shadow of britain

Chapter 808 The Tripartite Alliance
After the collapse of Rome's law and Senate, the fate and future of the nation were entrusted to three men who, in the name of revenge, were driven by ambition.

—Edward Gibbon, *The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire*

Arthur did not respond immediately to Stockmay's question, as if those resounding words were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

He neither spoke nor looked up, but simply cut the veal steak on his plate into small pieces at his own pace and put them into his mouth.

However, the more nonchalant he became, the more uncertain Stockma felt.

He had no idea what Arthur was backing, and his questioning of Arthur's connection with the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel was merely a deduction based on what had happened at Kensington Palace recently.

After all, from a common-sense perspective, Stockma really finds it hard to imagine that Arthur Hastings, the provost of the University of London, could mobilize plainclothes police officers from Scotland Yard without any political support.

At the same time, he could hardly believe that someone with no one backing him could smoothly navigate the diplomatic crisis caused by the Caucasus incident and pass the internal investigation by the British Foreign Office.

Of course, the most reasonable explanation for who Arthur's backers are is that they are the radicals led by Lord Brougham.

However, given the University of London's complete loss of power in Parliament, this answer has been ruled out.

As a former Catholic, Arthur Hastings was naturally disliked by the higher Tories within the Tory party.

As for the current Whig mainstream, Viscount Palmerston has always had a poor relationship with him, while former Home Secretary Viscount Duncannon is very dissatisfied with Scotland Yard's rapid expansion and dislikes this legendary figure who plays a pivotal role in Scotland Yard. Although Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne does not dislike him, he does not intend to appoint this student of Lord Brougham in the short term, out of a desire to distance himself from radical forces.

Therefore, at this moment, the Whig Party can absolutely not become Arthur's support.

After a series of eliminations, Stockma could only conclude that the former police star was a key figure in the Tory Peel faction.

Furthermore, given Scotland Yard's inseparable connection with Robert Peel, Arthur Hastings's affiliation with the Peelite faction is also quite plausible.

Not to mention, Stockma also sent people to collect the entire year's The Times and discovered that the writers under The Englishman had once campaigned extensively for Benjamin Disraeli.

Although Sir Arthur Hastings himself never appeared at Disraeli’s campaign rallies, a closer examination of their relationship reveals that they were both board members of the Imperial Publishing Company.

Just before the general election, Sir Arthur Hastings coincidentally arranged a memorial service for Inspector Robert Culley at St. Martin's Church, and gave Mr. Disraeli the honor of giving the opening remarks.

Upon closer analysis, Sir Arthur Hastings, the young man who often described himself as "a nobody living by Hyde Park," was actually far more powerful than commonly perceived.

Stockmay's sudden statement was merely an attempt to bluff him.

Ultimately, he didn't dare push Arthur too far, after all, the chairman of the board of directors of Imperial Publishing Company had many channels to voice his opinions.

If Arthur so desired, he could spread rumors detrimental to Victoria on Fleet Street at any time. In just one night, the rumors of Princess Victoria's affair could spread throughout London.

However, it seems that Arthur has no such intention at present, and as the Crown Prince's tutor, he certainly hopes that Victoria will ascend the throne smoothly.

jingle.

That was the soft sound of the back of the knife hitting the porcelain plate.

Arthur put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and said, “Your Excellency, I meant no offense, but don’t you think your unfounded accusation was somewhat rude? I’ve been running around all morning for Her Highness the Princess, and all I get in return is your accusation that I have ulterior motives. I simply cannot accept your point of view. If this is what His Majesty Leopold means, I can accept leaving Kensington Palace immediately. After all, Her Highness the Princess has already mastered the basics of rhetoric.”

Stockmaar's expression changed. He really hadn't expected Arthur to answer in such a tone—not angry, but sharp. Not a single word was raised, yet every word reminded him that the probing had crossed the line.

The Scotland Yard officers knew that Sir Arthur Hastings was not the type to lose his temper easily, but it was precisely because of this that his cold response carried all the weight.

In this respect, the progressive young Ridley, or rather Miss Quinn, was very experienced; Sir Arthur's silence and departure were the true warnings, far more effective than shouting and yelling.

Stockma immediately stood up and gently adjusted the brim of his hat: "Please forgive my rudeness just now, it was not my intention. As you know, so much has happened overnight, it's understandable that I was anxious."

Arthur didn't respond, but simply placed the napkin aside and looked at him calmly, as if waiting for him to say something more sincere.

Stockma paused briefly, as if carefully considering his words, before continuing, "His Majesty Leopold has always trusted you. Last night's chaos made us all too tense. I shouldn't have doubted your stance in this matter. Your past actions and loyalty to this country and the royal family are already evident. What I said just now... was truly an overstatement."

Stockmall was afraid that Arthur might side with the Duke of Cumberland in a fit of anger, after all, Arthur's current position was not simply based on Victoria's trust.

In addition, his influence in Scotland Yard and Fleet Street was enough to secure him a place in the Battle for the Throne.

Moreover, he may have the Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel standing behind him.

If this is true, hastily kicking Arthur out would only anger the moderate Tories who still harbor illusions about Victoria and make them feel that their future political prospects are bleak, thus leading them to firmly support the Duke of Cumberland's succession.

If Stockmay represented the will of King Leopold I of Belgium at Kensington Palace, then Sir Arthur Hastings was the Peel Party's leader there. Perhaps Arthur's status wasn't as lofty, but given his crucial role in helping Victoria ascend the throne, he was absolutely indispensable.

To ensure he remained on Victoria's side, the Belgian government could offer some appropriate incentives. Seeing that he didn't storm off, Stockmay simply sat back down.

His tone softened considerably: "Everyone has seen the efforts you have made for Her Highness the Princess. His Majesty Leopold often says that if Kensington Palace had more calm and responsible people like you, he could probably get a few more hours of restful sleep even when he is far away in Brussels."

He smiled, as if mentioning it casually, and said, "By the way, I just received a letter the other day from a cabinet member in Brussels. He said that the construction application for the English Electromagnetic Telegraph Company... was formatted quite well, and the review process was faster than expected, perhaps because the sun was shining brightly in the meeting room that day, so everyone was in a good mood. However, these are all trivial details, and can be handled by the subordinates. There's really no need for you to trouble yourself."

Arthur's mood improved considerably upon hearing this.

This is the way he prefers to do things: everyone gives and receives, and we are all interconnected – that's what business is all about.

It's really disgraceful to have someone like John Conroy, who can only talk about getting a raise, go to Scotland Yard to issue a gag order for Kensington Palace.

In the past year, he has secured Conroy's membership in the Royal Society, arranged for Conroy's mistress to perform a solo play at the Alhambra Theatre, and saved Kensington from danger several times, thus enhancing Victoria's reputation among the people. Was he after all this for the meager pay raise Conroy promised?

Aside from a pay raise, Conroy's biggest wish was to secure a court position for Arthur after Victoria ascended the throne.

but……

Ah, this little bit of sesame seed is hardly worthy of Sir Arthur Hastings's attention.

On the contrary, Belgium immediately offered a large contract for the construction of telegraph lines, followed by various government subsidies and long-term maintenance contracts, which were far superior to the terms offered by John Conroy.

More importantly, they have contracts for four railway telegraph lines tantalizing them.

If Arthur doesn't stand with the Belgians, he's practically risking the company's stock price.

“Your Excellency,” Arthur finally spoke, “to be honest, I’m not an unfeeling person. I believe you; our wish is for Her Highness to get through this period peacefully. Therefore, I thought that if you were willing to come here in the rain, it wouldn’t be just to present me with a formal document, would it?”

He put down his glass and turned his gaze to Stockma: "What exactly happened last night? I'm not referring to what Cowley and Officer Hught witnessed, but something deeper. What's the situation at Kensington Palace right now?"

Stockmay countered, "What do you think of Mrs. Lezen?"

“Lady Lezen?” Arthur said. “A very competent nanny. Her behavior and the steadfastness of her faith are also very much in line with the role of the Crown Prince’s tutor.”

Stockmall nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "That's what I thought too. However, Conroy spoke to the Duchess of Kent early this morning and said that Lady Lezen must leave Kensington Palace immediately."

Arthur tapped his fingertips rhythmically on the table, then paused for a moment. "You want to keep Lyzen?"

Stockma neither confirmed nor denied it: "If you are truly concerned for Her Highness the Princess, then you probably know what the right thing to do is."

Arthur took a sip of coffee: “It seems that Sir John Conroy is indeed unpopular. His Majesty William dislikes him, His Majesty Leopold dislikes him, and His Highness the Princess both hates and fears him. Now he has you as an adversary. However… to be honest, I really don’t understand why the Duchess trusts him so much. What reason did Conroy use to force Lyzen to leave this time?”

Knowing Arthur's attitude, Stockmaar felt more confident in dealing with Conroy with this ally: "The reason is not hard to guess. He said that Lady Lezen was negligent in her duties and failed to discipline the princess, which gave her the opportunity to have private contact with unsuitable people. More importantly, he believes that Lady Lezen has long lost her authority to guide Her Highness in education and spiritual matters."

Stockma paused here, "While Lytherin's negligence certainly played a part in this incident, it would be unfair to blame everything on her. Besides, I think no one would want to see Conroy become the sole power in Kensington Palace. Right now, Kensington Palace has Lytherin, you, and me, who can still keep him in check. But you and I can't live in Kensington Palace permanently. The only one who can be by Her Highness's side at all times is Lytherin. If she leaves the palace, no matter how hard we try from the outside, it will be very difficult to get Kensington Palace to talk again."

At this point, Arthur finally heard the main topic he wanted to hear.

Conroy wanted to get rid of Lyzen, and Arthur and Stockmay were equally eager to take advantage of the situation and eliminate him.

“You’re right,” Arthur said. “But we can’t keep Lyzen here on our own. The Duchess is the one who really has the power in Kensington Palace, but as you know, she’s very subservient to Conroy. If Conroy is determined to do this, it will be difficult to get the Duchess to change her mind. And we can’t put pressure on her publicly; such a court scandal would not benefit anyone if it got out.”

"Judging from your tone, you already have a solution?"

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "This is not something we outsiders should bring up."

"what do you mean?"

“It’s up to Her Highness to speak up,” Arthur said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Besides, I think she’ll definitely speak up for Lyzen. After all, she’s already dared to meet with Elphinstone at night, so there’s no reason she wouldn’t stand up for her closest friend.”

Stockmay pondered for a moment: "But that's not enough... We need to put some pressure on the Duchess from other angles."

“That’s easy,” Arthur said with a smile. “If you want to make things difficult for her, just tell His Majesty the King about what happened last night. Of course, I’m talking about the one in Windsor Castle, not the one in Brussels. His Majesty also dislikes Conroy, and given his personality, he certainly won’t stand idly by while Lyzen is in trouble.”

“What if His Majesty’s warnings don’t work?” Stockmall hesitated. “As you know, Kensington Palace and he have always had a bad relationship, and the Duchess may not bow down to him.”

Arthur smiled. "If that's not enough, don't we still have Elphinstone? Have you forgotten what the Duchess fears most?"

(End of this chapter)