The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1821: Chapter 110: A Pawn Crossing the River Becomes a Rook (Part 3)

It was evident that compared to aligning with Conroy, Minister Rowan was more willing to trust Sir Arthur Hastings, the legend of Scotland Yard.

After all, he was one of their own.

Moreover, for Scotland Yard, Arthur had already volunteered to be the trailblazer and undertake the toughest parts of the task. All Scotland Yard had to do was provide some convenience in minor aspects, turn a blind eye within their capability, and occasionally lend a hand; there was really nothing too difficult about it.

But all of Sir Arthur Hastings’ friends knew that the man had a penchant for leaving the most challenging issues until the end.

Sure enough, as soon as Rowan eased up, Arthur promptly put forward a new request.

Rowan had just sighed with relief, his tea still unconsumed, when Arthur began casually, ”There’s one small matter, Chief, that I must trouble you to arrange.”

Rowan’s lips twitched slightly as he slowly set down his teacup and glanced sideways at him, ”You certainly pick your times to give me work. Tell me, who’s the target this time?”

Arthur’s tone was excessively gentle, ”I hope Scotland Yard can deploy someone to keep an eye on Lord Elphinstone’s recent travel itinerary.”

”Elphinstone?” Rowan frowned, lowering his voice instantly, ”You mean His Majesty the King’s gentleman, Lord Elphinstone?”

Arthur nodded lightly, ”That’s the one.”

Rowan squinted, clearly displeased, ”Arthur, you’re playing a dangerous game this time. You want me to have someone watch over a King’s close attendant? Even if it’s just tracking travel routes, post-event scrutiny would be a nightmare enough for us. You must give me a reason; we can’t just act on your mere mention of ’a small matter.’

Arthur didn’t respond immediately; instead, he turned and took out a neatly folded note from his leather bag, handing it to Rowan.

—— This morning dreamt of you with snow on your temples, waking to scent lingering on the pillow. The weather is cool, don’t forget to dress warmly. If we can meet tomorrow at the east side of the Orange Garden, it would be a delight beyond measure.

There was no signature, no wax seal on the paper, not even a timestamp.

However, Rowan was seasoned enough to recognize that ”east side of the Orange Garden” referred to the semi-enclosed greenhouse at the southeastern corner of Kensington Palace’s royal gardens, a place generally accessible only to royal family members and palace attendants.

He scrutinized it twice more before finally lifting his gaze to Arthur, ”This handwriting...”

”Princess Victoria’s handwriting,” Arthur nodded, ”I have many of her notebooks at home; if you don’t believe me, I can send some to Scotland Yard another day for handwriting experts to verify.”

Rowan remained silent for a few seconds before setting the note down, his tone turning exceedingly grave, ”Are you serious?”

Arthur didn’t jest, ”I am very serious, Chief; no one would joke about such a matter. You can retain your opinion, but this must be investigated. If this letter was indeed written by her, and the recipient is Elphinstone, then we need to understand what stage their relationship has reached.”

”Victoria is just sixteen,” Rowan couldn’t help but curse under his breath, ”If this gets out, Windsor Castle would explode, Parliament would be in uproar, and Fleet Street would be partying non-stop for months.”

”Exactly.” Arthur replied calmly, ”That’s why I’ve come to you. Princess Victoria, as the future monarch, if she truly engaged in a clandestine affair with the King’s close attendant, regardless of its purity, would be news as explosive as Princess Sophia’s illegitimate child. Moreover, we are all aware of Elphinstone’s family background, factional inclination, and his special status beside the King, enough for anyone to indulge in speculation about this relationship.”

Rowan spoke in a deep voice, ”Hmm... Do you think he might be someone from the Duke of Cumberland’s faction? Sent to deliberately seduce the princess, leading to her losing her right to the throne so the Duke of Cumberland could smoothly ascend?”

”Currently, I have no evidence, but even if he isn’t Cumberland’s man, he’s certainly not from the Pier Party either.” Arthur replied slowly, ”Moreover, importantly, he is still very young, a robust, twenty-something Scottish nobleman. We shouldn’t rely on his ability to maintain decorum, especially considering he faces a young princess in her prime, isolated, yearning for understanding and reliance.”

Rowan lightly tapped his teacup, his face darkened, ”Do you want Scotland Yard to get involved?”

”Not intervention; that’s beyond our duty, so at most, we’ll stand watch.” Arthur said casually, ”As long as they haven’t crossed the line, we do nothing. But if we detect even half a hint of transgression, even the slightest physical sparks, we must intervene promptly to prevent more serious consequences.”

”Hmm...” Rowan pondered for a while, ”Does His Majesty the King know about this?”

”Probably not yet.” Arthur pointed at the paper on the table, ”I only have this at hand, and I don’t wish to bear the charge of defamation before confirming whether it’s Elphinstone.”

”Your point is valid; I might have overlooked the aspect of investigation and gathering evidence. Scotland Yard mustn’t wrong a good person, but neither should it overlook a bad one...” Rowan grabbed the note, unfolding it in front of the lamp, ”Alright, you’ve made it clear. For the time being, focus on dealing with Conroy. As for the princess and Elphinstone, let us keep an eye on them.”