Chapter 3: Emotions.

"Ma'am, what are you doing here? " Lord Melbourne asked, his voice broken by emotion and containing tears of emotion, as he made an effort to try to get up from the armchair.

"Do not get up, please! " Victoria exclaimed making a gesture with her hand as she walked quickly to shorten the distance and forgetting her dignity like Queen, to kneel down beside him, and taking Lord Melbourne's right hand between her own hands placed a kiss on the back of his hand, "How could I not come here knowing how you are? " she added with eyes bright and wet, and tender gesture on her face.

"Ma'am ... I'm glad you're here, God only knows how much ... but I'm worried that people will talk, I care about you, the gossip you can unleash when visiting your former prime minister in his country residence," Lord Melbourne replied with a sad smile that had a small glint of his old ironic smiles, mocking and charming.

"Lord M, after so long I being Queen, I have learned to deal with public opinion and evil gossip, I know how to deal with that thousand-headed monster and cut all of them and keep the dignity of the Crown safe in the process ... I learned from the best one," Victoria said with a funny and nostalgic smile at the end.

"My best disciple! ..." Lord Melbourne said caressing Victoria's cheek with the back of his left hand, "But how do you know I'm not feeling well? " he added.

"As I know you will not tell me the truth in your letters, I have my own sources of information," Victoria added as if she were a naughty girl proud of a prank, but also with a certain sad touch.

"Sources of information ... How my sister Emily?" Lord Melbourne asked mockingly.

"Please, do not bother with Lady Palmerston ... she's just being a good sister and a good friend," Victoria replied with puppyish eyes.

"I can not bother with my favourite girls ... besides, I should always be grateful for the opportunity to see you again, ma'am," said Lord Melbourne affectionately.

"Speaking of favourite girls ... there is a person who has come with me and who wants to see you again after a long time," Victoria replied with a lovely smile and bright eyes.

Lord Melbourne made a funny and curious gesture on his face, and Victoria stood up and went to the door of the room, opened it and left for a moment and then returned in the company of a girl of 7 years, quite pretty.

"Vicky, say hello to Lord Melbourne," Victoria said to her daughter.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Lord Melbourne," said Vicky, in the polite manner she had been taught to use.

Lord Melbourne paled and a gesture that revealed mixed feelings covered his face, while his eyes filled with tears. He tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth he could not speak. Victoria was also intensely excited, but she reacted to prevent her daughter from feeling uncomfortable.

"Vicky, unfortunately, Lord Melbourne is very sick at the moment and that is why he can not stand up to greet you properly ... Obviously, we will be understanding and you will excuse him, right? " Victoria said in an affectionate tone.

"Of course, Mama ... I'm sorry to hear a lot about your illness, Lord Melbourne ... I hope that soon your health improves," said the girl remembering all the words that she had been taught to say in those social situations.

"Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness! ... You have no idea how excited I am to hear those words from you," Lord Melbourne said in a voice broken with emotion.

"You're welcome, Lord Melbourne," Vicky replied with a lovely and amused smile.

Lord Melbourne watched the girl's face and her gaze, that gesture and that gaze that showed an intelligent, strong, intuitive and curious girl, that peeked into life with joy, a joy somewhat mocking and ironic.

Victoria affected saw both them and remembered the scene that day, before leaving Buckingham Palace. Miss Skerrett brought the girl, dressed elegantly and with her hair combed impeccably by Nancy. Victoria crouched down and spoke excitedly with her first-born daughter.

"Vicky, today we are going to visit a very important person for me, an old friend of Mama ... He knows you, but you should not remember him, he is Lord Melbourne," Victoria said with a sweet smile.

"Lord Melbourne ... he was your prime minister, before Mr Peel, right, Mama?" the girl asked, frowning as if concentrating to remember something.

"Yes, honey ... he was also my first friend and my mentor, he taught me to be Queen, I have often told you about him," Victoria answered excitedly.

"Yes, but he never comes here ... why should we visit him?" Vicky asked with curiosity and naivety, not as a complaint.

"He cannot come for reasons that are very difficult for you and me to understand, and now also because he is a little sick, and that makes Mama sad ... because Lord Melbourne has almost no family and is very lonely, and Christmas is coming ... That's why I want to surprise him and visit him, and I know he's going to be very happy to see you because he was carrying you when you were just a baby ... Do you want to make Mommy happy? Remember that children who are good with Mama are those who have gifts at Christmas," said Victoria seeing her daughter with an intense look.

"Of course, Mama," Vicky answered.

"I'm happy ... you'll also love Lord Melbourne's house, it's a very beautiful country house called Brocket Hall ... There's another thing, Vicky ... this will be our secret and you should not tell anyone not even Papa," Victoria replied.

"Papa either?" Vicky asked surprised.

"Not Papa ... you know how Papa is, he cares about us, but sometimes he is very exaggerated and he does not want us to leave the Palace a lot, and Mama did not have time to let him know. That's why, so that he does not get angry with Mama we will not tell him anything ... Besides, big girls keep secrets, and you're already a big girl, right, Vicky? " Victoria said tenderly.

"Sure, Mama, I am," Vicky replied enthusiastically and cheerfully.

During the trip to Brocket Hall, Vicky was very excited discussing, what she saw on the way with her mother and with Skerrett. The carriage advanced guarded by soldiers of the Queen's Guard, and thus it arrived until the main door of the mansion, where the majordomo received the Queen saying that he had received instructions from the sister of Lord Melbourne, Emily, of not announcing the arrival of the Queen so that she could surprise his master.

Victoria, Skerrett and Vicky walked through the corridors of Brocket Hall.

"Mama, do you think Lord Melbourne will like me? " Vicky asked a little anxiously.

"I'm sure, darling ... I'm sure," Victoria answered repressing a pout, not to break to cry like a girl.

That had happened a while before, now Victoria was looking in proud and tender at Vicky and Lord Melbourne.

"Your Highness ... the last time I saw you were a baby, and now you are a young lady, a very beautiful young lady, like your mother, Her Majesty ... I certainly admire the way you have grown, one day you will be a very beautiful bride at your wedding," said Lord Melbourne with a gaze of infinite admiration and affection.

"Thank you very much, Lord Melbourne, you are very kind ... but I do not wish to marry, I do not like boys, they are very stupid," Vicky answered truthfully.

Lord Melbourne and Victoria laughed, and Vicky also ended up laughing.

"Vicky, let's not start ... someday you'll have to get married, it's your duty," Victoria said trying to sound serious and holding back her laughter.

"I'm just saying what I want, Mama ... I would prefer to be Queen than get married," Vicky said firmly.

"Vicky, you know that Bertie will be the King, we will not discuss the subject again," Victoria said as an affectionate scolding.

"I know, but I was born first, do not expect me to like it, mother," Vicky said crossing her arms and frowning angrily, which was also evident in the fact that she called her mother "mother" when she was angry with she.

Lord Melbourne laughed out loud, surprising a little to mother and daughter.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness ... but you remind me of your mother when she became Queen, I think the temper is very similar," said Lord Melbourne, delighted and amused.

"I was older than the princess when I became Queen, and of course I did not have that bad temper," Victoria replied, crossing her arms and adopting the same gesture of anger as her daughter.

"I've been told I'm more mature than the Queen was when she was my age," Vicky replied with an ingenious and ironic response that left her mother speechless and more angry.

Lord Melbourne had another fit of laughter, and mother and daughter ended up smiling in front of that.

"There is no doubt that Her Highness has inherited the strength and impudence of her mother, which makes me very proud," Lord Melbourne said with a gaze that said many things and that filled Victoria with joy.

The three chatted happily, and after a while, Lord Melbourne called the employees with a bell and he sent them to look for something. They brought him a box wrapped in wrapping paper.

"Your Highness, it's a Christmas gift I bought for you ... I was thinking of sending it to the Palace, but, since you're here," said Lord Melbourne with a smile.

"For me? ... Thank you very much, Lord Melbourne!" exclaimed Vicky with a cheerful smile and enthusiasm, "Can I open it, Mama?" Vicky asked turning to see her mother.

"Normally you should wait until Christmas, but it's a special occasion and it's better that you open it in front of Lord M," Victoria said drying a tear that slid down her cheek.

Vicky opened the gift and found a beautiful music box.

"It's very pretty! ... Thanks, Lord Melbourne!" exclaimed Vicky enthusiastically.

"Your Highness ... would you allow me to kiss your cheek?" Lord Melbourne asked excitedly.

Vicky was astonished, but when she turned to see her mother she saw how she nodded and encouraged her with an anxious gesture of her face. The girl brought her face to Lord Melbourne and he gave her a soft and tender kiss, while Victoria pouted, and had to look away so her daughter would not see her cry.

In the present, Victoria woke up in the bed of her guest bedroom in William's Scottish mansion, remembering all the dream. But what surprised Victoria most was that she was crying ... tears ran down her cheeks, she unable to contain them, and Victoria felt a pain that she did not understand.

"What is this? ... Why can not I stop crying? ... Why this feeling oppresses my chest?" Victoria asked loudly, pouting, while with the back of her right hand she dried her tears that did not stop flowing and with her left hand closed in fist pressed her chest.

And so she cried for a long time ...