The Shadow of Great Britain

Victoria was originally staring at her plate in a daze, and upon hearing this, she paused: ”Arthur?”

Leisen nodded: ”Since Sir Arthur is involved in the mediation, he surely has more access to the true status and concerns of the Earl of Dalmo than any Cabinet member. Moreover, he has always had a close relationship with the Count, and has even worked together in Russia. If there is anyone in the world who could know what the Earl of Dalmo is thinking, it would be him, apart from the Countess of Dalmo.”

”But...” Victoria was somewhat hesitant: ”Does he have time to come to the palace today? I remember his usual official duties are quite heavy. The last time he came to the palace, he complained to me. At that time, I was wondering whether to talk to Viscount Melbourne about assigning him a different position. But he disagreed, saying that he didn’t want others to think he was a coward unable to endure hardship.”

Leisen chuckled softly: ”Your Majesty, if Sir Arthur truly did not wish to come, he wouldn’t have risked offending others for you at Kensington Palace, at Ramsgate, or on the morning of your ascension to the throne, time and time again. Whenever you summon him, he never has any excuse.”

Victoria lightly used the tip of her knife to cut off a small piece of bacon but didn’t bring it to her mouth for a long time: ”But... today is Sunday. Who knows if he might leave the city? Or be preparing for tomorrow’s Cabinet material? Sometimes he writes over a dozen letters a day. Without a particularly proper reason... I don’t want to disturb him.”

”Your Majesty.” Leisen’s voice was gentle yet firm: ”Sir Arthur never views your summon as a disturbance.”

Victoria was about to say something more when suddenly, a stack of Morning Papers with a bit of chill still on them was brought in, the top being The Times.

This was a habit Victoria learned from Arthur, to read The Times every day during breakfast.

Victoria originally planned to read the newspaper later, but as her eyes glanced over it, she unexpectedly noticed the words ”Police Commissioner Committee” on today’s issue of The Times.

The Times Reader’s Letters column

Sir, allow me to recount to you an incident I witnessed accidentally tonight.

At the time, I was passing through the square’s arcade and saw a well-dressed young girl carrying a small parcel, seemingly running an errand. On the way, she was accosted by an elderly gentleman. His appearance and attire I can describe accurately for identification, but I fear that revealing his misconduct may shock his wife and children, so I will not describe him in detail here.

I saw the girl stop and converse with him after a brief pursuit. After what seemed like a sincere negotiation, it wasn’t long before he led the girl towards the direction of Covent Street. Witnessing this suspicious and abhorrent scene, I promptly urged the officer on patrol nearby (badge number C68) to monitor the situation. Officer C68 conducted himself with great discretion, clearly realizing the seriousness of the situation, but stated that under current law, he had no authority to intervene in such behavior.

Yet, with my repeated pleas, he indeed caught up with the girl and learned from her that the elderly scoundrel intended to take her to a house on Oxendon Street. People my age all understand what this implies, its purpose is self-evident. The officer warned the unfortunate child and advised her to go home immediately. As far as I know, the girl complied, but within minutes, we saw the white-haired scoundrel frantically pursue his prey again.

Honorable editors of The Times, my reason for writing to your esteemed publication is to propose through your platform to the Police Commissioner Committee that in all similar cases, where there are clear social status disparities or considerable age differences between parties, thus providing reasonable grounds to infer immoral intentions or potential illegality, the police should be empowered to reprimand such entities.

Considering that children from impoverished families lack supervision because their parents must toil for a living, coupled with seasoned libertines frequently using their wealth and cunning words to tempt innocent young girls, we ought to offer a protective hand to these vulnerable groups. One point that warrants additional mention is that Officer C68 told me that he is accustomed to such incidents and knows today’s scoundrel is certainly not a first-time offender.

From: A Father with a Daughter

Victoria’s gaze lingered on this reader’s letter for a long time.

She only felt her good appetite suddenly disappear without a trace, even the aroma of the freshly cut bacon became nauseating.

”Leisen...” Her voice trembled slightly: ”London... could such things really happen? Such... blatant, vile...”

She couldn’t find the precise words to express her current feelings.

Leisen had already noticed the change in her mood and softly said, ”Your Majesty, this letter is not exaggerated.”

Victoria jolted: ”Not exaggerated? So, it means it is true?”

Leisen nodded: ”Not only is it true, but... quite common.”

”Quite common...” When she repeated these words, her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: ”But this is London... They actually allow such things... Why doesn’t anyone stop it? Could it be the police just stand there and do nothing?”

”Just like the officer on the paper said, they don’t have the authority.”

”No authority, so they can’t do anything?” Victoria was a little angry: ”At Ramsgate, Sir Arthur didn’t have any authority either!”