The Captive of Kensington Palace

by Виктория Холт

  * * *

  When the Duchess received the invitation to St James’s she was furious.

  ‘You know what this means,’ she cried to Sir John. ‘They want to look them over. I should not be surprised if that old buffoon isn’t planning some discourtesy to my nephews.’

  ‘He suspects, of course, that you have asked them here as possible suitors for Victoria.’

  ‘Then he suspects rightly.’

  ‘You will have to go carefully. Remember that his consent would have to be given. There is that Royal Marriage Bill to consider.’

  ‘Marriage for Victoria is some years away.’

  ‘That’s true. But he and the Queen want her to take young Cambridge. That’s why they want to see Victoria and the Prince together.’

  ‘Impertinence!’ said the Duchess.

  ‘But you will accept the invitation. It is, after all, in the nature of a royal command.’

  ‘I shall accept, but there shall be no nonsense. If he behaves indecorously I shall simply retire and take my party with me.’

  * * *

  ‘A ball at St James’s!’ Victoria was excited. ‘You will love it,’ she told the cousins. ‘The Queen gives such wonderful balls. She thinks of everything to please her guests. She gave me such a beautiful ball for my birthday.’

  The amiable cousins said they were greatly looking forward to meeting their Majesties.

  It was a ceremonial occasion and the King and Queen seated on gilt chairs received their guests under a canopy. They kept Victoria with them and the King asked her how she was enjoying this visit of her German cousins.

  Victoria declared that she was enjoying it immensely. Her cousins were so amusing and so friendly; she was going to miss them sadly when they went home.

  ‘You ought to come and see your Cousin George. He is very interesting and amiable too.’

  ‘I know; and I love to be with him. And with my cousin George Cumberland. I daresay he needs cheering up.’

  ‘I will arrange some parties for you,’ said Adelaide.

  Victoria was longing to dance but it seemed she was expected to sit with the King and Queen and talk; and just as she believed she was going to dance, the Duchess of Kent swept up and told their Majesties that the Kensington party was about to leave.

  ‘Oh, Mamma …’ began Victoria, but a look from the Duchess silenced her.

  The Queen was too bewildered to speak, because the ball which had been given in honour of the visitors, had scarcely begun.

  ‘The Princes are so fatigued,’ said the Duchess. They have been to a review in the park this afternoon.’

  ‘But they look …’ began the Queen.

  ‘Fatigued,’ said the Duchess promptly, and Victoria was startled that Mamma could so interrupt the Queen.

  Fortunately the King, busy talking to one of his naval friends, had not heard this; and the Queen who hated any form of conflict was trying to hide how surprised she was. If the Duchess was going to make trouble, she wished to pass over it as quickly as possible. She could not allow the King to be upset on such an occasion. There was enough whispering about him as it was, and people had not yet forgotten that scene at the Royal Academy.

  ‘So,’ said the Duchess firmly, ‘we must leave without delay.’

  ‘I should like the Princes to come and stay for a few days at Windsor,’ said the Queen. ‘You must make up a little party from Kensington.’

  ‘I’m afraid we cannot do that,’ said the Duchess. ‘They have engagements.’

  ‘But they are not going to leave us just yet?’

  ‘They have engagements for the whole of their stay,’ said the Duchess almost rudely.

  The Queen said nothing; and the Princes at the Duchess’s request came up to say good-bye to the King and Queen before they left.

  The King’s looks were black as he remarked audibly he was always glad to see the back of that woman. Adelaide behaved as though it was perfectly normal for guests of honour to leave a ball almost as soon as it was started, and the Kensington party went to their carriages.

  Victoria was silent as they drove along.

  What a disappointment! She glanced at the Duchess who was seated in the carriage beside her, her hands clasped in her lap looking as though she was a General and had just won an important battle.

  * * *

  The Duchess laughed hilariously when she and Sir John were alone.

  ‘That will show them how big a part I intend they shall play in our affairs.’

  ‘The Queen was docile, of course,’ mused Sir John. ‘But there is the King to consider.’

  ‘He’s half mad. He’ll be put away soon. He can’t stay around much longer. And then …’

  ‘Ah, and then …’ said Sir John smiling into her eyes.

  ‘They will be asking us again before long, you see, and then …’

  ‘And then we shall not be here.’

  ‘Oh?’ Her eyes were alight with speculation.

  ‘The Princes will want to see something of the country before they leave. What about a trip to the Isle of Wight? We could take the Emerald and have a very pleasant time.’

  ‘An excellent idea! And by the time their Majesties command us to come to St James’s, we shall not be at home.’

  ‘It is well that the Princes should realise Victoria’s standing in the country. We’ll have royal salutes fired on every possible occasion and we’ll fly the Royal Standard over the Emerald to let all know that the future Queen is on board.’

  The Duchess was gleeful.

  ‘We’ll show their ridiculous Majesties what we think of them. How amusing … no matter how furious they become they can never shift Victoria from her position.’

  ‘As usual,’ said Sir John blandly, ‘you put your finger on the real issue. I often think how carefully we should have to tread if they had that power.’

  ‘But they have not. That is why we can do exactly as we want. And that, my dear Sir John, is what I intend to do.’

  * * *

  What a gloriously exciting morning! Victoria had been up since just after five o’clock, for they were leaving Kensington Palace at seven. The Duchess and Sir John had made hasty plans which were to be kept secret because the Duchess wished it not to be known that they were going away until they had gone.

  ‘How I shall love to be on the dear Emerald,’ said Victoria to Lehzen over breakfast. ‘I have been telling Alexander about it.’

  Alexander was the favourite, thought Lehzen; she must report this to the Duchess. Or should she? She had served the Duchess well but she did deplore her friendship with Sir John, and Sir John was no friend to Lehzen, any more than he had been to poor Späth. Späth was happy enough now with Feodora and her children, but she did feel the break with Victoria sadly; and as for Lehzen, there was no one in the world whom she could love as she loved Victoria and to be separated from her … I would prefer death, thought Lehzen dispassionately, for she was not given to dramatising situations and the fact was that she sincerely would. And Sir John had tried to separate them.

  What Lehzen wanted most of all was Victoria’s happiness; and if that was to be achieved her husband must be chosen with the greatest care. Victoria was inclined to love any member of her family with enthusiasm, and she was particularly attracted by young men, and when those young men took such pains to please her – for they were fully aware of what a prize might come to one of them – she was in a state of enchantment.

  Victoria was affectionate by nature. She wanted to shower love on all those around her. In the last year there had been frequent visits to the opera and the ballet and the accounts Victoria gave of these in her Journal were ecstatic – one might say hyperbolic. She would describe in detail what the dancers and singers wore; she would write of their beauty; her delight in them was profound and she expressed it with the utmost frankness.

  Her greatly beloved child was so spontaneous, so delighted by the world around her, thought Lehzen, that she was ready to fall in love with
the first young man who was presented to her. It must be the right one. George Cambridge was a delightful boy but Lehzen thought that being brought up so near to Victoria had made her regard him as a brother. Poor George Cumberland since his accident had aroused her overwhelming pity and perhaps because of this had become a little more popular than Cambridge. But these glittering cousins with their precise German manners and their overwhelming ability to please had been taken right to her heart.

  ‘God bless my dear child,’ prayed Lehzen nightly; and now as she listened to Victoria’s excited chatter at breakfast she thought: God give her happiness.

  ‘I shall take them walking along by the sea. They tell me they love the sea, although they did not greatly enjoy the crossing. But this will be different, I tell them. Dear little Dashy does not seem very well this morning, Lehzen. Oh dear, I do hope he is going to be well enough to travel.’

  ‘He can go with the grooms,’ said Lehzen. ‘I daresay he will soon be better.’

  ‘The sea air will be so good for him. Alexander loves Dashy. He did like him so much in his jacket and trousers, but I think they are too hot for this time of the year and they annoy him.’

  She is only a child yet, thought Lehzen. And this visit is just a preliminary one. There are the other cousins to be seen and she may like them better. At least there will be four of them and I expect she will be allowed to choose within the quartet.

  It was time to leave. Sir John went into the first post-chaise and led the way, and Victoria followed in the next with the Duchess; after that came Lehzen’s landau, with the cousins following in their carriage; and the rest of the party after them.

  The sun was shining and the road was clear; and in an hour’s time they were changing horses at Esher. As they drove the Duchess talked to Victoria about the manner in which she should conduct herself with her cousins, and Victoria listened somewhat listlessly, murmuring: ‘Yes, Mamma,’ now and then, as she revelled in the beauties of the countryside. She wished she could have ridden with the cousins, but she supposed that would not have been very proper.

  What fun it was to be towed over to the dear Isle of Wight, and Admiral Sir Thomas Williams whose barge they were using accompanied them and stood with her and her cousins as they slowly left the mainland for the island.

  ‘I shall always love the dear island after this,’ she said, and Alexander declared he would do the same.

  ‘And so shall I,’ said Ernest, not to be outdone by his brother. And he added: ‘I hope I shall come here often.’

  Carriages were waiting to take them to Norris Castle in Cowes where they were to stay for a while. Victoria was secretly pleased that the Conroy family were not to stay at the Castle. Sir John had a house on the island, and he with Lady Conroy and the children were to stay there. It was called Osborne Lodge and when Victoria saw it she was delighted with it, and but for the fact that it was Sir John’s and he was there, would have liked to stay in it herself.

  What a glorious time they had! Everyone wanted to see Victoria and do honour to her. The people cheered her wherever she went; guns were constantly firing salutes; the Royal Standard flew from Norris Castle; and the Princes were very impressed with the importance of their young cousin.

  Alexander was a little jealous of Ernest and Ernest of Alexander; but as they were so amiable, they did not allow their jealousy to spoil the happiness of the days, only to enhance it.

  I am growing up, thought Victoria; and one of the most pleasant things about growing up was the attention of young men. She tried to bestow favours equally on them because she liked them both; but if she were asked to choose which one she preferred, it would be dear Alexander.

  And there was the beautiful Emerald which Victoria looked upon as her own ship, waiting for them. How she looked forward to entertaining the cousins on the ship. She was so beautiful with the Royal Standard flying bravely above her.

  * * *

  The Queen reading the papers at breakfast gave a little gasp of dismay.

  ‘What’s this?’ asked the King.

  For once Adelaide’s equilibrium was disturbed and she was flushed with annoyance. It was a few days after the ball when the Duchess had discourteously left early.

  ‘The Württemberg Princes spent the whole of yesterday at the Zoo,’ said Adelaide. ‘And I was told that they had so many engagements that our invitation to Windsor must be refused.’

  William laid down the paper he was reading and banged his fist on the table.

  ‘That woman,’ he said, ‘is getting beyond endurance. You ask her to a ball which is to be given in honour of her relations and she comes here and behaves as though she is some sort of Empress and we are subjects whom she is honouring. I won’t stand it, Adelaide. I tell you I won’t.’ William had begun to declaim. ‘Who is the woman? Widow of some obscure German Prince before she married Edward; and when Edward died she behaved as though she were head of the family. She has to be taught a lesson and I’m going to teach her a lesson.’

  Adelaide wished she had not spoken.

  ‘The best thing is to ignore her,’ she began.

  ‘Ignore her! When she goes about parading that girl as though she is already Queen and I don’t exist. Oh no. I’ll not ignore her. I’ll humiliate her … publicly that’s what I’ll do.’

  His face was growing scarlet.

  He shouted for his secretary.

  ‘William, what are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to summon her to St James’s in such a way that she dare not refuse and then I am going to command her to bring those young men here. I’m going to tell her that they are guests in my Kingdom and if I wish to entertain them I will.’

  ‘William, don’t you think …’

  ‘I know what I think, my dear, and that is that this woman has gone too far.’

  His secretary arrived and he dictated a wordy command to the Duchess to come to St James’s without delay.

  When the messenger had left William stalked up and down rehearsing what he would say to That Woman when she stood before him. Adelaide watched him fearfully. Words flowed from him a little incoherently. She was terrified; and then greatly relieved when the messenger returned to say that the Duchess and her guests had left Kensington the previous day and her servants were unsure of her destination.

  * * *

  William was not to be appeased. ‘Royal progress,’ he said. ‘Flaunting themselves all over the Kingdom. Staying in country houses! Whig houses most of ‘em! That woman seems to believe that her daughter is the Queen and she is the Regent. For she is the one, you know. She is the ruler. The poor girl does what she’s told. Royal Salutes popping all over the place. There’s going to be an end to this popping.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ suggested Adelaide, ‘if they knew your wishes they would stop having these salutes fired.’

  ‘I shall command them to stop their poppings. Whoever heard of such arrogance? I’ll send for Earl Grey and tell him.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Adelaide. ‘I think that would be an excellent idea.’

  When Earl Grey came he said that in view of the great popularity of the little Princess – and although he did not add the lack of popularity of the King although this was what he implied – he thought it might be a good idea to ask the Duchess first to stop having the salutes fired.

  ‘Ask?’ cried the King. ‘Why should I ask favours of that woman?’

  ‘Just as a matter of form,’ suggested Earl Grey; and Adelaide was nodding.

  The King hesitated. ‘Do it how you like,’ he said, ‘but the salutes are to be stopped.’

  Adelaide was relieved. She did hope the matter could be settled amicably.

  * * *

  ‘Do you think,’ said the Duchess to Sir John, ‘that too much adulation is going to Victoria’s head?’

  ‘There is certainly a change in her since the arrival of the Princes.’

  ‘She is too fond of admiration.’

  Sir John looked slyly at his Duchess. ‘It’s
a common enough failing.’

  ‘There is no room in the life of a Queen for common failings. She is becoming vain. I have caught her twice looking in the looking-glass; and worse than that, she seemed to have quite an idea of her own importance.’

  ‘Since she receives royal salutes wherever she goes and the people cheer her and make much of her, and she has two handsome young men both eager to be chosen as her husband – to say nothing of those paternal cousins whom the King and Queen would favour – I suppose a little vanity is understandable.’

  ‘She frowned when I criticised her. I do believe she thinks that she is of more consequence than I am.’

  ‘That may well be,’ said Sir John.

  ‘She will have to be checked.’

  ‘Lehzen spoils her.’

  ‘In her own stern way perhaps.’

  ‘Nevertheless it is spoiling.’

  ‘My dear, she would make such trouble if I sent Lehzen away. She would appeal to William and Adelaide.’

  ‘You have snapped your fingers at them quite often.’

  ‘Yes, but we must remember that until William is acknowledged to be mad he is still the King and he could be difficult. Nevertheless I am determined not to allow Victoria to imagine she can command us all … yet.’

  A messenger had arrived with a letter for the Duchess. Sir John watched her while she opened it and read it.

  When she had done so she threw it on to the table with a sarcastic laugh. Sir John picked it up and read it.

  ‘They suggest that you stop the salutes.’

  ‘Impertinence,’ said the Duchess.

  ‘Well, hardly that.’

  ‘I shall certainly not stop them. Victoria has every right to be saluted. She will be the Queen as soon as William is dead.’

  ‘My dear Duchess has overlooked one factor. William is not dead.’