The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1534: Chapter 261: Observing the Light from the Shadows, Governing Movement with Tranquility

I am certain that sooner or later, we will go to war with Russia over India. What concerns me is that we will be kept in the dark until the day Shiva is occupied. Then, the Russian army will reach Kabul three to four months after setting out from Shiva. To thwart the enemy’s attempt, we should defeat them before they reach India; otherwise, it will be too late once twenty thousand Russian troops arrive in India. Britain has no way to retreat; we must spare no effort to block the Russians in Afghanistan, and for this, we must develop a forward defense policy for Central Asia.

— Lord Ellenborough, President of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Indian Management Committee during the Wellington Cabinet

Blackwell lately has found his boss, Sir Arthur Hastings, to be acting quite strangely.

While Arthur seemed more like a policeman than a diplomat earlier, now he fits more closely Blackwell’s impression of a traditional diplomat.

He spends all day attending various balls and literary salons, dining with new acquaintances at upscale restaurants, or having drinks with socialites at the Royal Theater in St. Petersburg, and even on his way to the theater, he no longer pores over dull diplomatic reports but rather reads Russian literary magazines and French fashion magazines, often commenting on the articles and recommended outfits.

Moreover, Sir Arthur’s interest in women has seen a sudden rise, perhaps because he had an epiphany in some respect and reaped the benefits, or maybe he learned from some old predecessor the charm of ”diplomacy via ladies.”

In summary, Sir Arthur has been so unusually proper lately, as if he’s turned into some respectable figure.

All this happened after Sir Arthur met with those Moscow youths who had narrowly escaped disaster.

Although Blackwell is unsure if the nickname ”Ironheart” Arthur had another wake-up call courtesy of a bullet, he is sure that Arthur’s frequency of asking him to do private errands has significantly decreased recently.

However, the sudden reduction in workload did not make Blackwell happy; instead, it filled this personal secretary with a quiet anxiety.

Could there have been a mishap in London?

Did Sir Arthur’s achievements in London come to nothing?

Blackwell’s heart was anxious, but a letter that arrived from London this morning restored his confidence.

Though the letter looked unremarkable on the outside, the dizzying array of titles made Blackwell’s heart leap.

Honorary Chancellor of Oxford University, Headmaster of Chet House Public School, Chief Sheriff of England, Director of the Tower of London, Director of the Five Port Alliance, Duke of Victoria in Portugal, Duke Rodrigo, the chief Grand Duke of Spain, Prince of Waterloo of the Netherlands Kingdom and Belgian Kingdom...

Although the letter’s owner jokingly omitted his own name, the replacement ”Grave Robber of France” unequivocally revealed his identity—the first person under the British Crown, the Duke of Wellington.

Even though Blackwell had heard that Arthur got along well with the Duke of Wellington, he was nonetheless shocked when he saw Arthur receiving a personal letter from the Duke.

As Arthur’s personal secretary, Blackwell even felt a sense of honor deep in his heart while holding the letter.

”Sir...” Blackwell, standing by the desk, looked at Arthur seated under the calligraphy ”Virtue Alone Ennobles,” cautiously inquired: ”May I ask, what happened in London that His Grace wrote a letter to you?”

Arthur, with a pipe in his mouth, glanced over the letter, without even looking at Blackwell.

He mumbled, ”When is there not something happening in London? Most things are not worth His Grace’s attention; he couldn’t care less about trivial matters. Ever since he’s no longer the Prime Minister, he has been at ease.”

”In that case...” Blackwell, unable to hide his curiosity, pursued further: ”What is it for? It can’t be Napoleon rising from the grave, can it?”

Arthur couldn’t help but think of Louis’s failed coup in Strasbourg last month and his subsequent arrest by the French authorities. It’s fair to say that Louis’s attempt to mimic his uncle was a disastrous live-action show.

Louis’s coup was almost comparable to Britain’s Glorious Revolution; both were bloodless.

Yes, not a single person died in this coup, and even the number of injuries was minimal. So, while it failed, it still had its bright spots.

I wonder if Garibaldi, far away in South America, would feel relieved after hearing about Louis’s coup details compared to the dreadful uprising in Genoa.

Even though both of their efforts were failures, thirty points and twenty points are different after all.

Arthur mused about his unreliable friends and blurted out, ”Just some coups...”

”Coup!” The young secretary was so shocked that his face turned pale: ”Has the situation in the country worsened to such an extent? Is someone planning a coup?”

Arthur realized he might have misled Blackwell, hurriedly rephrased: ”Not Britain, but India, and there is no coup at all.”

”India?” Blackwell was first shocked, then couldn’t help but smile: ”Does it mean you are going to...”