Chapter 30
At Whitehall Palace, from the very first day the Scottish envoy arrived, Elizabeth I began to treat him with the utmost hospitality.
Kings are the best actors, and Elizabeth was no exception. She kept her political duties in mind and acted out more than one heartfelt scene with Melville.
When Melville first met Queen Mary, the lavishly dressed queen, whose skin was made of lead powder to appear flawless, took out a small portrait of Mary and bowed down to kiss it like a true elder.
"God knows how much I care for and miss my dear little sister Mary Stuart, for by the Lord's will, my loved ones have gone to heaven one by one, leaving only Mary. In my dreams, I long to see Mary in person, but unfortunately, due to the busy affairs of state, we can only communicate through letters... Now, Mr. Melville, seeing you is as heartwarming as seeing Mary herself," said Queen Elizabeth.
“Hearing your words, our Queen Mary must feel that her life is complete. Back at Holyrood Palace, His Majesty also thought of you. Even though there were differences in doctrine, the Queen and you ultimately believe in the same God. So every day during prayer time, she prays to God for the prosperity of your country and the stability of your throne,” Melville said, his face full of emotion, bowing repeatedly to Queen Elizabeth to express his excitement.
Queen Elizabeth said it, and she did it, demonstrating her care for Queen Mary through her actions.
From day to night, at all sorts of aristocratic gatherings, balls, and salons, Queen Elizabeth spared no expense in having this Scottish envoy by her side, discussing the beauty of the flute and poetry together, or dancing with him to her heart's content. In this way, she showed everyone how much importance she placed on facilitating this marriage.
Such formality and hospitality were like a densely woven spider web to Melville, completely obscuring his words and actions, leaving him no opportunity to contact the Spanish ambassador, let alone find a way to bring Lord Darnley to Scotland.
However, Melville was not in a hurry.
He knew that this required opportunity and time, and that he would have to wait until Queen Elizabeth relaxed before he could seize the opportunity and succeed in one fell swoop.
...
During a casual literary salon, Melville subtly and discreetly flattered Queen Elizabeth, praising her intelligence, wisdom, erudition, and beauty.
After listening to his lengthy praise, including repeated compliments about her beautiful hair, Queen Elizabeth suddenly felt a mischievous urge to make a joke. Pointing to her thick, glossy, slightly reddish hair, she laughed and said, "I believe you are not a gentleman who would lie easily. Your praise is entirely from the heart. So, Mr. Ambassador, between me and Mary Stuart, whose hair is more beautiful? And whose face is more attractive?"
This intriguing question drew the attention of all the other English nobles and ladies in the room, eager to see how the Scotsman would answer: would he admit that his queen was inferior to other queens, or would he say that the Queen of England was inferior to the Queen of Scotland on British soil?
Melville's face stiffened, and he inwardly groaned, but he was a man who had dealt with all sorts of people, and he quickly recovered, saying slyly, "In England, no woman is more beautiful and intelligent than Her Majesty Elizabeth, and in Scotland, no one is more beautiful and intelligent than Her Majesty Mary."
“That’s a clever answer, Mr. Ambassador. If you were to come to England to take up your post, I would certainly be willing to offer you a higher position…” Elizabeth said with a smile, trying to undermine Mary Stuart, before asking, “…Let’s get down to business. Through these balls and banquets these past few days, Mr. Ambassador, you have seen for yourself that my good friend Lord Robert Dudley is truly an exceptional man in every way. He is proficient in all the entertainments and games of the court, and also excels in the skills expected of a man. His martial prowess and knowledge surpass those of others. Isn’t that enough to match my sister?”
Melville frowned and said with difficulty, "Lord Robert Dudley is indeed as outstanding as you say, but there is still a problem that makes our Queen hesitant about this proposal."
“What is it? You can speak frankly to me,” Elizabeth asked.
Melville initially wanted to mention Robert's reputation for murdering his wife, but quickly realized that this would anger Elizabeth, so he said, "A lord is far too lowly to be worthy of marrying the king. Your Majesty, I believe you are sincere in your desire to arrange this marriage and genuinely respect Lord Robert Dudley, but sometimes, the difference in status cannot be compensated for by virtue or learning. God has his reasons for setting a person's birth order."
"Marrying someone of high status doesn't guarantee happiness, and marrying someone of low status doesn't necessarily mean unhappiness. Please tell my sister Mary not to place too much importance on class differences. With Lord Robert Dudley's character, she will surely have a happy marriage if she has such a man as her husband," Elizabeth said earnestly.
“What you say makes perfect sense, and I wholeheartedly agree. However, Your Majesty, our Queen has always valued her reputation. If she were to marry a ‘Lord,’ the royal families of all Europe would laugh at Her Majesty Mary…” Melville emphasized the word “Lord” when he spoke, knelt on one knee, and said earnestly, “…You have always been Her Majesty’s dearest elder and sister. I beg you to continue to show your care for Her Majesty and respect Her Majesty Mary’s wishes at this time.”
Lord Robert Dudley, who had been making waves at court in recent years, had become depressed and withdrawn ever since the arrival of the Scottish envoy to investigate marriage. He no longer enjoyed his former prominence, and at this literary salon, he didn't even stay next to Queen Elizabeth, but instead gambled with several noblewomen by the window.
But being openly disliked for his low rank was an insult no man could tolerate. He threw down the cards and glared angrily at Melville.
Queen Elizabeth sensed something and immediately looked at Robert Dudley, signaling to those around him to restrain him and prevent him from doing anything impulsive.
Robert looked up, his teeth clenched, his face full of resentment as he stared at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, feeling helpless, made several more gestures to keep quiet, trying her best to soothe Robert Dudley's emotions and keep him calm.
After doing all this, Elizabeth calmly continued, "It is precisely because I value Mary that I am willing to let her marry Robert."
"Lord Robert is no different from a biological brother to me. He is one of the most important people in my heart. In my heart, nothing is more important than him... and Mary."
“I don’t want to get married yet, so if I go to heaven one day, only he and Mary will be entitled to inherit my huge estate.”
"Mr. Ambassador, please convey this message to your Queen, is that clear?"
The atmosphere at this moment was no longer the relaxed and harmonious one when we were discussing literature and art.
No more court ladies or nobles dared to continue their banter and conversation; instead, all eyes were turned to the Queen and the Scottish ambassador, and they held their breath, waiting to see how things would unfold.
"However, I will also consider Mary's feelings. In a few days, I will bestow upon Robert the title of Earl of Leicester and Baron Dunby, so that my sister, the Queen of Scots, will not look down on him," said Queen Elizabeth.
The hall was silent for two seconds, then bursts of applause erupted. Even though the investiture ceremony had not yet taken place, people smiled and began to congratulate the future Earl of Leicester, praising the Queen's tolerance, generosity, and care for her sister.
This is probably the easiest earldom to obtain. He didn't fight in battle or make any contributions to domestic affairs; he simply received such a generous reward because of the Queen's favor.
In the foreseeable future, he is more likely to marry another queen, have a child who will inherit the British throne, and enjoy countless riches and honors.
For a moment, the nobles and ladies in the salon looked at Robert Dudley with a mixture of contempt and envy.
They were resentful that he received such favor simply through nepotism, and they wished they could be Robert Dudley.
"Smack!"
Robert Dudley slammed a silver cup to the floor with a loud thud!
The applause in the hall stopped abruptly, and people looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Robert!” Elizabeth raised her voice and stood up to warn him.
Robert Dudley's face was cold and aloof, but the anger burning in his eyes was like two flames. He stared at Elizabeth, who was wearing a crown, for a few seconds, but in the end, he had no choice but to back down.
He stiffly bent over and said to everyone in the room, "I drank too much wine just now and I'm so drunk I can't even tell people apart. I'm so sorry to have disturbed everyone's enjoyment... Please allow me to go out and sober up."
After saying that, Robert Dudley turned and strode away.
Melville, still kneeling on the ground, watched this scene and suddenly felt that his chance had come.
...
After Robert Dudley left, Queen Elizabeth did not stay in the salon for long before making an excuse to leave.
The nobles, gathered together playing cards and chatting, looked at each other with meaningful glances, exchanging their inner thoughts and speculating whether the Queen had gone to look for Robert Dudley.
These nobles were indeed right.
Queen Elizabeth found Robert Dudley in the low bushes where they often gathered and played as children. He was sitting on a rock, wiping a musket with a cotton cloth.
After a while, seeing the embroidered dress and pearls in his line of sight, Robert Dudley said without looking up, "Our love is fading away."
“No, I love you, and this love has never diminished; on the contrary, it grows stronger every day,” Elizabeth said.
"Your love is that you absolutely refuse to marry me, so you want me to marry your rival, that Mary, Queen of Scots!" Robert Dudley couldn't help but question.
“If it weren’t for love, Robert, why would I willingly let you marry someone else, have children with another woman, and then inherit my kingdom and my throne?” Elizabeth said.
Robert Dudley threw his musket on the ground and asked, “Why marry someone else? Elizabeth, we can get married, have our own legitimate children, a bunch of lovely children, and then let those children inherit England, and let that Scottish succession go far away!”
“You know perfectly well that I don’t want to get married,” Elizabeth said with disgust, her brow furrowing.
“I can wait, Elizabeth. I know you’re afraid of marriage, but that’s alright. I can wait until you’re ready to get married! But tonight, look at how those people look down on me, and how they all think I became an earl by being a lover. The contempt in their eyes! Ha!” Robert Dudley said, raising his voice.
“You won’t get to see me. I’ve said it before, I will never marry. Besides, without me, would you have such a high position in the palace?” Elizabeth said resolutely, her voice also containing anger. “...My throne is not secure. You know how much of a threat Scotland poses to me. With a pretext for war, Spain can send its fleet to England at any time. That Countess Lennox is also secretly trying to recommend her son to the Queen of Scots. Now, I need the Queen of Scots to marry someone who poses no threat to me. I need you, Robert!”
Robert looked up at the face that was crowned, dressed in gorgeous clothes, and made of lead powder, and felt that she was no longer the Princess Elizabeth he knew, but a monster called the King.
"And then? Liz, do you still hope that I will gain the right to regency in Scotland? Or that after the heir is born, you will find a way to imprison or poison Mary Stuart?" Robert Dudley asked with a mocking smile.
“…If possible, that would be best,” Elizabeth said calmly.
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