The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1715: Chapter 67: My Dear? My Deer!

The private carriage carrying Arthur and Disraeli departed from Kensington Palace. The driver first took Arthur back to the residence at Lancaster Gate to retrieve the luggage for this short hunting trip from the hands of the maid Betty. Then the carriage left the city via Westminster Bridge, passed through Clapham, Wimbledon, Epsom, and gradually entered the undulating hills of the Surrey border, before continuing into Hampshire.

Compared to London, the air in Hampshire seemed as if it had been washed with water, carrying a faint fragrance of grass and wet leaves. Even in the late autumn of November, it lacked the suffocating smell of coal smoke and iron found in the capital.

By the end of November, the countryside in the south of England was always busier than usual.

Every now and then, Arthur could see several ornate carriages passing by on the road.

Generally speaking, there were only a few types of people who could afford such carriages. Calculating by the time, the recent autumn circuit court in Hampshire had just ended, so most of these carriages probably belonged to magistrates, lawyers, and their families and friends returning to their estates for the winter.

Of course, it also couldn’t be ruled out that some local gentry or retired officers returning from London might be mixed in, as it was also the end of the London social season.

Arthur habitually tried to deduce the owners of these carriages from any clues, while Disraeli, also bored from the journey and seeking some amusement, aimed his target at the former Prime Minister, Viscount Melbourne.

”Arthur, do you know about that matter concerning Viscount Melbourne?”

”Which one? The one where he fell asleep during a Cabinet meeting? Or the one where Mr. Joseph Hume from the Lower House visited him to present the necessity of reducing the death penalty and implementing compulsory education, only to find Melbourne pulling feathers from the cushion and tossing them in the air, then blowing them to the other side of the desk?”

”Alright, so you know both stories. I thought so, after all, Lord Brougham was an eyewitness at the Cabinet meeting, and Mr. Hume is from Westminster, they must have complained to you quite a bit about Melbourne, right?”

”The word ’complain’ might be a bit harsh, but they do suspect that Viscount Melbourne is somewhat senile, although he doesn’t look that old. But considering that Viscount Melbourne can even irritate someone as mild-tempered as Faraday, I think calling him frivolous isn’t entirely wrong.”

”Frivolous?” Disraeli perked up upon hearing those words. ”My dear Arthur, you obviously don’t know which part he is truly frivolous about.”

Arthur appeared uninterested in the topic: ”Are you talking about his late wife, Caroline? Come on, her affair with Byron is old news; you’re not going to tell me about that, are you?”

”Old news? You’re mistaken; I’m going to tell you an even older secret!” Disraeli gleefully took out the ”Melbourne Family Secrets” told to him by Mrs. Sikes: ”Do you know who Viscount Melbourne’s biological father is?”

Arthur, who had been pondering about what to eat tonight, was nearly taken aback by Disraeli’s words.

”The father of Viscount Melbourne?” He realized the matter might not be that simple: ”Isn’t it the old Viscount Melbourne?”

”Of course not,” Disraeli said confidently. ”His biological father is the Earl of Egremont, the lover of Lady Melbourne.”

”Egremont?” Arthur frowned, slowly putting down his pipe: ”Peter Leir Egremont? The one from Petworth House?”

Speaking of the Earl of Egremont, Arthur actually knew the old aristocrat well.

The reason was simple: the Earl of Egremont could be considered one of Britain’s foremost patrons of the arts in history.

William Turner, who painted a portrait for Arthur, had long been funded by the Earl of Egremont, and was even permitted to live at the Earl’s Petworth House for painting.

Of course, the Earl of Egremont didn’t just fund renowned painters like Turner; even lesser-known artists like John Martin and William Blake received more or less support from him.

In addition to this, the Earl of Egremont was one of Britain’s most famous collectors, his Petworth House boasting the largest private art collection, featuring works of Reynolds, Gainsborough, Turner, Watteau, and so on.

His wealth came from the development of his estates, including the Petworth Canal and numerous agricultural improvement projects in Sussex County.

However, this popular eligible bachelor remained unmarried for life.

Of course, being unmarried didn’t stop him from being a romantic; some swore that the Earl of Egremont had 43 illegitimate children, while others believed the number was over sixty. Even if we choose the smaller estimate, it’s still quite staggering.

Yet Arthur never expected Viscount Melbourne to be one of the forty-three.

But upon further thought, it didn’t seem all that surprising, for Lady Melbourne herself was quite a character. Though she had been furious at her daughter-in-law Caroline Ponsonby’s affair with Byron, calling Caroline a madwoman who smeared the Melbourne and Ponsonby families and tarnished the Whig Party circle with a bucket of scandals.