she has been imprisoned by Frederick in the citadel of Torgau where they believe that she is condemned to spend the rest of her life. She would do well to stay there because if she ever escaped her life would be in danger."
The innkeeper seemed not to have known that what he had feared had already taken place.
All of this troubled Adelaide so much that she nearly gave herself away; but the art of dissimulating which she had learned on the throne came to her aid, and she was able to keep control until she got to her room.
"That is what I wanted to know," she said to Bathilda, as soon as she had shut the door. "All this makes it quite clear that we should not remain another instant in Saxony. Ah, Frederick, I will get out of reach of your injustices. You deserve having our marriage broken up."
"Milady," said Bathilda, "the one you fear so much is traveling. He is going away from you as fast as possible. Would he do that if he were trying to get rid of you? And besides, you were entirely in his power while you were at Torgau, and he did not attempt to do you any harm."
"That so-called escape was his own work," said the princess. "He wanted to get me out in the open country where he could have me assassinated without having the blood stain the throne. He is away on a trip in order to throw the suspicion on somebody else in case his henchmen succeed in finding me and killing me. He is having the man I love reign because he hopes that I will come to Fredricksburg to be near him and in that way he could get rid of me."
"But if he had been suspicious of Thuringia, would he have sacrificed Kaunitz?"
"A crime is nothing when it is a question of revenge. Anyway, my beloved is on the throne, at least he is in safety."
"Milady, why don't we go to Dresden to be near your father?"
"That would be dangerous and might hurt the Marquis of Thuringia and it might cost me my life, since the prince could easily send his henchmen to Dresden to murder me. Not that my life means much to me; Heaven is my witness that all I want is to live long enough to see the one I love once again. But
51
