shadow of britain

Chapter 728 Victoria’s Secret

After attending a private ball held at Kensington Palace, Arthur thought it would be difficult to receive their invitations again in the short term.

But unexpectedly, just one week later, he received an invitation from the Duchess of Kent.

In the letter, the Duchess was full of praise for Arthur's outstanding contributions to all walks of life, and also stated that the purpose of inviting him to visit Kensington Palace this time was mainly to introduce the latest developments in the field of natural philosophy to her and Princess Victoria. They were also very interested in Arthur's travels in Europe and even the latest criminal investigation technology of Scotland Yard.

All in all, it doesn't matter what Arthur came to Kensington Palace to introduce, but it is very important that he is willing to accept the invitation and visit.

Arthur had no reason to refuse the Duchess of Kent's hospitality.

For this reason, he even turned down a card game with the French Minister Talleyrand.

Arthur had a hard time during this period, and Talleyrand was also involved in a lot of trouble.

Some time ago, Louise of Orleans, the Queen of Belgium and the eldest daughter of King Louis Philippe of France, publicly complained about Talleyrand: Because Talleyrand accepted bribes from the King of the Netherlands, he tried his best to favor the Dutch in the division of territory and sharing of national debt between the Netherlands and Belgium.

In response to the criticism of the Queen of Belgium, Talleyrand lamented: "A daughter who is married off is like water spilled. As soon as she became the Queen of Belgium, she no longer considered herself the eldest princess of France."

On the other hand, Talleyrand strongly denounced the rumors that he accepted bribes from the Dutch, and reminded the French government and the Belgian people: "Belgium's independence mainly depends on the support of France and Britain. On the French side, I have made the greatest efforts for Belgium's independence. And the marriage plan between the French royal family and the Belgian royal family was also first proposed by me. How could I accept money from the Dutch?"

Does what Talleyrand said make sense?

Of course it makes sense.

But does this prove that he did not take the money?
According to Arthur's understanding of this old man who just celebrated his 2th birthday in February this year...

Hard to say!

Supporting Belgian independence was Talleyrand's political stance.

As for how much territory and foreign debt Belgium could eventually gain independence with, that depended on the "relationship" between Belgium and Talleyrand.

Obviously, Belgium did not get the upper hand this time, or at least not as much as the Dutch, so don't blame Talleyrand for favoring the Dutch on territorial division and debt issues.

After all, when it comes to the art of having the best of both worlds, if Talleyrand says he is second to none, no one dares to claim to be first.

A diplomacy novice like Arthur Hastings was only involved in small jobs like Young Italy, doing business with people like Schneider and Shubinsky.

As for Talleyrand, he had already been busy with the governments of Britain, France, Russia, the United States and Austria twenty or thirty years ago. Not to mention that he usually cooperated with people like Napoleon, Metternich and Jefferson, the most important thing was that these people came to Talleyrand to beg him to do business.

Although everyone is "making friends", the quality of Arthur's friendships is indeed not as high as that of the old cripple.

During this period, Arthur was often ridiculed by Talleyrand when playing cards because of the Caucasus incident. The Prince of Benevento and the Grand Elector of the Empire of the First French Empire said frankly that he never thought that Arthur Hastings, who could not be killed by bullets, would be tripped by the pebbles in the Caucasus.

What’s even more infuriating is that Arthur was powerless to refute him, because no matter how he explained, it seemed that this was indeed the case.

Sir Arthur could only secretly make up his mind to work hard and return to the center of power as soon as possible to remove the title of "political loser" from his head.

Because who knows how many years this old guy Talleyrand has left to live. Who knows, he might die one morning and go to see Napoleon.

Arthur hated Talleyrand's use of the Caucasus incident, but this did not affect the deep friendship between the two friends, not only because Arthur had helped Talleyrand make money, but also because both of them had a bad relationship with Viscount Palmerston.

There is no need to recount the feud between Arthur and Palmerston. As for Talleyrand, he obviously looked down on the arrogant British Foreign Secretary and scoffed at Palmerston's attempt to occupy a prominent position in European diplomacy.

In Talleyrand's view, Palmerston was able to have influence in Europe only because he was British Foreign Secretary. Once he left this position, he would be nothing.

It was a joke that such a fellow should attempt to put himself above him and Metternich.

With the strength of Britain as a backing, even if a pig is placed in the position of Foreign Secretary, the pig can do the job well. Sir Arthur Hastings may even do a better job than Palmerston.

Talleyrand was determined to see Palmerston embarrassed, so he would send people to Palmerston every now and then to inquire about information. Once he succeeded, he would send his confidants to the London Stock Exchange to make a profit based on the information.

Talleyrand worked like this for three years, but when he looked back, he realized that his three years of hard work were not as good as Arthur's one Caucasus.

An expert will know if there is one as soon as he takes action.

When Arthur was still an inspector at Scotland Yard, he was able to kill Superintendent Clemens, who was determined to make a fortune with Palmerston.

Three years later, his abilities have greatly improved.

Sometimes you have to admit that when it comes to making Palmerston suffer, the old hands are no match for the talented players.

Arthur was determined to prove himself, and Kensington Palace also treated Arthur's visit as a formidable enemy.

Because just yesterday, William IV, who had always been very reluctant to hold a test for the Crown Prince, finally nodded in agreement, and circled the authoritative figures he recognized on the list of examiners submitted by Kensington Palace.

Since Michael Faraday declined the king's appointment as examiner, and Thomas Macaulay, a Whig MP who was well-known in the historical community, was unable to fulfill his contract due to his transfer to the Governor-General's Office in India, Sir Arthur Hastings, the Provost of the University of London, was "unexpectedly" nominated as a substitute at the last minute.

According to The Times, the education expert will not only be responsible for the natural philosophy examination, but will also serve as the history examiner.

The Duchess of Kent lost her usual calm and composure when she talked about her plans for her daughter's education.

As for Arthur, he felt a headache when looking at the packed schedule.

He knew that the royal family had ample resources and the will to educate their offspring, but even so, the education plan developed by the Duchess of Kent still felt too intensive.

The first was language lessons, with the Countess of Northumberland teaching Italian and Miss Barbara Evans teaching Latin.

But having only two subjects doesn't mean Victoria only knows two languages.

English and German are both her mother tongues, and French, the public social language of the European upper class, was fully mastered by Victoria when she was eight years old. Therefore, Kensington Palace actually requires her to be proficient in five languages, and does not rule out the possibility that she will continue to learn Spanish and Dutch in the future.

However, if she can master Italian and German, it should be much easier for her to learn the other two languages.

After all, Spanish and Italian have a lot in common, and German is just Dutch with an accent, or as Heine said, Dutch is actually a degraded German.

Singing classes taught by Labrachai and dance classes taught by Miss Taglioni were also a challenge.

In addition, courses in literature, geography, mathematics, history, natural philosophy, and theology filled the rest of the time from Monday to Friday.

What was even more unexpected to Arthur was that the Duchess of Kent actually kept up with the academic trend and specifically added political economy to the curriculum.

The only thing she regretted was probably the unfortunate death of the great political economist Malthus two years ago, otherwise she would have probably invited him to teach at Haileybury College of the East India Company.

The Duchess of Kent looked at Arthur hopefully. "To be honest, Sir Arthur, I personally, or rather, Kensington Palace, have an unwelcome request for you. If you are willing, I hope to be Victoria's tutor. I don't want to measure your value with money, but I assure you that as long as you agree, we will definitely offer a salary level that matches your personal achievements."

Conroy, who was standing by, added: "The salary level is absolutely competitive in the whole of England and even in Europe."

Everyone knows that there is no better way to educate than for the examiner to act as a tutor himself.

Although the Duchess of Kent is extremely confident in her daughter's academic performance, it is always good to have an extra layer of insurance for the test to be held in a month.

She didn't expect Arthur to be able to teach her daughter anything in a month, but as long as she could get Arthur to accept the salary from Kensington, he would at least not make things difficult for Victoria during the exam.

More importantly, she believed that winning Arthur Hastings would mean winning the support of the Greater London Police Force and the favor of many middle-class ladies.

And all you have to pay for all this is a tutoring position with an annual salary of 800 pounds, which is simply too cheap.

Arthur looked at the work contract in front of him on the table, frowning in thought.

The salary for teaching little girls to read is 22 times that of fighting hooligans on the street, 4 times that of being shot under the Tower of London, and even 300 pounds more than working in the wind and rain in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

It has to be said that the Duchess of Kent has indeed invested a lot in education and is incredibly generous.

But considering the amount Princess Victoria spent on the education of one young Italian man each year, the price seemed quite fair.

As expected, the closer you are to the center of power, the easier it is to make money.

But Arthur did not rush to express his opinion. He said kindly: "I can understand your feelings. But, have you forgotten? I haven't met Her Royal Highness the Princess in person yet?"

The Duchess of Kent thought Arthur was worried.

Because both in her own opinion and in the London public opinion, most members of the royal family have a bad reputation.

Almost all of Victoria's uncles were notorious. When they were young, most of them were known for their bad tempers, and their illegitimate children also inherited their father's character.

The current Prime Minister, Viscount Melbourne, once commented on George III's sons and grandsons in his early years: "They are just a bunch of beasts. They mate wherever they go, and then say they are sorry that they can't get married. In fact, no one can do anything about it."

Whig MP Thomas Creevy denounced them with disgust when reviewing the royal pension: "Greed is the heaviest burden on the government."

Because of this, many self-righteous celebrities in London are actually unwilling to be too closely involved with the royal family.

The Kensington system created by the Duchess of Kent and Conroy was, to a certain extent, intended to separate Victoria from other members of the royal family, on the one hand to prevent her from being contaminated by the bad habits of her cousins, and on the other hand to maintain her good reputation.

When the Duchess of Kent heard Arthur's words, she immediately distanced herself from the other princes and princesses: "Of course, your request is reasonable. I guarantee that you will be surprised after meeting Victoria, because she and her cousins ​​are like people from two different worlds."

At this point, the Duchess of Kent did not forget to instruct Conroy: "Go and call Lezen, and ask her to bring Delina with her."

When Conroy heard this, he did not leave immediately, but paused and said: "Your Highness, now... it may be a little inconvenient."

"Inconvenient? Why is it inconvenient? Didn't I tell you not to arrange any classes this afternoon?"

Conroy replied calmly: "I asked Her Royal Highness to wait in the room or take a walk in the garden. But she thought it was boring, so she asked Leizen to take her horseback riding."

"What?!" The Duchess of Kent turned pale. "How dare Letzen take her horseback riding! She has only ridden the little donkey given by the Duke of York before."

"It's not riding a horse, according to Leizen, it should be sitting on the horse and walking briskly." Conroy replied: "I tried my best to persuade him, but you know Leizen never listens to me."

The Duchess of Kent was so angry that she was shaking all over. "Now! Send someone to call them back now! Don't they know that an important guest is visiting today?"

Conroy bowed his head slightly when he heard this: "I understand, Your Highness."

The Duchess of Kent sat on the sofa, holding her forehead with one hand: "Oh my God..."

Seeing this, Arthur could only comfort the nervous mother: "Don't be angry. Young people at this age are full of energy, and riding a horse is good for physical and mental health. When I was at the Allmark Club, I heard King Leopold say that he was very worried about his niece's development."

"Leopold? You mean my brother?" The Duchess of Kent looked up.

"Yes."

The Duchess of Kent softened her voice when she saw Arthur nod. "Yes, he did. He told me before that he wanted me to find a way to make her taller. As a 15-year-old girl, Delina is only 4 feet 11 inches tall, which is indeed short. And this girl can't control her mouth. Did you know? When she was a baby, she had a very large appetite. When she was weaned at 6 months old, she didn't show any signs of eating less..."

Arthur began, "Mr. Thomas Barnes of The Times told me that he wrote the report on the birth of Princess Victoria. He said that what impressed him most after the birth of the princess was that the Duchess of Kent strived for perfection in all aspects, and that you also fed the little princess yourself."

When the Duchess of Kent heard Arthur mention this, she couldn't help but smile with pride. This was what she was most proud of.

"I know that breastfeeding is a conspicuous rarity in today's society. In many families, babies are always fed with cow's milk, goat's milk or liquid food with bread soup. Even if they are breastfed, most of them hire a wet nurse. But I am an experienced mother. Before Victoria, I had two children, so I know that breastfeeding is the best for children. I am really happy that I breastfeed so well. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I don't want to see my little baby in the arms of others. Everyone at that time made a fuss about my breastfeeding. People in the celebrity circle didn't think much of it, but they didn't know how happy they missed. Look at Victoria, look at her brothers and sisters, each of my children is healthy, and none of them died. I sincerely suggest that if you have a family and children in the future, you must let your wife breastfeed yourself. It is definitely good for the children."

(End of this chapter)