Виктория Холт - The Captive of Kensington Palace

Poor Aunt Sophia toddled along with the bag she had made herself.

What a lot of bags I have! thought Victoria, but one must be pleased however many there were, especially when they had been so beautifully worked.

‘You are growing old, my dear.’ Aunt Sophia held her fast in her elderly embrace, from which Victoria longed to escape. ‘Enjoy yourself while you are young. It is not always easy when you grow old.’

Poor old Aunt Sophia! She was so often alone in her apartments and sat there peering at her embroidery and netting her purses. But she must like her lonely apartments because she had chosen them. There were whispers about a certain visitor … a man who was connected with her past. People did not realise that Victoria had a pair of ears and that she liked to use them.

The Duchess of Cumberland called and Victoria immediately asked after poor dear George.

‘I am planning to take him to Germany,’ the Duchess told her. ‘There is a very good man there who will do something for him.’

‘Oh, I do hope so.’

‘He will,’ said the Duchess almost angrily. Poor sad Aunt Frederica who must deceive herself into thinking that her son would regain his sight!

‘He asked me to tell you that he hoped you would have a happy birthday.’

‘Oh, do please thank him.’

‘I have a gift for you from him.’

‘That is lovely.’

‘See it before you pass judgment,’ said Frederica with a laugh.

Tears came into Victoria’s eyes as she looked at the turquoise pin which was George Cumberland’s present to her.

‘He says he hopes you will like it.’

‘Pray tell him, dear Aunt, that I love it, and every time I wear it, which shall be often, I shall think of him.’

‘That will be a great comfort to him.’

‘Dear, dear George. Oh, I do hope this German will be able to make him well again.’

‘He will,’ said Aunt Frederica with a return of her old fierceness. ‘Now look at the present from myself and your Uncle Ernest,’ she went on. It was a bracelet in turquoise to match George’s pin.

When she had exclaimed her pleasure she must leave the Duchess and turn to others to receive presents and give thanks. So many things, she thought. I must list them all and leave nothing out of my Journal, because Mamma is sure to have a list and will say I am ungrateful if I forget one.

All day long visitors called, and dinner was early that day so that there might be plenty of time to prepare for the ball at St James’s.

* * *

The Queen was smiling at the young people. Tonight she was going to forget her anxieties about William, who was in good spirits too, though rather annoyed that Sir John Conroy had come with the party from Kensington Palace.

‘Why does that fellow always have to be there?’ he demanded of Adelaide. ‘Behaves as though he’s Victoria’s stepfather.’

Adelaide did not say that that was what he assuredly felt himself to be because it would only disturb William. But she did wish the Duchess of Kent would have the sense to keep Sir John out of the King’s sight. But it was becoming clearer and clearer that the Duchess had no intention of placating the King.

But the sight of the excited Princess restored William’s good humour. She was wearing the diamond ear-rings which he had sent to Kensington Palace for her and which were his own special present as well as the brooch of turquoise and gold which Adelaide had given her.

She came into his closet next to the ballroom and embraced him.

‘It is so nice to see you Uncle privately like this. It means I can give you a really big hug.’

William’s eyes filled with tears. A charming girl. Adelaide had always said so and he could trust Adelaide to be right. The only thing wrong with Victoria was that mother of hers.

‘The ear-rings are quite beautiful.’

‘So you like them, eh? And that’s a nice brooch you’re wearing. Turquoise, is it?’ He was looking sly. He knew it was Aunt Adelaide’s gift.

‘Yes, Uncle. Is it not beautiful?’

‘Your Aunt Adelaide always knows what you young people like. Now it’s time we went into the ballroom. We have to open it together, you know.’

It was very pleasant going into the ballroom, hand in hand with the King; and even the Duchess was pleased. The Queen had taken the precaution of asking Victoria’s dancing mistress Madame Bourdin to the ball so that she could supervise the dancing.

As soon as they were in the ballroom the Queen came up with George Cambridge.

‘I think it would be an excellent idea if you two danced the first dance.’

George Cambridge said he thought so too and taking Victoria’s hand led her on to the floor. Flushed and happy Victoria was aware of Mamma’s eyes on her; the Duchess was none too pleased; she did not want the King and Queen to imagine that they could pair off Victoria with her cousin. However, Victoria did not care; she gave herself up to the pleasure of the dance which she enjoyed so much.

‘So here you are,’ said George, ‘at one of Aunt Adelaide’s parties at last. I’m so glad you came.’

‘But of course I came. It is my birthday. You must know that because you gave me that lovely lily-of-the-valley brooch. Do you realise I’m fourteen?’

‘I did, because we are almost the same age.’

‘We are getting so old,’ said Victoria gleefully. Then she added sadly: ‘The last time I saw you George Cumberland was there.’

‘He’s going blind they say.’

‘But he will recover. He is going to Germany to a doctor there.’

They were silent for a second or so but it was too happy an occasion for sadness and Madame Bourdin was watching them to make sure that they danced the steps correctly.

‘Soon,’ said Victoria, ‘it will not be a children’s ball but a grown-up one.’

‘I shall claim the first dance at your first grown-up ball.’

Victoria laughed. What fun it was to have a young and handsome cousin like George Cambridge. Poor George Cumberland was sadly afflicted, but there were other cousins in Germany. Mamma had spoken of them occasionally.

The dance was at an end and she must not dance all the time with the same partner. The Queen brought to her those young gentlemen who had been selected for the honour of dancing with her and so the time passed until it was time for supper and the Queen took her to the King who led her to the supper room. There she sat between the King and the Queen and everyone drank her health and wished her long life and happiness which was very affecting.

Then she went back to the ballroom to dance once more; it was such a happy ball she wished it would never come to an end. She noted gleefully that it was midnight and still she was dancing.

But a few minutes later the ball was over and she was in the carriage driving back to Kensington. The Duchess sat beside her and Victoria closed her eyes and pretended to be sleepy because she was afraid that Mamma would talk disparagingly about the King and Queen and so spoil it all. She did not want to hear anything against anyone on that night. It was all so perfect and she wanted it to remain so.

The next day she wrote an account of it in her Journal which she finished with the words: ‘I was very much amused.

There was a great deal of excitement in Kensington Palace that June because two of Victoria’s cousins, Alexander and Ernest, the Princes of Württemberg, who were the sons of the Duchess’s sister, were to visit England.

‘Of course,’ said the Duchess to Sir John, ‘there will be speculation at St James’s.’

‘Naturally, and with good reason,’ he replied.

‘I should certainly want Victoria to marry someone from my side of the family.’

‘Most certainly,’ agreed Sir John.

‘And these dear boys are charming. It will be interesting to watch Victoria’s reactions.’

‘She is inclined to react favourably to some members of her opposite sex.’

‘I certainly do not like her fondness for George Cambridge.’

‘And you can be sure Their Majesties are delighted by it.’

‘They will be shown,’ said the Duchess haughtily.

She sent for Victoria to prime her about the visiting cousins.

‘You will want to be very hospitable to your cousins,’ she said. ‘And I am sure you will be on your best behaviour.’

Victoria was silent. Did Mamma think she was a child, who did not know how to behave with visiting relatives?

‘I have planned some excursions for your cousins. They will naturally want to see as much of England as they can … and of us.’

‘Why yes, Mamma, I suppose that is why they are coming.’

‘They are coming, my dear, because I have invited them.’

‘But of course, Mamma.’

The Duchess was becoming more and more uneasy about Victoria. Fortunately four more years must elapse before she was of age.

The day of arrival was a Sunday and Victoria was overcome with impatience to see the cousins. She chatted to Lehzen about them. They were quite old … that was older than the Georges. They would be different, too, for the Georges were being brought up to be very English and the Württemberg cousins would be very German. It was most exciting to have male cousins. There were two others whom Mamma mentioned now and then – the sons of her brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha – Ernest and Albert. She hoped to meet them too one day.

‘You will,’ said Lehzen.

‘Oh, I do hope so. But in the meantime we have these dear cousins from Württemberg.’