## Chapter 167: Expanding the Information Network
The Cordington mansion in London’s Marylebone district was ablaze with lights this evening.
After witnessing Arthur’s physics experiment, the gentlemen and ladies had returned to the main reception hall, now transformed into a grand ballroom.
The ballroom adhered strictly to social norms: open doors, removed velvet carpets, polished mahogany floors, and as many crystal chandeliers as possible adorning the ceiling, serving as both decoration and illumination.
Beneath the windows, three long birchwood tables were laden with food and tableware. The enticing dishes were surrounded by vibrant, colorful flowers.
Standing by the tables, guests could not only savor the tempting aromas of food but also inhale the intoxicating fragrance of the flowers.
At the eastern end of the ballroom, a temporary stage was erected, with rose-colored curtains serving as a backdrop. The stage was filled with various musical instruments, undoubtedly prepared by Lady Cordington for the upcoming orchestra.
Having completed his scientific demonstration, Arthur finally had a moment to breathe.
Lady Cordington was clearly pleased with his first presentation of the day, though her understanding of the importance of the atomic theory of electricity was rather hazy.
However, in her eyes, anything that could excite Mary Somerville, the leading female scientist of the Bluestocking Society, to the point of speechless awe, must be truly remarkable.
For this reason, Lady Cordington, the busy hostess, took the time to express her gratitude to Arthur with her husband.
After all, the fact that such a significant scientific discovery was unveiled for the first time not at the Royal Society, but at the Cordington mansion, was a great honor.
If this were to get out, it would surely become a legendary anecdote, greatly beneficial in improving the tarnished social reputation of General Cordington, who had “faltered in Osman.”
Lady Cordington could almost imagine the hot topic of discussion among London socialites in their private gatherings: the Cordington couple, dedicated to science, a family always at the forefront of the times, and Arthur Hastings, the rising star of electromagnetism, a close friend of theirs.
For Lady Cordington, who was dedicated to helping her husband clear his name, nothing could be better than this!
Although taking over as commander of the Portsmouth naval base was considered a decent retirement position, Lady Cordington still hoped her husband could be directly transferred to the Admiralty in London.
As Kirkland and General Smith had said earlier, Admiral Gambier, a naval commander with mediocre combat abilities, had only risen through the ranks quickly after being transferred to the Admiralty to work behind a desk. In just ten years, he had been promoted from Rear Admiral to Admiral, and this year, he had even been appointed Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy.
In Lady Cordington’s opinion, her husband, General Edward Cordington, was superior to Admiral Gambier in every way except for the lack of hair on his head. He fought brilliantly, was handsome, and had a keen interest in science, literature, and art.
If General Cordington could be transferred to the Admiralty, not only would he have a better chance of becoming an admiral himself, but he could also directly influence the Admiralty and help promote his two sons, William Cordington and Henry Cordington, who were also serving in the Royal Navy.
Since the death of her youngest son at sea, Lady Cordington had been determined to get her remaining two sons back on land. However, she felt that with General Cordington’s straightforward nature, it was impossible to achieve this.
That was precisely why she had gone to such great lengths and spent so much money to organize this dinner party.
She understood perfectly that some things needed to be done by her. Scientists and ladies who mingled in high society were actually more likely to attract the attention of cabinet members.
Thinking about this, Lady Cordington couldn’t help but feel an urge to sponsor Arthur. Although she didn’t understand scientific research, it would be nice to be able to share some of the fame as a sponsor.
However, she didn’t have time to dwell on this thought, as the unexpected arrival of Lady Cowper, a prominent figure in London, took her by surprise.
As the sister of Viscount Melbourne, who had previously served as Secretary of State for Ireland, and the wife of the fifth Earl Cowper, heir to the Cowper family, a founding force behind the Whig party, Lady Cowper naturally had considerable influence over the political circles of Great Britain.
Of course, this influence wasn’t solely due to family ties but felt more like a peculiar ability ingrained in their lineage.
Lady Cowper’s mother, Elizabeth Lamb, the first Viscountess Melbourne, had been a powerful figure in the London social scene, capable of making things happen with a flick of her wrist.
The reason behind her mother’s immense power was simple: she had maintained a semi-public intimate relationship with the recently deceased King George IV.
In a way, her mother, Elizabeth Lamb, was also one of the reasons for the divorce between George IV and Queen Caroline.
Both Lady Cowper and her mother were not to be trifled with. But what was even more remarkable was that even her sister-in-law, Caroline Ponsonby, the second Viscountess Melbourne, also exhibited this tendency, and to an even greater extent.
However, unlike her aunt and mother-in-law, who mainly leaned towards politics, Caroline Ponsonby’s main battlefield was the world of arts.
Or, to be more specific, as a novelist, Ponsonby’s favorite person was the leader of British liberal writers, Lord Byron.
However, with Elizabeth Lamb, a powerful mother-in-law with keen insight, Ponsonby’s little actions couldn’t escape her mother-in-law’s eyes.
Two strong women together rarely ended well, and this time was no exception.
Ponsonby first quarreled with her mother-in-law over her unwillingness to abandon her son, who had an intellectual disability, and then, due to daily arguments, their relationship gradually deteriorated. When she informed Byron that she wanted to elope with him to Greece, Byron, who was simply playing around, decisively rejected her request.
Because in the upper circles of Britain, lovers were normal, but if you got serious, it would be a big deal.
Byron, terrified by her, finally realized he had touched something he shouldn’t have. He began to distance himself from Ponsonby.
But this only intensified Ponsonby’s dissatisfaction. She repeatedly confronted Byron.
Their affair became increasingly public. Elizabeth, her mother-in-law, even publicly called her a “crazy woman who doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
Ponsonby’s response to Byron’s growing indifference was equally straightforward.
To force Byron back to her side, Ponsonby used her talent for writing to turn her affair with Lord Byron into a novel called “Glenarvon” and had it published.
As expected, “Glenarvon” became a sensation across Britain. The book went through three reprints within a few weeks of its publication. Even so, “Glenarvon” remained perpetually out of stock in libraries and bookstores across London.
For this reason, Claire Clairmont, the sister-in-law of another great British poet, Shelley, who was eager to read the book, had to write to her lover, Byron, the prototype of the novel’s protagonist, asking if he could obtain a copy of “Glenarvon” directly from Ponsonby.
Byron, furious, replied with only one sentence: “This damned novel.”
Byron, filled with anger, quickly retaliated against Ponsonby. On one hand, he wrote to Ponsonby to reconcile. However, when Ponsonby rushed over, she found Byron with another woman.
Enraged, Ponsonby burned all of her collection of Byron’s portraits and took even more drastic measures. She directly exposed Byron’s incestuous relationship with his sister Augusta.
At this point, Byron’s reputation in England was completely ruined.
Incest and promiscuity were not on the same level in Britain. The former was a desecration more serious than crime, while the latter could at most be considered a moral lapse. For someone like Byron, it could even be passed off as a romantic affair.
But once the hat of incest was placed upon him, Byron had no choice but to leave England and go to Greece, personally joining the Greek War of Independence, which he had financially and materially supported, ultimately dying in a foreign land for Greek independence.
Byron’s death shocked Europe. The Greek government immediately announced a state funeral for Lord Byron, and the entire country mourned for three days.
Ponsonby, who had expected to feel great vindication, not only didn’t feel happy but also suffered from a high fever for several days.
When Byron’s coffin was transported from Greece to London, people only saw a crazy woman rushing into the streets, collapsing on Byron’s coffin and fainting.
In this story, both Byron and Ponsonby, the male and female protagonists, paid the price for their actions and suffered greatly.
But no matter what, the story was quite dramatic and exciting.
But after telling the story, something felt off. It seemed like an important character was missing.
That’s right, it was the second male lead in this drama: Ponsonby’s husband, the second Viscount Melbourne, William Lamb.
Throughout the whole incident, Viscount Melbourne remained unusually calm.
Not only that, he even stepped forward to defend his wife, who was in the public eye, hoping to preserve the reputation of the Melbourne family.
He held on for several years until he couldn’t take it anymore. Under pressure from public opinion and his mother’s threats, he divorced Ponsonby, ending their twenty-year marriage.
His attitude led everyone in London, from aristocratic members of Parliament to ordinary citizens, to speculate whether he was simply not interested in women. Otherwise, why would he tolerate his wife to such an extent? As a respectable nobleman, why did Viscount Melbourne wait twenty years before getting a divorce?
Of course, no one could understand why Viscount Melbourne did this. The only thing they knew was that he was extremely lazy and unambitious about everything.
This indifferent attitude was not only reflected in his handling of his wife’s extramarital affairs but also in his behavior during parliamentary sessions.
In the arena where politicians like the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel clashed and sparks flew, Melbourne, who was responsible for leading the Whig party’s charge, would typically choose a comfortable corner to curl up and snore loudly.
He didn’t just do this in Parliament. He did it during sermons, debates with colleagues, and even at dinner parties.
This behavior naturally earned him high praise in Parliament. Both Whig and Tory MPs praised Viscount Melbourne as the most well-mannered MP in all of Great Britain, because no one had ever heard him swear in Parliament.
Perhaps it was precisely because of his attitude that he was not excluded from the cabinet, even when the Tories were in power, regardless of party affiliation. This was also a major reason why Viscount Melbourne was able to become Secretary of State for Ireland.
After all this talk, we need to return to Viscount Melbourne’s sister, Lady Cowper.
The reason why Lady Cordington placed such importance on Lady Cowper’s arrival was that Ponsonby, a female writer who loved literature, had also been a member of the Bluestocking Society.
Therefore, to avoid the awkwardness of encountering her sister-in-law, Lady Cowper usually politely declined invitations to Bluestocking Society gatherings.
However, her willingness to visit the Bluestocking Society gathering today was a huge favor to Lady Cordington.
Of course, perhaps this was also due to the fact that her sister-in-law, Ponsonby, had passed away two years ago.
Perhaps this was why Lady Cowper began to consider extending her influence to the Bluestocking Society.
Arthur hid in a small corner of the lounge, munching on an onion ring, listening to Eldred recount these high-society gossip stories with gusto.
After listening, he couldn’t help but say to Eldred, “Eldred, perhaps you should consider becoming a novelist. If you compile all the things you know into a book, it’s guaranteed to be a bestseller in London.”
Eldred immediately waved his hands in protest, “Don’t be ridiculous! Don’t you remember what happened to Ponsonby when she wrote “Glenarvon”? Back then, Lady Jersey was unhappy with her portrayal in the novel, so she angrily expelled Ponsonby from the Almacks Club. Many gatherings wouldn’t dare invite Ponsonby after that. I still want to mingle in London. Can you please stop giving me such bad ideas?”
Arthur just smiled and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the grease off his hands.
“If you’re worried about the consequences of publishing these things, then don’t publish them.”
Eldred frowned, “How am I going to make money if I don’t publish?”
Arthur smiled and took a brown paper bag from his bag and handed it to Eldred. “After you go back, write down everything you know and put it in this bag. Every story you tell will be treated as archived material. It won’t be seen by anyone except those who are supposed to see it.
And I assure you, the compensation you’ll receive for each piece of material you write won’t be cheap. It might not be as profitable as publishing a novel, but it’s safe and stable.”
Eldred looked at the brown paper bag, which simply had a few words printed on it: London Temporary Measurement and Investigation Statistics Bureau.
He raised an eyebrow and whistled, “I see. So you’re investigating this kind of thing? Just tell me straight, how much money have you prepared?”
Arthur gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, the aroma of wine filling the air.
“How much money I can prepare depends on how much useful information you can provide me. Eldred, you need to understand that only departments that are useful to those above can gain more importance.
With status comes funding, and with funding, I can give you more.
So, what kind of information do you think can help me gain importance?”
(End of Chapter)