shadow of britain

Chapter 763 Scotland Yard Lieutenant Hastings Summoned to the Palace

Buckingham Palace, London.

The fireplace in the palace was burning brightly, but the warmth could not dispel the awkward atmosphere that permeated the room.

William IV reclined in a large red velvet armchair, a woven blanket spread over his legs.

William IV, the oldest British monarch to ever ascend the throne, just celebrated his 69th birthday this August.

His hair was thinning, streaked with gray, and slightly balding at the back of his head. However, from his full forehead and his unhealthy ruddy cheeks, stained from long-term alcoholism, one could still vaguely discern the sailor features he had acquired in his youth in the Royal Navy.

He had flipped through the Crown Prince's study bulletin sent by the Duchess of Kent several times, but the handwriting on the paper would not be rearranged into a more pleasing version because of his dissatisfaction.

“German, excellent. English, passable. French, adequate. Italian, usable for official business. Latin, rudimentary…” William IV downed a glass of spicy diluted whiskey, his tone slightly nasal and sarcastic: “Of course, after all, German is the language her mother used to speak with her half-brothers, the ‘princes’, all day long.”

Sir Herbert Taylor, the King's Private Secretary, stood before William IV. This veteran minister, who had been trusted by the royal family since the time of George III, was over fifty years old but still stood tall and straight.

Taylor tried his best to repair the bad relationship between Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, but he did not want to anger the King, so he could only bow slightly and advise tactfully: "Your Majesty, the Duchess of Kent's good intentions toward Her Highness the Princess are beyond doubt. Of course, her arrangements for the Kensington system may indeed be a bit too harsh."

William IV glanced sideways, and the old king couldn't help but snort softly, "Taylor, when did you become so careful with your words? I appreciate your loyalty, but we're discussing manners now! Of course, I'm not talking about Delina, but her mother, that woman from the Saxe-Coburg family!"

At this point, William IV suppressed his anger and softened his tone, saying, "You shouldn't have forgotten how that woman refused to let Delineate attend my coronation in 1831, have you? She conspired with Conroy to keep Delineate in Kensington, preventing my niece from standing with her uncle in Westminster Abbey!"

Sir Herbert Taylor tried his best to smooth things over, but when the old king brought up the old matter again, he had no choice but to shut up.

Although he understood that the Duchess of Kent and Conroy did not allow Victoria to attend William IV's coronation mainly because William IV insisted on having his illegitimate sons attend, especially fearing that she would appear on the same occasion as William IV's eldest illegitimate son, George FitzClarence.

Because George Fitzclarence had already been created Earl of Munster by William IV, and thus received a formal noble title, according to British etiquette, George Fitzclarence would certainly enjoy a clear noble rank at the coronation ceremony, that is, he would be seated in the front row.

The Duchess of Kent and Conroy believed that being ranked alongside or even below these "unmarried nobles" would damage Victoria's public image and even tarnish her good reputation. Therefore, Kensington Palace declined to attend, citing health reasons.

Prior to this, William IV had already harbored resentment towards the Duchess of Kent.

Although he granted Kensington Palace's leave request out of consideration for maintaining the dignity of the royal family, it was inevitable that he would be furious afterwards, and the relationship between the two sides once reached a point of irreconcilable conflict.

William IV believed that the Duchess of Kent's actions were not only an insult to him personally, but also a deliberate attempt to exclude his illegitimate children and disrupt the normal operation of the royal family.

In addition, he harbored deep hatred for Conroy, who advised the Duchess of Kent.

William IV believed that this was not a matter of protecting his niece's image, but rather that the Duchess of Kent was worried that her private secretary, Conroy, would not receive sufficient treatment at the coronation. In other words, the so-called Kensington Palace's fear of embarrassing the Prince of Wales was only a small part of the reason; the main reason was that Conroy, who controlled Kensington, was afraid of losing face, and the Duchess of Kent was unwilling to let Conroy lose face.

The thought filled William IV with rage: "And that's not all! She dared to arrange rooms in Kensington Palace for Conroy and her family without my permission. They live in my palace and use my money, but I'm never informed!"

Sir Herbert Taylor was taken aback. This wasn't the first time he'd heard the King complain about the Duchess of Kent, but this time, the information seemed more specific than usual.

"Arranging rooms without permission..." Sir Taylor hesitated, "Your Majesty, forgive my intrusion, but is this news true?"

“Of course it’s true! She’s taken a 17-room house from Kensington Palace for her own use without my permission! Would I lie to her?” William IV’s stomach heaved with anger. “Does she think she can cover everything up perfectly? Does the Kensington system mean she can hide all her scandals? Nothing in this world is completely airtight! Someone will always let the cat out of the bag!”

Perhaps out of concern that Taylor might also let slip, William IV did not tell him that the last person to "inadvertently" let slip was named Hastings.

William IV took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down: "But since we're on the topic of Delina's studies, I'd like to know: besides these language scores, how did Delina do in her other subjects? Don't tell me she can't even draw a map of England."

Upon hearing this, Taylor quickly presented the second stack of documents to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, according to the supplementary report from the Duchess of Northumberland, Her Highness the Princess is doing well in mathematics and has mastered basic algebra and arithmetic. Her geography course covers the major counties of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the distribution of colonies, and she has good map reading skills."

William IV nodded slightly, but there was still no sign of satisfaction in his eyes.

“What about history?” He leaned back in his chair, frowning slightly. “Don’t tell me that Delina only knows the Book of Genesis in the Bible and doesn’t even know about the Glorious Revolution.”

“Her Highness is currently focusing on the history of the kingdom and the church, but has not yet delved into constitutional history.” Taylor paused. “However, since Sir Arthur Hastings became her governess, Her Highness has begun studying the Bill of Rights of 1689 and excerpts from the Magna Carta.”

"The Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights?"

William IV gently placed the cup back on the silver tray with a dull thud.

“Not bad, not bad.” The old king deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his voice slow and deep. He feigned ignorance as he spoke, “It’s always better to learn these things early than late. But I remember Sir Arthur, wasn’t he working at the Foreign Office? How come he’s suddenly at Kensington Palace?”

Taylor bowed slightly: "Sir Arthur resigned from the Foreign Office earlier this year because of the Caucasus issue."

"The Caucasus affair?" William IV slapped his forehead. "How could I have forgotten about that? That young man seems to have gotten involved with David Urquhart, hasn't he? Those two troublesome young men."

Taylor nodded and said, "As you said. After Sir Arthur resigned at the beginning of the year, he took a professorship at the University of London and became the university's provost. Kensington Palace probably admired his reputation, which is why they paid a high price to bring him back as a tutor."

Upon hearing this, William IV couldn't help but scoff: "Admiring his reputation? It's probably recommended by Brougham or Dalamore, isn't it? Hastings is their protégé, and that German woman, besides Conroy, is the most obedient to these radical nobles! I heard that she even wouldn't let Deline read novels before. If Dalamore hadn't persuaded her to let Deline read some Miss Harriet Martino stories to her, my niece would only be reading dry sermons or incomprehensible poetry. I don't understand what good that does for a child; it only makes her hate reading."

Taylor did not immediately respond to the king's resentment, but instead turned to another page and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, in fact, Her Highness the Princess has recently begun to read some popular literature."

"Popular? You mean, she's started reading novels?"

“Yes.” Taylor smiled slightly. “According to the Duchess of Northumberland, it was Sir Arthur Hastings’ suggestion. Sir Arthur shares your view that it is better to let Her Highness gradually develop an interest in reading through the stories of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott than to let her develop a resistance to reading.”

“That’s true.” William picked up the wine glass the servant had just filled. “At Deline’s age, it’s time for her to read Shakespeare. Of course, remember not to show her Romeo and Juliet.” “You can rest assured about that. I’m sure Kensington won’t show it to her either,” Taylor continued. “Yesterday, as you requested, I attended the exam for Her Highness and found that the classical literature exam included several excerpts from Shakespearean plays, which Her Highness answered very well. Especially the soliloquy about St. Crispin in Henry V.”

William raised an eyebrow, looking at Taylor with a half-smile: "Oh? She can recite that passage?"

"Although there were some stumbles, her spirits were high." Taylor added, "Sir Arthur Hastings is quite skilled in teaching. And it's not just classical literature; in natural philosophy, Her Highness's studies have also surpassed the average level of young nobles of her age. Especially in electromagnetism, to be honest, I even think that Her Highness's understanding of electromagnetism has reached a preliminary professional level."

“Electromagnetism?” William IV murmured, then burst into his usual hearty laughter, “Does Sir Arthur want to teach my little niece how to strike people with lightning, or does he want her to become a lightning rod herself?”

Taylor's lips twitched, but he didn't take the joke.

But William IV put down his cup, stood up, and placed his hands firmly on the ground. He walked to the fireplace, gazed at the leaping flames, and remained silent for a while.

“I really want to see for myself whether this little Doctor of Electromagnetism, this orator from St. Martin’s Church, can draw a map of England in front of me.” He muttered to himself, then slowly turned and beckoned to his servant: “Tell Kensington that I intend to personally examine the recent progress of my successor and also wish to meet that new-style lecturer who has been praised by both Brougham and Daramore.”

"Should we set a date?"

“No need,” William IV waved his hand. “It’s four o’clock this afternoon. Tell that German woman that I expect Delina to dress like a crown princess, speak like an Englishman, and recite like a devout Anglican. If she can’t do that, then at least let me see if Sir Arthur Hastings’s talent is worth taking money from my royal treasury.”

……

London, Kensington Palace, Rose Room.

The fireplace burned quietly in the classroom, its soft light illuminating the desks beneath the velvet curtains.

Princess Victoria sat behind the small desk in the center, her brow furrowed as she copied Shakespearean passages and annotations onto her exam paper with a quill pen. Arthur stood behind her at the tall desk, holding his lesson plan and handouts, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Victoria's exam paper and then glancing at the clock in front of him, calculating how much time was left before the pop quiz ended.

The Duchess of Kent, dressed in a grey-blue silk gown, sat regally in a wicker chair by the window, fan in hand, her eyes fixed on her daughter, not giving her a moment to be distracted.

Lady Lezen sat on a low stool next to her, her brows slightly furrowed as she sorted through the thick stack of class notes she had taken that day, in case the princess suddenly decided to ask her to review the day's lessons that evening.

In fact, Victoria rarely made such a request before Arthur entered Kensington Palace, since courses in mathematics, geography, and theology all sounded rather dull.

However, Arthur's grammar and rhetoric lessons were very popular with Victoria.

Heaven knows why this professor from the University of London could teach this course so brilliantly, effortlessly quoting classic passages from various plays and novels, interspersed with anecdotes about literary figures. Such a vivid course was captivating not only to a young girl like Victoria, but also to adults like the Duchess of Kent and Lady Leach.

Arthur was originally brought to Kensington Palace as a teacher of natural philosophy, but now he's taking on three courses all by himself.

In order to hear more from Arthur about classical literature, Victoria also studied electromagnetism and constitutional history very diligently, because Arthur had told her that the content of electromagnetism and constitutional history lectures was limited. Therefore, if Victoria could finish these subjects ahead of schedule, he would use all the remaining class time to teach classical literature.

In the quiet Rose Hall, the only sound could be the soft rustling of Victoria's writing.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of Kensington.

Miss Flora Hastings, the Duchess's lady-in-waiting, hurried into the Rose Room, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

She first gave Arthur and Victoria an apologetic, polite smile, then leaned down and whispered in the Duchess's ear, "Your Highness, Sir Herbert Taylor has arrived, carrying a decree from His Majesty the King."

The Duchess of Kent did not rise upon hearing this, but merely waved her ivory fan lightly, seemingly intending to show the royal envoy the high-level education she had given to the Crown Prince: "Let him in."

Before long, Herbert Taylor entered the hall, led by his servants.

The lieutenant general, who had participated in the Napoleonic Wars, still maintained the upright posture of an officer. After bowing to the Duchess, Taylor said, "Your Highness, His Majesty the King wishes that Her Highness Victoria may come to Buckingham Palace at four o'clock this afternoon to personally report to him on her recent academic progress."

The Duchess of Kent seemed to have expected this, her tone revealing barely concealed displeasure: "As expected, they've come."

She closed her fan, smiled, and rose to return Taylor's greeting, saying, "Please tell His Majesty that Delina and I will definitely be there on time. However, since you've come all the way to Kensington, why don't you stay for lunch?"

The Duchess had assumed Taylor would politely decline or readily agree, but Taylor hesitated slightly before speaking: “The meal can wait. But if I may be so bold, Your Highness, His Majesty the King’s exact words were: ‘Please only invite the Princess to come alone.’”

Upon hearing this, the Duchess of Kent's face instantly darkened. Although she still wore a smile, it looked unsettling.

“Delina is only fifteen, still a minor. Even for an ordinary noblewoman, it is not proper for her to be granted an audience alone before reaching adulthood.” The Duchess of Kent’s voice rose slightly: “Is His Majesty planning to arrange something for Delina in private?”

Taylor tried his best to remain calm: "Your Highness, His Majesty the King meant no offense. I think he simply wanted to know whether Princess Victoria was independent as an heir."

“Absurd!” The Duchess’s face turned ashen. “Of course I cannot agree! Please tell His Majesty that Delina was feeling slightly unwell yesterday, and if there is anything else, we can meet another day. Alternatively, His Majesty may come to Kensington in person.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Taylor, slightly annoyed by the Duchess's reaction, decided to teach her a lesson. The old secretary, who had managed royal affairs for many years, calmly said, "If that's the case, then that would be perfect. His Majesty was just worried that the weather had turned cold recently and that Her Highness the Princess might fall ill. According to His Majesty's wishes, if Her Highness the Princess is unable to go due to illness, he himself can go to Kensington later."

As soon as those words were spoken, the Rose Hall fell silent.

The Duchess of Kent was taken aback by William IV's move; she froze, unsure how to respond.

She understood, of course, that if William IV were to arrive in person, he would not only scrutinize Victoria’s attire, etiquette, and speech, but would also likely inspect the seventeen rooms she had illegally occupied, as well as the extremely chaotic financial management of Kensington Palace.

Thinking of this, even Kensington Palace, which was unwilling to bow its head, had to lower its stance. The Duchess of Kent softened her voice: "Then... would Colonel Conroy accompany His Highness?"

(End of this chapter)