The Captive of Kensington Palace

by Виктория Холт

  Victoria drove back to Kensington with the Duchess and wept a little on the latter’s shoulder.

  ‘You must learn to be a little more humble,’ said the Duchess. ‘You must listen and take advice, because now you are getting older you will most certainly have your duties. The Archbishop was trying to frighten you, but there is no need to be frightened because you have your mother beside you.’

  And for once there was some comfort in that.

  Back at the Palace the Duchess had a present for her daughter. A bracelet containing a lock of her hair.

  ‘Something very special to remind you of me,’ she said.

  ‘I shall always remember this day, Mamma, when I look at this bracelet.’

  That was not the end of the excitement of that day. During the afternoon a messenger arrived from Langenberg.

  The Duchess seized on the letters avidly and calling to Victoria cried: ‘Feodora has a little daughter. They are both well.’

  ‘Oh, what a happy day after all!’ cried Victoria.

  She was enchanted at the thought of having another niece; and the baby was to have her name too – Adelaide, Victoria, Mary, Louisa, Constance.

  She could not be called Victoria, of course. That would be a little confusing. She would be known as Adelaide – a rather pleasant compliment to the Queen.

  * * *

  Victoria was wildly excited. It was the happiest of days because she had heard that Uncle Leopold was to pay a visit to England with his wife Aunt Louise, of whom Victoria had heard much and never seen.

  Uncle Leopold could scarcely wait to clasp his darling Victoria in his arms and Victoria could scarcely wait to be clasped. For so many years they had been in touch only through letters, but their affection, they were often declaring to each other, had never waned. Leopold’s letters had been full of advice for the future Queen of England, and again and again he expressed the hope that she would never cease to consult him. Hers had been full of gratitude and professions of her enduring love.

  ‘And now the prospect of seeing him, Lehzen, makes me so happy that I can scarcely bear it.’

  ‘You must not get too excited,’ warned Lehzen. ‘We have to make the journey to Ramsgate, don’t forget, and you wouldn’t want to be upset and not ready to greet them.’

  ‘I will try not to get over-excited and think about the happiness which will be mine when I see my dearest Uncle.’

  A few days later the Duchess’s party left Kensington for the leisurely journey to Ramsgate. Victoria was delighted to be in dear Tunbridge Wells which she had always enjoyed, but of course all the time she was eager to get on to Ramsgate for the arrival of Leopold and his wife.

  They had taken a house overlooking the sea. It was small and unpretentious and the Duchess was angry because the King would not allow her to fly the Royal Standard. Victoria tried to soothe her mother.

  ‘The King is right, I think, Mamma, because after all I am not the Queen.’

  The Duchess was so startled that Victoria should disagree with her that she had no words ready to reply and Victoria went on: ‘He hates what he calls my Royal Progresses and I do understand, because it makes it seem as though he is dead already and the last thing I want is Uncle William to die. He is always kind and it would upset dear Aunt Adelaide so.’

  ‘You talk like a child,’ said the Duchess angrily.

  ‘Well, Mamma, you often tell me that I am one. But I do not think Uncle William was pleased with our last trip to the North.’

  ‘He is jealous … jealous of your youth and your popularity with the people. You must not allow yourself to be influenced by jealousy. You heard what the Archbishop said. You have a very difficult road ahead and if you are going to allow yourself to behave without dignity because of the jealousy of some people I can see you are soon going to be in trouble. You must be ambitious … in the most honourable way of course. And you must not give way.’

  But for all the Duchess’s talk she dared not flout the King’s authority and the Royal Standard was not flown over the house.

  Such petty troubles, however, were forgotten with the arrival of Uncle Leopold and his wife. The streets of Ramsgate were decorated to greet him and Victoria received the usual acclaim in the streets.

  ‘What an enchanting sight!’ cried Victoria to Lehzen. ‘All the flowers and the flags … and to know that they are for dear Uncle Leopold, and the people are so glad to see him. And the sea looks so beautifully blue. I have always loved Ramsgate but I shall love it doubly now.’

  The Duchess said that they would see the arrival of the steamer better from the Albion Hotel than from the house and as it was so close she had not ordered the carriages; they would walk.

  So accompanied by the Duchess, Lehzen, Lady Conroy and Lady Flora Hastings, Victoria set out for the hotel; and as they reached it she could see the steamer in the distance. Victoria found it difficult to control her impatience.

  What excitement to sit at the window and wait for the steamer to arrive. Victoria saw it clearly, with the Belgian flag flying from its mast.

  ‘You must control your excitement, Victoria,’ said the Duchess sternly; but she was not really displeased; she liked Victoria to show appreciation of her Coburg relations of whom Uncle Leopold was the most important.

  ‘I am trying, Mamma,’ replied Victoria. ‘But it is so long since I have seen him.’

  ‘Four years,’ said the Duchess.

  ‘Four years and two months,’ Victoria corrected her; and on that occasion the Duchess merely smiled to be corrected.

  How the people were cheering! How pleasant it was to know that they appreciated Uncle Leopold! And so they should, for he had lived for a very long time in England and when he had married Princess Charlotte he had been very popular.

  Then she remembered that he had a wife. She only hoped the new Aunt Louise was worthy of him. Perhaps that was expecting the impossible, but she did believe that Aunt Louise was a very good wife and that Uncle Leopold could not have done better.

  The steamer had now entered the harbour and the cheers were deafening. Soon now she would be face to face with him.

  ‘I cannot bear it if he has changed,’ she whispered to Lehzen.

  There followed a quarter of an hour of acute suspense and one of the waiters came in and bowing to the Duchess said: ‘Your Grace, their Majesties are almost here.’

  They rose hastily to be at the door to greet them; and at last there was Uncle Leopold arm in arm with a very lovely lady whom Victoria knew at once was her Aunt Louise.

  His eyes were searching for someone among the party. She knew who that was.

  ‘Uncle Leopold!’

  ‘My dearest love!’

  They embraced; they looked at each other. ‘Oh,’ cried Victoria, ‘you have not changed at all except to become more handsome.’

  That pleased Leopold. He brought his Queen forward.

  ‘You two must love each other.’

  ‘We do already,’ cried Victoria impulsively. ‘Oh, Uncle Leopold, dearest of all uncles, how happy I am to see you again.’

  The Duchess would not allow Victoria to monopolise the scene. She must be the centre and for a while she was; but Victoria found Uncle Leopold’s eyes coming back to her; she told Lehzen afterwards that she read volumes of love there which made her very very happy; and the years of separation were forgotten in this wonderful reunion.

  Later there was time to make the acquaintance of Aunt Louise who was determined to charm Victoria since she was so important to Leopold.

  Victoria was thinking of what pleasure she would have describing this scene in her Journal.

  Aunt Louise had a slim and pretty figure and lovely fair hair; her nose was a little aquiline and her eyes a beautiful shade of blue. She wore a light-brown silk dress with a sky-blue bonnet and possessed that simple elegance which was to be expected of a Frenchwoman and the daughter of Louis Philippe. She was very pretty and what was even more important far from formidable. She seemed young and
Victoria felt that she had lots of high spirits which were longing to bubble over, and if they could meet at a less ceremonious time they might do so for Victoria.

  What an exciting meeting! On the way back to the house she chattered all the time to Lehzen about the charms of Uncle Leopold and his wife.

  * * *

  Uncle Leopold’s visit was, alas, of short duration; but he was frequently in Victoria’s company and contrived that they should be alone. What joy to go hand in hand along by the sea with Uncle Leopold; there they could not be interrupted so easily as when they were in the house.

  ‘My love,’ he said to her when they were alone, on one of these occasions, ‘when I left, you were but a little girl. Now you are grown up. In two years’ time you will be of age.’

  ‘Yes, Uncle, it sobers me to think of it.’

  ‘It is right that it should, for great responsibilities rest on the shoulders of Sovereigns.’

  ‘You must tell me how I can be a good Queen.’

  ‘I shall. I have made a study of royalty. Your cousin Ferdinand is betrothed to the Queen of Portugal and I have given him plenty of advice. You will meet him and his brother Augustus shortly, I hope. I want you to know your cousins.’

  ‘I loved Ernest and Alexander Württemberg.’

  ‘Very good boys. I shall be interested to hear what you feel about Ferdinand and his brother Augustus. But I particularly want you to like your cousins Ernest and Albert.’

  ‘What lots of boy cousins I have. There are the Georges on Papa’s side too.’

  ‘Ah yes, but you will find your German cousins much more mature. My darling, I wish you to like them better than you do Cambridge and Cumberland.’

  ‘Then I am sure I shall … if only to please you.’

  ‘No, no, it must be to please yourself.’

  ‘Then I know I shall. You were going to tell me how to be a good Queen.’

  ‘Take advice from those whom you trust and are in a position to advise you.’

  ‘There is you, Uncle Leopold.’

  ‘Always,’ he said fervently.

  ‘Apart from you there is no one.’ She hesitated; she realised that to go on would somehow be disloyal to Mamma.

  But Uncle Leopold was insistent. ‘You must hold nothing back from me, my love.’

  ‘I do not wish to, Uncle, but …’

  ‘Oh come, my darling. I want you to tell me everything … to be absolutely frank. You were going to say that there was no one whom you could trust but me. Was that so?’

  ‘Yes. I was going to say that. There is Lehzen, of course, who is my dear dear friend, and I know that all her loyalty is for me. I was not thinking of Lehzen, for she would not advise me in the way you mean.’

  ‘Then you were thinking of your mother.’

  Victoria coloured hotly. ‘I love Mamma. I know she thinks constantly of my good.’

  ‘But?’ insisted Leopold.

  Victoria hesitated; then she blurted out: ‘But I think she listens too much to Sir John Conroy.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Uncle Leopold with a long-drawn-out sigh.

  ‘I daresay I am wrong,’ began Victoria.

  ‘I daresay you are right,’ said Leopold. ‘You may be absolutely frank with me, my darling. I understand. I know what is going on. You have to act with caution and discretion. Your position is an irksome one. I know it well. Try to accept it. It will not be for long. In two years’ time, my child, you will be of age. Always remember that. Be prudent. You know that I am watching over you. Never be afraid to confide all in me. Be patient, my dearest love, and all will be well, you will see.’

  ‘Oh, Uncle, what comfort you bring me! When I think it is only two more years I should be a little frightened if I did not know that you were there.’

  He pressed her hand, and told her that he had been looking forward so much to seeing her and he had not been disappointed. She was still his darling child. He now knew that she had lost none of her affection for him and that made him the happiest man in the world.

  * * *

  She was enchanted with Aunt Louise who was, after all, Leopold’s wife. Leopold loved her; and Victoria must love all those whom Leopold wished her to. She must love her maternal cousins better than her paternal ones. But of course she would since they were closely related to Leopold. She had loved the Württemberg cousins very much; and she was prepared to love Ferdinand and Augustus – but best of all she must love Ernest and Albert because Uncle Leopold loved them and wanted her to do so, too.

  Aunt Louise’s English was fluent and her French accent pretty. She had such lovely clothes and Victoria was fascinated by them.

  One day Aunt Louise took her up to her room and they tried on all her clothes which were very elegant having been made in Paris. Aunt Louise showed her how to wear them and they were large on Victoria – but not so very large, for Louise was slight and shorter than the Duchess.

  ‘How pretty you will look in some lovely clothes!’ cried Aunt Louise.

  ‘I am always dressed like a little girl.’

  ‘That will not always be so. I will send you some clothes from France.’

  ‘Oh, Aunt Louise, how lovely. I wonder if Mamma will let me wear them! But of course she will, because Uncle Leopold will approve. I should so love to look like you, Aunt Louise. But I never shall because I am not so pretty.’

  ‘Nonsense, nonsense,’ said Louise. ‘We are as sisters … Ah, that is pleasant. We shall be sisters. Could you think of me as such?’

  ‘Oh, Aunt Louise, I could, I could.’

  She was sober suddenly.

  ‘What is wrong?’ asked Louise.

  ‘I was just thinking how sad and dull everything is going to be when you and Uncle Leopold have gone.’

  * * *

  And the end of their visit was coming near. Victoria tried not to think of it, but it was impossible not to.

  ‘I almost wish,’ she told Lehzen, ‘that it had not all been so perfect, then I should not be so sad.’

  ‘Come, come,’ said Lehzen. ‘You will see them again. They will visit you.’

  ‘They did not for more than four years.’

  ‘But your Uncle writes you lovely letters and your Aunt will now that you have met.’

  ‘I feel so sad,’ sighed Victoria. ‘I could weep.’

  ‘You must be gay for their last days.’

  But Victoria found this difficult. She had a headache and she felt sick.

  She braced herself to be gay for the next few days; and when Leopold and Louise took their leave and she, with her party, saw the steamer with the Belgian flag sailing away, she could make no more attempts, and Lehzen taking her hand cried out in horror.

  ‘How hot you are! I think you are letting this departure upset you too much.’

  ‘They have gone,’ sobbed Victoria. ‘It is all so dull without them.’

  ‘I should go to your room and lie down,’ said Lehzen. ‘I will sit with you.’

  Victoria felt too listless to disagree. She allowed Lehzen to lead her to bed and when she was there she sank into a sleep immediately.

  In the morning she felt faint and sick and in great consternation the Duchess called in her doctor.

  Within the next few days it was known that the Princess had an attack of typhoid fever.

  Chapter XVI

  AN INTRUDER IN THE BEDROOM

  Lehzen was in constant attention, snatching only a few hours sleep each night. The Duchess was unsparing of herself; Victoria was ill; all her hopes rested on this girl; Victoria must get well. She could not be submitted to ordinary nursing; Lehzen alone was to be trusted with the precious creature and between them the Duchess and the Baroness nursed Victoria.

  All through those dark October days in Ramsgate Victoria lay in her bed – not aware of where she was or what was happening about her. Lehzen cut off her hair and wept to see the thin little face – so unlike her blooming charge’s. The flushed face, over-bright eyes and incoherent babbling terrified her.


  The climax of the illness came at length and with great relief the Duchess knew that it was only a matter of building up her daughter’s strength and convalescence.

  ‘She is scarcely recognizable,’ said the Duchess to Sir John. ‘This has been a sad fright for me.’

  ‘She’ll recover. Our Princess has a very firm grip on life.’

  ‘Indeed she has. Poor Lehzen! She has not slept for nights but she’s almost gay – if you could ever imagine Lehzen gay – now that she knows the worst is over. She hardly likes me to be in the sickroom. As if I would disturb her darling. I suppose I should be furious with the creature but I know it is only out of her devotion to Victoria that she behaves like a tigress with her cub.’

  ‘And whose cub is she?’ asked Sir John with a smile. ‘Lehzen has too high a conceit of herself. I’ve always thought we could do without her.’

  The Duchess sighed. It was one matter over which she had had to stand out against Sir John. It was an indication too that Victoria already had some power; because both the Duchess and Sir John knew that to attempt to remove Lehzen would set Victoria completely against them; and there was no doubt that she would enlist the help of the King and Queen which would be readily given. In fact the King would like to take Victoria from Kensington and have her brought up in his household. A fine prospect, to have her running wild with the ‘bastidry’ and indulged and pampered by the foolish Adelaide.

  ‘Well,’ went on Sir John, ‘she is on the way to recovery now. And when I think that in less than two years she will be of age I am very apprehensive.’

  ‘Perhaps we concern ourselves too much.’

  ‘Most young people turn against those who have directed them in their youth – once they have escaped from that vigilance which has maintained them. I feel sure the Princess will be no exception.’

  ‘I shall see that she is!’

  ‘She will be surrounded by those who seek places. I do think we should make sure that we are at hand to guide her. You as her mother will certainly be, but I think I should have some post which will ensure that I am at her side.’