The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1712: Chapter 66: Best Partners

In this world, perhaps no one possesses as many political innovations as the Earl of Bickenfield (Benjamin Disraeli), yet he never had any political beliefs. In this regard, he and Sir Arthur Hastings indeed make a perfect political pair.

—— Walter Bagehot, the legendary editor of The Economist (served 1860-1877)

As Arthur stepped out of Kensington Palace, the sun had just passed noon, with a faint scent of grass lingering in the air, occasionally accompanied by gentle breezes rustling the hem of his clothes.

While strolling along the garden path, Arthur’s mind was still swirling with the words Lady Leisen had just spoken.

—— You have also noticed, Your Highness has become much more cheerful lately, and I guess it is not unrelated to her stepping out of that man’s shadow more often.

This nearly explicit hint wasn’t difficult to guess; that man obviously referred to John Conroy.

Conroy’s wanton behavior, he had heard of it even before entering Kensington Palace.

However, after these two months of interaction, Arthur discovered that perhaps Conroy’s control over this palace was far more solid than he had imagined.

With just a few words, he could persuade the Duchess of Kent for a pay raise, even though Arthur orchestrated the memorial ceremony that caused a sensation in London, the salary soaring from 800 pounds to 1400 pounds was still hard to comprehend.

Nevertheless, as he traveled more frequently between Kensington Palace and the University of London, Arthur also gained some unexpected benefits.

Currently, when he reentered Almack’s Club, he was astonished to find that he was no longer viewed as a young man of lower status; the London high society that had once subtly rejected him in 1832 was now openly welcoming him with open arms.

As he wandered in the club with a glass of wine, not only were the ladies eager to chat, but increasingly more dignitaries also began to stop and converse with him.

And whenever there was a vacant seat at the card table, he was always regarded as an excellent choice to fill the void.

People asked him about electromagnetism, about music composition, about the Caucasus, and of course, they were most concerned about the internal gossip of Kensington Palace.

In Great Britain, from the nobility to the common folk on the streets, a piece of royal news could always draw them to set down their work and gather around you.

As the private tutor at Kensington Palace, a part of the Kensington System, to avoid angering the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, Arthur naturally couldn’t disclose too much about Kensington Palace.

Yet even so, everyone was still willing to hear Arthur repeatedly bring up those trivial matters.

Such as Her Highness liking lamb, growing a little taller this month compared to last, her eyes resembling her mother’s...

Of course, openly clarifying rumors was an inevitable part.

There had been rumors in London claiming that Princess Victoria seldom appeared in public because she was born with a congenital leg disease, meaning she was lame.

The source of this rumor could not be traced now, but many people in Almack’s Club said it was spread by agents of the ”rival to Princess Victoria’s throne,” the Duke of Cumberland.

However, from Arthur’s private conversations with Victoria, the Princess clearly had a different view; she attributed all these rumors to Conroy’s daughter, the playmate she did not like—Victoire Conroy.

Which explanation is the truth, the former renowned detective of Scotland Yard, Sir Arthur Hastings, was too lazy to investigate.

Perhaps both are true, or perhaps neither is.

Compared to knowing the truth, Arthur was more interested in why Victoria would so detest Victoire, even going so far as to speak on behalf of her ”evil uncle,” the Duke of Cumberland, regarding the rumors.

This question wasn’t difficult to investigate; soon, Arthur learned the truth from conversations with Kensington Palace servants.

It was well known that the Duchess of Kent was exceptionally fond of the Conroy family. Therefore, Conroy’s daughter, Victoire, was actually named after the Duchess of Kent, who was also Victoire’s godmother.

If, in treating Victoria, the Duchess of Kent displayed the strict side of a mother, then in treating Victoire, there was only the warmth of a mother.

This differential treatment would chill anyone, let alone a young girl like Victoria.

And this also explained why Victoria would be so obedient to Lady Leisen, because this lady might be the only one in Kensington Palace who wholeheartedly protected Victoria’s interests, even when Her Highness might be wrong sometimes.

Lady Leisen had been Victoria’s governess for ten years, during which she never took a day off, nor did she leave her for a single time.

In other words, if it came to influence over Victoria, Lady Leisen might have more than the Duchess of Kent.

As for Conroy, Arthur sometimes truly didn’t know how to evaluate the Grand Steward of Kensington Palace.

Actually, Arthur’s first impression of Conroy wasn’t particularly bad; in social settings, Conroy’s manners certainly counted as proper, and his conversations were humble and amiable.

However, as soon as he returned to Kensington, Conroy seemed like a completely different person.