Виктория Холт - The Queen and Lord M

Never in the whole of her life had she been so happy.

What glorious days followed! When she was not in his company she was impatient for a sight of him. She could come behind him and kiss the top of his head. Always demonstrative in her affections, she insisted on constant embraces. Not that Albert was loath. He was enchanted with her; and if she had fallen immediately and violently in love with him he was ready to follow at a more measured pace.

They talked about music and their respective childhoods, but they agreed that the past was unimportant compared with the future which they would share. What joy to dance with Albert, hands tightly clasped, smiling fondly. As she mentioned to Lehzen, she had never been so happy nor felt so humble. She had never thought it possible that she, the Queen, could be grateful to a man for marrying her.

‘Of course, he will have a very high position,’ she said.

‘He’ll also have his burdens,’ added Lehzen.

Poor darling Daisy, perhaps she did feel that she was being pushed a little into the background. Albert seemed to take over so much of what she had done in the past. He made sure that she was not in a draught; he put a shawl or a cape about her shoulders; he would whisper that she should not do this or that as it might not be good for her.

What joy to be so cherished! But dear Daisy would always have a place in her heart.

It was different with Lord Melbourne. He remained her dear Prime Minister however much she was in love with Albert, and she must still have her daily meetings with him. It was true she took up a lot of time in discussing the perfections of Albert.

One day she mentioned Albert’s reserve.

‘Of course, I find it delightful. Do you know, I believe he is quite unaware of any of the other ladies.’

‘Quite right and proper in the circumstances.’

‘Oh, yes, of course, but I do not believe he has ever looked at a woman before.’

‘That type often flirts later on,’ said Lord Melbourne rather waspishly.

‘That,’ cried the Queen angrily, ‘is nonsense.’

“Oh, no,’ insisted Lord Melbourne. ‘I have known many such cases. A man is quiet and reserved in his youth and when he gets to middle age he changes completely.’

‘Are you suggesting that Albert will do this?’

‘Well,’ said Lord Melbourne, ‘there is a possibility that he will conform to that type.’

The Queen stamped her foot. ‘That is a slanderous remark, Lord Melbourne.’

The Prime Minister looked startled.

‘And,’ said Victoria, the corners of her lips drawn down, her manner coldly regal, ‘I expect you to say that you were talking foolish nonsense.’

Lord Melbourne replied that he was talking of a type.

‘And you thought Albert might conform to this type?’

‘I am sure that was a misapprehension,’ said Lord Melbourne tactfully. And he added with one of his sly looks which Victoria was too put out – contemplating the possibility of Albert’s infidelity – to notice: ‘Albert is unique.’

‘Of course Albert would not be like that. He is too dignified and too loyal . He will realise what it means to be married to the Queen.’

‘Oh, yes, he will soon realise that,’ said Lord Melbourne significantly.

‘Albert is reserved, except with those he loves,’ said Victoria tenderly, ‘and he will always be like that.’

‘The Queen will command it,’ said Lord Melbourne with a courtly bow.

‘He is not in the least like the Grand Duke of Russia.’

‘Ah, there was a man whom Your Majesty admired very much.’

‘He has had so many love affairs.’

‘An affair before marriage is nothing,’ said Lord Melbourne. ‘As long as he doesn’t do it afterwards.’

‘I would never marry a man who had loved another woman,’ declared the Queen.

‘You wouldn’t think of that if you were in love with him.’

‘I should.’

‘Then all is well for there is no question of your reserved and gallant Prince having so indulged.’

‘There is no question at all,’ said Victoria, her happiness restored.

There was so much to talk over with Lord Melbourne. Sometimes she would think of something at odd times and would summon him to her.

Dear Lord Melbourne! What would she do without him?

Once she sent for him in the evening. He was to come to her at once, was her message to him. He came in a very strange costume – light white and grey calico trousers; and she knew that he had been in bed and had been awakened to come to her.

She was full of remorse. She feared that in her newly found happiness she had neglected this friend.

‘But you were sleeping,’ she said tenderly.

He denied this, but she didn’t believe him.

‘I only wished to discuss some item about the wedding,’ she told him.

‘A most important subject,’ he said with a smile.

‘Dear Lord M,’ she said. ‘I fear I may have been a little short with you lately. It is all this excitement coming after that wretched time. But Lord Melbourne, always remember that I love you more than any of your other friends do.’

He did not look at her and she saw that his eyes were full of tears.

Her own gushed forth.

‘My dear , dear friend,’ she murmured.

And she thought: My overwhelming love for my divine Albert does not make me love this dear friend less.

It was necessary for Albert and his brother to return to Coburg. Albert must make his arrangements for leaving the home of his birth, and preparations for the wedding must go forward at once if it was to take place in February. There was so much to be settled and the Queen urged Lord Melbourne to forge ahead with these matters.

In the first place there was Albert’s position at Court to be considered, which was an affair of precedence of course; and then there was the question of his allowance. He would have to be naturalised too, for it was unthinkable that a foreigner should be the Queen’s husband.

Lord Melbourne worked with all his might to meet the Queen’s wishes but the Tories always opposed him and his tottering Whigs and as the Prime Minister had often explained to the Queen, it was often very difficult to get Bills passed because of this.

Uncle Ernest declared that he would not give precedence to a little Coburg Prince even if he was the Queen’s husband. The Tories supported him and the other Royal Dukes who had followed him in protest, and the Queen was furious.

She raged against the Tories. ‘I always hated them,’ she declared. ‘As for Sir Robert Peel I have always known that he was a low hyprocrite. But I expected better of the Duke of Wellington. I shall certainly not ask him to my wedding.’

Lord Melbourne begged her to be calm.

‘Calm!’ she cried. ‘When they behave so to my dearest Albert. That angel to be treated so by monsters .’

The Queen saw things in distinct shades of black and white, pointed out Lord Melbourne patiently. In Her Majesty’s opinion people were either angels or devils, which was not true in this case. It was all a little more subtle than that.

‘I should like to punish those Tory monsters,’ she insisted.

‘It is fortunate for them that we have a Constitutional Monarchy,’ said Lord Melbourne wryly.

‘Everything is too slow,’ said the Queen. ‘You politicians don’t work hard enough.’

Then Charles Greville, her Clerk of the Council, discovered that she could settle Albert’s status by Royal Prerogative. This delighted her. Albert should take precedence over all Royal Dukes so that little matter was settled.