The Shadow of Great Britain

178: Chapter 127 Royal Scandal and the Little Boy_2 178: Chapter 127 Royal Scandal and the Little Boy_2 As for Admiral Sidney Smith, his qualifications were more senior than General Cordington, and he retired as an Admiral.

Most importantly, when he was in the Mediterranean, he didn’t even regard General Nelson as an obstacle.

His squadron went wherever it wanted without ever applying for permission from General Nelson, the commander of the Egyptian waters.

Furthermore, he repeatedly bypassed the Foreign Office and signed armistices with the French forces privately.

You might let General Cordington deal with the Ottomans, but he absolutely couldn’t handle these two.”

Eld couldn’t help but mutter, “Is Admiral Smith most famous for these things?

I heard that when he was young, he might have impregnated Queen Caroline, right?”

Upon hearing this, Colonel Fitzroy hurriedly glared in warning, “Don’t mention that matter.

How exactly that went down is still unclear.

Admiral Smith was only implicated, and isn’t it true that Sir Thomas Lawrence and Sir George Canning were also involved?”

Eld turned pale at these words, “What!

Were they involved too?”

Hearing this, Arthur quickly pulled Eld outside, apologizing to the colonels behind him as they walked, “Sorry, I need to excuse us for a moment, Eld and I need to buy some matches for General Cochrane.”

With that, he led Eld briskly out of Cordington’s residence until they stepped outside and saw the setting sun and the flowing traffic, Arthur’s pace finally slowed.

The two stood by the red wall at the roadside, Arthur pulled out his pipe and matchbox and took a fierce puff.

Smoke billowing, Arthur tossed the matchbox to Eld.

Eld was about to light his cigarette, but before he could strike a match, he heard Arthur ask, “About the affair involving Queen Caroline…”

The mention of that name almost singed Eld’s hand with the match.

He spat a mouthful of saliva and said, “If you wanted to hear so badly, why did you drag me out?”

Arthur shrugged, “The person concerned is sitting inside, isn’t he?

I was worried it might affect your great future if he heard us.”

With that, Eld seemed unconcerned, and he responded.

“Actually, it’s nothing much.

You know, our old King George IV, when he was still the Prince of Wales, did not get along with Princess Caroline, and not long after Princess Charlotte was born, they officially separated.

And when George IV later became King, he wanted to kick her out outright.”

“You know, Queen Caroline fought a long legal battle over her position.

In a state of dual emptiness both spiritually and physically, wouldn’t Queen Caroline seek a bit of solace from someone else’s embrace?”

Arthur, hearing this, couldn’t help but stroke his chin and nod, “That sounds somewhat reasonable, continue.”

Eld, affirmed by Arthur, suddenly became animated and began to recount the gossip he had gathered from various channels.

“You heard just now, there are three suspects in the scandal involving Queen Caroline.

Sir George Canning was the most prominent politician of the time in Britain,

Sir Thomas Lawrence was acclaimed as Britain’s best portrait painter,

And Admiral Sidney Smith was a shining star who rose alongside Nelson and a renowned eccentric at the Navy Department.

Although these rumors may not be true, given the personality and achievements of these men, they all have quite a few enemies.

Perhaps these rumors were circulated by their political enemies to attack them.

However, it is certain that Queen Caroline was pregnant during her separation days with His Majesty the King, and during that period, she was indeed very close to these three men.

As for which one of them did it, that’s unclear.

But in my opinion, Admiral Sidney Smith is perhaps the most likely of the three.”

Arthur leaned against the red wall and blew a ring of smoke, “How can you tell?”

Eld, looking quite pleased with himself, continued to analyze, “Think about it, Arthur!

The news of Queen Caroline’s pregnancy came out around 1802.

At that time, Sir Canning had just gotten married and was constantly busy attacking Viscount Sidmouth’s Cabinet in Parliament, trying to get young William Pitt back in power.

Given Viscount Sidmouth’s cunning nature, it’s entirely possible that he spread this news to attack Sir Canning.”

Moreover, in the subsequent years, these rumors didn’t affect Sir Canning’s political career at all.

He not only served as the Foreign Secretary but also became a Prime Minister.

You know, he was just an actor’s child with only a banker uncle as his background.

If he had really been involved with the Queen, how could he have landed so smoothly?

As for Sir Thomas Lawrence, although he was very influential in the art world, the scandal didn’t affect his subsequent development.

The Duke of Wellington, the Marchioness of Londonderry, the Earl of Aberdeen, Pius VII, and even His Majesty the King himself all continued to commission him for portraits, and he was knighted and made the president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

So, he wouldn’t have had any issues either.”

But it was General Sidney Smith alone who was thrown out of Britain when the scandal broke out.

At that time, he had already been ordered to forcibly retire by the Royal Navy for insubordination, but as the rumors grew, the Navy Department had no choice but to call him back, and then kicked him out to the Atlantic to let him cool off in the sea breeze,” Eld concluded.

Upon hearing this, Arthur looked at Eld with a newfound respect, “Eld, I think I finally realize your ability.

It would be a waste of your diligent spirit and relentless pursuit of extreme detail if you didn’t work in intelligence in your lifetime!”

Eld was startled by his comment, “What?

Are you suggesting that, after I return from sailing around the world, I should join the Navy Department’s Geography and Topographical Information Statistics Division?

That’s where they handle maritime intelligence.

But I’ve heard they are quite strict, and I’m not sure if my freewheeling nature would fit in.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?” Arthur replied with a smile, “Trust me, would I ever deceive you?”

Just as Arthur finished speaking, he suddenly felt someone bump into his waist.

He quickly turned around and saw a small boy standing behind him, hands clasped together, wearing a tattered cap, and with a dirty face, who looked to be about ten years old.

Blinking, the boy hesitantly spoke in a Scottish accent, distinctly different from the London accent, “Sir…

sir, please…

please pity me, I haven’t eaten in two days.”

Arthur first looked around to make sure there were no police nearby before he fished a coin from his pocket and placed it in the boy’s hand.

“Young man, if you beg in the West District in the future, it’s best not to do it on this street.

The police patrol here quite frequently, and if they find you, you might not end up in jail, but you could still be beaten with a stick or sent to the poorhouse,” Arthur advised.

The little boy, staring at the silver coin in his palm, could hardly believe his luck for the day.

It was a half crown, worth two and a half shillings.

“Is… is this really for me?

Sir…

sir, I’ve never met anyone as generous as you,” he stammered.

All Arthur did was smile, and he nodded towards Eld, “Generous?

No, you think I’m generous because you haven’t met this gentleman beside me.

Let him show you what real generosity looks like.”

Eld, who had been planning to slip away, was caught off guard by Arthur’s words, especially as he caught a glimpse of several ladies smiling at them as they alighted from their carriage.

At this moment, Mr.

Eld could only tremble as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin even larger than Arthur’s and placed it into the boy’s hand.

“Take this, one crown, as a token of my gratitude, my child.

Use it to buy some good food,” he said.

The little boy, unable to hide his joy, removed his cap and bowed, “Thank you, kind sir.”

Just as he happily planned to use the money for a good meal, he suddenly heard Eld’s shout from behind him.

“Wait a second!

Kid!”

Eld rushed in front of the little boy, and seeing the ladies had moved away, sheepishly took back the half crown Arthur had given from the boy’s hand, “Young man, you forgot to give me my change.”