shadow of britain

Chapter 821 Multilateral Romantic Relationships, Multilateral International Issues

In fact, Arthur was not surprised at all by Disraeli and Mrs. Sykes going on vacation.

After all, for opposition MPs like Disraeli, the close of Parliament on August 21st was a good opportunity to escape the sweltering London summer and the quagmire of public opinion.

At this time, the Thames River in London was still sweltering, dust filled the streets, and the sounds of construction work and preaching mingled together, making it unsuitable for anyone to linger.

Thus, starting from the Piccadilly carriageway, carriages transported the councilors to their desired vacation destinations.

Some returned to their family's country estates—the York estates, the Welsh pastures, the hills of Sussex—places not only beautiful and pleasantly climatically pleasant, but also the heart of their constituencies. There, they inspected tenant farmers' harvests, hosted local dinners, and chatted with local merchants or parish priests—a form of socializing and relaxation, as well as a means of consolidating their voter base.

Those MPs with a slightly more refined taste might choose the Scottish Highlands or the Lake District. They'd stroll through the valleys and streams, sail on the lakes, or even climb a mountain to connect with nature. Every now and then, they'd take the time to write a political essay, discussing reform, faith, or railway expansion. These letters usually appear in national newspaper columns around September, casually titled "Letter from MP X in [location]," continuing to defend their arguments and casually maintaining their presence in the public eye.

Many others, like Disraeli, travel by mail bus or cruise ship to seaside resorts.

Brighton, Ramsgate, Eastbourne, Torquay, and Scarborough are all highly sought-after destinations.

Here, ladies don the latest French dresses and stroll along the boardwalk with parasols in hand, while politicians shed their formal robes, don linen shirts and flannel vests, and mingle with the vacationers, smoking cigars and discussing the prime minister's next move.

As an integral part of the House of Commons, it is perfectly understandable that Disraeli chose to live the same lifestyle as his colleagues at Westminster Palace.

The only problem was that at the beginning of the year, Arthur had vaguely heard some rumors about Sir Francis Sykes.

Arthur remembered that it was at a ball at the Olmarkt Club that Countess Lindhurst told him privately.

If someone else had told him, Arthur might have doubted the accuracy of the information.

However, Countess Lindhurst…

It's important to know that Disraeli gained attention within the Conservative Party not only because of his friendship with Sir Arthur Hastings, but also because he was a "political disciple" of the Earl of Lindhurst.

Disraeli's connection with the Earl of Lindhurst was entirely due to Lady Sykes's introduction, which led to his appointment as the Earl's private secretary. Therefore, the Countess of Lindhurst's words carry considerable weight regarding Disraeli's affairs.

According to the Countess, Sir Francis Sykes had long been aware of his wife's relationship with Disraeli. However, since Sir Sykes himself had developed a relationship with Disraeli's former lover, Lady Bolton, and considering that Disraeli, though not a nobleman, was a promising young member of parliament, it didn't embarrass him too much. Therefore, as long as Disraeli and Lady Sykes didn't go too far, Sir Sykes turned a blind eye.

However, when Sir Sykes returned from a holiday in Venice last year with Mrs. Bolton, he discovered that his wife had a new lover besides Disraeli.

More importantly, this new lover turned out to be a painter, and an Irishman at that.

As such, Sir Francis Sykes was naturally furious.

Although having lovers is not uncommon in upper-class circles, especially for male aristocrats, being able to maintain multiple relationships at the same time is both a luxury and something to boast about in private.

Having multiple lovers proves you're very wealthy. Secondly, it demonstrates high emotional intelligence, good at concealing your true feelings, and skillful management of interpersonal relationships. Otherwise, having so many lovers simultaneously could easily lead to scandal.

Because in places like London, Paris, or Naples, it's not uncommon for lovers to get into fights and jealousy, leading to out-of-control incidents such as leaking information to newspapers or causing trouble in theaters. These incidents can usually have a devastating impact on a person's reputation.

As for female nobles, since social rules do not treat them as leniently as those for male nobles, they usually have to be more discreet in their actions.

However, if her family is powerful or she is skilled enough, such as certain royal women, high-ranking duchesses, or those highly secure social hostesses in London and Paris, like Lady Levine or the old Viscountess of Melbourne, you can still maintain one or more long-term, stable romantic relationships.

Of course, since most aristocratic women did not meet the above standards in terms of ability or family background, they were able to maintain relationships with their lovers mainly with the tacit approval of their husbands, just like Mrs. Sykes.

This tacit consent, of course, comes with a prerequisite.

The first requirement is that the couple has already had legal heirs.

Secondly, infidelity should be kept secret; don't make a scene. You can chat, stroll, and hold hands with your lover in public, and you can openly invite him to your home for dinner, but you shouldn't let everyone notice that your relationship is unusual. If you cause a scandal like that of Lord Byron and the Duchess of Poncenby, and your husband doesn't deal with it, how will he ever have the face to show in high society again?

The third point is an extension of the second point, which is that the wife's extramarital affair should ideally be with someone of social standing.

If the lover is a person of high status, those in the know usually dare not make too much noise about the relationship. For example, the royal mistresses of King George IV, although everyone knew what was going on, everyone pretended to be blind, and no one dared to make fun of their husbands. In this way, the husbands were naturally happy to have some peace and quiet. Not to mention that the old Viscount Melbourne was even knighted because his wife was a king's mistress.

Secondly, if the lover is of high status, even if the relationship is eventually exposed and becomes a scandal, the other party obviously has many ways to deal with it. To put it bluntly, the husbands might even be able to extort money from him. However, if the situation is reversed, and the wife's lover is a guy with neither status nor money, then after the scandal is exposed, it's truly a losing proposition with no gains. The mere fact that the wife ran off with a poor guy can be a laughing stock for over a decade.

In Sir Sykes' view, although the Sykes family was not one of Britain's top families, the Sykes baronetcy had been passed down for three generations. His grandfather had once held a high-ranking position in the East India Company and returned to England with a fortune of £30, and built one of the finest estates in Berkshire, Basildon.

As for Disraeli, although he was Jewish, he was also a promising young Conservative MP. Despite his late start in politics, he had already served as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the fallen Peel cabinet last year. The fact that Disraeli could achieve this at the age of 31 indicated a bright future. Therefore, it wasn't entirely unseemly for Mrs. Sykes to choose him as her lover.

But does Daniel MacLeish, that little-known Irish painter, even have to tiptoe to catch a glimpse of high society? Does he even deserve to step through the gates of Basildon?
Therefore, upon discovering his wife's new affair, an enraged Sir Francis Sykes immediately forbade her from seeing any of her lovers and took her directly to France, hoping that Mrs. Sykes would regain her senses during her quarantine.

Mrs. Sykes's sister also hurriedly wrote a letter to her sister, warning her that there were already rumors circulating at London's social gatherings, and that if she did not make up her mind to break off her relationships with her lovers, she might be "expelled" from high society.

Although Mrs. Sykes's sister didn't spell it out explicitly, everyone in the circle knew that even if most people had lovers, they still had to maintain a facade of respectability. No club or social ball host would likely allow or invite guests with a tarnished reputation.

This is why Arthur didn't want to get involved in the love triangle between Disraeli and Mrs. Sykes; the situation was far too complicated, and no matter what he did, he would offend someone. Neither concealing the fact that Disraeli and Mrs. Sykes were still seeing each other, nor making the news public, was as cost-effective as playing blind and acting like a fool.

In other words, everything he said before was true.

He wished he didn't know Disraeli and Mrs. Sykes now.

According to the Countess of Lindhurst, Sir Francis Sykes has stated that he can no longer tolerate his wife's behavior and is seriously considering divorce. Furthermore, because of her affair with Daniel MacLeish, Sir Sykes is not considering assuming his wife's debts and intends to demand the return of the £2000 remittance she gave him last year at her request.

Where did this £2000 remittance go? As a renowned economist who had handled complex cross-border financial transactions in Paris, Sir Arthur Hastings could easily deduce the destination of this large transfer with just a little analysis.

Disraeli had accumulated a mountain of debt from investing in American mining companies and running a printing press in his early years. Although his financial situation improved somewhat after the founding of The Englishman, he was only able to steadily pay off his debts. However, in order to run for Congress, he had to raise a large amount of campaign funds from various sources.

During last year's election, the Conservative caucus raised £350 for Disraeli's campaign, and friends like Arthur helped him out with several hundred pounds. This sum was certainly enough for him to manage the election campaign. However, it was definitely not enough to pay off Disraeli's loans, much less allow him to maintain such a high standard and frequent social life.

so……

That's it.

Sir Arthur Hastings was known for his rare moments of blissful ignorance.

The restaurant lights swayed to the rhythm of the waves. Arthur sat near the porthole, one hand unconsciously stirring the cooling fish soup in his bowl, the other hand supporting his chin, his gaze fixed on the untouched fish fillet in front of him.

"Aren't you hungry?" A soft but slightly doubtful voice came from beside him.

Arthur snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Miss Flora Hastings scrutinizing him in her usual manner, her fingertips lightly holding a teacup, the rose-red liquid inside swirling slightly, a sight that complemented her slightly suspicious eyes.

Today she wore a dark green woolen dress, with a small silver brooch neatly tied at the neckline. She was as dignified and quiet as ever.

Although Arthur didn't say anything, Flora's keen observation skills honed at Kensington Palace naturally made her realize that Arthur's mood was not quite right.

"What are you thinking about now?" Flora smiled slightly. "Or are you not feeling well?"

Arthur's lips twitched as if he wanted to laugh, but he didn't. He simply put down his spoon and sighed, "It's nothing. I'm just a little worried about Her Highness the Princess."

"Your Highness?" Flora nodded slightly, placed the teacup back in the saucer, and moved a little closer to Arthur. "Is it about those letters? Did you show them to her?"

Arthur looked troubled: "Although Her Highness told me 'that's enough,' who knows if she's truly let go of this matter? If possible, it would be best to find her a sufficiently worthy replacement soon... By the way, hasn't Kensington Palace arranged any suitable candidates for her in the past six months?"

“It’s all arranged,” Flora said softly. “Not only Kensington Palace, His Majesty the King, but also the Belgians, everyone has their own plans.”

"How to say?"

Flora paused for a moment: "As you know, His Majesty the King favors the House of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands, while the Belgians do not wish for this to happen. His Majesty Leopold of Belgium prefers that Her Highness choose a suitable husband from their Saxe-Coburg family. As for the Duchess..."

Arthur pressed further, "What is the Duchess's attitude?"

Flora whispered, "This is also one of the things the Duchess hopes you can help with this time. She and Conroy would prefer that Her Highness choose William of Prussia."

(End of this chapter)