Виктория Холт - The Queen and Lord M

Sir Robert then returned to the Queen and told her that he would have to consult his Party and asked for a few hours’ grace in which to do this.

* * *

Meanwhile Lord Melbourne had received her letters and, knowing his imperious, obstinate and shrewd Sovereign, and also understanding what the effect of this obstinacy would have on Sir Robert, decided that action was needed.

He must call together his Cabinet immediately for a discussion, for naturally he could not act without them.

It seemed to him very possible that he and his Party might well be back in power, for unless Sir Robert could bring the Queen to his way of thinking he would be unable to form a Government.

They were scattered but by great effort he managed to assemble the greater proportion of them.

The position was invidious, said some. Of what advantage would it be to resume office when they had such a small majority? What would happen if they went to the country? Let Peel take over and see what he could do with a minority.

Melbourne read them the Queen’s letters and the company was moved by them.

‘How,’ it was demanded, ‘could they abandon such a queen and a woman?’

As a result of that meeting, Lord Melbourne was writing to the Queen:‘The Cabinet … after much discussion, advises Your Majesty to return the following answer to Sir Robert Peel:“The Queen having considered the proposals made her yesterday by Sir Robert Peel to remove the Ladies of her Bedchamber cannot consent to adopt a course which she conceives to be contrary to usage and which is repugnant to her feelings.”’

When Victoria received that letter she was triumphant. Lord Melbourne and his Government were behind her. She was sure she had routed Sir Robert Peel.

* * *

She was right. Sir Robert believed that unless there were some changes in the Queen’s household he must decline her offer to form a Government.

‘We have won,’ cried the elated Queen and seizing the Baroness began dancing round the room.

The Baroness cried: ‘Is this the way for a Queen to behave! Is this the same one who was being so very much the Queen in the yellow closet with Sir Robert Peel a few hours ago?’

‘One and the same,’ cried the Queen. ‘You see our dancing master is a coward. I knew he was afraid of me from the start. Now I shall write to dear Lord Melbourne and command him to wait on me at once.’

Lehzen was astonished at the cleverness of her darling and said so.

‘It is the way you brought me up, dearest Daisy,’ said the Queen.

* * *

At two o’clock Lord Melbourne arrived.

‘Victory!’ cried Victoria.

Lord Melbourne smiled admiringly.

‘You always said I was stubborn. You said I was choleric. You know you did. Well, those qualities have served me well.’

‘I salute them,’ said Lord Melbourne; and she burst out laughing. Oh how good it was to laugh with pleasure again.

‘Now I will show you our dancing master’s letter. He regrets that in the circumstances he has to reject my offer to form a Government. He knows full well with what reluctance that offer was made.’

‘Yes,’ said Lord Melbourne, ‘you made that very clear.’

Lord Melbourne took Sir Robert’s letter and read it. He paused and looked at the Queen with some consternation.

‘He says here that you refuse to make some alterations in the Bedchamber.’

‘Yes, of course he does.’

‘But you said that he was insisting on your changing them all.’

Victoria looked testy. ‘All or some, what is the difference?’

‘It could be a great deal.’

‘Oh, don’t let us quibble about such a small thing.’

‘I’m afraid I must consult the Cabinet on this. They might not agree to support this since Sir Robert says some. It is in fact a very different matter from all.’

‘It is exactly the same,’ said the Queen petulantly.

‘Nevertheless,’ said Lord Melbourne, ‘I must consult my colleagues.’

‘How tiresome,’ cried the Queen, but she was uneasy.

‘Peel has met you half way,’ said Melbourne. ‘He is clever. Don’t underestimate him. This could beat us.’

The Queen answered fiercely: ‘I will never yield. And I will never apply to Peel again.’

Lord Melbourne looked dubious and said he would tell his colleagues how she felt.

* * *

With that skilful oratory, never fiery but witty, sentimental and nonchalant, of which he was master – Melbourne persuaded his Cabinet.

The Queen was adamant. If Her Majesty could see no difference in ‘some’ and ‘all’, he suggested they should look at the matter from the same angle. The Queen felt she had been insulted by the suggestions that she would intrigue with the ladies against her Government. It was intolerable. He appealed to them. Could they desert such a gallant young Queen?

They decided they could not and Melbourne was able to tell her that his Cabinet were with him. Peel’s refusal could be accepted.

‘Then everything is as before this ridiculous affair occurred!’ cried the Queen.

But of course it was not. For the country knew what had taken place. Nothing would ever be the same again. In the eyes of the people the dear little duck of a Queen had proved to be a forceful young woman, who had been arrogant and offensive to one of the senior Statesmen, Sir Robert Peel; and had defied that doughty old warrior, the Duke of Wellington. And she was not yet twenty. And why? Was it for the sake of the country? Certainly not. It was so that her relationship with Lord Melbourne might not be changed.

And what was the relationship?

The speculation which had been trivial before the Bedchamber affair flared up. Everywhere people were talking of the Queen and Lord Melbourne.

* * *

During the controversy over the Ladies of the Bedchamber the Tsarevitch Alexander, Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia, had arrived in England and the very night following the day when Victoria had routed Peel there was to be a ball at Buckingham Palace in honour of the Grand Duke.

Victoria, who loved balls more than any other form of entertainment, had lamented the fact that that wretched Peel was going to spoil this one entirely for her. But now that she was in such a mood of elation she prepared herself to enjoy it as she had never before enjoyed a ball. It will be a victory ball, she told Lehzen.

The Grand Duke was tall and very handsome, his manners charming, and he managed to convey very obviously that he thought the diminutive Queen delightful.

What a joy to dance with him and while she basked in the admiring glances of this royal personage to reflect that all was well, nothing was changed.

Lord Melbourne was present, looking a little tired she noticed with anxiety; but when she was dancing she was able to forget everything else but the pleasure that exercise gave her. How very fortunate that everything had been settled today so that she could throw herself wholeheartedly into this pleasure!

It was a quarter to three when the ball ended, and she recorded this with pleasure, for she loved to stay up late. It was because when she had been that poor little prisoner of Kensington Palace Mamma had always had such a stern eye on her and she was rarely allowed to do anything she wanted to.

She went off into a happy sleep as soon as her head was on her pillow but the first thing next morning she wrote to Lord Melbourne:‘The Queen is very anxious to hear that Lord Melbourne has not suffered from the ball last night, as it was very hot at first … The Queen danced the first and last dance with the Grand Duke, made him sit near her and tried to be very civil to him, and I think we are great friends already and get on very well. I like him exceedingly.’

There! She was doing her duty as Queen and she would continue to do so – as long as they did not try to wrest dear Lord M from her and attempt to replace him with that odious Sir Robert Peel.

But the Bedchamber controversy was by no means forgotten and it was unfortunate for the Queen that it had followed so closely on the Flora Hastings scandal. Although the names of Lady Tavistock and Lady Portman had been used freely in the press, it was generally accepted that these ladies would not have acted without the approval of the Queen and Victoria was regarded as the chief culprit. And now following on this was her behaviour in the matter of the Ladies of her Household.

Charles Greville, the Clerk of the Council, wrote in his diary that he was shocked because ‘a mere baby of a Queen’ had flouted the advice of that great man the Duke of Wellington. The truth was, he believed, that the Queen could not endure parting with Melbourne and this was a plot which had been hatched to prevent this happening.

This summed up the general opinion. Even Sir Robert Peel, that most discreet of men, could not avoid showing his indignation about the manner in which he had been treated. The Queen would have to learn that although she might be their Sovereign these men whom she had treated with such haughty disdain were some of the greatest statesmen of the age.

The press naturally took up the affair with many a sly allusion; Lord Brougham thundered away in the Lords attacking Melbourne and his Cabinet and not hesitating – though with expressions of loyalty to the Crown – to castigate the Queen herself.