A Shooting Star Read online

  “Anyone who was married to Haugton would find him difficult,” replied Lord Carlsby. “But he is without exception the best-looking young man in London. At the same time, as you and I both know, her Majesty is seeing far too much of him.”

  “Do you think his advice to her is harmful?” asked Lord Linwood.

  “I do think he is dangerous, simply because anyone who has influence over Her Majesty could interfere with our policy, especially in regard to – the Russians.”

  “We can always rely on Disraeli.”

  “Then we must thank Heaven for that,” responded Lord Carlsby, “but he also, between ourselves, is finding Haugton a bit if a nuisance. Naturally he enjoys having, as he thinks, Her Majesty totally under his control.”

  “I think you are going too far when you say that, although I would agree that he is becoming a nuisance. I was most annoyed with him yesterday when the Queen put forward a new proposition that I knew had come directly from Haugton and which she had not thought of herself.”

  “We have to do something about him, Linwood, and personally I think my idea is an exceedingly good one, especially now that I have seen your daughter.”

  Lord Carlsby paused before he continued,

  “Anyone who married her would be busy fending off a crowd of admirers and Haugton, as you well know, would not wish to take second place to someone who bore his name and was his wife.”

  “I agree with you and needless to say it would be an excellent marriage for my daughter. I suppose Haugton is one of the richest men in England and no one has a better ancestral home or a finer stable.”

  Lord Carlsby laughed.

  “Horses! Horses! Always horses where you and your daughter are concerned. If nothing else proves easy in this marriage, they will both enjoy the finest and the fastest horses in the country.”

  There was silence for a moment.

  Then very cautiously, Flavia pulled out yet another book so that she could hear even better.

  She saw that the holes in the wall had been bored in a straight line and it looked as if they had been made at some time to support an object on the other side.

  “I think it would be best,” Lord Carlsby said rather slowly, as if he was thinking out every word, “to let your daughter meet Haugton quite normally at Social events.”

  “As you know, Haugton is coming to the dinner party I plan to give for Flavia the day after tomorrow and His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, will be present.”

  “I am sure that will be a useful start to our scheme,” said Lord Carlsby. “If the Prince makes a fuss of Flavia, which he is bound to do, seeing how lovely she is, it will definitely make the Earl more interested in her.”

  He gave a sharp laugh before he went on,

  “If nothing else, Haugton is a snob and he enjoys Royalty as other men have a preference for actresses and cocottes!”

  “I suppose that’s true, but Haugton is a big success wherever he goes. It is said that no woman can resist him.”

  “When he sees a pretty woman, he is irresistible,” said Lord Carlsby. “That is why I think you will have no trouble in marrying your daughter to him.”

  “No trouble?” Lord Linwood repeated cynically. “I have heard that Haugton has said a thousand times that he has no intention of marrying, but will ‘play the field’.”

  “I know that, but that is no reason why we should allow him to ‘play our field’ at Windsor and interfere with our guidance of the Queen.”

  “I agree with you, Carlsby. Equally I doubt if we can persuade him, however lovely my daughter may be, to offer her marriage.”

  “I think you are being rather stupid, if I may say so. You know, as I do, that there are a thousand unwritten laws as to what a man may do with a girl to ruin her reputation.”

  Lord Carlsby was becoming angry,

  “You must have heard about what happened to poor Worcester – he only stood talking in the garden to that pretty creature he walked down the aisle with last week.”

  “What happened?” Lord Linwood asked.

  “Her mother went straight to the Prince of Wales and told him her daughter’s reputation was ruined. The Prince then told Worcester to ‘behave like a gentleman’ and he was therefore obliged to marry her.”

  “I heard the story, but thought it could not be true.”

  “Of course it’s true,” Lord Carlsby blustered, “and there should be no difficulty in your finding them alone in the garden or just staring at the stars without a chaperone.”

  There was a pause and then Lord Linwood said,

  “I see your point. Very well, we will work on the way you suggest, meantime for Heaven’s sake try to keep Haugton away from Windsor Castle.”

  “I will endeavour to do so, Linwood, but, if you ask my advice, the sooner he marries your daughter the more comfortable we can both be.”

  Lord Linwood gave a sigh.

  “I suppose to be truthful, I am astonished that the Queen should be so infatuated with him.”

  “As I have said already, he is irresistible to every woman, but, like most men, he enjoys the Royal patronage and this can do much damage to our plans for Her Majesty.

  “Unless the marriage to Flavia can take place as soon as possible, we can give up every hope of making Her Majesty listen sensibly to our suggestions as she did before Haugton burst in and upset the applecart.”

  “He has certainly done that. Very well, Carlsby, I agree with all you say and I will make sure that Flavia sits next to him at our dinner party the day after tomorrow.”

  “That is the first step in the right direction – ”

  “Now I will find Flavia,” Lord Linwood said, rising to his feet. “Otherwise she will be suspicious as to why we sent her away.”

  “I see no reason for her to be suspicious, not at the moment at any rate.”

  “I am afraid my daughter may be difficult. I know it would be the most brilliant marriage she could possibly make. Haugton is so rich that even American millionaires look pale beside him.”

  “What more can you ask of a son-in-law?”

  Lord Linwood did not answer.

  Flavia knew that he was coming to look for her and

  swiftly she put the books back in the shelf.

  She could hardly believe what she had just heard.

  Yet now she knew what they were planning.

  A moment later when her father opened the door, she was sitting demurely in a chair with another book open on her knee.

  “It is over, my dear,” he said. “We have had our talk and now Lord Carlsby wants you to come back. I am sure he will be leaving soon and then we can be alone.”

  Flavia managed to smile at him.

  “That is what I have been waiting for, Papa,” she said, “and I have a great deal to tell you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  After Lord Carlsby left, Flavia told her father all the news from The Priory.

  He was extremely interested in the horses and in the crops that had been planted on the Home Farm and she also told him about the tenant farmers and how some of them had been encouraged to improve their productivity.

  “We have more sheep and more chickens than we have ever had before,” Flavia related.

  “That is excellent, Flavia, and we must encourage them to expand and become more profitable every year.”

  “What they really need, Papa, is to see more of you. They are not going to listen to a woman and certainly not one as young as me. If you were there, I can see we would quickly become the most up-to date estate in the County.”

  Lord Linwood smiled.

  “I appreciate your enthusiasm, my dear, but I am doing exceptionally difficult work at Court. As you know, Her Majesty relies on me in very many ways and I could not neglect her.”

  “Of course not, Papa, but then Her Majesty has the Prince of Wales to consult.”

  Lord Linwood was silent before replying,

  “The Queen is totally convinced that the Prince is too flighty
to be any help to her. I have, however, always believed it is essential for him to take some part in the ruling of our country.”

  “Of course it is. It would be just the same, Papa, as if you did not let me take an interest in every detail on our estate.”

  She had heard people gossiping that the Prince of Wales was only interested in enjoying himself and it was his mother who was determined he should not take any part in the political world she dominated.

  Lord Linwood sighed.

  He was aware, as was every man of intelligence at Court, that the Prince was being deliberately shut out.

  Granted the Queen had been shocked at the way he enjoyed the high life of London and Paris and at his friends who encouraged him to be, in her mind, a roué.

  But the older courtiers like Lord Linwood and Lord Carlsby knew that his rakish behaviour with actresses and courtesans had a different aspect.

  Previously they had dismissed it as the excesses of youth, but now that had changed.

  It had become a way of life, a compensation for the frustrations caused by his mother and thus an outlet for his energy.

  The Prince was rich, he was married, he was the father of six children and he enjoyed enormous prestige.

  He was heir to the throne of Great Britain.

  Just as in his adolescence, it was the story of a boy denied all that made life exciting and in the prime of life he was still deprived of the Royal power that he should have been trained to handle.

  This had evoked a gathering frustration, but he was so very keen on his perceived duties that no Royal had ever opened more Public Libraries, laid more Foundation stones or attended more Official Ceremonies.

  It was said that a whole room had been put aside at Marlborough House to store his various uniforms and two valets were engaged to brush and care for them.

  Yet all the Prince had, as Lord Linwood knew, was just a minute portion of the real power he craved.

  Even among his friendships the Prince was actively seeking power, and it had passed through Lord Linwood’s mind some time ago that the Prince of Wales might in some way be used to prevent the Earl of Haugton being so welcome at Windsor Castle.

  When he had planned the dinner party he intended to give in two day’s time, he was thinking that perhaps the Prince of Wales would be helpful in disposing of the Earl in several different ways.

  As Flavia stopped talking about The Priory, he said,

  “Now then, my dear, I have a surprise for you that I know you will appreciate.”

  “What is it, Papa?” she enquired nervously.

  “I know that you will be inundated with invitations from your mother’s friends and mine. But, in order to set you off on exactly the right foot, I have arranged a party for the day after tomorrow that I know you will find totally different from any party you have ever been to before.”

  “What is happening, Papa?” Flavia asked him even more nervously.

  “I have invited His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales to dinner here – and he has accepted.”

  Flavia stared at him.

  “His Royal Highness! But Papa how exciting! I never thought I would ever meet him.”

  “You will be the hostess the day after tomorrow for dinner, and I have also asked the Earl of Haugton, who is one of the smartest and most interesting young gentlemen in Society.”

  Flavia drew in her breath sharply.

  She had only just leant why the Earl of Haugton had been invited.

  “Lord Carlsby is coming too, also a great number of amusing and beautiful ladies and naturally for you, my dear, some charming young gentlemen. Although I doubt if any of them will be as handsome and certainly not as rich as the Earl of Haugton.”

  “It sounds absolutely fascinating, Papa, and I will be thrilled to meet the Prince of Wales.”

  “What I want you to do, Flavia, is to make quite certain that your aunt has chosen a really fantastic gown for you to wear that evening, and for you to look through your mother’s jewellery.”

  Flavia stared at him in surprise, but he went on,

  “It has been kept in the safe here. Choose what will enhance your appearance without being too overdressed for a debutante.”

  “You are very kind, Papa, and it will be wonderful to have such a party in our own house.”

  “I would like actually,” her father added, “to have given you a little breathing-space before you made your dramatic appearance into the great Social world, but I had to choose a day when the Prince of Wales could be present and he has chosen the day after tomorrow. As he has so many other appointments, I could not argue with him.”

  “No, of course not, Papa,” agreed Flavia.

  Equally, as she thought it all over when she went upstairs to bed, it all seemed very strange.

  Why had her father asked her to meet the Earl of Haugton, whom he and Lord Carlsby wanted her to marry, at the same time as the Prince of Wales?

  She had, of course, no idea that once again the two courtiers were trying to use their power not only with the Queen but also with the Prince of Wales.

  It was true that in her middle fifties Queen Victoria showed no sign of giving up or allowing her son even a particle of power.

  Yet it was always wise to anticipate the future and clearly Lord Linwood and Lord Carlsby were determined to keep their positions at Court whoever sat on the throne.

  The two elderly men had planned the dinner party together and it included the Prince’s closest friends such as the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Aylesford, Lord Carrington and Lord Charles Beresford.

  If they accepted, the Prince would accept too.

  Lord Linwood was certain that His Royal Highness would be very captivated by the beauty of Flavia as well as interested and amused by the Earl of Haugton, who, being younger than the Prince and his close associates, had up to now hardly met him.

  He had not yet been invited to Marlborough House and both Lord Linwood and Lord Carlsby were sure that, if the Prince of Wales now became interested in the Earl, his influence at Windsor Castle would fade.

  What was more, the Prince could always be relied on to assist and push a love affair and would undoubtedly, as he had done on several other occasions, help anguished parents who believed their daughter had lost her reputation.

  In fact Lord Linwood thought he and Lord Carlsby had been exceedingly clever in arranging the dinner party.

  It seemed impossible for it to be a failure and what, however, made the party even more significant was that unexpectedly the Prince of Wales had lost his heart.

  The lady was extremely beautiful, unusual, and was already known as the ‘Jersey Lily’.

  Mrs. Langtry had come to London from Jersey with a meek weak husband and no money.

  She was so lovely that everyone who met her talked about her endlessly and acclaimed her as a great beauty.

  It was arranged that the Prince of Wales should meet her after the Opera and it was really not surprising that within a month Mrs. Langtry became the Prince’s first mistress to be openly recognised by the Social world.

  As he was so infatuated with her, no invitation was extended to the Prince unless Mrs. Langtry was invited too.

  If Lord Linwood had not been persona grata with the Queen at Windsor Castle, the Prince would doubtless not have dreamt of accepting an invitation to dinner at Linwood House.

  But he too had an axe to grind.

  Although so far Lord Linwood and Lord Carlsby had failed to persuade his mother to let him partake in the Government even in the smallest way, he always went on hoping.

  He was therefore prepared to honour them with his presence, provided that Mrs. Langtry was invited too.

  Flavia was amazed at the importance of the guests at the party her father was giving for her and for the first time she had some idea of how powerful he was at Court.

  And how obsessive he and Lord Carlsby were that no one should ever interfere with their influence over the Queen.

  Her father was descr
ibing the guests and giving her a short biography of each one and she began to realise how very dangerous he and Lord Carlsby considered this Earl of Haugton to be – and how determined they were to move him from Windsor Castle to Marlborough House.

  Flavia had been in the country where she had no one to talk to but the horses, but she had read not just the books in the library but the daily newspapers.

  Her father had made it a habit when he was a young man to take every daily and weekend newspaper published and so Flavia had learnt a great deal about political affairs.

  She was thus far more knowledgeable about politics than many men twice or three times her age.

  She followed with interest the revolt in the Turkish province of Herzegovina in the summer of 1875 and a year later Serbia declared war on Turkey and then thousands of Russian volunteers poured into Belgrade.

  The next year war stories began to appear in the British papers and it was reported that twelve thousand victims were alleged to have been slaughtered by the Turks in Bulgaria.

  Mr. Gladstone, the Leader of the Opposition, made furious speeches against the unspeakable Turks and yet no one Flavia knew seemed at all perturbed.

  Her father, however, told her that the Queen was horrified.

  A Russian Army, although poorly organised and under corrupt leadership, was marching on Constantinople and was within sixty miles of its walls.

  Flavia had read of the Queen’s anger and was quite sure that it was on her father’s suggestion that six ironclads stationed in Besika Bay were sent through the Dardanelles.

  After some delay the ships steamed to the Island of Prinkipo in the Sea of Marmora and dropped anchor within sight of Constantinople and it was that, Flavia was to learn later, which alarmed the Grand Duke Nicholas, who was in charge of the Russian Army.

  He was then forced to turn back and because she was living in the country, she had not heard people singing in London,

  “We don’t want to fight

  But by jingo if we do

  We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men

  We’ve got the money too.”

  She asked everyone she knew to tell her what was happening, but they knew very little and so Flavia had to wait until her father came home for a short visit to learn that the Russians had admitted,