In the Shadow of a Queen, page 13
Dinner was announced, and Louise followed the group, walking with Leo. He leaned close and whispered, “Did you smell the tobacco smoke on Prince Christian?”
“Will Helena tolerate it?”
Leo smirked. “I don’t know about Helena, but Mama certainly won’t.” He chuckled. “And marrying the daughter of Queen Victoria is like marrying the queen herself.”
At the dining table, Louise had a clear view of Bertie and his scowl, which he seemed to be trying hard to conceal.
Leo came to the rescue and diffused the tension coming from Bertie. “Do you like bats?” Leo asked the prince.
Prince Christian immediately set down his wine glass. “I do. Only in the daytime though when they’re asleep. I don’t care much for them flying about my head.”
Leo laughed.
Mama looked up from her plate, and the entire table went silent.
Leo stopped laughing, but his eyes were still merry as he said, “You must see the Rosenau bats. In the daytime, of course. This Schloss has a tall loft that’s as long as the entire roof. Bats hang from the ceiling in neat rows like military men.”
Louise smirked.
Helena gave Leo a murderous look. Alice and Vicky were staring at him. Alfred was clearly holding back a laugh. But Christian’s smile was wide.
“Do you want to see them?” Leo pressed, oblivious to everyone else at the table. “Tomorrow, perhaps? Helena can come with us. She likes bats too.”
Christian’s eyes slid to Helena’s.
Could she blush more than she already had? Apparently she could.
“Tomorrow would be perfect,” Christian said with a wink.
At that moment, Louise knew. She couldn’t explain how she knew or when it would happen. But Christian would propose, and Helena would accept.
Chapter 15
“Oh, darling Bertie, don’t let you be the one who cannot sacrifice his own feelings for the welfare of Mother and Sister!”
Letter from Princess Alice to the Prince of Wales, 1866
December 1865
Louise, age 17
despite the family’s divide and Bertie’s threat to boycott the potential wedding, Prince Christian arrived in England in December to visit Helena. They became engaged that night, and Louise had never seen her sister look so happy. Was it because she would finally be out from under Mama’s thumb? Or because she had truly fallen in love with the man?
Bertie hadn’t been the only one to complain to Louise before leaving Coburg. Alice had said her piece too, and Louise had listened but hadn’t shared her opinion. Alice didn’t like that Vicky’s royal Prussian in-laws would be riled by the union, since it was never wise to antagonize a powerful country. Alice had also complained about Christian’s age—he was fifteen years older than Helena. Her final complaint was that Helena only wanted to marry to be free of her daily tasks for the queen. This had been Louise’s concern too. But when she saw how Helena blushed around Christian and how good-humored he was with her, Louise decided the pair had minds of their own to follow.
Whereas Bertie had taken a step back from the matter and stayed away from the family to prevent further discussions, Alice hadn’t let it drop. She’d continued to express her displeasure in myriad letters to family members. Mama had become angry enough to say she didn’t want Alice to come to the wedding.
Either because of the family divisiveness or because the British press was becoming more and more critical of the queen’s continuing reclusiveness, the queen decided to appear in public and open Parliament in February. Louise attended the state event, her first experience with the ceremony. She’d even been allowed to wear a white satin dress. Helena came too, and Louise felt keenly how she was being trained to take her sister’s place at their mother’s side.
The queen spoke to the assembly on the topic of the cattle disease of distemper that was spreading through the United Kingdom. “I have observed with great concern the extensive prevalence, during the last few months, of a virulent distemper among cattle in Great Britain; and it is with deep regret, and with sincere sympathy for the sufferers, that I have learnt the severe losses which it has caused in many counties and districts.”
Louise listened intently as she scanned the faces of the audience. This was the first public appearance of the queen in years, and Louise wondered what these men thought and what they might say after the queen left. Louise hoped the newspapers would be kind and compassionate toward their queen, who continued to suffer without her Albert.
“It is satisfactory to know that Ireland and a considerable part of Scotland are as yet free from this calamity,” the queen continued, her voice calm, confident, and poised.
Yet the rustling started, the serious expressions, then doubtful gazes . . . it all pulled at Louise’s heart.
It had taken the full convincing of her siblings to get Mama to agree to come. Even John Brown, Mama’s personal attendant, had encouraged her. It was a miracle that they all had the same conviction. And now if this all ended badly, what would happen next?
Louise glanced at Helena, who was staring straight ahead, immobile.
When the queen concluded her address, it was everything that Louise could do to hide her relief. They’d made it this far. One step at a time, she decided. Yet her stomach roiled at the thought of Helena’s upcoming wedding, which would leave Louise alone to navigate all that their mother needed help with.
The newspaper fallout came when they packed up and traveled to Balmoral. Not Louise’s favorite place, especially in February, when the temperatures were below freezing at night. Besides, the last time Louise had been to Balmoral, she’d been deathly ill with meningitis.
The queen’s appearance at Parliament hadn’t stemmed the tide of political rumblings. When they were in Balmoral, William Gladstone introduced a reform bill in the Commons, which sent everything into disarray. Mama refused to return to London, and news from abroad made it clear that Prussia and Austria were about to enter into a war over the division of the Schleswig and Holstein duchies, which meant that Vicky and Alice would have husbands on opposite sides of the conflict.
It was all out of Louise’s control, so she stayed busy, trying to keep her mind and hands occupied. She sketched and painted. Sculpted small medallions and statuettes. Beatrice’s bust was finished now, and Mama had been very impressed with it. This gave Louise license to add sculpting work into her weekly routines. But her work was limited at Balmoral, so she played the piano, helped Helena with correspondence, listened to the queen’s worries, wrote to her brothers, walked the gardens outside, and hoped that Helena’s wedding would still happen in July.
When Mama announced that she’d hired a new governor for Leo, after Sir Charles Phipps had died, Louise dreaded who it might be since there were debates going among the Highlander servants. Would it be the brother of John Brown? Archie Brown was currently Leo’s valet, and if he was promoted then even more Browns would hold key household positions.
“I’ve met Lieutenant Walter George Stirling of the horse artillery,” Mama said one night over dinner in late March. “He’ll arrive tomorrow and take on the position of Leo’s new tutor.”
Leo looked up from his plate of food. As usual, in the cold climate of Balmoral, his rheumatism had acted up, and he had to be carried up and down the stairs. A miserable fate for an almost thirteen-year-old. He said nothing though, only nodded.
The next day, Lieutenant Stirling was brought into the receiving room and greeted Leo with a jolly, “Greetings, Your Royal Highness.”
Louise noticed a genuine smile on her brother’s face. From that time on, Stirling and Leo were nearly inseparable. Stirling was in his late twenties but seemed more of a friend than a tutor. Leo was fascinated with Stirling’s knowledge of horses, and they could talk for hours about them.
Louise wasn’t as interested, although she did love to ride, but she enjoyed seeing Leo so enthusiastic about something. Riding a horse gave Leo a freedom he didn’t have when walking—especially now when he couldn’t even navigate stairs on his own.
Louise rode with Stirling and Leo when time permitted, and on one outing, Stirling paid her a compliment as they rested their horses before riding back to Balmoral.
“Before coming here as tutor, I had heard that you were a beautiful young woman and the fairest of your sisters,” Stirling said with a smile. “Although I never believe the gossips, in this case, I’ve found them to be right.”
“You are blushing, sister.” Leo laughed.
Louise scoffed. “I don’t blush.” But she could feel the heat in her cheeks. Was it because Stirling had called her beautiful or because an outsider had noticed her as something other than a little girl? She should not put too much value in Stirling’s comment, but she couldn’t deny the secret pleasure it brought her to think that a young, handsome, and charismatic man such as him would compliment her apart from any duty.
The thrill of the attention was cut short soon enough, though. In May, Louise developed whooping cough, and she fully blamed it on living at Balmoral. Last time she’d been seriously ill, it had been at the same place. During this illness, though, she could tolerate visitors.
Knowing that Louise loved any news on politics, Helena would bring the papers and read aloud. The London bank Overend, Gurney and Company had recently collapsed, creating a financial crisis throughout the city. And the Prussians and Austrians were building up their military forces, threatening war with each other.
Leo visited too. He glowed with stories about Lieutenant Stirling, and Louise found herself laughing, which quickly turned into coughing.
“I am sorry to make you laugh,” Leo said one afternoon, but his smile was impish. “Maybe I should tell you something that’s not humorous.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have plenty to tell me then.”
Leo’s face had turned serious.
“What is it?” Louise asked after sipping from a cup at her bedside, trying to prevent another coughing attack. Early in the illness, her coughing was so violent that it would provoke vomiting. Thankfully, she was past that stage now.
“Lieutenant Stirling and Archie Brown argued the other day,” Leo said in a hushed tone as if someone were listening right outside the door.
Archie Brown worked as one of Leo’s personal staff as a brusher since he was strong enough to carry Leo when needed. As the younger brother of John Brown, Archie had a lot of confidence in his position as a favored Highlander servant.
“What did they argue about?” Louise kept her own voice low too.
“Me.” Leo shrugged. “Archie jeers at me when he doesn’t think I can hear him. He won’t help with anything at night when I ask it of him. Says he doesn’t work at night. He ignores me if I ask for the chamber pot, or a towel to stop a nosebleed.”
Leo sometimes woke in the middle of the night with a nosebleed. And with his hemophilia, they were difficult to stop.
“What did Archie say to Stirling?”
“He blustered then went to complain to John Brown.”
“Which means Mama heard of it.”
Leo nodded, and both siblings fell silent. It was no secret that John Brown couldn’t do much wrong in Mama’s eyes. Bertie had complained more than once to Mama that there were rumors about the pair of them going around. Mama always dismissed them as if she didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion. She relied on John Brown for emotional support, and Louise was happy she could get it somewhere. But his wishes shouldn’t be put ahead of Leo’s.
“Stirling also had words with Robertson,” Leo continued.
Louise sighed and reached for her cup again. Robertson was another Highlander assigned as valet, and he didn’t have a soft spot for his fellow Scots. “Stirling is a military man first and foremost. Maybe that’s what this household needs more of, so that things can be run in better order.”
Leo nodded, though his brow furrowed in worry. “I’m glad that Stirling stands up for me, but it makes me worry too. Going against the Browns might not be a good thing.”
If Louise had been feeling better, she’d have a mind to confront Archie Brown herself. He couldn’t hurt her, and even though Mama would probably tell her she was out of line, Leo didn’t deserve all of this trouble.
But once Louise was feeling better, she’d all but forgotten about Leo’s tales of Stirling. She still spent time with the pair of them but had become increasingly involved in creating a new sculpture of Lady Jane Churchill—from start to finish, on her own.
When they returned to Windsor, Louise had Lady Jane sit for sketching. Louise spent every spare moment creating a series of different-sized clay models of Lady Jane, practicing all the techniques taught by Susan Durant.
Once the marble cube arrived, Louise measured it—knowing already it was the right size. The first cut into the marble always gave her pause. She gripped the chisel in her left hand, the hammer in her right, and made the first strike. Marble shards fell away, and Louise struck again.
Soon she was in a rhythm, broken up only when she needed to adjust the chisel or shift her position. The shapes and lines emerging sent a thrill through her. It poured satisfaction into her soul to create something beautiful out of what had previously been a flat space.
The project would take weeks, but Louise didn’t mind. Every moment spent working on the bust was satisfactory. She attended some wedding dress fittings with Helena, her mind still on the progress of her sculpture. If she could impress Mama enough, then maybe she’d be able to attend art school.
When Mama complained about too much pounding coming from the art room, Louise spent any other free time reading the latest news.
“What are you reading now?” Helena asked, walking into the library. Her wedding was in a few weeks.
“A petition for women’s suffrage was presented at the House of Commons,” Louise said. She and Sybil had discussed this more than once, but Louise wondered what Helena would think of it. Mama was still against women’s suffrage and didn’t view her own sex as intelligent enough to vote or to have all the same rights as their male counterparts.
Helena sat beside her and read along with Louise. “John Stuart Mill is the leader. Who are Emily Davies and Elizabeth Garrett?”
“They brought the petition after securing 1,499 names,” Louise said. “They smuggled it in with an apple seller because they thought it might be stolen or stopped.”
“Did it pass?”
“It was just introduced, and nothing’s been voted on yet.”
Helena pointed at one line in the article. “It looks like they’ve printed all the names and sent it out as a pamphlet.”
“What’s this?” Mama entered the room. Her gaze was sharp, although she looked like she’d had another lousy night of sleep.
Louise and Helena immediately arose and curtseyed. Louise handed over the newspaper. “Women’s suffrage has been brought before the House.”
Mama glanced through the article for a handful of seconds, then she set the newspaper on the table. “There’s no use for women to vote when their husbands are perfectly capable of representing the household. Now.” She looked at Helena. “When is the next fitting for your wedding dress?”
Lately, anytime a political topic came up that made the queen uncomfortable, she deflected to plans about the wedding. As political fate would have it, neither Vicky nor Alice was able to travel to England for the July wedding since General Bismarck of Prussia had indeed campaigned against Austria, and the continent was now in the middle of the Austro-Prussian War. Bismarck hoped to make Prussia the dominant force in Europe, second only to England. But this created more strife within the family and among the siblings. Vicky’s husband, Fritz, was commanding the Prussian troops, while Alice’s husband was leading the Hessian troops in support of the Austrian army.
“The wedding will continue,” Mama had declared when questioned by the court if the war should delay the wedding. “We will hold it in the private chapel at Windsor.”
This was a big step up from Alice’s wedding in the dining room at Osborne.
Helena had only nodded at the announcement, but once alone with Louise, Helena said, “Can you believe it, Loosy? I’ll have a real wedding. Not one step above a funeral.”
Louise laughed. “I’m happy for you.”
Helena wiped at her eyes. “It’s as if dear Papa is looking down upon us and orchestrating everything. Healing Mama’s grief so that we can start to enjoy life again.”
“Oh, Helena.” Louise hugged her sister. “By this time next year, I’ll be an aunt again with a little Helena to hold.”
Helena drew away and brought her hands to her cheeks. “I don’t know about that.”
“It happens with married couples.”
Helena smirked. “I know that, Loosy. I don’t know any specifics . . . Well, Alice told me a few things. Mama refuses to, you know. Papa was the one to speak to our sisters before their weddings.”
Louise had no information to offer. The mysteries of marriage remained unknown to her. She hoped her own marriage would be as wonderful and affectionate as Mama and Papa’s had been. That was if she were to marry.
And if a Prussian prince was in her future, like Vicky hoped it would be, then remaining single sounded quite appealing to Louise.
Chapter 16
“I am very glad that your Xmas went off well—tho’ very lively it cannot have been— I wish that you could once spend it with us— how nice that would be and what fun we would have. I think you did quite right to buy pipes and cigar cases for the servants, although Sir Thomas was very much shocked.”
