shadow of britain

Chapter 859 Victoria's Revenge

Compared to previous years, Arthur has indeed heard more rumors about the Viscount Melbourne since he became Prime Minister.

If we set aside the feud between the Viscount of Melbourne and Scotland Yard, this man's life was indeed quite bumpy.

His wife Caroline Poonsambi's complicated affair with Lord Byron tarnished the Viscount Melbourne's reputation in high society, while his only child, Augustus Lamb, suffers from severe mental and intellectual disabilities. He has had delayed language development since childhood, has difficulty communicating with others, cannot receive a normal education, is emotionally unstable, and even exhibits aggressive behavior. Even though he is 28 years old this year, he still needs special care.

Because of this child, the Viscount of Melbourne suffered from chronic emotional distress. He never spoke publicly about his son, Augustus, and almost never allowed the child to appear in public.

Many outsiders attribute his "overly weak" and "emotionally driven" political style to the pain of a failed marriage and the loss of his son. After all, it is easy to feel powerless and ashamed to take care of a son with mental illness for a long time, especially since he was a member of the British aristocratic society that values ​​dignity.

That's why Arthur wasn't surprised that the Viscount of Melbourne had become increasingly prone to tears in recent years. Family factors were one aspect, and besides, he was already 58 years old. People of that age are indeed prone to melancholy, especially those who have lived a very difficult life, who are more likely to shed tears when reminded of sad things.

Among the old folks, only a handful, like Talleyrand, are still able to live carefree and unrestrained lives.

But regardless of the Viscount Melbourne's character, Arthur did not want the Whig Prime Minister to show any weakness in the matter of Conroy's follow-up arrangements.

However, it must be said that Conroy was indeed very good at choosing his targets, because whether he made these demands to the Duke of Wellington, to Sir Robert Peel's face, or to Lord John Russell, the Home Secretary, or Viscount Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, he would probably not escape a severe reprimand in person.

However, he went directly to Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne, and even met with him privately. Given Viscount Melbourne's personality, it was indeed difficult for him to refuse him outright.

Arthur certainly hadn't forgotten how Conroy had treated him in Ramsgate last year, but when it came to the matter of being knighted, he really couldn't get involved much; he didn't have a legitimate position to intervene in court affairs.

Arthur couldn't help but frown: "Does anyone else know that Conroy asked the Prime Minister for a reward?"

“Sir,” Ridley replied respectfully, “I’ve come here today to explain this matter to you. According to our observations at Kensington Palace yesterday, it’s likely that a good portion of the Privy Council has already received the news. Furthermore, our plainclothes officers stationed near Kensington Palace yesterday also noticed that Baron Stockmare and Viscount Melbourne were discussing this matter in a café outside Kensington Palace.”

"How did their conversation go?"

“Our officers didn’t hear everything the two gentlemen discussed,” Ryder paused, then continued, “However, Baron Stockmay doesn’t seem to be in such a hurry to condemn Conroy. He’s more concerned that if Her Majesty’s resistance against her mother and Sir John Conroy comes too quickly or too violently, it could easily make her seem ungrateful and disobedient to the public, and she would never be able to restore her reputation.”

Although Arthur found Baron Stockmaar's words jarring, he had to admit that what the private advisor sent by King Leopold I of Belgium said did have some merit.

Since British society entered the modern era, although the British monarch still retains many legal powers, military and financial power are basically in the hands of Parliament. Therefore, whether the monarch can sit securely on the throne largely depends on the public's goodwill towards the royal family.

Especially for a newly enthroned monarch like Victoria, if she immediately engages in behaviors that damage public favor, it could easily trigger political instability and deepen public distrust of her.

Although Victoria performed perfectly at her first meeting yesterday, it doesn't mean she has won everyone's approval.

For example, Conservative Party leader Sir Robert Peel and Home Secretary Lord John Russell, while praising the Queen's proper conduct, expressed their concerns.

After attending the meeting, Sir Robert Peel privately expressed his longing for William IV to the Duke of Wellington and a few other Conservative leaders: "A truly constitutional monarch, whose personal qualities, maturity, rich experience in handling state affairs, and understanding of people, etiquette, and customs are like ballast on a ship, can eliminate the disloyalty of ministers, mitigate the harm of rash pronouncements by orators relying on rhetoric in parliamentary debates, curb the rise of democracy and the spread of discontent, and alleviate unwarranted anxiety about lending and taxation... thus ensuring that the ship of the nation never deviates from its course. Unfortunately, at a critical moment in our destiny, we have been deprived of this advantage."

While not as outspoken as Peale, John Russell, in a public speech, expressed the expectations of the Whig radicals, including himself, for the Queen: "Historically, we have had great queens; the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Anne brought us glorious victories. We expect a future Queen Victoria, known for her peacefulness. She will be neither as autocratic as Queen Elizabeth nor as weak as Queen Anne, and will be committed to the complete abolition of slavery, promoting more civilized methods of punishing crime, and raising the level of national education. I hope that, for the nations of the world and for our descendants, Queen Victoria's reign will ultimately prove to be a blessing in disguise."

Compared to balancing the relationship between the two parties and gaining support from both radicals and conservatives in a changing British society, how to deal with Conroy has become a trivial matter.

Arthur had actually handled many similar cases, and he himself was one of the people dealt with.

In other words, it would be unwise to directly strike down Conroy amidst the storm of public opinion, given that the Chief Steward of Kensington Palace has frequently appeared in public in recent years, and the public's memory of the name John Conroy is far too strong.

Arthur was pondering how to deal with Conroy when suddenly, there was another knock at the door.

Boom boom boom!
“Sir Arthur, Her Majesty the Queen has requested that we move from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace today, and she specifically requested that you confirm the security arrangements around Buckingham Palace.”

……

The June sun sparsely shone on the south garden of Buckingham Palace, where dew still lingered on the lawn after the night's rain. A few robins hopped among the flowers and through the woods, seemingly sensing the unusual nature of this usually uninhabited palace today.

Shortly after Arthur arrived, he was led to Buckingham Gardens by the Marquess of Cunningham, who had been retained as Lord Chancellor of the Palace, who said that Her Majesty the Queen urgently needed to see him.

The shadows of the trees in the garden dappled and swayed in the sunlight. The rose trellis had just been trimmed, and there were still some fallen leaves scattered on the ground. Buckingham Palace's lawn wasn't as large as Kensington Palace's, but the flowers were more abundant, and a sweet fragrance wafted in the breeze.

Arthur walked slowly along the gravel path into the depths of the garden, and from afar he saw the eighteen-year-old girl in a white dress with blue flowers standing under the laurel tree, with Mrs. Lezen chatting and laughing with her beside her.

Victoria isn't tall, but perhaps because of the crown, she appeared remarkably youthful and upright in the sunlight. However, her skirt was a bit too long, trailing on the ground as she walked, posing a risk of tripping.

“Sir Arthur, you’ve arrived.” Victoria heard herself say this, her voice softer than she had expected: “I saw you come in through the window just now.”

Arthur stopped and bowed, saying, "How could I dare to be late when His Majesty summons me?"

Victoria smiled happily, then blinked, unsure where to begin.

So much happened yesterday, and this morning went by too quickly. It felt like she'd been suddenly thrust into a whole new world, but honestly, she didn't hate it.

“I’ve decided to move in today.” She looked down at the grass at her feet. “I can’t live in the house in Kensington anymore.”

She didn't mention her mother or Conroy; she didn't want to talk about them right now.

Victoria read the letter they left last night for a long time before finally taking her fingers off the paper. She was too lazy to even write a reply, so she simply sent someone to tell her that she had taken the advice of Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne and that Buckingham Palace was not suitable for Conroy to move in.

The Duchess of Kent had been asking herself early this morning if she could bring Conroy to her daughter's formal coronation ceremony at the Privy Council. But as always, she underestimated the deep-seated hatred her daughter harbored for Conroy.

Even though the Duchess emphasized that others would notice Conroy's absence and would say things that Victoria should certainly have avoided on her first day on the throne.

But Victoria maintained her previous answer: Viscount Melbourne firmly believed that Conroy should not participate.

The Duchess of Kent responded with a more condescending reply: “You don’t understand this world. Sir John Conroy may have his flaws, he may have made some mistakes, but his intentions were always the best… This matter has become too controversial and very unpleasant. Take care, Victoria, you know your privileges! Be careful, Melbourne is not the king.”

Victoria poured out all her troubles from the previous day to Arthur, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Perhaps these things are no longer a source of worry for her; she simply wants to talk to someone.

But even these girls' grievances, once they reached Sir Arthur Hastings' ears, became extremely useful intelligence.

Just as Arthur had predicted, Conroy's actions yesterday in harassing the Viscount of Melbourne had indeed drawn retaliation from the Whig Prime Minister.

However, since the Viscount of Melbourne was not as straightforward as the Duke of Wellington, he did not lash out at him directly. Instead, he turned around and began to sabotage Conroy at ceremonial occasions such as the coronation ceremony, just as he had done with Scotland Yard in the Cold Baths incident.

Not only did the Viscount Melbourne speak out against Conroy to Victoria before Arthur could, but Victoria also revealed to the Duchess of Kent without any qualms that it was the Viscount Melbourne who prevented Conroy from attending the coronation ceremony.

Arthur listened to Victoria finish speaking in one breath, maintaining a good expression on his face, but the knuckles of his right hand, hanging at his side, twitched slightly involuntarily.

“The Viscount of Melbourne firmly believes that Conroy should not participate.” Victoria said this with such a serious expression that she didn’t blush at all, and even Lady Lezen didn’t dare to look up from the side.

Arthur cleared his throat lightly, masking the whimper that almost escaped his throat, and then said slowly and deliberately, "His Majesty's decision is naturally the result of careful consideration."

“Hmm.” Victoria nodded, seemingly satisfied with his statement. She kicked a blade of grass under her skirt, then turned to look at him as if remembering something: “They say this used to be His Majesty the King’s palace… and now it’s mine. Do you think I was a bit too hasty? I only ascended the throne yesterday, and today I’ve already given Conroy the order to leave.”

Arthur shook his head but didn't say anything.

Victoria bit her lip and asked tentatively, "I didn't mean to punish them. I didn't yell at Mother, nor did I say anything bad about Conroy to her face, but I didn't raise my voice either. I just... just told Viscount Melbourne what he said. I just... I really haven't had this much peace and quiet in so long. I spent a long time alone in my room last night, even eating dinner by myself."

She gazed into the distance: "Mom looked terrible this morning. After I said that, she barely spoke to me, just said, 'You know your privileges,' and then left. It's strange, I wasn't afraid. I thought I would be scared..."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, but then Ridley took over, suppressing all thoughts of being clever, and replied softly, "I believe you didn't mean to embarrass her."

Victoria nodded, but then paused for a moment and said softly, "Although I didn't mean it, I actually felt a little... a tiny bit happy when she was embarrassed."

When she talked about being "happy," she felt a little embarrassed, so she simply lowered her head to look at the grass and gently rubbed her toes on the soil.

Arthur looked at her with her head down, his lips twitched, but in the end he couldn't help but sigh softly.

“Your Majesty,” Arthur’s tone was softer than usual, “now that you have moved out of Kensington Palace and have had Conroy absent from the coronation ceremony, have you decided what to do with him next?”

There was a moment of hesitation in Victoria's eyes.

Of course she had thought about it; in fact, she had been thinking about it for the past few days.

But when the question was actually presented to her, she suddenly didn't know whether she should answer it or not.

“I…” She bit her lip. “I thought things would be simpler after I ascended the throne. But Baron Stockmay said I should leave him alone for now. He said that if I rushed to ‘purge’ Conroy right away, it would make my mother look like I had abandoned her, and it would make others say I was ungrateful.”

She paused, then turned to Arthur, her eyes filled with a hint of helpless resentment: "But Stockmay knows everything Conroy did to me. He knows everything, yet he still advises me to be magnanimous in this situation. He says that not punishing Conroy will set a good example, and if I can even let Conroy go, when the truth comes out, it will help me establish the image of a benevolent monarch."

Arthur did not answer immediately, but instead put his hands behind his back, habitually hiding all his expressions in his posture.

“He also said…” Victoria continued, “People’s memories are short. They love me now because I’m behaving just right. If I were to accidentally touch Conroy next, it would seem too radical and too emotional… He said that I’m a girl, so I can’t let all my actions look like I’m seeking revenge.”

She emphasized the word "girl" when she said this, which was clearly what she was most unwilling to accept.

“But he never said that about Viscount Palmerston,” she added angrily, “nor did he ever say that about Uncle Leopold.”

(End of this chapter)