shadow of britain

Chapter 791 You! You're not allowed to have a free relationship!

The streets of London were not yet fully awakened by dawn, and a hazy morning mist still lingered between window frames and roof tiles.

At 5 a.m., as the night was gradually fading, Becky, the maid, had just gotten up in the Baroque townhouse at 15 Lancaster Gate.

She first stretched, then quickly changed into her housekeeping dress as usual, wrapped her shawl tightly around herself, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and went downstairs to wash the stove and cook the morning porridge before dawn, just like always.

But as she turned the corner of the stairs, she suddenly stopped. The lights in the restaurant on the first floor were still on.

This is extremely unusual under normal circumstances.

Sir Arthur Hastings was always meticulous in his conduct, and even if he returned home late at night, he would always turn off the lights himself.

At this moment, the glass chandelier hanging below the beam, illuminated by whale oil, was still casting a lukewarm glow, making a corner of the staircase appear slightly yellow.

"Could it be... that a thief broke in?"

Becky instinctively lifted her skirt, tiptoed back upstairs, grabbed the long-handled broom used for cleaning spider webs in the corner of the second floor, and tiptoed back downstairs.

She quietly walked around the carved screen in the porch and approached the slightly ajar door to the dining room.

However, there were no whispers or rummaging behind the door, only the soft scratching of a quill pen on paper and the occasional heavy sigh.

Becky peeked out and saw her master sitting alone at the table, sitting stiffly in the walnut chair like a stone statue.

He hadn't taken off his coat, his scarf was hanging loosely, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept all night.

A thick notebook lay open on the dining table, next to several bound volumes of legal texts and treatises, some pages curled up, showing signs of repeated reading. From a distance, only a few blurry titles were faintly discernible: "The Royal Marriage Act of 1772," "The Act of Succession to the Throne," "Precedents for Marriages Between Royal Members and Commoners"...

Becky was speechless; she could hardly recognize the person in front of her.

Sir Arthur Hastings was always composed and nonchalant, and even at home he always paid attention to maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor and outward appearance. This was the first time she had ever known that Sir Arthur had this kind of look.

Becky hesitated for a moment, but finally pushed open the door: "Sir...you're still up? Is there some business trouble?"

Arthur seemed not to hear, staring blankly at the candlelight on the table, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

“Jazz?” Becky called out again.

Arthur seemed to snap out of his daze. He turned to look at Becky, then glanced out the window: "Ah...it's already morning?"

Arthur's tone was somewhat bewildered, but after a short while, he seemed to finally realize that his appearance was not very presentable. He subconsciously raised his hand to tidy his messy hair, but when his hand slid to the top of his head, he stopped, as if he was stopped by some heavy thought.

Seeing his appearance, Becky couldn't help but gently put the broom she was holding down in the corner, take a few steps forward, and ask softly, "You haven't slept a wink all night, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Arthur muttered to himself. "Some unexpected changes have disrupted my plans."

Becky frowned. "Blackwood again? What did they write about you this time? I've said it before, those petty people who spend all day buried in their ink and spouting sour words will choke on their own saliva sooner or later! Last time they made fun of you, calling you a 'devil in disguise,' and saying that your 'madness worsened' when you were in Russia, but in my opinion, they are the ones who truly don't understand God and the human heart!"

At this point, her eyes widened, and her tone became even more impolite: "I overheard someone at the bakery yesterday saying that Blackwood's sales this year are even lower than Home Economics Magazine. What a karmic retribution! If I knew their editor, I would have shoved his head into the fireplace and seen if he would dare to talk about you behind your back again."

Hearing Becky angrily defending him, Arthur's previously tense face finally showed a wry smile: "No, Becky, it's not that bad. Besides, it wasn't Blackwood that upset me this time."

Becky paused, startled: "That's The Times? No, didn't The Times just publish your interview about solving the case at Golden Cross Station last year? The reporter's name was Longworth, right? He even said last time that you were..."

“It’s not The Times either,” Arthur interrupted her softly. “If you’re asking which company, well, it’s the East India Company.”

Becky was clearly taken aback by this answer. Her mouth hung open for a second or two before she hesitantly repeated, "The East India Company? What about them? Aren't they the ones who sell spices and tea? What could you possibly have to do with them?"

“Your analysis makes a lot of sense. I really don’t have any dealings with the East India Company.” Arthur rubbed his face in frustration. “But there are always one or two scoundrels who, by some twist of fate, try to ruin my plans. Or, to put it another way, it’s not quite accurate. A more accurate description would be the grandchild of some East India Company director. Anyway, don’t ask anymore. Let me have some peace and quiet…”

Becky was momentarily confused, but she heard from the experienced housekeepers at the domestic service association that it was not advisable to pry too much into one's employer's troubles, especially when Sir Arthur's brow was furrowed so deeply it could crush a flea.

She stood quietly for a moment, then turned and walked quietly towards the kitchen, muttering to herself as she went, "The East India Company? The director's grandson? Sounds like someone not to be trifled with. Why does all the world's troubles have to pile up on the Duke's side..."

A moment later, the faint crackling of a stove and the clinking of a porcelain kettle came from the kitchen. Shortly after, the dining room door opened again, and Becky entered carrying a small tray with a pot of freshly brewed black tea and a small dish of lightly toasted buttered bread.

She carefully placed the tray on the coffee table beside Arthur, her voice slightly rambling yet filled with the tenderness of a family member: "I didn't use your Pu'er bricks; that's too much trouble to brew. I just baked some bread and paired it with the new tea Mr. Hught sent. You said last time that the taste was fairly clean."

Arthur paused, looking down at the freshly poured cup of hot tea, steam rising gently in the dim light, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Victoria and Lord Elphinstone.

As Arthur just mentioned, Lord Elphinstone is the son of a director of the East India Company.

Or, more precisely, he was the grand-nephew of William Fullerton-Elfenstone, former chairman of the East India Company, and George Keith-Elfenstone, 1st Viscount Keith.

His father, John Elfenstone Sr., was a lieutenant general in the army.

In addition, he had several prominent cousins, such as Colonel William George Keith-Elfenstone, who participated in the Battle of Waterloo and served as a lieutenant to King George IV, and John Fullerton-Elfenstone, the East India Company's chief representative in Guangzhou.

As for Lord Elphinstone himself, he was actually a rising star in British politics. He received military education from a young age under his great-uncle, Viscount Keith, and after adulthood, he joined the army like his ancestors, and the unit he served in was also very aristocratic—the Royal Guards (Blue Army).

Lord Elfenstone spent six years in the regiment, rising from cornet player to captain of the Royal Guard.

Soon, 1831 arrived, and Lord Elphinstone naturally took notice of the wave of parliamentary reform. He called on the Scottish nobles to support the reform and was successfully elected as the Scottish noble representative in the House of Lords after the reform.

Soon after, William IV selected him as a bedchamber attendant.

Judging solely from Lord Elphinstone's upbringing, Arthur really had nothing in common with him.

He also heard from others that the 27-year-old Scottish nobleman was a very talented and kind man.

Therefore, if he could give up his "inappropriate attempts" against Victoria, Arthur wouldn't mind being friends with him.

John Elphinstone, the 13th Lord Elphinstone

But, what he shouldn't have done was to have designs on the Crown Prince.

Arthur didn't know when Victoria and Elfenstone had gotten together. However, he remembered Elder mentioning last night that Lord Elfenstone had accompanied the Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander 'Slim Billy' throughout his recent visit to Britain and had become friends with him.

If that's the case, Elfenstone likely met Victoria at that "matchmaking" ball held specifically for the two Dutch crown princes and Victoria.

Although during the tavern chat last night, whether it was Wheatstone, Louis, or even Dumas who was the last to wake up, everyone treated Elder's news as fake gossip and made fun of it.

However, Arthur, who had grasped the movements of Kensington Palace and Victoria's course of action, could not remain indifferent to this.

As is well known, after the Royal Robbery at Golden Cross Station, many Scotland Yard plainclothes police officers were deployed around Kensington Palace on a “voluntary overtime” basis.

In addition to their routine patrols around Kensington Palace, these plainclothes officers have an important task: to monitor all of Victoria's travel routes and provide security along the way.

Of course, in the eyes of the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, Scotland Yard's pursuit of Victoria was primarily for security purposes along the way.

However, in Arthur's view, while protection was important, knowing where Victoria went and what she did was equally important.

This helped him understand the Crown Prince's habits and interests, and facilitated many of his subsequent tasks.

Recent reports from plainclothes police indicate that Victoria, accompanied by Mrs. Leach, has disappeared briefly on several occasions while out and about. The disappearances occurred on Wednesdays and Fridays at Green Park and St. James's Park, and on Sundays at St. Martin's Church and St. James's Church.

Moreover, it wasn't just the plainclothes police who noticed this unusual situation; Kensington Palace also discovered that Victoria would often briefly "disappear alone" when approaching Kensington Palace accompanied by Lezen. This behavior also aroused the suspicion of the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, leading them to recently upgrade the security forces at Kensington Palace and strengthen surveillance of Victoria.

If Arthur hadn't received Elder's "information," he could have dismissed Victoria's disappearance as a teenage girl's prank, but now, he dared not let his guard down.

Because once Lord Elphinstone and Victoria's relationship is confirmed, and if something really happens between them...

Needless to say, Victoria will definitely lose her right to the throne. What's even more terrifying is that the Duke of Cumberland is the heir to the throne right behind her.

This was the first time Arthur had wholeheartedly supported the Kensington system since entering Kensington Palace.

Even if this system has a thousand flaws, it will absolutely be able to securely place Victoria on the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Whether Victoria can successfully ascend to the throne will affect the future of many people and determine the future political landscape of Britain.

In Arthur's view, even the Conservative Party leader, Sir Robert Peel, would absolutely not want to see the Duke of Cumberland ascend to the throne.

The only ones who might welcome the Duke of Cumberland are perhaps the upper Tories (extreme conservatives) within the Conservative Party.

Therefore, for Arthur, there was no room for compromise on Victoria's love life, even if she married Alexander, the son of Nicholas I, it would be far better than Lord Elfenstone, because that would at least ensure that she would not be disinherited by the Royal Marriage Act.

However, once a girl of this age falls in love, there's no way to reason with her.

If you keep separating her from her lover, it will only make her feelings intensify.

This can be seen from the fact that when Victoria went out, she ditched Mrs. Leach, seemingly just to spend a few minutes alone with Lord Elfenstone.

The reason this relationship can develop is that it is taboo.

In other words, it was precisely because it was both secret and restricted that Victoria found it so enjoyable that she mistook it for love.

This is similar to the relationship between Princess Sofia, Victoria's aunt, and General Garth. If Queen Charlotte hadn't kept such a close eye on her daughter, Princess Sofia, given her status, would never have been willing to marry the unattractive, even ugly, Garth.

To make matters worse, Lord Elphinstone was clearly superior to old Garth in appearance, manners, and knowledge.

Arthur has dealt with the most notorious criminals in the East Side and solved the most complex murder cases, but breaking up a couple and making them not hate you is clearly a more delicate task than solving a murder case.

what can we do about it?

(End of this chapter)