‘But you know my feelings.’

‘Yes, I know them. And I believe you know mine.’

‘You could be here just the same?’

‘Your Majesty’s new Prime Minister would not allow the Queen to be in constant conference with the Opposition.’

‘Those Tories!’

He smiled. Like Lehzen he preferred to see the flash of temper rather than the sorrow.

‘You must try to get on with Sir Robert Peel.’

‘I never shall. I hate the man: He is quite loathsome to me.’

‘He’s all right. Stiff and formal. But you’ll get to know him.’

‘I shall refuse to.’

‘You will remember your duty, I know.’

‘Why do you have to have this miserable Bill?’

‘Well, you see, something had to be done for Jamaica. We believe we are right. They believe they are. That’s politics.’

‘But us … our … friendship. That was not politics?’

‘I have been honoured as I never thought to be. I shall remember the esteem you have had for me as long as I live.’

‘Esteem!’ she cried. ‘You are usually so good with words. That is not the right one, you know. Oh, dear Lord M, I will not let you go. I will not.’

He took her hand and patted it gently as he might a child’s. ‘I have explained to you what constitutional government is,’ he said. ‘A party that cannot rule must resign. This has been coming for a long time. Now we are going to show the world how a queen behaves. I know you will do that … admirably, and when I see you working with your new Government as you have with mine I shall say: There is indeed a queen. And I shall be so proud. I shall be arrogant and I shall deceive myself into thinking that I am in part responsible for my great little Queen.’

‘Oh, my dear, dearest Lord M!’

‘Oh come,’ he said, ‘it’s not the end. We shall meet … often.’

‘Yes, we shall. I shall insist.’

‘And of course we shall have to obey the Queen for her temper can be a little choleric and one has to be a brave man to risk arousing that.’

‘You were always very brave in that respect.’

‘I knew how kind and good a heart she has despite the flashing eye and frowning brows, and I always trusted to luck that I should not be dismissed from my Sovereign’s presence.’

‘That Peel gentleman will not find my heart so kind, I do assure you.’

‘I would not wish you to be as kind to him as you have been to me. That would be asking too much of me. But remember he’s not such a bad fellow and he is only doing his duty. I can assure Your Majesty that he is highly thought of in some quarters.’

‘Not in the Palace, and he never will be. Oh, you are teasing me, you are trying to make me forget how unhappy I am.’

‘I must leave you now,’ he said, ‘but if I have your permission to come back again this evening, I will by then have worked out a plan of action for you. Have I that permission?’

‘I shall be waiting for you this evening.’

He bowed and smiled at her.

‘All will be well,’ he said.

She shook her head not trusting herself to speak.

‘I knew it would happen,’ said Lord Melbourne, ‘some day.’

Then he was gone and she was alone … desolate.


* * *

At three o’clock that afternoon there was another visitor. It was little John Russell for whom she had always had a special affection, partly because he was a supporter of Lord Melbourne, partly because she liked him for himself and partly because like her he was well below average in height.

She held out her hand to him with the tears streaming down her cheeks.

‘Your Majesty!’ cried Lord John.

‘Oh, dear Lord John, this is terrible.’

‘I cannot tell Your Majesty how it grieves me to inform you that your Cabinet must resign. I want to thank Your Majesty for all your kindness to me in my recent bereavement.’

‘How are the darling children?’ she asked.

‘They are well but missing their mother,’ said Lord John, which made her weep afresh.

‘What a sad, sad world!’ she sighed. Poor Lord John had lost his wife and she was about to lose her dear Prime Minister.

Lord John did not remain long. He had done his duty in giving her this unwelcome news and he was unhappy to be the bringer of such tidings. Lord Melbourne would be calling on her again that day, he added to cheer her up; and even he was surprised to see what an effect this had on her.

Another chance to see him! To try to persuade him to forget this wretched Bill. Were not the people of Buckingham Palace more important to him than those of Jamaica?


* * *

In the afternoon Lord Melbourne was back at the Palace. He had recovered most of his normal nonchalance, as though he had had a tussle with himself and come to the conclusion that he must not let his feelings get the better of him.

He kissed her hand; and she clung to his for a few moments fiercely as though she would not let him go.

‘I have come to see Your Majesty,’ he said, ‘because I have been aware for some time that this was inevitable and I had already considered the advice I should give you when the day arrived.’

‘Then,’ she demanded, ‘why did you allow this Jamaican business to happen?’

He raised those bushy but beautifully marked eyebrows and gave her that half-amused half-exasperated look which had so often enchanted her. ‘Your Majesty forgets that our Ministry was never strong. Our majority was small and the Lords have never favoured us. Lord Brougham has constantly waited his opportunity to finish us off. It has been almost impossible to get any legislation through the House. Everywhere we have turned we have been baulked. This is a situation which cannot, for the good of the country, be allowed to continue. But for Your Majesty’s kindness to me and my ministers I doubt we should have lasted as long as we did. So you see, we have been fortunate. Now I must tell you what I think you should do.’

‘I do not want to see Sir Robert Peel,’ said the Queen firmly.

‘Your Majesty is not being fair to this man.’

‘He is the man who has opposed you. It is because of him that you have to go.’

‘He opposes me naturally because he is in Opposition so that is a perfectly logical thing for him to do. And my departure is by no means due to him. You must not blame him because he is a Tory.’

‘I would prefer to see all people Whigs as we are.’

He looked at her sadly. Had all his teaching been in vain? Here was the child of the nursery. Then he was filled with tenderness. She is too young for such a burden, he thought.

‘If you do not wish to send for Peel you can send for the Duke of Wellington. Tell the Duke, if Your Majesty feels this is so, that you were entirely satisfied with your late Government and that you part from them with reluctance.’

‘Oh, dear Lord M, have you any doubt of that?’

‘No, indeed I have not. Tell the Duke that as the head of the party which has been responsible for removing your late Government from office you turn to him to advise you as to the manner of replacing it and continuing with the country’s business. Now if the Duke should decide not to do this Your Majesty will have no alternative but to call in Sir Robert Peel.’

‘I can’t bear to hear his name.’

‘And first,’ went on Lord Melbourne, ‘you must overcome this aversion which in fact has no foundation in logic. For Your Majesty has scarcely seen the man.’

‘Oh, I have seen him, but he did not have the grace to present himself to me.’

‘Then he was a fool … but in that respect only. I do assure Your Majesty that he is far from foolish in the House of Commons. He is formal; he is self-conscious and it is for this reason that he did not present himself to Your Majesty. But he is an extremely able statesman and if the Duke refuses you must – for there is nothing else you can do – ask him to form a Government. But you should insist that the Duke of Wellington is part of that Government.’

‘Are you sure there is nothing else I can do?’

He smiled at her tenderly, ‘Ah, I can see that now you are accepting this unpleasant state of affairs.’

‘I shall never accept it in my heart.’

‘But you will remember you are the Queen. This is how it is with Sovereigns. There are times when we all have to act in a manner which causes us great sorrow; but this is particularly so with Sovereigns.’

‘You will dine at the Palace tonight?’

‘Your Majesty must excuse me, for I do not think that would be advisable.’

‘You are still my Prime Minister until I have a new one.’

‘Our actions are noted, commented on, exaggerated you know. I do assure you that it would be very unwise for me to dine at the Palace tonight. I have already accepted an invitation to dine at Lady Holland’s. I think I should be there.’

She nodded. ‘I shall see you again … soon?’

‘As Your Majesty commands,’ he said.

Then he left her; and she went to her room to weep quietly.

Lehzen came to her and there was some comfort in talking to her.

‘It will not seem so bad tomorrow,’ said Lehzen.

‘It will never be the same,’ she answered. ‘All, all my happiness has gone! That happy peaceful life is destroyed. Lord Melbourne is no longer my minister.’

She stayed in her room. ‘Which will be noted,’ Lehzen reminded her.

‘I don’t care,’ cried the Queen; and indeed she was in no state to appear.

Lehzen imagined the sly comments that were no doubt being exchanged in the Duchess’s household; Conroy would be jeering, the Duchess gloating. But certainly the Queen could not appear with swollen eyes and silent grief, unable to eat.