The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1577: Chapter 13: The Princess’s Electromagnetism Tutor? (3)

“Kensington… Kensington…” Disraeli muttered the word repeatedly: “I probably understand why they want to do this. Ha, indeed, when the Tory Party was in power, they didn’t care about the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria, these protectees of the Whig Party, but now they can’t tolerate the presumptive heir to the throne becoming a living asset of the Whig Party.”

Arthur responded, “Does the Tory Party prefer the Duke of Cumberland to inherit the throne over Princess Victoria?”

“The Duke of Cumberland? God forbid!” Disraeli pinched his nose and waved his hand: “I don’t know what the Duke of Wellington thinks, but at least the Peel Party and I absolutely can’t stand that! The Tory Party is indeed a conservative party, so compared to the smell of money on the Whig Party, our nobility is a bit more intense. But then again, the nobility on the Duke of Cumberland is a bit too intense, you can even smell the Middle Ages on him.”

“It seems we both agree on this point.” Arthur smirked, “I seem to have forgotten to tell you, I’ve met the Duke of Cumberland once.”

Disraeli gloated, “He must have left quite an impression on you?”

“More than an impression,” Arthur began, “At the time, I was still at Scotland Yard and happened to receive an invitation from the Duke of Sussex to go to the Royal Society to investigate a missing person case. The Duke of Cumberland was there arguing with his brother, and upon realizing I was the junior policeman who got promoted due to the Catholic emancipation and Bloody Act reforms, he almost rolled his eyes at me.”

Disraeli laughed heartily, “Maybe not directed at you, but your Catholic faith back then was definitely a big minus in his eyes.”

Arthur shook his head, “Let bygones be bygones, although it was indeed unpleasant, it doesn’t matter now. Especially after the parliamentary reform was passed, the Duke of Cumberland’s fierce demeanor remains, but it’s already insignificant.”

Disraeli asked, “By the way, what pretense are they planning to use to get you into Kensington? Surely they can’t expect you to come up with something yourself?”

“Unfortunately, you guessed it right.”

Arthur wasn’t very satisfied with the plans of the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel. Even if it is an opportunity, breaking the Kensington System on his own is indeed too daunting: “In short, they believe it’s a test I must go through to atone for my missteps on the Caucasus issue. Although these days I’ve been racking my brains on how to become a tutor that the Duchess of Kent would favor, there’s been no progress so far.”

“They’re having you be the Crown prince’s tutor?” Disraeli counted on his fingers: “Princess Victoria’s dance teacher is Mary Taglioni, the singing teacher is Louis Lablache, the religious instructor is Bishop George Davis, the etiquette teacher is the granddaughter of Indian Conqueror Clive, the Duchess of Northumberland… The positions for German, French, and Latin are already filled. What do they plan for you to teach the princess? Surely not electromagnetism? Arthur, I’m not belittling you, but as I see it, if the Duchess of Kent indeed wants to do that, she might prefer Michael Faraday.”

Arthur couldn’t argue against Disraeli’s evaluation, “Alright, Benjamin, I have to admit that in this regard, Mr. Faraday is indeed a better candidate, his academic reputation is simply impeccable.”

“Academic reputation?” Disraeli frowned, “Arthur, what are you talking about? I may not understand natural philosophy, but I don’t think your talents are necessarily far below Faraday’s. I think Faraday is more likely to receive an invitation purely because the Duchess of Kent is one of his ardent supporters.”