Chapter 155: New Generation
March, 1726
James was reading through the accounts of a Commons debate on a new Bill for the settling of liquor duties, when there was a knock on the door. “Enter!” He called, wondering who it could be.
The doors opened, and a servant with brown hair, and a worried look about his face entered. The man bowed. “Sire.”
“What is it.” James demanded not looking up from the account.
“Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has gone into labour, Sire.” The servant said.
James immediately put down the paper and looked at the man. “You are sure?” He’d known it was meant to happen any day now, but still.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty the Queen sent me to get you, Sire.” The servant said.
James stood up, and walked toward the servant. “Go and get Lord Derwentwater and Sir Robert Harley, do you understand?” He knew there would be women with his wife who would attend to the Princess, but it was important that there were men there as well.
“Sire.” The servant said.
With that James walked out of the room, the servant going another way once they were both out. He heard the guards follow him, but ignored them. He made his way through the corridors and hallways until he got to his son’s rooms. The guards there bowed their heads and let him pass. He entered the antechamber and saw that the Duchess of Somerset was stood there. She curtseyed when she saw him. “Her Majesty and a few others are inside, Your Majesty.” James nodded and as he heard a scream, he walked into the room.
His wife was to the left-hand side, his son to the right, holding his daughter in law’s hand. James moved to one side, his wife looking up and nodding to him. His wife’s ladies and his daughter in law’s ladies were on the left and right side respectively. A doctor came to him then and said. “Her Royal Highness is doing well, Sire.”
“How much longer?” James asked.
The Doctor sighed. “Anywhere from an hour to longer, it depends on the child and Her Royal Highness.”
James nodded, he knew he couldn’t do anything else so he stood there and waited. He occasionally heard his son or wife whisper words of encouragement to his daughter in law, but other than that the room was eerily quiet, the only other sound being the moans and groans coming from the woman on the bed.
As he waited, he saw Derwentwater, Harley and other members of the council enter the room and take up positions behind or next to him. He nodded to Derwentwater and barely paid attention to Harley, his mind elsewhere. The debate on the Liquor duties had been a furious one, which had only just narrowly been given to his government. Harley had seemingly failed in his ability to clear it through the Commons concisely, and given the smell emanating from him just now, it was highly likely he was drunk. James would replace him as leader of the government in the Commons soon. His brother the Duke of Berwick had recommended one Henry Pelham for the role, and having heard him speak at a debate a few days ago, James was convinced he would make a good leader.
A scream came from the bed, James stepped forward involuntarily, but stopped when his wife shook her head. Nothing had gone wrong then. He stepped back and exhaled. He looked at Derwentwater who came up to him and murmured. “Word has come from Madrid; King James has died.”
James nodded. “Send our condolences after this.”
“Sire.” Derwentwater replied.
Without looking away from the bed, James asked. “Is Harley drunk?”
He could hear the disapproval in Derwentwater’s tone. “Yes Sire. He is barely able to walk.”
James nodded. “See to it that his things are removed from the palace.”
“Sire.” Derwentwater said.
Another scream and then silence. James stepped forward, and kept walking, when he got to the foot of the bed he heard a cry. And breathed a sigh of relief. The nurses looked at him and then at the Doctor who said. “A boy, Your Majesty.” The babe kept crying until the nurse gave it what it needed, then when it was settled, it was placed into his arms.
James looked down at the little thing, seeing a tuft of hair, and feeling a rush of emotion, similar to how he had felt when his own children had been born. He looked up at his son and daughter in law and asked. “What is the boy to be called?”
“James.” His daughter in law said. “For you, Your Majesty.”
James nodded and looked down at the baby again and whispered. “Welcome to Albion, James.”