The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1812: Chapter 107: Go to Lancaster Gate and Call for Sir Arthur Hastings

The evening air at Kensington Palace was always tranquil.

The faint scent of waxed wooden floors floated through the corridors, with maids and servants moving quietly, as if any sound louder than footsteps would be a disrespect to this palace.

However, at this moment, Princess Sophia wanted to scream, feeling as if she were suffocating.

”Did he declare in public that he is the son of a princess?” Her voice sounded a bit shaky, slightly distorted with fear, ”Flora, he... didn’t he say... he said he would behave... Conroy promised me, he promised me the child would be obedient...”

”Yes, Your Highness.” Miss Flora Hastings’s tone was steady, deliberately lowered to avoid disturbing the servants outside, ”It is said that at the time, he was stumbling drunk. When he saw the officers coming in for an arrest, he felt it was a disrespect to him, and if it weren’t for the quick response of the Scotland Yard officers, he almost pulled a gun and shot.”

”Pulled a gun? No one was hurt, right?”

”It seems a couple of officers from Scotland Yard got injured but nothing serious.” Flora’s expression darkened, ”But on the way to being taken to Scotland Yard, he kept shouting that he was His Majesty the King’s nephew, your son. Scotland Yard didn’t believe this, but to be sure, they sent someone to Kensington Palace to verify the situation just now.”

Upon hearing Old Bailey and Throne Court, Princess Sophia started, fell back a couple of steps, and collapsed into the gilded sofa chair, as if someone had given her a hard push from behind.

”You said Scotland Yard sent someone here? They want to interrogate him? They can’t... they can’t interrogate him, the child... no matter what he did wrong, he can’t stand in court... he can’t stand in the dock with handcuffs, that’s not allowed!”

Princess Sophia staggered to her feet again, stumbled to the dressing table, yanking open the drawer to frantically search for the receipts buried at the bottom, ”I’ve paid! All paid, every year... every year, he said as long as there was money, he wouldn’t make a sound.”

As she searched, she murmured to herself, ”Since a few years ago, I’ve done everything Conroy said, transferred money on time every year, never missing a penny... I even bought him fine wool suits, from the tailor shop on Regent Street, more than once he said he wanted to be an officer, I even found someone for him, why, why did he still go to such a place and cause trouble? Why did he have to shout my name? Why, why does he always have to cause trouble...”

Flora Hastings tried her best to comfort the King’s sister, yet Princess Sophia at this moment seemed unable to listen to anything.

She clung to the edge of the table, muttering incessantly, ”No, no, I can’t let them ask me... can’t let me appear... once I say a word of denial, they can ruin him... but if I admit it, then it’s a royal scandal... they will say I seduced father’s attendant... say I’m a harlot... a woman who disgraced the royal family, hiding with a child in the cracks of the walls...”

”Your Highness, please don’t worry, I’ve managed to keep the officer who came to notify in the waiting room of the South Corridor, he doesn’t dare leave without permission. I said you were unwell and inconvenient to see guests for the moment.” Flora helped her sit down, lowering her voice to speak in her ear, ”Scotland Yard hasn’t officially filed a case yet, there’s still a chance to turn things around.”

Princess Sophia suddenly looked up, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, ”Did you tell him?”

”No.” Flora’s answer was short and forceful, ”I know such a thing definitely can’t be answered by me.”

”Then what should I do?” Sophia gasped anxiously, ”Where’s Conroy? I need Conroy, he said to look for him if something comes up, he said I could rely on him when needed...”

Flora also knew things were not going well, she whispered, ”Your Highness, Sir John Conroy accompanied the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria to Claymont Manor yesterday, the soonest he can return is by noon the day after tomorrow.”

Princess Sophia seemed to be choked, her face turned pale, ”Then what should we do? Do we have to give Scotland Yard an answer now? Can you ask them if it can wait until the day after?”

Flora shook her head, ”If we must delay until the day after, it would be tantamount to tacit admission.”

”What if we deny it?”

”I just sounded out the mood of that officer. From what he means, if you deny it, they might transfer him to Old Bailey’s criminal court on charges of assaulting an officer and grievous harm, and considering young Thomas also allegedly insulted the royal honor, there’s a possibility of Throne Court’s involvement later. Most embarrassingly, ever since Officer Robert Cali’s incident, Scotland Yard now has an unusually tough attitude towards assaulting officers, so they usually won’t let people go easily. If we assume the worst, the trial for young Thomas could begin within forty-eight hours, and it seems that Fleet Street has already got wind of it.”

Princess Sophia’s body shook violently in her chair, her hands clutching the armrest with her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

”Fleet Street...” she repeated softly, as if this name was tantamount to a death sentence for her.

”How could they know so quickly?” Princess Sophia suddenly lifted her head, fear glistening in her eyes, ”Was it someone from the police station who leaked it? No... was it a journalist? They will investigate, they definitely will. They will go to the bank... check if I’m in contact with that child... they will also question the wet nurse, servants, doctor from back then... once they start checking, I won’t be able to keep anything...”