An Unexpected Prince

[VVD0D95]

Chapter 153: Stairway

July, 1725

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“Field Marshal.” James said, waving for the man to sit back down as the door closed behind him. “Our apologies for be there was a lot more work to be done than we had first thought.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. A King can never be late; it is I who was early.” Stair said.

James smiled, then said. “First, we wished to congratulate you on the success of the war in the colonies. We know that it must have been quite the challenge for you, but you have pulled it off quite well, Montreal, Frontenac and many other places that once belonged to the French are now ours thanks to you.”

Stair seemingly blushed and said. “You honour me, Sire. But I was merely doing Your Majesty’s work.”

“Now, there was another reason we asked you here. We wish to ensure that those lands that we have so newly taken remain in our hands for many years to come. To do that we shall need to ensure that they are defended adequately by our army and navy. You have fought two wars in the new world, therefore, we would like to hear what you think will be required.” James said.

Stair said nothing for a moment, his brow furrowed, then after a moment he said. “I think that more men will be required, Sire. Whilst the members of the colonial governments understand that they are responsible for their own defence, when it comes time for working together to deal with a single threat, they are too often divided about the right approach. I believe that a greater presence of the army of Albion would ensure that that does not happen again.”

“How many men would you recommend increasing the army by?” James asked.

“I would say at present, two brigades. I know that that is a lot to ask during peace time, but it will be necessary to get the men acclimatised to their new surroundings and prepared for using new tactics. Two brigades give us the scope to work around the system and thus plan appropriately.” Stair said.

James thought on that, he knew they had the money to pay to equip and train two new brigades before sending them off to the New World, the question is should these be men from the regular army, or new recruits. He looked at Stair and asked. “Would you want them from the regular army, or newer and fresher blood?”

Stair shifted slightly in his chair before responding. “I think that a mixture would do good, Sire. Members from the regular army would provide a steady base, and new recruits would provide hunger. The lure of the new world is still strong for many.”

“Very well, we shall let you speak with the Duke of Berwick on the matter.” James said.

“Thank you, Sire.” Stair said.

“Whilst we have you here, we would also like to formally name you Commander in Chief of the Forces of the Colonies. We can think of nobody better suited to the role.” James said. He knew that would put Stair on an equal footing with Berwick, which after Brussels, was desperately needed.

Stair looked completely shocked by this. “I….I…you honour me, Sire.”

“And you will honour us by ensuring you hold the colonies so newly won. Do you understand?” James replied.

“Yes, Sire.” Stair responded.

“Good.” James said.

 

[VVD0D95]

Chapter 154: Orange Again

November, 1725

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“So, I said to Johan that he would be better served loosening the purse strings a little, maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with so many complaints about his son.” John said.

“And what did he say?” Anne asked intrigued.

“He told me to go stick my opinion where the sun does not shine.” John replied laughing.

Anne laughed at that. “He truly does not seem to want any solutions to his issues does he?”

“No, he really doesn’t.” John said. “Though he is a proud man, so perhaps that is part of the reason.”

“Pride should not stop a man from seeking help, or listening to it when it is so freely offered.” Anne said taking her husband’s hand.

“Indeed, just as a woman should not stop from seeking help when hurt.” John said.

Anne shifted slightly, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Her arguments with Henrietta had seen the two of them say some truly hurtful things to one another, things that could never be taken back. John had come into her chambers one night and seen her crying her eyes out over them. “I know.” She replied smiling.

“Do you?” Her husband asked. They hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts, and whilst they might not love one another, they certainly cared for one another. Anne knew that, she hoped her husband knew that as well.

“I do.” Anne replied.

Her husband nodded, and thankfully changed the topic. “I think it’s time we revisited the choices for our children.”

“Spouses?” Anne asked for clarification.

“Yes.” John said. “Given what happened with the war, I think our previous decisions need to be changed.”

“Okay. Who would you suggest?” Anne asked.

“Given the rise of the Duke of Holstein Gottorp and the confirmation of his son as the heir to Sweden, and given our trade links with Sweden, I would suggest a marriage between our own William and the Duke’s daughter.” John said.

Anne considered that and said. “I think that would be sensible. But what of Amalia?”

“There is Charles, the heir to the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel.” John said.

“Possible, though given the poor relations between the King of Sweden and his brother in law I am not sure that we would want to tie ourselves to them.” Anne said.

“Very true, then who?” John asked in response.

“The Hereditary Prince of Baden Durlach, perhaps?” Anne suggested.

“A good suggestion, I would say.” John said.

“Alternatively, there is always Albion that we could turn to should the need arise.” Anne said. Her husband nodded, but didn’t reply. She got the feeling that this would be an issue they’d be considering for some time.

 

[VVD0D95]

Chapter 155: New Generation

March, 1726

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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.”

 

[VVD0D95]

And there you have it, the end of An Unexpected Prince. I felt this was the right place to end it, as it shows James welcoming in a new generation.

Thank you all for sticking with me for the past nine months, it's been an interesting ride.

I hope you've all enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Cheers!