The rainy season in London arrives as scheduled, like a deep aria from the sky to the earth. The lead-gray sky hangs low, enveloping the whole city in a hazy and poetic atmosphere.

The dense rain silk weaves a delicate net, sliding down the outline of the spire of the Gothic building, and hitting the stone-paved street, making a gurgling sound, like a dialogue between the rain and history, and the magnificent splash of water hidden under the seemingly harmonious melody.

The gas lamps in the streets and alleys loom in the rain and fog, and the faint but firm light penetrates the rain, sprinkles on the wet carriages and hurried pedestrians, reflecting a series of unique silhouettes. Gentlemen and ladies in dresses and hats and umbrellas in their hands hurriedly walked in a hurry, and their figures loomed in the mist in the rain, as if they had entered the land of dreams.

The door opened, hard riding boots stepped on the stone road, and the servant who had been waiting at the door for a long time hurriedly stepped forward to spread his umbrella to insulate the old gentleman in a red military uniform from the cold of the rain.

Immediately afterward, a fluffy and layered skirt like a blooming lotus flower, a beige hat stacked with feathers, lace and various delicate laces, and long gloves with a silky texture, all of which were enough to show the lady's noble status.

Mrs. Harriet Abbasnot, a well-known courtesan in London's social circles, is also a well-known political strong woman.

Perhaps in an era when women are not allowed to participate in politics, the title of strong woman in politics sounds a bit harsh.

But for British politics that values socialization, there are not a few such strong women. They may not be able to vote directly in the upper and lower houses, but if anyone tries to despise their energy, sooner or later they will have to stumble over their pomegranate skirts.

Moreover, Britain not only has strong women in politics, but these strong women, like the members of the House of Commons, are clearly divided into two camps: the Tory Party and the Whig Party.

The most well-known strong woman in the Whigs was Georgiana Cavendis, the fifth-generation Duchess of Devonshire, daughter of the original Earl of Spencer.

On the Tories side, it was the Lady Abbasnot.

However, unlike the Duchess of Devonshire, who came from a prominent background, Mrs. Abbasnot's background was much more mediocre. Although her father was the son of the 8th Earl of Westmoreland, he did not have the right to inherit the title because he was not the eldest son.

As a result, Mrs. Abbasnot, although she barely came from an aristocratic family, eventually chose to marry Charles Abbasnot, a former Irish MP who was 25 years older than her.

However, although this marriage is not suitable for her age, her husband's status as a government official has opened the door to her upper social circle. And Mrs. Abbasnot, who is good at dancing with long sleeves, seized this opportunity very well and broke into the inner circle of the Tory Party in one fell swoop.

Whether it is the former Foreign Secretary Viscount Castlereagh, the former Secretary of State for the Army, Viscount Harding, or the Duke of Kent, a member of the royal family, they all have great respect for this eloquent and elegant lady. Even some members of the Whig Party spoke highly of the lady's political vision.

However, it was not just her vision that allowed Lady Abbas to maintain such a high status in London's social circles, but one of her close friends, the Duke of Wellington.

The Duke of Wellington, once known as a 'playboy' in his youth, had many lovers and female confidants, but the only one who could maintain a relationship of trust with the old duke and exert influence on him for a long time was Lady Abbasnot.

It is known that before the Duke of Wellington got married, he had not seen the wife who had fallen in love at first sight for a full decade. Ten years is enough time to change a person, and Mrs. Wellington understands neither military nor politics, so it is difficult for the couple to have anything in common.

Lady Abbasnot, on the other hand, filled the vacancy well, and her relatively mediocre background allowed her to hone many abilities that the noble ladies who were raised in the boudoir did not have, and used these abilities to spy on the Duke of Wellington.

Everyone in London's high circles knew that although there was no official title, Lady Abbasnot was in fact the old duke's intelligence officer, and it was important to be careful when talking to this lady.

Sometimes, the relationship of trust between the lady and the old duke even made the rest of the Tory party jump to their feet.

Sir Glanville ridiculed the Duke for being surrounded by 'a bunch of women and sycophants'.

Sir Peel was also furious over this: "No one but a woman can influence the Duke, that's a bunch of fools!" ”

However, it was such a lady who could influence the Duke's views that slowly faded into public view when Wellington's cabinet collapsed two years ago.

Some say she's gone back to her hometown to live in peace, while others say she's preparing to write a political diary about the Tories. But no matter what everyone said, this long-disappeared lady appeared in front of the door of Apsley Mansion at No. 1 London at this moment.

And this, as a rule, foreshadows something.

Mrs. Abbasnot took the old duke's arm, and she asked softly, "Catherine, ...... she"

The Duke of Wellington sounded a little nasal when he spoke, and he seemed to have caught a cold: "Harriet, about Catherine, we can talk about it slowly." People cannot be resurrected from death, and it is useless to talk about it now. We have to deal with something more important now, and you should understand what I'm talking about, the thing that brought down the Cabinet. ”

Mrs. Abbas nott asked: "Of course I understand your thoughts, it is true that parliamentary reform will not do the country any good. However, it has now passed the third reading in the House of Commons, and everything seems to have become the general trend. Pushing for the emancipation of the Catholic Church has put you in disrepute, and if you intend to be on the opposite side of the Reformation at this time, your reputation ...... Truth be told, I'm even a little worried about your life. ”

The two men entered the drawing-room, and as soon as they sat down in their chairs, the servant handed the duke a towel to dry his water-stained clothes.

The Duke of Wellington wiped his mouth and said, "As you said, if reform is necessary, it will bring about a whole change in the social system of Great Britain. I do not intend to be a party to this change and to endorse those opinions against my will. It's in my nature that I have to do the obvious bargains between men, not the tricks that are sneaky in private.

I cannot pretend that I genuinely welcome those measures, and I am not willing to be either a party to them, much less the main promoter of them. I am deeply saddened if I am misunderstood, and if Parliament is going to adopt the new approach in the proposal. I can foresee that this will cause a series of disasters to the national interest, and even affect its security.

Out of my unwavering loyalty to this country, I cannot be one of those responsible for these disasters. And, now that I've made a move, I'm determined to go to the end, just as I'm on the battlefield, I'm going to fight my way, and I'm sure I'll be the last! ”

Madame Abbasnot raised the teapot and poured the Duke a cup of warm black tea, her gaze not worrying. Because judging from all the news she got, her old friend may really have to fight Waterloo again if he wants to turn defeat into victory this time.

"Your Excellency, wouldn't you really consider switching to support the passage of the reform bill? In the Catholic Reformation Act, you chose to be on the side of the reformers, even throwing dirty water on you. In all of Britain, no one will thank you except those Irish who are Catholics. If you're willing to do the dirty work, why can't you change the reform bill a little? ”

When the old duke heard this, he stared at Mrs. Abbasnot's eyes for a long time, and then slowly shook his head: "Harriet, I thought you would know me well. ”

Mrs. Abbasnot replied with a smile: "Your Excellency, no one can fully understand you, your story is too wonderful and your experience is too rich. You're complicated at times, you're simple at times, but that's you, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. ”

The old duke smiled: "Maybe what you said is right, but when it comes to the two things of Catholic reform and parliamentary reform, in fact, from the bottom of my heart, I am not a reformer. I supported the emancipation of the Catholics because I found that the only way to establish a solid government in Ireland was to liberate their faith.

As for parliamentary reform, once it is passed, then France is the future of Britain. It was a replica of the French Revolution that was born through parliamentary votes, and the implementation of parliamentary reform determined that peace would leave us forever.

In terms of policy, I have always insisted on correctness over continuity, and I only support the right issues, which are conducive to maintaining national peace and stability, rather than supporting reform or non-reform. If my mind was really that rigid, I wouldn't have agreed to Peel appointing a Yorkie boy of the Catholic faith as a senior police officer. ”

At this, a flame burned in the Duke's eyes, as if he were not sitting in a comfortable mansion at this time, but standing on a high hill in Waterloo: "I have long said that it would be a disaster to put the Whigs in charge. And now, with Dudley, Palmerston, Godrich, and the likes of Canning in their midst, it's nothing short of a catastrophe! ”

When Mrs. Abbas heard this, she immediately understood why the Duke of Wellington had a perennial grudge with former Prime Minister Sir Canning.

The main disagreement between the two men was over British foreign policy, with Sir Canning advocating the recognition of the newly independent South American countries and Britain helping Greece to establish an independent state from the Ottoman Empire.

However, this position made the Duke feel unhappy, and he repeatedly expressed it to Sir Canning's face.

"Think about what's going on in Ireland and what's going to happen in Ireland. The outlook is not rosy, and if we admit these South American separatists, we might even be frightening to Irish patriots. We must be extremely careful not to encourage any uprising in any country, in any region.

We cannot allow turmoil, self-interest, securities trading, and religious friction to force us to recognize new governments made up of rebellious provinces. If you think that the rebels in Colombia did not commit a crime, and that Bolívar was a hero rather than a traitor, then you can't punish O'Connell, who advocated Irish independence, either.

As for Greece, I admit that the Ottoman Turks brutally oppressed the local people, that they were hated by all mankind, and that we should not have any cooperation with the government of Constantinople. At the same time, if we want to create a new state in Europe that belongs to the Greeks themselves, we must make it under the principles of modern democracy.

But it is worth noting that I found that the Russians were using their means to spread their ideas and influence to Greece in an attempt to make Greece their bridgehead into the Mediterranean. Therefore, if we continue to adhere to the current policy, it will definitely do more harm than good to establish a new Greece modeled on the British political system. ”

The Duke of Wellington's friction with Sir Canning further led to his increasingly estranged relationship with the Canning faction.

The old duke's stubborn temper exacerbated the deterioration of this relationship, and on the eve of the Canning faction's decision to quit the party en masse, the Duke of Wellington not only did not keep it, but left it behind: "Tell Dudley and Palmerston that if they intend to leave with Huskison, I will not object, and I will never beg him as the third grandson did." ”

Although this statement is not very urbane, it is all true. The Duke of Wellington could not be treated like the Cannings, and his years as a field commander led him to stick to the idea that for a general, you have to say what you say.

The Duke of Wellington said: "All these documents, all the parliamentary reform bills, have nothing to do with principles. I've heard a whole bunch of Whig principles, Royalist principles, Liberal principles, Canning principles, but I have to be honest, I've never seen a precise definition of them, and I haven't been able to figure out what they mean.

I don't have so many principles, and in my case there is only one set of principles, and that is the principles of Britain! This principle, I can risk my life to guard it. For it, I defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. For it, I 'surrounded' His Majesty the King on the Catholic Liberation. What was not destroyed in the hail of bullets of war, I must not watch it be buried by the Whigs in peacetime! ”

When Mrs. Abbasnot heard this, she was shocked.

She looked at the Duke of Wellington standing there as if the field marshal of the Eight Nations was giving his pre-decisive mobilization speech.

"Your Excellency, I understand your feelings. As you know, I've been by your side for the past 20 years. There is no one in London politics who interests me so much but you. Britain has been in turmoil for a long time, and the other side of the English Channel is now at peace, and this is the time when you need to step up. ”

Wellington took a deep breath, he sat down next to Mrs. Abbasnot and shook her hand: "Harriet, at this moment, there are things that can only be solved by your social skills. I'm not hiding it, the Tory is now on the verge of collapse, everyone is fighting their own battles, and no one but some of my trusted old subordinates want to see me at this time.

And you have the power to change their minds, and I beg you to bring them here to me, for the sake of our friendship and for the sake of this nation. I have appointed you as my quartermaster, and here I will re-recruit my light cavalry, transport artillery to the front to reorganize my defensive positions, and you will be responsible for harassing their flanks, while I will use my light red array to surprise the Whigs and catch them by surprise! ”

(End of chapter)