The Shadow of Great Britain

”Speaking of Her Majesty the Queen...” He looked up at Arthur, ”You’ve been circling Buckingham Palace every day lately, is the preparation for the coronation ceremony going smoothly?”

”You should ask yourself, not me.”

”Ask me?”

”Of course, haven’t the old stubborns of the Conservative Party been complaining in the House of Lords about the modernized procedures of this coronation ceremony all day long? The ones causing trouble for the coronation ceremony are not the Home Office and the police system.”

Arthur originally thought Disraeli would agree, but unexpectedly Disraeli rarely agreed with the old stubborns within the party after hearing this.

”Arthur, you can’t say that. The ritual of the King’s Knight throwing down the gauntlet has been canceled, the coronation banquet at Westminster Hall has also been canceled, the traditional coronation ceremony procedures have been significantly reduced, and the main expense is being spent on the coronation parade, exposing a nineteen-year-old young girl to the public’s gaze. Excuse my bluntness, but this time the anger of the lords of the House of Lords is completely justified.”

At this point, Disraeli also considerately thought of Arthur: ”Speaking of which, isn’t Scotland Yard worried about security? The parade route is made so long, and it has to tour twice! The railway companies, blinded by money, are rushing progress day and night to be able to open before the coronation ceremony. If they really make it, the number of out-of-town tourists flooding into London will definitely exceed the Derby race spectators. Suddenly adding hundreds of thousands of people to the city, will you be able to handle it?”

Arthur, of course, knew that Disraeli wasn’t being alarmist, because according to the current known arrangements for the coronation ceremony, the police department has more to worry about than just security along the parade route, including the two-day carnival at Hyde Park, the fireworks show at Green Park, and the street vendors that will surely clog the main roads.

The London Traders Association even submitted a joint petition, urging the Queen and the Government to agree to postpone the coronation ceremony to August, in order to give them more time to order goods.

”Being unable to cope is certain.” Arthur took a sip of wine, ”The parade route is long, round-trip twice, it’s a political decision, not a security decision. The Queen wants to be seen, and the Government hopes she will be seen. So what we can do is simply make sure ’being seen’ is as safe as possible.”

Disraeli helplessly said, ”So have you already conceded that the railway companies will transport tourists into London, carriage after carriage?”

”Not conceded, it’s certain that such things will happen.” Arthur was obviously prepared for the worst outcome, ”Even if the railway doesn’t open on time, canals and carriages will send people here. At least I have personally given up hope. Although London is not a parade ground, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the coronation ceremony, zoning, traffic restrictions, and guidance will definitely be necessary.”

No sooner had Arthur finished speaking than there was a loud bang.

The door of the private box was almost knocked open by someone.

The wooden door slammed against the wall, causing the flames of the wall lamp to flicker.

Blackwell stood at the door, and this private secretary hadn’t even buttoned his coat properly, his face looking worse than the night.

”Sir... Sir, you are indeed here.” He took a breath, and spoke tremblingly, ”Something... something has happened.”

Arthur and Disraeli were both startled by him.

”Trouble in Canada?”

Blackwell shivered, ”Not that bad.”

”Chadwick submitted his resignation?”

Blackwell shook his head, ”Even more interesting.”

”Henry.”

Arthur mentioned his name before Blackwell finally explained, ”Just a few hours ago, Mr. Thomas Attwood, who was commissioned to compose the coronation anthem for the ceremony... passed away...”

”Attwood is dead?” Arthur immediately sat up, ”He hasn’t finished his work yet.”

Disraeli also frowned, ”Aside from Attwood, does Britain have any living students of Mozart?”

Blackwell quickly responded, ”There should be none.”

A brief silence fell in the box.

Disraeli leaned back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling, as if he was rummaging through a long list of musicians’ names in his mind.

”That’s indeed a problem.” He muttered to himself, ”With Attwood gone... who can take over this work? Who else now can write a decent coronation anthem and not cause trouble over religious, stylistic, or ceremonial matters at critical moments? St. Paul’s Cathedral? Royal Music Academy? Some talented court musician? Someone must be found to finish the score...”

Speaking to this point, Disraeli involuntarily turned his head, only to end up looking straight at Arthur’s wonderfully expressive face.

”Ah! Yes! Arthur, aren’t you...”

Unexpectedly, before Disraeli finished speaking, he was interrupted by Arthur.

Arthur raised his hand to signal Disraeli not to speak, he stared at Blackwell’s face and seriously asked, ”Has Her Majesty the Queen already made a decision?”

Blackwell seemed to finally have waited for this moment, the tension on his face instantly loosening, even showing a bit of inappropriate excitement and pride.

”There hasn’t been a final decision, Sir.” He replied quickly, ”Currently it’s still in the discussion stage. It’s said that the Coronation Committee is repeatedly consulting with the Palace Minister’s Office.”

Arthur slightly breathed a sigh of relief, ”That’s good...”

But before he could recover, Blackwell immediately added, ”Don’t be disappointed yet, although we can’t guarantee at this stage that this important task will definitely fall on your shoulders. But from personal sources, I have heard that your name has already entered the final list of three candidates.”