shadow of britain

Chapter 805 Ants on a Hot Pan
Sunset is a law of nature, but so is sunrise; nothing can stop it.

—Arthur Hastings, *Fifty Years of Life*

Victoria almost instinctively lunged forward and knelt down beside Elphinstone, but the next second, she suddenly realized that several eyes were fixed on her back.

At that moment, her face changed from astonishment to disbelief, then flushed red, and her eyes flashed with anger, shame, panic, and an unspeakable worry and fear.

She instinctively took a half step back, but her foot tripped over Elphinstone's boot.

"You..." Her voice trembled, "Do you know what you've done?"

The two plainclothes officers were clearly not expected to react this way. Hught tried to take a step closer with a smile, but was grabbed by Cowley, who pressed her elbow firmly against his chest, seemingly realizing that something was wrong.

“Your Highness.” Cowley’s mind raced. He swallowed hard and carefully chose his words, “He’s gotten close to you, hasn’t he? Scotland Yard’s intelligence indicates that a group of scoundrels is plotting to kidnap you… We’re doing this for your safety…”

Victoria quickly steadied her breathing, forcibly suppressing the panic and anger in her heart: "It was him? You say he has ulterior motives?"

Hughes immediately stepped forward: "Yes, Your Highness! He suddenly pulled you into the alley, and we were afraid you were in danger, so we..."

“You’ve got the wrong person! Didn’t you see that the thief has already escaped?” Victoria pretended to be angry. “That thug grabbed my cloak and dragged me into the alley. If this gentleman hadn’t arrived in time and chased him away, you would probably be seeing a completely different scene now.”

Hughes was stunned for a long time: "But, Your Highness... it was clearly..."

Before Hugh could finish speaking, Cowley immediately and subtly raised his riding boot and stepped on Hugh's foot.

Cowley raised his hand in salute and said, "It's so late at night, and the lights are so dim, we must have been mistaken. I apologize, Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Victoria immediately felt a sense of relief: "You're Officer Mike Cowley, right? I remember you. You don't need to apologize. I can understand that you were acting out of a sense of responsibility, although sometimes you seemed a bit too impulsive."

Just as Victoria finished speaking, anxious shouts from servants and maids came from the street corner: "Your Highness, Your Highness, are you over here?"

The bullseye lantern illuminated the alleyway entrance, and Mrs. Lezen immediately saw Victoria standing in the alley, a strange man lying on the ground, and Officer Cowley and Officer Hught standing awkwardly to the side. Startled by the scene, she didn't even bother to lift her skirt to avoid the dirty water on the ground, and hurriedly ran to Victoria's side.

"Your Highness!" She almost instinctively reached out to support her arm, her eyes filled with undisguised panic and worry. "How could you come here alone? My God, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Victoria couldn't help but feel guilty in front of Lezen: "I'm fine, Lezen, it's just... there was a little misunderstanding just now."

"A misunderstanding?" Lyzen glanced down at Elfenstone on the ground, then at the two uneasy-looking officers beside him, his expression immediately turning serious: "What exactly happened here?"

Victoria hesitated for a moment, knowing she couldn't lie too much, so she explained softly, "When I got off at the back door of the theater, a stranger suddenly grabbed my cloak and dragged me into the alley. I was terrified. It was this gentleman..."

She turned slightly to the side and pointed to Elfenstone lying on the ground: "He just happened to be passing by and chased the man away. It was only because it happened so suddenly that these two plainclothes officers mistook him for someone attacking me, which is why they attacked him."

Leizen frowned, clearly still shaken. Her gaze towards Victoria held a hint of reproach, but mostly concern: "Were you frightened? Are you cold? Did you fall?"

Victoria gently shook her head: "I'm really fine. It's this gentleman who's injured. Please send someone to the hospital right away."

Seeing that she remained relatively calm, Leizen breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the maids behind him, saying, "Quickly bring over that woolen shawl, and have someone call the doctor. Also, have someone prepare milk... no, hot tea, as Your Highness will get a sore throat from drinking milk."

Mrs. Lezen was instructing the servants to prepare hot tea when Victoria suddenly interrupted her, her tone much more urgent than before: "Never mind me, Lezen, quickly send someone to the hospital. He's bleeding from the head, and the injury is quite serious; we can't delay any longer."

As she spoke, she turned halfway around, her gaze falling on Elphinstone's face, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her cloak.

Even though Victoria tried her best to keep her voice calm, if a seasoned judge like Sir Arthur Hastings were to analyze it, he could easily tell that every word she spoke concealed panic.

What Sir Arthur could see, Lady Leigh couldn't hide from him either.

Although she didn't have Arthur's extensive interrogation experience, nor had she sifted through piles of crime files under the nightlight, she had watched Victoria grow up. When it came to understanding Victoria, neither the Duchess of Kent nor Sir John Conroy could match Lady Leachn's knowledge.

Lezen knew exactly what Victoria looked like when she lied, how she behaved when she was flustered, and what she did when she was excited.

Lezen had seen Victoria sympathize with others before, but in today's situation, Victoria was clearly overly concerned.

And considering that Victoria has been disappearing for three to five minutes every now and then lately...

Looking at Victoria's anxious and frightened appearance, Mrs. Lezen had some vague guesses in her mind, but she was not sure.

So instead of pointing it out on the spot, she gently probed, "Since this gentleman was injured while protecting you, he has certainly done a great service. I think that instead of sending him to the hospital, we should take him back to Kensington Palace and ask Dr. Clark to take care of him. Baron Stockmall is here today too. Their medical skills are far superior to those of St. George's Hospital."

She spoke in a completely natural tone, and even glanced back at Cowley: "Cousins, why don't you two come with us to Kensington Palace later? If the Duchess asks about the details of the case, you can help explain them."

Mrs. Lezen's suggestion sounded both reasonable and respectable, and even Cowley almost nodded in agreement. However, Victoria's expression froze subtly at that moment.

“No need,” Victoria quickly interjected. “There are too many people in the palace, it’s not good. If Mother and the others find out about this, it will worry them. Anyway, nothing happened to me, and…”

As Victoria spoke, she seemed afraid that she had spoken too bluntly, so she quickly added, "Besides, it's only a minor injury, just a scrape on his head. It'll be quieter and easier to take care of him at the hospital. Lord Stockmay just arrived from Belgium and hasn't even settled his luggage yet. It would be very impolite to bother him with such a small matter; people would think that Kensington Palace is not hospitable."

The more Victoria explained, the more convinced Mrs. Lezen became that she was hiding something. “You’re right,” Lezen smiled and nodded. “Then let’s go to St. George’s Hospital. I’ll have someone take him there immediately and make sure this gentleman is well taken care of.”

She casually beckoned to a strong male servant: "You, lift this gentleman into the carriage, gently, don't bump his head. Tell the driver to go directly to St. George's Hospital."

Victoria breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gently.

Klezen then added casually, "However, what is this gentleman's name? We should at least write it down so that someone in the palace can keep a record."

Victoria paused, then mumbled, "I...I don't quite remember, I think his name was...John?"

Victoria was so focused on whether the carriage that was about to carry the "wounded civilians" was in place that she didn't notice Lyzen leaning down behind her.

Mrs. Lezen's gaze gradually fell on that young, pale face with clear features.

Upon seeing that face clearly, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

She recognized the face.

Even if the other party had changed clothes, was bleeding from the head, and was barely breathing, how could the palace servant's face be unfamiliar to the people in the palace?

After all, Lord Elphinstone was a regular at the balls and salons held at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace, and he could often be seen at tea parties held at Kensington Palace.

But now, he lies in this damp, dilapidated alley, blood on his head and injuries on his face. Victoria is so worried that she almost blurts out that she should take him to the hospital for treatment.

How could there not be a problem here?
But Lyzen didn't say anything. Instead, he remained silent, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and gently pulled up Elfenstone's coat, which had slipped off his shoulder, to cover his face.

Victoria thought she had hidden herself well enough, but when she turned around by chance and saw what Leizen was doing, her heart, which had just been at ease, immediately jumped into her throat again.

Lezen stood up, patted the dust off his hands, and shook his head at Victoria with a reproachful look.

Victoria lowered her head in shame, but just when she thought Lezen was going to scold her, she heard Lezen's voice as if nothing was wrong.

"Alright." Leizen turned around. "The people are settled, and we should return to the palace. Your Highness, it's getting cold, and we shouldn't stay here any longer."

……

Kensington Palace, London.

With a snap!
The Duchess of Kent dropped the bone china cup from her hand, and the velvet scarf that had been wrapped around her hand was instantly torn off.

"What do you mean she wasn't injured? Tell me, how did she end up alone in an alley! Who allowed her to leave the caravan? Who allowed her to get out of the car! Where are her attendants, servants, and Leizen? Are they all dead?!"

The attendant, forcing a smile, replied, "Your Highness, the princess said she just wanted some fresh air, and besides, it was really stuffy in the theater tonight. Lady Lezen thought that if this continued, the princess would really get sick, so she agreed..."

"You think?" The Duchess of Kent interrupted through gritted teeth, "If any of you had any brains, you wouldn't let an heir to the throne move around freely without guards!"

Standing behind the Duchess, Conroy's face was also grim: "Lezen! What audacity! Not only did they allow Her Highness the Princess to get out of the carriage without permission, but after something happened, they actually tried to cover it up!"

After speaking, he turned to the Duchess and said, "Your Highness, in my opinion, Lezen might be in cahoots with those thugs who intended to assassinate the princess. This matter must be thoroughly investigated."

The Duchess of Kent was trembling with rage, but beneath her anger lay terror.

Her entire life was on Victoria's shoulders. What would she do if something really happened to Victoria?

The Duchess of Kent was furious, her face flushed, her chest heaving, and her finger trembling as she pointed to the door: "Go, bring Lyzen to me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

While waiting for Lytzen's arrival, Conroy approached the Duchess of Kent and whispered, "Your Highness, if I may be so bold, this isn't the first or second time Lytzen has done this. She's been in the palace for so many years, acting without regard for propriety, and relying on her close relationship with the Princess, she thinks she has the right to interfere in Her Highness's upbringing. If she hadn't treated the Kensington system so lightly, how could this disaster have occurred?"

He slowly bent down and picked up a shard of porcelain from the ground: "Think about it. If it weren't for our good fortune today, with kind citizens helping us and Scotland Yard protecting us, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Besides, even if Her Highness hadn't been injured today, what kind of stories do you think those third-rate newspapers would fabricate if the rumors of Her Highness being alone with a gentleman of unknown origin in a dark alley got out? We're at a critical juncture right now; we shouldn't be handing our political enemies a weapon."

Upon hearing this, the Duchess's face darkened even further.

She held Conroy's hand and shook her head painfully, saying, "Do you think this was the Duke of Cumberland's doing? Or was it that old sailor's doing? Help me, John, I really don't know who I can trust anymore. There are always so many people on this island who want to harm us, a widow and her child."

"Your Highness, I dare to suggest that this matter is no longer a simple disciplinary issue."

"what do you mean……"

“Lezen has been negligent for a long time. In the past few months, this is not the first time she has concealed her departures or gone missing without permission from Her Highness. And today’s incident is clearly not as simple as a matter of negligence.” Conroy paused. “She is either intentionally protecting someone, or she has colluded with outsiders to influence Her Highness’s judgment. I think that at the very least, she should be suspended from all her duties and her recent letters and accounts should be thoroughly investigated to prevent greater hidden dangers from arising.”

At this point, Conroy feigned magnanimity, saying, "Of course, we'll have to wait until this storm has passed before discussing these matters. Right now, we should suppress this incident and issue gag orders to the servants at Kensington Palace. As for the two officers at Scotland Yard, I'm afraid we'll have to ask Sir Arthur Hastings to plead with Scotland Yard to make them promise to keep quiet."

(End of this chapter)