Chapter 1: The Kennet and Avon Canal revisited.

Clifton Grange; Morning, 2 May 1832.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent was incandescent with fury.
Not that I blamed her. If one of my daughters was lying unconscious and poisoned in an adjoining bedroom I would be the same.
Princess Alexandrina had eaten the poisoned dates, proffered by an Egyptian gully-gully man in the pay of Eloise de La Zouche, which had been intended for my daughters.

“Why was there no adult present when this -- person -- approached my daughter with his poisoned offering?” Each word was hurled like a dagger as she glared at Claudette, who, head down, stood trembling with fear in front of the Royal duchess.
We, that is me, Claudette, Callum Keane, Baroness Lehzen, and the odious toad Sir John Conroy, were in the Duchess of Kent’s private sitting room in Clifton Grange. Princess Alexandrina lay in the adjoining bedroom, still unconscious but breathing easier, with a stronger pulse and near to her normal colour in her cheeks.
The Royal Progress had come to a premature, and unexpected, halt.

Callum gave me an agonised look. Claudette had been the adult supposedly looking after the princess, and it seemed she was going to bear all the blame.
I owed Callum my life -- a slight variation to the truth was a small price to pay to clear his loved one’s name.

“Mam’selle Pascal was attending a call of nature at the time, Your Royal Highness,” I said. “The felon obviously waited until she was out of sight before approaching my daughters. He offered the dates to them, and it was only after Princess Alexandrina asked to have a date that my daughters gave her the dish. They have been brought up to share.”
“But your daughters are not unconscious.”
“Neither of my girls ate any of the dates, Madam, whereas your daughter ate several in a short space of time.”

The duchess sighed. “Alas, Alexandrina has always had the tooth that is sweet.”
I could see she had calmed down so pressed my advantage.
“Captain Keane, with Mam’selle Pascal’s assistance, manufactured a potion that is now counteracting the effects of the poison. But I am sure you would rather hear the prognosis from him, Madam?” I nodded towards Callum, who shot me a grateful look.
The Duchess of Kent gave a weary nod of her head. “Yes.I would. When do you think Alexandrina will regain consciousness, Captain Keane, and will she suffer any harmful effects from the poisoning? And please, all of you sit down.”

We all found chairs and made ourselves comfortable, except Baroness Lehzen, who whispered something in German to the duchess who nodded. The baroness then hurried away into the bedroom where Alexandrina lay.
“The princess should regain consciousness within the next hour, Your Royal Highness. There are no reasons why she should suffer any harmful effects,” Callum said. “Fortunately she vomited most of the dose of Belladonna, and prompt action by Mam’selle Pascal in digging up bluebell bulbs allowed me to concoct a potion that will nullify any residue still in the gut.”
He looked at Claudette, who returned a small smile; she had regained some of her composure but I knew she was blaming herself for Alexandrina’s plight.
“Nevertheless,” Callum continued, “I deem it prudent that the princess be conveyed as quickly as possible to London and treated by her own physician.” He spread his hands in a self-effacing gesture. “I am neither physician nor apothecary, simply a man with knowledge of beneficial plants and herbs.”
“For which I am eternally grateful, Captain Keane,” the duchess said, with a smile that showed she had regained her good humour, and was considering Callum as a possible replacement for Captain Botham as her ‘companion’.

She turned to Sir John Conroy. “Please make arrangements to have those barges, due to transport the royal party tomorrow, to be made ready for the royal party to embark today, in... “ She considered for a moment... “six hours’ time. That should be time enough to load our baggage... “
“Travel by barge to London will take five or six days, your Royal Highness,” Sir John said. “Coach travel will be quicker... “
“And more stressful for a sick child, Sir John.” The duchess’s voice was cold and hard.
“There is an express barge that makes the trip to London in twenty four hours,” I said. “The barge Princess Charlotte leaves the Bristol basin at four this afternoon.”
“One barge will not be able to transport the entire Royal party,” Conroy sneered. “Another fatuous suggestion by...”
“But one barge will accommodate the Duchess, the Princess, the Baroness, and Captain Callum, “ I replied. “There might even be room for you, Sir John.” I heard sniggers behind me, and gave him a false, full, smile.
“However, you will need to move fast to commandeer the express barge before the fare paying passengers board. They will not take kindly to being removed, even by such a tactful person as yourself.”

This time there was a definite guffaw of laughter, which I think came from the Duchess. “Well, Sir John, you know what you have to do,” said she. “Please see to it immediately. Now, where is my maid Gerda, I need to get packed...”
“You gave your maid leave to spend two days with her relatives at Avonmouth, Madam. No doubt the terrible event of yesterday has caused your memory loss.”
Sir John’s retort was viperish, and an attempt to even the score between himself and the duchess.
“Verdammt! I completely forgot. I will now have to take one of Admiral Miles housemaids to use as my lady’s’ maid.” The duchess swore again. “Hölle und Verdammnis. No doubt she will be a typically heavy handed bauer.”
“I am sure my wife will only be too pleased to lend you her maid, Your Grace. Mam’selle Pascal has been in our employ for eight years, and Lady Greenaway is completely satisfied with her service.”
“Mimi is always well groomed, and her hair always immaculate.” The duchess gave me a wide smile. “Very well, Sir Elijah, I accept the offer.” She turned and faced Claudette. “I was hasty in blaming you for my daughter’s mishap. We shall say no more of the subject.”
“Mam’selle Pascal is also Captain Keane’s assistant when it comes to herbal remedies and cures.” I added. “Should it become necessary to produce more potions en route to London she will be a valuable asset to have on board.”
The duchess nodded, and Claudette and Callum exchanged loving looks and secret smiles, which fortunately only I noticed.

One person was noticeably absent from the morning meeting, that person being Humphrey Appleby. When I thought about it I realised I had not seen him since breakfast the previous morning.
As if reading my mind the duchess said, “My maid Gerda will have returned from her family visit tomorrow, and can accompany you and Mimi to London, Sir Elijah. In fact she can be Mimi’s lady’s maid as I will have carried off hers. Mister Appleby will also be returning tomorrow after his meeting with a Home Office official in Bath. He will be ignorant of the events of yesterday as he left Clifton Grange directly after breakfast.”

Humphrey had said nothing at breakfast the previous morning about travelling to Bath, nor, during the many conversations between us on the journey to Bristol, of any meetings with Home Office officials.
Gerda and Humphrey were returning to Clifton Grange on the same day; they had left, for supposedly different destinations, on the same day.
Hmm, I smelled a rat, or rather an assignation, and wondered if Humphrey had been galloping Gerda during the time Baroness Lehzen had the painters in, and entry to her madge was ‘verboten’?

I had little time to speculate further on any liaison between Humphrey and Gerda as there was a great deal of kerfuffle as the reduced Royal party got ready to depart on the express barge that afternoon at 4 pm.
At 3 pm, the party, escorted by Captain Botham’s troop of the 4th Light Dragoons, left for the Bristol basin of the Kennet and Avon canal. Botham’s troop would secure bridges and locks along the canal as the express barge swept along at a speed of 6 mph, the two horses that drew the barge being changed at frequent intervals, and the barge travelling throughout the night.
Once the Royal party was safely ensconced in Kensington Palace Botham’s troop were to continue to their barracks in Colchester.

Claudette approached me before leaving to join the Royal party.
“I cannot thank you enough for what you said to the Duchess, Colonel Jacques, and I am so sorry for letting you and Mimi down...”
“I know how persuasive Callum can be, Claudette...”
“I love him, Colonel Jacques.”
“And does he love you, Claudette?”
“I think so, hope so, but you would need to ask him yourself.”
At that moment Callum entered the room. His eye fell on Claudette, and the expression of joy that flooded his face when seeing her made any questioning redundant.

He strode up to me and clasped my hand. “Jack, what you did saved Claudette’s bacon. I am forever in your debt.”
“You have saved my life twice; saving the bacon of your sweetheart is...”
“More than a sweetheart, Jack. I love Claudette with every fibre of my being.”
He then demonstrated that love by giving her a passionate kiss that fair warmed up the room, although it must be noted Claudette returned his ardour with a heat of her own.
They were leaving, arm in arm, as Mimi entered the room. She kissed both Claudette and Callum, not with nearly as much passion as the two had just shared, but when she kissed me the room again suffered a surge of unseasonable heat.

Those not taking the express barge assembled on the front lawn of the Grange as the coaches bearing the Duchess of Kent, a now conscious Princess Alexandrina, Baroness Lehzen, Sir John Conroy, Callum, and Claudette, swept down the driveway. Mimi and I waved until the coaches were out of sight, and then returned to the withdrawing room. We, and the remains of the royal party, would be leaving at noon the following day on the vessels already chartered.
There would be plenty of room on board the barges, and I determined that Mimi and I would have the accommodation reserved for the Duchess and the Princess. After that it would be first come first served for the rest of the party of minor officials and servants.
Lieutenant Graveny’s troop would be escorting the barges, for even without any royal persons on board malcontents might cause a rumpus when learning that royal traffic was proceeding along the canal.