The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1803: Chapter 103: You! Forbidden to Date! (Part 2)

She stood quietly for a moment, then turned lightly and walked towards the kitchen, muttering softly as she went: ”East India Company? A director’s grandson? That doesn’t sound like someone to mess with. Why does all the trouble in the world have to pile up on Sir...”

Moments later, there was a slight noise from the stove and the sound of porcelain clashing in the kitchen. Not long after, the dining room door was pushed open again. Becky came in carrying a small tray, on which was placed a pot of freshly brewed tea and a small dish of lightly toasted buttered bread.

She carefully placed the tray on the coffee table beside Arthur, with a hint of fussing and a touch of familial concern: ”I didn’t use your Pu-erh brick; that stuff is too troublesome to brew. So I just roasted some bread casually, paired with the new tea Mr. Hutter sent you last time; you said the taste was fairly clean.”

Arthur paused for a moment, then looked down at the freshly filled cup of hot tea, the steam rising in the dim light, but his mind was filled with things about Victoria and Lord Elphinsone.

As Arthur had just mentioned, Lord Elphinsone is the son of a director of the East India Company.

Or, more accurately, the grand-nephew of the former chairman of the East India Company, William Fullerton-Elphinsone, and Admiral, Viscount Keith, George Keith-Elphinsone.

And his father, old John Elphinsone, was a Lieutenant General.

Besides, he had several notable uncles, such as Colonel William George Keith-Elphinsone, who participated in the Battle of Waterloo and served as an aide to George IV, and John Fullerton-Elphinsone, the chief representative of the East India Company in Guangzhou.

As for Lord Elphinsone himself, he actually counts as a rising star in British politics.

Since childhood, he received military education under Viscount Keith, and upon coming of age, joined the army like numerous ancestors of the Elphinsone family before him, serving in a unit with a strong noble tint—the Royal Guard Cavalry Regiment (the Blues).

Lord Elphinsone stayed with this regiment for six years and climbed the ranks from bugler to Captain of the Guard Cavalry.

Soon enough, in 1831, Lord Elphinsone naturally noticed the tide of parliamentary reform. He rallied the Scottish nobility to support the reforms, and after the reform, he was successfully elected as the Scottish nobility representative to the House of Lords.

And shortly after, King William IV selected him as a chamberlain.

Just from Lord Elphinsone’s growth experience, Arthur really had nothing in common with him.

Moreover, he also heard from others that this 27-year-old Scottish noble was a talented, amiable man.

Therefore, if he could give up his ’misguided intentions’ towards Victoria, Arthur wouldn’t mind becoming friends with him.

”John Elphinstone, the thirteenth Lord Elphinsone”

But, what should never, ever happen is how he can set his sights on the Crown Prince?

Arthur didn’t know when Victoria and Elphinsone connected. However, he remembered last night Eld mentioning Lord Elphinsone accompanying the Dutch crown prince, ’Slender Billy’ William, during his recent visit to Britain and befriending him.

If that’s the case, Elphinsone likely met Victoria at that matchmaking ball specifically held for two Dutch Crown Princes and Victoria.

Though during last night’s pub chat, no matter whether it was Wheatstone, Louis, or Great Dumas who awoke last, everyone took Eld’s news as false rumors for laughs.

But Arthur, who held Kensington Palace movements and Victoria’s itinerary, found it hard to remain calm about it.

As is well-known, ever since the Royal theft case at Golden Cross Station, many ’volunteer overtime’ plainclothes officers from Scotland Yard had been dispatched around Kensington Palace.

These plainclothes officers not only patrolled around Kensington Palace daily but held a significant task—to monitor all the travel routes of Victoria and provide security along the way.

Of course, to the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, Scotland Yard tracking Victoria was primarily for en-route security.

However, in Arthur’s view, security was crucial, but knowing where Victoria went and what she did was equally important.

This aided him in grasping the Crown Prince’s behaviors, interests, and provided conveniences for many of his subsequent works.

Recent reports from the plainclothes force indicated that when Victoria went out, there were instances when she briefly vanished while accompanied by Lady Leisen, disappearing on Wednesdays and Fridays at Green Park and St. James Park, as well as during Sunday services at St Martin’s Church and St. James’s Church.

Moreover, not only did the plainclothes force notice this unusual situation, Kensington Palace also recognized Victoria’s frequent ’solo disappearances’ when nearing Kensington Palace accompanied by Leisen. This behavior equally raised suspicion for the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, resulting in them recently escalating Kensington Palace’s security and intensifying surveillance on Victoria.

Had Arthur not received Eld’s ’tip-off,’ he could have deemed Victoria’s disappearances as typical teenage girls’ pranks; now, however, he dared not take it lightly whatsoever.

Because once Lord Elphinsone and Victoria’s relationship solidified, and if anything did happen between them...

Needless to say, Victoria would inevitably be stripped of her succession rights to the throne, with the terrifying prospect of the Duke of Cumberland succeeding her.

This was the first time since entering Kensington Palace that Arthur sincerely supported the Kensington System.

Even if it had myriad shortcomings, it surely could steadily enthrone Victoria to the Kingdom’s throne of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom.

And Victoria’s successful accession pertained to many people’s future and determined Britain’s future political landscape.

In Arthur’s view, even Conservative Party leader Sir Robert Peel undoubtedly did not wish to see the Duke of Cumberland ascending.

The sole party welcoming the Duke of Cumberland might only be the High Tories (extreme conservatives) within the Conservative Party.

Thus, for Arthur, there is absolutely no room for compromise regarding Victoria’s romantic affairs, even if she were to marry Tsar Nicholas I’s son Alexander, still far better than Lord Elphinsone, for that at least ensured she would not be stripped of her inheritance rights by the Royal Marriage Law.

But speaking back, girls in this age when caught in romance can hardly be reasoned with.

If she were forcibly separated from her lover, it would merely strengthen her emotional resolve.

This could evidently be seen when Victoria went out, getting rid of Lady Leisen, suspecting that it was just to have few moments alone with Lord Elphinsone.

The essence of why this relationship could develop lies in its forbidden nature.

That is to say, precisely because it is both secret and restricted, Victoria finds thrill in this, mistaking it for love.

This is akin to Victoria’s aunt, Princess Sophia’s relationship with old General Garth; had Queen Charlotte not watched her daughter so closely back then, with Sophia’s status, it would never have been possible to settle for the unremarkable, even rather plain old Garth.

More dire, Lord Elphinsone’s appearance and demeanor are evidently far more exceptional than old Garth.

Arthur had dealt with the most notorious criminals of the East District and solved the most complex murder cases but breaking up a pair of lovers without them resenting you was evidently more delicate than solving a murder.

What should be done?