A.N. Lord M was Victoria's first Prime Minister, ten years her senior. They adored one another but she married Prince Albert. A year has passed since Albert's death and a decade since she has seen Lord M. But he is her Prime Minister once more.
Victoria sat up in her large, empty bed, cold with the solitude of it all. Hugging the pillow next to her, and breathing in the smell of her husband, she sighed. His scent was fading. Soon it would vanish, and she would have no comfort. Staring blankly around the room in which she had been so happy before, Victoria realised that no more tears came. She had cried herself dry.
A small whine came from the end of her bed and she called for Dash, quite an old boy now, to join her at her pillow.
One day she would lose him too, as she had lost every man she had ever cared for. He yelped as she squeezed him tightly but licked her cheek, used as he was to drying her salty tears.
"Good boy Dash, my darling."
Victoria's eyes had begun to droop with the comfort and warmth of her pet when Lehzen burst into the room.
"Majesty, there is news of the election."
Victoria saw the distress on her dear friends face and sat up.
"It cannot be worse than Peel, Lehzen." The Queen looked inquiringly into Lehzen's eyes.
"That's just it, Ma'am, I do not feel that you will think it worse."
Victoria's heart sped up, this could only mean one thing.
"Lord Melbourne will be here in an hour Ma'am."
Victoria jumped from the bed and caught Lehzen's hands in glee.
"Is it true? Oh, tell me it's true!"
When Lehzen nodded, Victoria's grief stricken face broke into the first grin since Albert had died.
"I must get ready! There is much to do!" The Queen all but sang on her way to her dressing room.
Solitude, she felt, was at an end.
Victoria moved her hand to her hair for the seventh time in the space of the few minutes that she had been seated in her drawing room. Suddenly, she stood and went to the mirror. She had not changed much in the decade since she had last seen Lord Melbourne. Perhaps she had hardened with the death of her husband, but the woman staring back at her pleased the Queen.
"Don't tell me you've become vain in the years we've been parted, Ma'am."
Victoria turned and met his piercing green eyes. He had not changed much either from the man of his thirties. His hair was not even streaked with grey yet. His figure was fine and he stood tall as ever. Yet, the thing that pleased her most was his smile. It felt like home.
"Vanity working on a weak mind produces all sorts of mischief, Lord M."
His grin increased once she had used the familiar nickname. Laughing, he moved towards her and bent to kiss her hand.
She smiled as his mouth met her skin and as he moved to stand straighter, she impulsively pulled him in for a hug.
"It has been too long, Lord M. I have missed you!"
He squeezed her tight and then released her, looking deeply into her small face, reading her expressions expertly.
"Blame the Tories, Ma'am."
They took their seats across from one another.
Melbourne cleared his throat and began.
"I was sorry to miss the funeral, Ma'am. It must have been very hard for you."
Victoria looked down at her hands and twisted her gold wedding band.
"It was."
They looked around as the door knob turned and the nanny walked in, holding little Victoria's hand.
"Come here, darling." Her mother called, sitting her her in her lap.
"Quite a change from Doll 123, Ma'am." Lord M smiled his usual half smile.
"Vicky, say hello to Lord Melbourne. He's going to be my Prime Minister."
"If your Mama will have me, that is." Lord M returned the girl's shy wave and reached into his pocket.
"What's this?" He asked in mock exclamation while retrieving a lolly from his coat.
The little girl actually did exclaim. Her mother never let her have sweets.
"May I?" Lord M asked Victoria's permission and handed the girl her present upon her mother's assent.
"Thank you!" Vicky's eyes filled with wonder at the colours.
"Run along now darling. Lord M and I have important affairs to discuss."
To the adults amusement, the little girl curtsied to Melbourne and he smiled at the concentration on her little face, her chubby hand holding the stick of her lolly.
"What a darling girl, Ma'am."
"She is very sweet." Victoria smiled and waved at her daughter as the nanny retrieved her. "Now, Lord M, I believe that I have the honour of asking you to form a government."
"It would be my pleasure, Ma'am."
In that moment, for the first time in over a year, Victoria felt that all was right.
For the first time since Albert's death, she relaxed and settled into an easy conversation with her Prime Minister.
Skerret held up two dresses from which her majesty could choose from. Both black.
"I think that it may be time to order some half mourning gowns, don't you think, Skerret?"
The maid was shocked, but smiled knowingly. The Queen had even been humming as she had her hair dressed. It was nice to see her happy again, no matter who brought the smile to her face, although Skerret had always championed Lord Melbourne.
As the dress was lifted over her head, the queen heard Lehzen's voice and saw her standing there once her head came through the neck of the gown.
"With Lord Melbourne's compliments, Majesty."
On a tray lay three of the most beautiful orchids that Victoria had ever seen, so beautiful that they brought a tear to her eye.
"How lovely! I must thank him this evening." She sat dow so that Skerret could pin two of the flowers into Victoria's chignon.
"I am glad, Majesty, that you are feeling so much better. Just please remember what happened before."
Victoria turned her head to the side and rolled her eyes, quite childishly for a woman almost in her thirtieth year.
"Oh, Lehzen. I'm older now, and I pray, wiser. Lord M is my dearest friend. That is all."
Victoria twirled the third orchid in her hand and wondered what to do with it. Looking around the room she decided to place it in her diary, to dry it.
"It is so beautiful that I want to remember it forever!" She declared before walking out of the room.
Dinner was a pleasant affair, which the household was grateful for. The Queen had been gloomy for far too long.
Her laughter lit up the room as Lord M regaled her with tales of his travels to Italy and even to Egypt.
So pleasant was the evening that the Queen ate every morsel of food and her guests had time to finish theirs.
Lord M was grateful for this as he had noticed how thin she had become.
Other than that observation, he saw the sadness behind her eyes though they were not as lifeless as he had heard they had been. All he wanted was to erase some of that sadness, he hated seeing her in pain.
"I must say, Ma'am, that it is good to be back at your table."
Victoria looked over her wine glass and smiled softly at him.
"And I must thank you for smoking out the Tories!" The room erupted with mirth and Victoria was able to whisper to Lord M. "Thank you for the flowers. They are exquisite."
"I think that the woman they adorn makes them exquisite."
No one but Melbourne saw her blush and he alone felt the butterflies in his stomach when she patted his arm. How he had missed her!
"We must go riding tomorrow, Lord M."
He smiled and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Ma'am. I believe we must."