shadow of britain

Chapter 864 Queen Victoria: A Replica of the Duchess of Kent
The reason why a tiger can subdue a dog is because of its claws and teeth. If you make the tiger release its claws and teeth and let the dog use them, then the tiger will submit to the dog instead.

—Han Feizi, "Two Handles"

Arthur leaned against the wall of the carriage, his fingers unconsciously tapping the silver eagle handle at the end of his cane.

He wasn't wearing his usual tailcoat today, but instead had changed into a purple double-breasted morning suit that Fiona had made for him, along with cream-colored nappa leather gloves that Miss Flora Hastings had given him. Perhaps feeling a bit hot in the carriage, he only buttoned the top button of his coat.

The streets of London were as damp as ever. The light rain last night had washed away most of the coal dust, leaving water pooling in the cracks of the cobblestones and a few water droplets hanging from the eaves. Occasionally, the wind whipped up by the carriages would create tiny ripples in front of the windows.

It has been half a month since Victoria ascended the throne, and during this time, he has been summoned to Buckingham Palace to pay his respects almost every three or four days.

In Arthur's eyes, Victoria hadn't changed much since her ascension to the throne. In private conversations, she still looked surprisingly young, her eyes wide as she spoke, seemingly interested in everything. However, in public, she was able to behave with impeccable manners. Perhaps because she was a young woman, the gentlemen in the House of Lords, who used to frequently argue with the King, behaved with great grace in front of the Queen.

Of course, they weren't without their own complaints.

What displeased these old nobles the most was the banquet hosted by the Queen.

In the past, whether during the reign of Regency, George IV, or William IV, gentlemen would typically linger in the dining room after the ladies had finished their meal and left, enjoying a few drinks, chatting, playing cards, or having a smoke. However, this unwritten "gentlemen's time" was abolished after Victoria ascended the throne.

When Arthur went to St. James's Palace for a dinner party a while ago, he overheard the Duke of Bedford (the elder brother of Lord Russell, the Home Secretary) and Privy Council Secretary Greville discussing this matter. The Duke of Bedford confidently told Greville that he was certain that the Queen and the Prime Minister, Viscount Melbourne, had argued about it, because he had heard the Queen angrily tell the Viscount Melbourne, "That's a disgusting habit."

However, judging from how things unfolded, it seems that both sides compromised. The gentlemen were allowed to stay for five minutes after the ladies left.

In short, the palace was filled with these kinds of trivial matters, which is a major reason why Arthur was not very willing to take the initiative to visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace after Victoria ascended the throne.

Although Victoria had endured eighteen years of hardship under the strong control of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, this actually set a rather bad example for her. In a sense, she was also a very controlling woman, especially when it came to household chores, where she was incredibly stubborn.

On the positive side, Victoria was not overly controlling in matters of state and was willing to delegate responsibilities to experts. Such a personality trait might be fatal for an absolute monarch, but for a constitutional monarch, it is the most important and indispensable quality.

But then again, this is actually also a reflection of Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent's personality.

Because at Kensington Palace, it was always John Conroy, the "expert," who handled external affairs, while the Duchess of Kent focused on internal matters such as the education of her children.

Although the Kensington system was a disservice to Victoria, it must be said that becoming Sir John Conroy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland would have been quite a feat.

Although Victoria had only recently ascended the throne, she had already decided to formally halt the merger of the University of London and King's College London, and promptly renewed the Royal Teaching Charter for the University of London, preventing this jewel of British higher education from once again becoming a diploma mill.

Her move naturally won the favor of radicals who advocated abolishing the monarchy. The University of London immediately drafted a lengthy letter of thanks and entrusted Sir Arthur Hastings, a distinguished alumnus who stepped down as provost last year, to deliver it to Buckingham Palace and present it to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

In fact, even setting that aside, the radicals' attitude toward the new queen was much more moderate than that of George IV and William IV.

When the blonde, rosy-cheeked, pure and humble Queen Victoria rode through the streets, Londoners couldn't help but smile and toss their hats high into the air, especially when they compared Victoria to her uncles and aunts, which made the British people want to cheer even more.

After all, people can hardly remember who the last monarch was like Victoria, who had a good reputation and a clean record when she first ascended the throne and seemed to pose no threat at all.

Apart from Victoria, most of the royal family members are notorious figures, those despicable and filthy old men who are either dissolute, selfish, stupid, and absurd, or forever burdened by debt, strife, and infamy.

However, after Victoria ascended the throne, the threat from them immediately melted away like winter snow. At this time and place, spring finally arrived in Britain. Queen Victoria, wearing a crown, was radiant and seemed destined to lead the country into a great and glorious era.

Regardless of what others say, whether they are radicals or conservatives, this is the opinion of the vast majority of British people at least now.

Even a centrist like Sir Arthur Hastings thought the same way, that his glorious era was about to begin.

This British middle-class man, who grew up in a workhouse, spent his childhood with Yorkshire pigs, and spent his youth struggling in the dirty streets and at the University of London, had never felt so proud in his life.

Of course, Arthur wasn't without his troubles too.

What bothers him most is the close, even somewhat abnormal, relationship between Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne and Victoria since he ascended the throne.

Following the Ramsgate scandal, Victoria decided that she would not appoint her own private secretary immediately after ascending to the throne, but would instead have the Prime Minister act as the Queen's private secretary.

From a purely professional standpoint, the Viscount of Melbourne performed his duties flawlessly. Aside from fulfilling his duties as Prime Minister in the mornings, he was almost always by Victoria's side. He was almost always quick to respond to Victoria's requests; as mentioned earlier, he even offered advice on something as simple as after-dinner drinks.

As far as Arthur knows, this appears to be the only time Victoria has had a dispute with the Viscount of Melbourne in the past two weeks.

Apart from that, they had no other disagreements.

According to Lady Lezen, the Viscount of Melbourne could fulfill any request Victoria made, a fact that surprised even the Hanoverian governess who had served Victoria for eighteen years.

What Arthur found even more perplexing was that the close relationship between Viscount Melbourne and Victoria was so intense that it aroused jealousy in the Duchess of Kent.

Since her daughter moved into Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Kent, as the Queen's mother, was also allowed to move here from Kensington Palace, but due to Victoria's insistence, Conroy certainly could not move in with her.

After considering it for several days, the Duchess finally had no choice but to leave Conroy behind and move in with her daughter.

Even after moving to Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Kent could not see her daughter whenever she wanted; she had to abide by royal protocol, which meant she could only see her after being summoned by Victoria.

As Queen Victoria, her daily routine naturally followed a set pattern. She would rise at 8 a.m., first reading the Bible, then drafting and reviewing urgent official documents, until 10 a.m. when she would have breakfast with her mother. Between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., she would receive government officials and ambassadors. Although Victoria could choose to dine with her mother, judging from the circumstances, the Duchess was not invited to do so.

Therefore, she could only see her daughter at breakfast time at 10 a.m. every day.

However, aside from sleeping, Viscount Melbourne was almost always by her daughter's side.

Perhaps because the Viscount of Melbourne had incurred such great hatred, the Duchess of Kent couldn't help but think the following when comparing the Prime Minister with Sir Arthur Hastings: "Although I have had some misunderstandings about Sir Arthur, overall he is a mild-mannered and straightforward young man. Although he may occasionally act impulsively and without consideration, this does not detract from the fact that he is a likable and good person."

This wasn't Arthur boasting; it was something he heard from Lady Living, the Duchess of Kent's close friend, while playing cards at the Olmarkt Club some time ago.

Although the Russian woman's words may not be entirely true, and Arthur did not expect to get any constructive cooperation from the Duchess of Kent, the fact that she said such things indicated that the Duchess of Kent wanted to send a friendly signal to Arthur.

But at the same time, this also reflects just how much influence the Viscount of Melbourne currently has over Victoria.

Although Arthur disliked the two-faced, sleepy prime minister, he had to admit that the Viscount of Melbourne was very popular with women, not just a little better than Arthur Hastings, but among the best in all of London.

Viscount Melbourne's family life was thrown into chaos by his late wife Caroline, but he remained a popular figure in London's social circles. Most ladies sympathized with his emotional experiences, and Melbourne was known for his amiable and gentle nature in social situations. He was not only humorous and elegant, but also deeply cultured, with extensive reading in classical literature and a profound understanding of poetry.

Most importantly, although he appears carefree, perhaps due to his past experiences, Melbourne occasionally exudes a melancholic and sensitive aura.

It is well known that men like the Viscount of Melbourne are often fatal to women.

Furthermore, he is currently the leader of the Whig Party and the Prime Minister of the world's superpower, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

Therefore, even though he is already a man in his fifties, there are still quite a few girls who are infatuated with him.

Even if they could not become Viscount Melbourne's lovers, it did not prevent him from easily, naturally, and inevitably becoming their friend.

If we only consider connections within women's social circles, even if we include figures like Palmerston, "Cupid from Ireland," Metternich, "Mrs. Levine's lapdog from Vienna," Arthur Hastings, "a rising star who has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds," and even add figures like Elder Carter, "the famous explorer of Leicester Square," and Heinrich Heine, "a romantic failure who failed to win over either of his two cousins," it still wouldn't be enough for Viscount Melbourne to handle alone.

Of course, if we add someone like Alexandre Dumas, a "perpetrator of the unspoken rules of the Parisian entertainment industry," and someone like Victor Hugo, a "superhuman who can take on fourteen at once," the outcome might be uncertain.

The Viscount of Melbourne got along well with the Queen, but the one who hated him the most was not Arthur, but Conroy, who was seething with resentment.

After all, Melbourne now occupies the position he has always dreamed of.

Parliament recently passed a budget bill granting the Queen an annuity of £385,000, which is roughly equivalent to 9.62 times the middle-class annual income as defined by the Earl of Dallamo. Even after deducting the expenses of the entire royal family, Victoria will still receive £68,000 annually. In addition, she will receive at least £27,000 annually from the royal domains.

Overnight, Victoria transformed into the highest-paid woman in Britain, which was bound to make Conroy seethe with resentment.

If it weren't for the Viscount of Melbourne, this money would have been entirely at his disposal.

The first thing Victoria did after receiving the money was to immediately pay off all the debts left by her father, the Duke of Kent.

The second thing was that a one-time payment of £3000 was made from the Treasury as a salary for Sir Arthur Hastings to serve as a non-resident valet, even though this position was not normally paid.

but……

Even so, Arthur was still not confident in persuading Victoria to transfer the power to approve death sentences to the Ministry of the Interior.

But what worried him wasn't Victoria, but the Viscount of Melbourne. Although the suggestion was made by Home Secretary Lord John Russell, and the Prime Minister shouldn't have objected, the Viscount of Melbourne didn't bring it up himself, leaving Lord Russell with no choice but to turn to him for help...

Although Arthur had not yet fully grasped the ins and outs of the matter, the precedent of the cold bath incident was there for all to see. How could Arthur not smell the stench of someone trying to shirk responsibility?
As the carriage entered the edge of St. James's Park, Arthur drew back the curtains, not wanting the guards to see his expression before entering the palace.

There are always many spies around the palace. Whatever you say or do there will soon become the talk of the town.

For an intelligence officer, this was the most intolerable thing.

When the car stopped at the west side gate of Buckingham Palace, a royal messenger was already waiting on the stone steps.

They bowed slightly with utmost respect, said nothing unnecessary, and simply led Arthur through the familiar corridor to the sunlit reception room by the garden.

This is Victoria's favorite room at Buckingham Palace, with an entire east-facing window from which one can see the rose bushes and a row of dwarf laurel trees that she personally ordered to be planted.

Victoria wore a lavender-colored silk morning dress today, her hair loosely tied up, and her face lightly powdered, yet there was not a trace of weariness in her eyes. She was in high spirits, a condition that had not subsided since her accession to the throne, and even showed signs of intensifying, as if she were releasing all the energy that had been suppressed for eighteen years at Kensington Palace.

When she saw Arthur, she couldn't help but smile slightly. That smile no longer showed the excitement and nervousness of the day she ascended the throne; instead, it had a genuine warmth from the bottom of her heart.

"Sir Arthur, I almost thought you weren't coming today. I heard from the Viscount Melbourne that Whitehall affairs always seem to keep one busy, don't they?"

Arthur bowed slightly, raising an eyebrow with a casual and playful air: "Perhaps, but if anyone in Whitehall dares to stop me from coming to the palace, I suggest you reconsider their appointments."

(There should be another chapter before noon)
(End of this chapter)