The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1935 - 156: God Bless! Alexandrina Victoria! (Part 2)

Minister Rowan straightened his back, his words as blunt as ever: "Crowds mean hidden danger. From Kensington Palace to Hyde Park, the Guard Cavalry will be solely responsible for the front-line patrols, and the Scotland Yard police will be in charge of maintaining order along the route. These past few days I personally traced the patrol line three times, and the dispatch orders have been issued down to every squad. If anyone tries to approach the carriage, they must be cut off within five seconds. As for our own men, I’ve never had any worries. Let’s just hope those Guard Cavalry fellows don’t drag us down."

With that said, he unconsciously lifted his chin and looked at the line of Guard Cavalry at the gates of Kensington Palace, their cuirasses glinting coldly; he was clearly quite confident in the defensive line he had woven with his own hands.

Standing to the side, Ledley was slightly hunched, a silver pocket watch clenched in his hand, his gaze roaming the surroundings; from time to time he would look up at the eaves and windows, to make sure all the Police Intelligence Department security forces hidden in the dark were in place.

"Minister Rowan is quite right," Ledley said in his habitual tone of flattery. "The array we show in the open is well ordered, and all our eyes and ears in the dark are in position. The Ghost Team has already been divided into seven groups—five at height, two below—each squad guarding a five-hundred-yard sector of vigilance. Last night, we also carried out clearing and search operations on all the vantage points along the route. So far, none of the squads has discovered anything unusual."

Hearing this, Rowan did not show the least bit of satisfaction; instead his brows knit even tighter.

He said in a low voice, "This is the streets of London; don’t let them treat it like a battlefield."

Ledley was of course well aware of Rowan’s stance. This highest-ranking officer of Scotland Yard had always opposed the use of firearms, insisting that modern police must adapt to low-force law enforcement, and staunchly rejecting the French police’s style of meeting violence with violence.

If Sir Arthur had not stood firmly against all opposition, and if Rowan had not in fact trusted this former subordinate, the plan to deploy the Ghost Team would certainly have fallen through.

Ledley hastily nodded. "Nature, nature. The orders given to the Ghost Team are only to keep an eye on suspicious targets; unless absolutely necessary, they are never to fire first."

Arthur merely smiled faintly at this, shifting his gaze back from the dense crowd to the heavy iron railings of the palace gate.

Having received Ledley’s assurance, Rowan felt somewhat reassured. Taking advantage of the time before the Kensington Palace convoy set off, he asked Arthur, "How is His Majesty the King’s condition? Will he be able to attend the ball at St. James’s Palace today as planned?"

Arthur replied coolly, "The outlook is not very good. According to Lord Chamberlain, since His Majesty last collapsed, he has come to a few times off and on. Though he can still speak, it is already very difficult for him to rise from his bed. And..."

"And?"

"And His Majesty the King seems to have lost his hearing," Arthur said calmly. "At present they can basically only communicate with His Majesty through pen and paper."

Rowan’s expression darkened slightly at this. His lips moved, but in the end he only let out a sigh. "If His Majesty has truly come to this... then it means everything will have to be brought forward."

"None of that matters much anymore." Arthur clasped his hands behind his back and gazed into the distance. "His Majesty the King has already left a decree in the presence of several of Your Excellencies. According to his wishes, even if he should pass away before the end of today, the Palace Affairs Hall will wait until the next day to announce his death. Thus, there will be no question of a regency or no regency. Still... may God bless His Majesty the King. I remember that before his last collapse he told me he wished to live until the anniversary of Waterloo, to witness one last time at St Martin’s Church the Mass held for the soldiers who fell at Waterloo."

...

The shouts outside the palace gates seeped faintly into Kensington Palace, yet muffled by the heavy curtains and high walls, they sounded only like the low murmur of the tide retreating from the beach at Ramsgate.

Victoria sat quietly at her desk, the tip of her goose quill making a fine rustle across the paper.

Beside the Ink Bottle, a small sprig of lavender stood in a porcelain vase, giving off a faint fragrance.

Her handwriting was very neat, yet still bore a girl’s youthful simplicity.

—Today is my eighteenth birthday! What a venerable age this is! And yet I am still far from what I ought to be. From this day on, I resolve to study with redoubled diligence, to devote my whole attention to every matter that must be dealt with, to strive to curb frivolous behavior, and to make myself day by day more worthy of—if God permits it—the station that will in the end be mine!

Reaching this point, Victoria suddenly laid down her pen. She turned to look at Lady Leisen beside her and asked in a low voice, "How is Uncle William?"

Clutching her handkerchief, Lady Leisen shook her head in sorrow. "The outlook is not good. Everyone says he is now at his last gasp."

Hearing this, Victoria could not help but feel a little sorrowful. "May his suffering be lessened a little. He has always been very kind to me."

Leisen gently comforted her. "You need not grieve too much. His Majesty the King is a strong and cheerful man. I believe he will in the end pull through."

As soon as Leisen finished speaking, another cheer rose from outside the palace gates. No one knew who had started it, but the crowd in the street was now shouting the name "Alexandrina Victoria." The cries surged one after another, like waves upon the sea.

Victoria pressed her lips together and said softly, "Leisen, I can hear their shouts. They are calling my name in the street. But do you think I am really already prepared... to grow up?"