The Queen and Lord M (24 page)

When Lord Hastings received his letter he had just risen from a sick bed. Flora had written that she was ill, and because she was ill her honour had been in question. Certain ladies of the Queen’s household had fabricated a scandal about her and since the Queen believed this scandal it had been necessary for her to submit to an embarrassing and humiliating examination.

The young Marquis, quick-tempered and hot-headed, decided that he would leave at once for London and very soon was in his sister’s apartments listening to her story in all its most indelicate details.

‘Of course,’ he said, ‘there is one person behind this, for this examination was tantamount to an order from the Queen and we know who advises the Queen on all matters. Lord Melbourne. I shall challenge that fellow to a duel.’

‘Take care,’ begged Lady Flora.

‘I shall take care of our family honour. Lord Melbourne has questioned this. He has to answer for it. It is either his blood or mine.’

‘For Heaven’s sake be careful.’

‘Don’t worry about me. I’m a young man, which is more than Melbourne is. I’ll warrant he is better at tattling scandal in the royal boudoir than handling firearms.’

Nothing Flora could say would deter her brother and she began to wish she had not listened to Sir John’s advice and written to him. However, she was feeling too ill to care very much and Lord Hastings left her to go to his friend Lord Winchelsea to ask him to act as his second in the duel.

‘Duel!’ cried Winchelsea. ‘You’re mad, my dear fellow. Whom do you intend to call out?’

‘Melbourne.’

‘The Prime Minister?’

‘Why not? If he assails the honour of my family he shall answer for it as any man should.’

‘Now wait a minute, wait a minute,’ cautioned Winchelsea. ‘You are jumping to conclusions. Are you sure it’s the Prime Minister you should be blaming?’

‘I can’t very well challenge the Queen.’

‘Oh, so it is the Queen you wish to castigate.’

‘If she were not royal and a woman my challenge would go to her. As it can’t, it goes to her Prime Minister.’

‘You’re a hot-headed idiot, Hastings. Look here, go and see the Prime Minister first. Get an account of the story from him. I doubt he had anything to do with the affair. This is women’s tittle-tattle. Don’t make a fool of yourself.’

Hastings was impressed with this advice and agreed that he would see the Prime Minister first before calling him out.

As soon as Lord Melbourne heard that Lord Hastings wished to see him he guessed for what reason. A disastrous affair, this Flora Hastings matter. What a pity they had not let well alone. The trouble was that the whole press had taken up and exaggerated the story and it was being suggested that the Queen was deeply involved.

‘Now, Hastings,’ said Lord Melbourne in his most bland and worldly manner, ‘what is all this about?’

‘I am sure you have a very good notion. I am disgusted by the way in which my sister has been treated.’

‘Ah yes, yes. So are we all. A most unfortunate business.’

‘Fabricated by malicious people! Flora’s innocence has been proved.’

‘At which I am delighted,’ said the Prime Minister. ‘Not that I had any doubts that it could be otherwise.’

‘How unfortunate that you did not state this at the time, Lord Melbourne.’

‘Oh, but I did by implication. My advice when Lady Tavistock came to see me was: “Do nothing.” And since she and her friends were so certain she was right – which was clearly very rash and uncharitable of them – I begged them to wait and see. “Wait and see.” Those were my very words. For I knew that the only way in which I could make these ladies see logic was to point out to them that while Lady Flora remained at Court under their eyes she must before long produce the infant if that infant existed. I assure you, my dear Hastings, I did all I could to urge these ladies to act with discretion.’

Lord Hastings was temporarily subdued. He could see that he had been rash to think of challenging the Prime Minister to a duel. But he was not going to let the matter be thrust aside.

‘I am determined,’ he said, ‘to get to the root of this affair and to discover who set these ugly and criminal rumours into motion; and as Her Majesty seems to be at the heart of the matter I shall ask for an audience.’

Melbourne was horrified.

‘But you cannot ask the Queen for explanations!’

‘I am determined to get to the root of this, no matter whom I have to ask.’

‘I think,’ said the Prime Minister, ‘that the Duke of Wellington might be able to help you. I will tell him you are coming to see him and I will ask him to listen to what you have to say and advise you.’

Lord Hastings agreed and when he had gone, uneasy as Lord Melbourne felt on behalf of the Queen, he was relieved that he had been able to pass the rather tiresome young Hastings over to the Duke of Wellington.

The Duke of Wellington was always eager to give advice. His fighting days were over; his popularity had waned (because he had stood against the Reform Bill); he was now a considerable politician but Parliament could never take the place of the battlefield. He was fast becoming a kind of father figure to the country and it was a custom to call him in for consultation at any time of difficulty.

He was delighted therefore to advise the impetuous young Marquis.

‘It was a shocking affair,’ he conceded, ‘and therefore best forgotten. There has been a great deal of comment about it already. It is much wiser therefore to let sleeping dogs lie.’

‘This,’ said the Marquis, ‘is exactly what I don’t intend to do. Sleeping scandal, you mean! Yes, sleeping! Just waiting until someone comes along and prods it to life. Then we shall have the old accusations again. No, I intend to bring it out into the open and kill it stone dead.’

He left Wellington and wrote at once to Melbourne. He could get no satisfaction from the Duke, he said; and he was determined to have satisfaction. Therefore he asked Lord Melbourne to arrange for him an interview with Her Majesty the Queen.

Impatiently he waited for a reply. None came. Furiously he sat down and wrote again telling Lord Melbourne that his patience was exhausted. As Lord Melbourne had told him that the Court ladies were responsible for the treatment of Lady Flora he was determined to ask the Queen for an explanation. He did not believe it was due to the deliberate actions of Her Majesty but put it down to baneful influences which were about the throne and which poisoned human feelings. He was addressing himself to the Prime Minister as the organ through which all things were now carried out at Court.

When Melbourne received this missive he realised that it would be dangerous to ignore the young man. Hastings was in a fighting mood and the matter needed the most delicate of handling.

He wrote back at once saying that he had been away and he would submit the request to the Queen, and at once went to Victoria.

‘It is this distressing matter of Flora Hastings again, I fear.’

‘Oh, surely not!’

‘I think it will be necessary for you to see this young man.’

‘I? But what have I to do with it?’

‘He blames your ladies and seems to think that you are behind them in this.’

‘What nonsense! Naturally I wanted to know the truth. If Lady Flora was an immoral woman I didn’t want her at my Court. I have seen her and expressed my sympathy. I have sent to ask how she is progressing. Surely that is enough?’

‘Oh,’ said Lord Melbourne comfortably, ‘if you will just see the young man he’ll be soothed. You will know how to charm him.’

‘I don’t care to be forced into this interview.’

‘There is no question of forcing. Who would attempt to force the Queen? I will just give you one of my pieces of advice. You have never been averse to listening to them at less stormy times. You may reject it of course but I am going to be my bold and uncompromising self and say that you are much too clever not to listen to an old man who has seen a great deal of the world.’

‘
Dear
Lord M, why cannot everyone be as kind and understanding as you are?’

‘I might ask why everyone cannot be as reasonable as Your Majesty.’

‘So you are absolutely certain that I should see him?’

‘I think so. Be noncommittal. Tell him you regret what happened and that you have nothing but respect for his dear sister and she will be treated with honour, etc., at Court. That will satisfy him.’

‘So it is really a matter of placating this young man?’

‘No, it’s not as simple as that. It’s a matter of placating the people. This affair – alas – has been widely reported in the press and of course wildly exaggerated. The people take sides in these matters and they are invariably on the side of the oppressed – the wretched Lady Flora – devil take her – in this instance.’

Victoria could not help smiling at Lord Melbourne’s
quaint
expressions.

‘I will see what I can do with the trying young man,’ she said.

In her most regal and dignified manner she received Lord Hastings as she had said she would. She told him that she greatly regretted that such a matter should have occurred at her Court and that it was most distasteful to her. She realised that Lady Flora was blameless, so she should be allowed to remain at Court while she wished to do so and would be treated there with the utmost respect. As far as she could see that ended the matter.

Lord Hastings found it difficult to argue with the Queen, so he came away dissatisfied; but even though the Queen had intimated that she wished the matter to be closed, he soon realised that this could not be so. The press brought out the story again and worried it like a dog with a favourite bone trying to get a little more meat off it. People were taking sides. The majority of them were with Lady Flora but an unpleasant rumour was started that she was actually pregnant, that this was not the first time, and that she had recently left the Court to give birth to an illegitimate child.

‘I will not allow this,’ cried Lord Hastings. ‘I don’t care for anyone … not even the Queen. I am determined to make sure that no one is going to question the honour of our house.’

He wrote to Lord Tavistock demanding that he ask the truth of his wife; he also wrote to Lord Portman. Acrimonious letters passed between them. Lord Hastings believed he knew who was at the centre of the plot against his sister and it came from the foreign influences which existed at Court. This was an accusation against the Baroness Lehzen.