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you like me to read it now so that you may give it your approval?’
    ‘That would please me very much, Lord Melbourne.’
    So he read the Declaration in his beautiful voice and she was sure that it was a fine Declaration and could not have been improved in any way. She told him so and it was apparent that they were delighted with each other.
    ‘Your Majesty would not wish to detain me longer so if I may have your permission to retire, I will call on you again this morning at eleven o’clock just before the Council meeting when Your Majesty may wish to speak to me on various matters.’
    She thought that was exactly what should be done and bowing, he took his leave. She noted the tears were in his eyes again as he left her.

    When the Prime Minister had left she sat down and wrote a letter to Queen Adelaide. She wanted the Dowager Queen to know that she was not unmindful of past kindnesses. As she wrote she remembered the balls which Adelaide had arranged for her and which Mamma had not always allowed her to attend, and when they had been present there had often been unfortunate incidents for which Victoria had to admit the Duchess had been responsible. It was Adelaide who had presented her with the Big Doll, one of the most treasured members of her doll family, and had never forgotten to ask after her as though she felt, as Victoria did, that the doll was a living person. Those were matters which Victoria would never forget, so she wrote with gentle kindness towards her bereaved aunt as her loving niece, not as her Queen. But as she wrote her thoughts strayed continually to the man who had recently visited her and who would shortly be calling again. ‘ My Prime Minister,’ she murmured.
    True to his word he came a quarter of an hour before the Council meeting was due to start in case there were any points on which she might wish to consult him. So thoughtful! Victoria assured herself.
    ‘Your Majesty!’ His bow was perfect, and yes, there were tears in his eyes once more as he regarded her.
    ‘It is so good of you, Lord Melbourne, to come again so soon.’
    ‘Your Majesty must know that it shall always be my pleasure as well as my duty to wait on your wishes.’
    ‘That is a great comfort. I am, I fear, rather young.’
    ‘Youth is the greatest of gifts. I pray you, Ma’am, don’t deplore it. You remember what Shakespeare said: “Youth I do adore thee. Age I do abhor thee.”’
    She did not remember; indeed had never heard the quotation; and she said so in spite of a temptation to pretend she had. She added that she thought this was one of the occasions when Shakespeare erred, for age often carried with it experience, and that seemed to her the greatest of gifts – if one made proper use of it, of course.
    ‘Your Majesty has wisdom as well as youth – an invincible combination,’ said the Prime Minister.
    What a delightful conversation! He made her feel clever rather than young and innocent; and that, of course, was exactly how she wanted to feel before facing her first Council meeting.
    She said: ‘Baron Stockmar called on me while I was at breakfast this morning.’
    Lord Melbourne’s beautifully arched eyebrows shot up. ‘So soon?’
    ‘He has always been a very good friend to me.’
    ‘And to your Uncle, the King of the Belgians.’
    ‘Precisely. He has offered his services as my Secretary. I have said that I will consider appointing him.’
    ‘Which was wisely diplomatic of Your Majesty, for I know you have decided that such an appointment would not be well received in the country nor by Your Majesty’s Government in view of the fact that although Baron Stockmar is a good friend to Your Majesty, he is a foreigner and known to be the devoted servant of a monarch of another country. Ah, King Leopold is your own uncle, but Your Majesty will realise that the people would imagine that with such a secretary, a foreign power would most certainly be having some effect on Your Majesty’s