The Shadow of Great Britain

The curtains had not been fully drawn aside, and the winter sunlight cast a small patch of gray-white on the carpet.

The fireplace in the Buckingham Palace dining room was burning brightly, with the occasional subtle crackle from the wood.

Victoria woke up a quarter of an hour earlier than usual today.

The morning’s white light poured through the high windows onto the dining table, the silver pot not yet fully heated, and the aroma of tea only faintly emerging.

She gently adjusted her shawl and sat at the head of the long table, her gaze habitually turning to the right, where Viscount Melbourne’s seat was.

The chair was empty.

When the maid tied her napkin, Victoria instinctively put down her knife and fork, her tone light yet unconsciously concerned: ”Viscount Melbourne still hasn’t come today? I recall he was supposed to return to London yesterday.”

Lady Leisen sat not far from her, seeming to have anticipated this question: ”Your Majesty, the Prime Minister sent a message this morning, saying his meeting with the Earl of Dalmo last night lasted longer than expected. Moreover, having caught a cold while hunting last week, his cough lingers heavily, and he fears infecting you, so he won’t be dining at the palace today.”

”Is he ill?” Victoria could not help but ask upon hearing this: ”Leisen, please send someone to visit him later. Nothing too formal; send some honey and lemon, along with a bit of ginger beer. Have them tell the gatekeeper it’s just my routine well-wishing, not to disturb the Prime Minister.”

Lady Leisen nodded lightly: ”I will arrange it after breakfast.”

Victoria lifted the teacup, but before taking a sip, she set it down again: ”Wait... So... the Earl of Dalmo finally agreed to meet with the Prime Minister? I remember he had been refusing to meet.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.” Leisen replied gently: ”Thanks to Sir Arthur’s mediation, last night’s meeting went very smoothly. According to the Prime Minister’s letter, although the Earl of Dalmo still has some concerns, his attitude is now completely different from the previous days. Thus, even though the talks did not reach a final result, the Prime Minister is confident the Earl of Dalmo is highly likely to accept later on.”

”Still has concerns?” Victoria took a gentle sip of her tea: ”What else is the Earl of Dalmo asking for?”

”His Excellency the Earl has only two requests.” Leisen paused: ”First, he hopes Your Majesty will personally indicate, or, in his own words, ’directly issue a decree,’ to demonstrate the importance of the appointment. Second, due to the short Canadian assignment, he hopes Your Majesty will allow Countess of Dalmo to retain her current position at the court. The Prime Minister suggests you can approve both requests.”

Leisen glanced at Victoria, adding with a smile: ”Besides, His Excellency the Earl also proposed a few trivial additional conditions that the Prime Minister did not detail in the letter but promised to report to you face-to-face another day.”

”Another day?” Victoria mused aloud: ”What day would that be? Tomorrow?”

”It should not be tomorrow, tomorrow is Monday.” Leisen shook her head: ”Colonial Affairs Minister, Lord Grennell, will be making a statement on the Canadian issue in the House of Lords on Monday, potentially sparking a debate, which might delay the Prime Minister. On Tuesday morning at ten, the Cabinet will convene a meeting to discuss the Earl of Dalmo’s appointment, and he also has a House of Lords dinner to attend in the evening. Thus, the earliest the Prime Minister can follow your command to enter the palace is Wednesday morning.”

Victoria instinctively furrowed her brow.

”Wednesday...” she softly repeated the date: ”So that means I have to wait three days before I can personally hear him explain the rest of this letter’s contents?”

Leisen replied gently: ”Yes, Your Majesty. The Prime Minister also expressed his apologies for the delayed audience in his letter. But he hopes to report the Earl of Dalmo’s additional conditions and overall arrangements to you in detail once the House of Lords situation stabilizes and the Cabinet makes a formal decision.”

Upon hearing this, Victoria couldn’t help but reveal a slight look of disappointment.

Though she understood that, as things stand, keeping aligned with the Cabinet on major political decisions is the most prudent approach, she hoped to at least know the full picture of events, rather than just putting her signature on the appointment document.

Leisen also saw through Victoria’s thoughts, or rather, this German private tutor had been guiding Victoria in that direction from the very beginning.

All along, Leisen hadn’t been particularly fond of the Prime Minister, even though Viscount Melbourne often went out of his way to please her in various aspects, even aiding her in suppressing her political adversaries John Conroy and Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. But the problem is, Leisen had more than just Melbourne as an ally on the Conroy issue; Sir Arthur Hastings could be considered her ally too.

Moreover, her alliance with Arthur dated back to the Kensington Palace days.

And after Victoria ascended the throne, this most chivalrous knight of Britain not only refrained from staying close to Victoria like Viscount Melbourne but actively withdrew from the court’s political circle, even rejecting the Baronet title Victoria tried to bestow upon him.

If it weren’t for Arthur, perhaps Leisen wouldn’t find Viscount Melbourne so objectionable, but compared to Arthur, Melbourne, who stuck close to the Queen daily, immediately became a thorn in Lady Leisen’s side.

Seeing Victoria’s disappointment due to a lack of involvement, Leisen immediately offered advice: ”However, Your Majesty, if you truly wish to know relevant details, you don’t need to wait until Wednesday for the Prime Minister’s report at the palace. Have you forgotten about Sir Arthur Hastings?”