Виктория Холт - The Queen’s Husband

Vicky pressed her heel against the pony’s side and he trotted a little faster. Fritz came up to her and pressed a piece of white heather into her hand.

‘I just picked it,’ he said. ‘I am told it means good luck.’

‘Thank you, Fritz.’

‘Your good luck,’ he said soberly, ‘will be mine.’

‘Why?’ demanded Vicky.

‘Because,’ replied Fritz, ‘I hope that one day you will be my wife.’

Vicky opened her eyes very wide and stared at him. She had known of course why he had come and there had been many sly allusions from the members of the household. She was excited. Fritz was so handsome. And of course he would one day be King of Prussia.

‘Well,’ said Fritz, ‘are you surprised, horrified, shocked or perhaps a little pleased?’

‘Perhaps a little pleased would fit the case better than any of those other conditions you mentioned.’

Yes, thought Fritz, Vicky was certainly exciting. He was glad he had spoken and he did not think the Queen was going to be too displeased about that.

* * *

As soon as they returned to the castle Vicky went to her mother’s room.

‘My darling,’ cried the Queen and embraced her.

‘Oh, Mama, you know.’

The Queen smiled. ‘My love, I was aware of dear Fritz’s feelings for you. Papa and I had decided that he would be a good match for you. But you know that if you did not care for him we should never have forced you. He was not going to speak to you yet.’

‘I know, but it slipped out. Perhaps I wheedled it out of him.’

The Queen laughed.

‘Oh dear, dear Mama!’

‘There must of course be no wedding for some time. You would have to be seventeen.’

‘Oh, Mama, three years.’

The Queen laughed again so indulgently. ‘It is not very long, my dearest.’

‘Three whole years without Fritz!’

‘Oh, you have progressed so far already, have you?’

‘Well Mama, as soon as Fritz gave me the white heather I knew. I shall keep that piece of heather for ever.’

Albert came in. He must have heard Vicky’s arrival.

Vicky flew into her father’s arms and the Queen felt a twinge as she saw the tender expression in Albert’s eyes.

‘So, my love, you have forestalled us all, eh?’ said Albert.

‘Papa, dearest Papa. I have just thought of something dreadful. When I marry Fritz I shall have to leave you.’

‘My love, it is the way of the world. A daughter must leave her parents and cleave to her husband.’

‘But, Papa, to leave you …’ There was a brief pause and Vicky seemed suddenly to be aware of her mother. ‘And Mama …’ she added.

‘My dear,’ said the Queen, ‘you shall visit us often and perhaps Papa and I will visit you. But I have been telling her, Albert, that there can be no marriage yet. She seems to have forgotten that she is a child of fourteen.’

‘You were very young when you married Papa.’

‘Not fourteen, nor even seventeen. I was nearly twenty.’

‘How old!’ wailed Vicky.

‘Your Papa and I were in love just as you and Fritz are. But of course I had great responsibilities, which you will have later. But you will have a husband to stand beside you. I had no one until your father came. And what a difference that made to me!’

‘I can only hope,’ said Albert, ‘that you, dear daughter, will be as happy as your mother and I have been.’

* * *

Fritz left a few days later, already engaged to Vicky; and the two people behaved like a young couple deeply in love. There were tears at their parting and Albert sat down to tell his friend Stockmar all about it, knowing that the news would cheer him greatly. It was always so pleasant when those for whom marriages had been arranged obligingly fell in love.

‘The young people are ardently in love,’ he wrote. ‘An abundance of tears was shed at their parting.’

As for himself he was ‘tortured and tormented by rheumatism and could hardly hold the pen’.

The Queen came in while he was writing.

‘Writing to the Baron?’ she said. ‘Well, he will be delighted, and you are because he is.’

‘I am glad that he will be pleased but chiefly I am glad for our daughter. I am sure this is the best possible match for her.’

‘We can no longer treat her as a child. This has turned her into a woman overnight.’

‘She is still the same little Vicky.’

‘Oh, no, she is not. She is soon going to be a wife. I do hope she does not start having children too soon.’

‘My love, that is a matter for the future.’

‘I can’t bear to think of our child being submitted to that ordeal too soon.’

‘We shall hope that in due course she gives Prussia an heir.’

‘But not too soon, I trust,’ said the Queen.

‘Oh, she will delight in children.’

‘But not in bearing them. Men never understand what we have to suffer. I know, Albert. I do happen to have experienced it eight times. I don’t really think I could endure it again.’

Albert could see that she was working herself up into a passion and did his best to soothe her.

‘Perhaps you will not have to, my child,’ he said.

She softened at the term of endearment. Dear Albert, she must not upset him; and he did look worn and wan. She knew that his rheumatism was very painful.

* * *

It was impossible to keep the matter of Vicky’s betrothal secret. The press wanted to know what Fritz had been doing at Balmoral. Clearly his visit had had some ulterior motive; the Princess Royal was destined to marry a German – just as her mother had!

The Princess was confirmed and, thought her mother, looked so touchingly innocent in her pure white dress and she made her responses perfectly. Yes indeed, Vicky was no longer a child.

‘It is always Germans,’ said the press. And who was this Prince Frederick William of Prussia? The heir to a little German kingdom! It was obvious whose hand was in this. Once Germans had a foot in at the door they were ready to take charge of the house.

The Prussians resented the English attitude and there were comments in their press. Why all this fuss? Who was their future King marrying? The Princess Royal of England! They would first like to know what dowry was offered before they crowed too much about its being a good match, and if she married the Prince, the Princess Royal would have to come to Germany to do so.

When the Queen heard this she was furious.

‘I suppose you agree with this!’ she accused Albert. ‘After all you are a German. And Stockmar too, I suppose he thinks it is right and proper for an English Princess to be overawed at the prospect of marrying into Prussia! If it is too much trouble for a Prince of Prussia to come over here to marry the daughter of the Queen of England, he had better not come at all.’

‘Now,’ soothed Albert, ‘you are getting worked up again. There is no need to. Of course Fritz will come over here for the wedding.’

The Prince of Wales provided a problem. Mr Gibbs’ stern rule seemed to have profited him little and he had made scarcely any progress with his studies. He was deliberately wilful. Alfred had wanted to go into the Navy and although this was not Albert’s original idea for his future, he believed that if the boy was so enamoured of the life he would probably do well at it. When he was sent to Royal Lodge there had been a terrible scene between the two brothers because they were to be parted. They had wept bitterly and although it was pleasant to see their affection, Bertie’s behaviour afterwards was worse than ever. He had taken to teasing the younger children and there were often battles.

Leopold was also wilful and could be very naughty at times and sometimes in a fit of temper he would hurt himself and there would be those worrying haemorrhages. What could one do with Leopold but whip him? The Queen’s mother, who adored the children and spoilt them all, said that she hated to hear the children crying after a beating. It hurt her, she declared, as much as it did them and she simply could not bear it.

‘I have too many of them to be upset by the tears of one or two,’ said the Queen grimly. ‘I daresay Feodora and Charles were good children and rarely cried, and as for myself I don’t think I did much either … not tears of anger in any case.’

‘You had your storms,’ said the Duchess. ‘And little Leo is a good boy at heart. He’s so delicate and that could make him peevish. In fact they are all good children at heart.’

‘Even Bertie?’ said the Queen.

‘Even Bertie,’ answered the Duchess firmly.

The Queen sighed. ‘How I wish I could believe that!’

It was so easy for grandmothers; they had the pleasure of children without the anxieties they created.

And then to her dismay, the Queen was once more pregnant.

* * *

There was no end to trouble. It now came from the East because the Chinese had boarded a ship and after having arrested the crew as pirates had torn down the British flag. Although this particular ship was registered in Hong Kong it was not at all certain that it had a right to fly the flag, but no matter, the flag must not be insulted, so the British Plenipotentiary in Hong Kong saw no reason why reprisals should not be taken.

Admiral Seymour was given orders to destroy certain Chinese forts and as a result there was an attempt to kill the Plenipotentiary in Hong Kong.

A dispute in the House of Commons arose about the manner in which the government had acted and there was to be a motion led by Cobden and Bright to censure it. Lord Palmerston was dubious about its outcome and felt it very probable that it would succeed. The thought of Lord Palmerston’s being forced to resign threw the Queen into a panic.