Chapter 5

Phileas Fogg rode his horse into Hyde Park with the Queen and her ladies on a bright morning in September. He did it as he had for months now. He was getting weary of this guard duty. The new semester at Cambridge had started without him. Father had said this would be a temporary assignment, but it had come to feel quite permanent. Phileas thought about asking his father to excuse him, but something was brewing that had him distracted and on edge. It puts me on edge, too.

Within the palace, the royal guard was reacting to their prior humiliation. Precision and heightened care were the norm. Queen Victoria could be considered quite safe. Moments like this, when she was out riding in Hyde Park or traversing to and from engagements, posed the most danger.

Once, Phileas had been riding close beside the Queen's open carriage and had seen a tall man standing in the trees. The only reason the fellow had come to Phileas's attention was his own doing. The man in the long dark coat and wide brimmed hat had not acted as the rest did at the Queen's passing. He had maintained his place rather than coming closer; and had not removed his hat. On another occasion, a man looking similar had been seen in a crowd by the gates as the Queen's entourage had left the palace. Something in the man's posture had made Phileas nervous, yet there was no threat in him that he could see.

Phileas had dutifully mentioned the man to his father after the second sighting. Sir Boniface hadn't had any clear answers to his concerns. "Listen to your instincts, Phileas. Until we know who he is and have reason to question him, continue to be watchful. He could simply be one of the Queen's avid admirers or a reporter. Some people have nothing better to do than keep up with her comings and goings. Reporters watch the palace constantly."

Late in the month of September, Sir Boniface was informed of a bolder threat made against the Queen. One of the, here one day, gone the next, pamphlets put out a blistering denouncement against German influence on the Crown. It had also made the treasonous suggestion that the Queen should abdicate before making a German prince her husband. This was nothing new and Sir Boniface could even sympathize with the underlying concern. It was the radical tone of the pamphlet he couldn't countenance or overlook.

It had been published on the eve of the announcement of yet another visit from a Hanoverian relative. This newest suitor didn't make any more of an impression on Her Majesty than her other cousins. Yet, shots were fired on his carriage four blocks from the palace, afterward. That had required Sir Boniface to heighten security around the Queen further than its already stringent levels. He stressed care to his son and other agents when Her Majesty was in the public or with one of her German suitors. "Keep an eye out for that fellow in the wide brimmed hat, too."

Phileas obediently followed his instructions. He was never more than ten feet from the Queen at this point. He watched her visitors and their new armed escorts.

In October, a first cousin to the Queen, Albert of Saxe-Coburg, came to London. He was the son of Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a nephew of Queen Victoria's mother. Phileas was told that this cousin had met with Her Majesty some years ago and had been of no interest to her. He wasn't overly concerned by the visit other than its possible incitement of another call against German influence. As such, he nearly missed it.

Albert walked into the Queen's receiving room after being announced, as was the custom at court. Phileas didn't turn to see the newcomer. He was looking toward the Queen over the shoulder of his present companion. Then, something in her face caused him to pay closer attention. She was looking at her visitor with an odd look Phileas had never seen before. Victoria looked surprised at first, and then, entranced. After Cousin Albert made his bow and approached, she smiled. And it was no smile Phileas had ever seen her give anyone. That smile had the dreamiest most… Phileas didn't quite know how to describe it, but old dreams of capturing Her Majesty's heart came back to him at that moment, causing a surge of unaccustomed jealousy. A moment later, Cousin Albert led Queen Victoria across the room. The move gave Phileas a clear view of the man who had so strangely affected his sovereign. Phileas did a double take, and then swallowed down a sinking feeling that he had just witnessed a turning point in the affairs of his country.

"We're in trouble."