Victoria read his letter and threw it aside. Dear Uncle Leopold, she loved him so much, but he did have a tendency to look upon himself as the head of the family, the head of Europe for that matter. Albert had said so. And what had Albert said of Alix? She must be made to understand that Bertie would be marrying her and not her family. There would be no involvement with Danish affairs, unless it was for the good of England that this should be.
She wrote to Prince Christian. She would expect Alix at Osborne on the 7th of November. He might bring her and stay for two days; then he should return to Denmark and come over to take her back in December. The Queen wished to have Alix to herself for a month.
Alix arrived at Osborne on a cold and misty November evening.
The Queen and her daughters were waiting to receive her. Alix, in spite of the weather, managed to look charming and the Queen noted this with pleasure.
‘My dear, dear child,’ she murmured, embracing her. ‘You must be perished with cold and worn out with the journey.’ She acknowledged Prince Christian’s greeting and said that Lenchen should show him to his room. She herself took Alix to hers.
‘How pretty you look,’ she said. ‘I am glad you came. There is much we shall have to say to each other.’
Alix looked at her and thought of her sad loss and how unhappy she would be if Bertie died; and she remembered how important her own father and mother were to each other, and she believed she understood a little of the Queen’s grief. Victoria was aware of this and was certain that in Alix she was going to find a new daughter.
When they were all together in the Queen’s sitting-room after supper had been served the Queen explained to them all what Osborne had been like before Prince Albert had changed it. ‘His one idea was to give me a house which he considered worthy of me. Everything he did he did to perfection. There were many roles he could have played in life, but he was taken from me.’
The tears began to flow.
Christian took his leave of his daughter.
‘My dearest daughter,’ he said, ‘if it becomes intolerable you must let me know. I wouldn’t have you unhappy for the world.’
She flung her arms round his neck. ‘Dearest Papa, you are an angel.’
‘Oh no, not that!’ he said and she smiled with him.
‘Poor Queen, how desolate she is. I shall do my best to cheer her.’
‘Good-bye, my child. Try to be punctual.’
‘Oh, I will, Papa, I promise you.’
Then he was gone.
There were many interviews with the Queen. Alix understood, she hoped, that when a Princess married, her family was that one which was her husband’s. A Princess came into a new country. That country’s ideals became hers. That country’s customs and so on. Alix must understand that.
Yes, said Alix, she did.
‘It was different in my case. I was the Queen. Albert was a second son of the house of Saxe-Coburg, as you know. It was his duty to come and live here. I shall never forget the day he arrived. I stood at the top of the staircase at Windsor and I thought an angel had come to me …’
Every conversation came back to him. Alix began to expect it. She learned a great deal about the Prince Consort and the more she heard the more it seemed to her what an uncomfortable person he must have been. His many perfections made him formidable and she did think that perhaps he was a little critical of those who were not of his own opinions.
But she listened sympathetically and the Queen enjoyed talking to her and going over the sorrowful events which had led to his death.
Victoria wondered whether she should mention the Curragh Camp incident. If she did not someone might. It would be better, she supposed, if the child heard it from her. She decided to tell her and played it down a little.
There had been an unfortunate incident in Bertie’s past. He had been led astray by wicked people. She would know of course that Bertie did not possess his father’s saintly qualities.
Thank God! thought Alix.
But then how many people could be expected to? asked the Queen. There was no one in the world to compare with that Incomparable Creature.
Alix would forget Bertie’s one lapse, commanded the Queen. It sometimes happened to young men and she had no doubt that Bertie himself would make a full confession before his marriage. She wanted Alix to tell him that she understood and of course when he was married such temptations would not occur. Alix would see to that. She was very happy that Bertie was going to marry and she wanted Alix to know that she believed wholeheartedly that he had chosen the one who would be the best wife in the world for him.
It was not all gloom and the Queen’s daughters, who would be her new sisters, could be quite merry when the Queen was not present. Beatrice – known as Baby still – was six and could even make the Queen smile with her quaint sayings. Alix enjoyed playing with her; and there was no doubt that they got on very well together. None of them was as terrifying as Vicky. Alice, the eldest of the girls, now pregnant, was very quiet and sweet-natured. Lenchen, who was herself getting near to marriageable age, was very interested in everything concerning the wedding; so was Louise, who was only two years younger. Arthur and Leopold kept out of the way, but Cousin Mary Cambridge, who had grown very fat, was a constant visitor and clearly delighted to have Alix in the country and was, Alix knew, secretly congratulating herself that she had helped to set the marriage plans in motion.
There was a visit to Windsor Castle – an awe-inspiring place, very gloomy, but it could have been different in other circumstances.
The weeks passed. Cousin Mary wanted to help with the trousseau and she and Alix spent many a happy hour discussing fashions and materials and what would be required.
It was with the Cambridges that Christian stayed when at the end of the month he came to take Alix home. The Queen did not invite him to Windsor nor did she ask to see him. Alix drove to Cambridge Lodge and there found her father.
They embraced warmly and then he held her away from him and looked at her searchingly.
‘You are all right?’ he asked anxiously.
‘But of course, Papa. What did you expect?’
‘And you want to marry and live here for the rest of your life?’
‘I want to marry Bertie,’ she said.
‘I’m satisfied now,’ said her father.
Bertie was waiting for them when they arrived at Calais. Gay and debonair, very gallant and attentive, how different from his mother! Alix was enchanted.
‘My dearest Alix, how was it?’ he asked earnestly.
‘Oh, it was … quite pleasant.’
‘I was so worried about you.’
Alix felt she could have endured anything that evoked such concern in Bertie.
‘I do hope she wasn’t too demanding.’
‘No, we grew quite fond of each other.’
Bertie looked at her in wonderment. Beautiful, lively and able to endure the Queen! She was a paragon.
They travelled to Hanover together and then on to Cologne. The few days they were together were delightful and made up for anything she had endured during her stay in England.
Bertie talked a great deal about the things they would do when they were married. Then they would escape from the Queen’s surveillance. It was going to be very different for Bertie from what it had ever been before. Parliament would vote him a big allowance; she would have one, too, of course. They would be able to enjoy life. It was all going to be wonderful. But best of all, they would be free to live their own lives.