shadow of britain

Chapter 869 A Likable Guy

When Pierre turned around, the lingering anger in his eyes seemed to tighten the air in the room.

Unlike Melbourne's casualness, or Palmerston's somewhat frivolous sophistication, Peel's personality is more in line with the traditional public perception of a minister.

He places great importance on national stability, government credibility, and institutions. He has a strong moral drive regarding law and public order. However, unlike the radicals, Peele does not pursue radical institutional reform. Instead, he considers political realities and social opposition. His reform agenda and political goals are only implemented within the framework of the system, even if it goes against the interests of traditional conservatives and even if there is great resistance to operating within the institutional framework.

But for Arthur, dealing with his old boss was far easier than dealing with the Whigs.

Because Peel's bottom line is always very clear. He won't try to smooth things over like Melbourne did, nor will he say things against his conscience like Palmerston did for applause. Peel's words and actions are usually straightforward and decisive. He can clearly explain what can and cannot be done in a short time. Although there is little room for maneuver under him, it saves a lot of effort from playing guessing games.

Arthur removed his hat and slowly approached: "Sir, if your anger has not subsided, you might as well speak your grievances for now and let me hear them. At least I can convey your opinions to Her Majesty the Queen faster than Viscount Melbourne, so as to prevent the conflict from escalating further."

“I’m not afraid of conflict, Arthur.” Peel tried his best to maintain his composure, but his tone revealed that his already dwindling patience with Victoria had been completely exhausted. “I entered the House of Commons at 21, and I know that conflict is the norm in politics. But I want you to understand one thing: if Her Majesty wants to remain on the throne, she must understand and respect the British constitutional system. She can rely on the experience of Melbourne, but she cannot turn the court into a Whig club. I don’t care whether the Queen trusts me personally, but I care whether the country can still trust the Royal Family. If she continues to show favoritism, the anger of the Conservatives will not be quelled by a few words of persuasion.”

Seeing that even the usually mild-mannered Peel was so angry, Arthur didn't want to add fuel to the fire. After all, he didn't want to see the Conservatives and the Queen both suffer losses.

"Sir, I know your considerations are not unreasonable. The relationship between the Tories and the monarchy is one of mutual dependence and mutual benefit. Without the monarchy, the Tories could not have repeatedly stood at the center of the political arena over the past century and a half. Without the support of generations of Tory leaders, the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties would have found it difficult to secure their rule. During the reign of William III, if it weren't for the mediation between Halifax and Godolfen, the success of the Glorious Revolution might not have been so secure."

By the time of George III, the situation was even more pronounced. Without the unwavering stance of the Tory members of parliament in the North on the budget and military spending, who could have sustained him through the quagmire of the American Revolutionary War? And after the outbreak of the French Revolution, if Britain had relied on the Whigs, those with a penchant for French ideals, it likely would have abolished its constitutional monarchy long ago under the onslaught of radical ideologies.

Peel was still angry, but when he heard Arthur's words, he couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. He casually opened the wine cabinet and poured Arthur a glass of wine: "The British history is quite good, huh?"

"You know..."

"History major at the University of London, three years of academic gold medal." Before Arthur could speak, Pierre added the second half of the sentence for him: "The University of London doesn't need to merge with King's College anymore. You, as the provost, have completed your historical mission and stepped down with honor, right? My dear Arthur."

Arthur took the glass and smiled. "This at least shows that Her Majesty the Queen listens to advice."

“But the problem now is that she listens to advice too much.” Peel took a swig of his drink and put down his glass. “And now, all the ladies-in-waiting around her are Whig wives and daughters. That’s why I’m pessimistic about her ascension to the throne. I don’t deny that she’s intelligent and hardworking; she’s far more enthusiastic about reviewing and approving documents than her two uncles. Usually, a document sent one day will have a reply by the afternoon of the next day. In the first month of her reign, all the discussions I heard about her were good things, with maybe a few speculations about her discord with the Duchess of Kent and her daughter. But she’s still a young girl, and on many important issues, she’s been too emotional.”

At this point, Pierre suddenly paused: "By the way, before this list of court ladies-in-waiting appointments was officially released, didn't she consult anyone else's opinion? For example, yours?"

"Would you believe me if I said that Her Majesty the Queen did not ask me?"

“Of course I believe you.” Pierre stood by the window with his hands behind his back. “Arthur, we’ve known each other for almost ten years. I know your character. You wouldn’t lie to me about something like this. After all, the Lord Chamberlain’s office has records of the date everyone entered Buckingham Palace.”

Arthur said half-jokingly, "I didn't expect your trust in me to be based on written documents. To be honest, that makes me a little sad."

“It’s better to be heartbroken than to be framed.” Pierre smiled and turned around, saying, “If Richard Mayne hadn’t been more careful and kept a written record of his meeting with the Viscount Melbourne, would Scotland Yard’s position on the Cold Baths incident have been cleared?”

Seeing that Peel was starting to take the initiative, Arthur had a pretty good grasp of Peel's stance, so he stopped hiding his intentions and openly revealed the origin of the court appointment list: "Although I wasn't involved in this court list, on the morning of Her Majesty's coronation, Baron Stockmay and I advised Her Majesty during breakfast that if she wanted to consolidate her position, she should transcend partisan strife and avoid any intrigues. However, it seems that Her Majesty may not have remembered the first few sentences, but she did remember the next few sentences from Baron Stockmay."

Pierre patiently asked, "What did that Coburg man sent by the King of Belgium say?"

Arthur stated tactfully, "I think Baron Stockmall may want to mold Her Majesty the Queen in the image of His Majesty Leopold. He said that while transcending partisan strife, the Queen should not be a lethargic politician, but rather, once she has enough experience and ability, she can act on her own."

Upon hearing this, Peel's face indeed darkened, a hint of sneer in his eyes: "Ah, I see. So it really is Leopold's shadow. On the surface, he speaks so grandly, about transcending party lines and the Queen's independence, but isn't he just trying to replicate the Brussels model in the London court and then profit for Belgium? Acting on his own? To say that to an eighteen-year-old girl is tantamount to handing over the monarchy to her emotions and a few close advisors."

He paced to the fireplace and continued in a low voice, “I have no ill will toward Stockmare. He may genuinely want the Queen to be strong. But strength is not driven by emotions, but by rules. Autonomy without rules will only bring one political disaster after another. Those of us who have spent decades in the House of Commons understand one thing: a country does not survive on the will of an individual, but on the system.”

Arthur took a sip of his drink and calmly replied, "That's what I'm worried about too. Her Majesty is too young; she can't yet distinguish between authority and capriciousness. But if we keep sternly warning her, she'll only become more reliant on the flattery of Viscount Melbourne and those ladies."

Peel turned to look at Arthur: "So you're planning to use your usual rhetoric to slowly guide her? Arthur, I know you're very smooth-talking; otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you to join the Conservative Party. You can make professors at University College London willingly work for you, and you can keep the Scotland Yard police completely under your thumb. But Buckingham Palace isn't a classroom at Kensington Palace, and the Queen isn't a student anymore. Right now, she'll probably only listen to the sweet talk from Stockmare and Melbourne. Because it sounds pleasant and makes her feel superior to everything."

After listening, Arthur's lips curled slightly, and he raised his wine glass and swirled it gently: "Sir, so don't you know better than I do how to solve this problem? Say more nice things to Her Majesty the Queen, flatter her, and make her feel that she is incredibly intelligent and unparalleled in the world. As long as she feels respected and seen, she will naturally lower her guard. Then, amidst the flattery, you can subtly insert your real advice."

To everyone's surprise, Peele simply shook his head coldly, his voice as hard as iron: "I can't. I can't, Arthur. You know, in my twenty-eight years in politics, I've never used sweet words to get things done. If I had to gain trust by flattering people, I'd rather lose my position as leader of the Conservative Party than damage my own reputation. On the Catholic Emancipation Act, I can make concessions to the House of Commons and mediate within the party, but I won't trade principles for trust when it comes to pleasing the Queen." Arthur feigned a few seconds of difficulty and fell silent, lowering his eyes as if deep in thought.

He slowly put down his wine glass, his fingers tracing the rim.

“If you really can’t do it…” Arthur said in a low voice, “then perhaps we’ll have to find another way.”

Peel raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Do you have any good ideas to change Her Majesty's mind?"

Arthur smiled at him, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Sir, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. How did you and your wife meet?"

Pierre paused slightly, not expecting the topic to suddenly shift from the political storm to his past marriage: "What? You have relationship problems that need counseling? I'm not a good candidate in this regard."

"I suppose so." Arthur shrugged. "Although you're not a good candidate, I'd still like to hear your opinion."

Pierre's lips twitched slightly.

He stared at Arthur for a few seconds, as if trying to determine if he intended to offend him, but Arthur's expression was perfectly balanced between teasing and sincerity.

“Julia and I…” Pierre hesitated for a moment before slowly beginning to speak, “We met when she was still called Miss Freud. Back then, she was a very innocent girl, the youngest daughter of Sir John Freud.”

“Oh, of course.” Arthur nodded. “I’ve heard from some ladies that she was quite famous in Windsor back then. You waited for her for several years before you proposed, didn’t you?”

“Seven years.” Peel’s tone lightened as he said this: “When we met, she was not yet twenty. I remember it was 1812, and I had just been appointed Secretary of State for Ireland in the Liverpool cabinet, busy with police reforms in Ireland. Although most people would have thought I was doing quite well, her family was not satisfied with me, feeling that I was just an ordinary politician without a title or hereditary peerage. Her mother was particularly opposed to this, saying that, in her words, the daughter of an army general was not a good match for an assistant minister like Robert Peel.”

Arthur asked with a smile, "So what made old Mrs. Freud change her mind?"

“Ha…” Peel seemed very dissatisfied with his mother-in-law: “That was seven years later, in 1819, when I became the chairman of the Gold Standard Committee in the House of Commons.”

At this point, Pierre lowered his head and chuckled: "Her mother was still hesitant at the time, after all, she was determined to marry her daughter to one of those who had a seat in the House of Nobles. Even when I became the chairman of the Gold Standard Committee, she still thought I was a businessman's son without noble birth, saying that my honors were all built on blue paper, and that I was not a real gentleman."

He paused, picked up the wine jug, and poured himself another half glass: "Julia, on the other hand... she advised her mother, saying that if I had to wait for someone with an ancestral title to marry me, I would probably never get married."

Arthur chuckled softly: "It seems Mrs. Peel has a very accurate eye."

“She also said something else.” Peel put down his cup, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes: “She said, ‘Mom, if I’m wrong, I can always go back to my parents’ home in a few years. But if I’m not wrong, then I won’t marry an ordinary member of parliament, but the next cabinet minister.’”

“The result…” Arthur raised an eyebrow: “You didn’t disappoint her.”

Peel nodded slightly, his face filled with pride, but his tone remained as restrained as ever: "She waited for me for seven years, and I made her wait for me for three years. After three years, I became the Minister of the Interior, and stayed in that position for eight years."

“Then, five years later, you became prime minister again,” Arthur joked. “Although your term as prime minister was short.”

"Alright, I've finished recounting my romantic history. Now, Arthur, you should tell me what you're really planning to do, right?"

Arthur leaned against the fireplace, blinking as if he had finally waited for him to speak: "It's not that complicated, Sir. If you were willing to spend even half the effort you put into Mrs. Peel on Her Majesty the Queen, there wouldn't be any irreconcilable conflict between you."

Pierre frowned: "What do you mean?"

Arthur raised his glass, as if to toast him: “What I mean is, girls aren’t hard to please, if you’re not willing to put in the effort to flatter her, indulge her, or win her favor. Then you’ll at least have to cultivate good relationships with those who do. Of course, I’m not talking about me here; my relationship with you has always been very good. At this stage, the only ones who can exert influence over the Queen, besides Viscount Melbourne, are the Belgian duo of Stockmay and Leopold. And you, the Tory? You’ve already lost in this first round, the appointment of court ladies. If you continue to lose in the next round, the one concerning the Queen’s future consort, then…”

The British General Election in July 1837

Note: Orange represents the Whig Party, and blue represents the Conservative Party. The Conservatives won all six university constituencies, including two from Oxford, two from Cambridge, one from University College Dublin, and one from the joint constituency of the four Scottish universities (University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen, and University of St Andrews).

(End of this chapter)