going to a new place.
Ranni and Pilescu travelled with the four English children and Prince Paul. There was plenty of room in the enormous blue and silver car. Nora was glad when at last they all set off, and a cool draught came in at the open windows. The little girl felt ill with the blazing summer heat of Baronia.
“The new castle is called Killimooin Castle,” announced Paul. “I’ve never even seen it myself, because it was built when I was away. It’s actually on one of the slopes of Killimooin. We can do a bit of exploring.”
“You will not go by yourselves,” said Ranni. “There may be robbers and wild men there.”
“Oh, Ranni — we must go off by ourselves sometimes!” cried Jack. “We can’t have you always hanging round us like a nursemaid.”
“You will not go by yourselves,” repeated Ranni, a little sternly, and Pilescu nodded in agreement.
“Killimooin is about two hundred miles away,” said Paul. “We ought to get there in four or five hours — as near there as the roads go, anyway.”
The great cars purred steadily along at a good speed. There were five of them, for servants had been taken as well. Behind followed a small van with a powerful engine. In the van were all the things necessary for the family in the way of clothes, prams and so on.