## Chapter 190: An Unexpected Bonus?
The Viscount Melbourne walked into the cafe, removing his hat to reveal his streaked gray temples.
His eyes scanned the room, quickly finding the lady seated in a corner.
As his gaze fell upon the cream-colored wide-brimmed hat and pristine white gown, a softness seemed to descend over the Viscount’s eyes.
He offered a smile, approaching her with brisk steps: “Caroline, you’re here.”
Lady Caroline Norton felt a jolt run through her body at the sound of his voice. She abruptly emerged from her painful memories, lifting her head to look at the Viscount Melbourne. “William…”
The Viscount Melbourne gazed at her, her makeup slightly faded from tears. He couldn’t help but ask, “What… what happened to you?”
“I…”
Caroline lowered her head slightly, remaining silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. She forced a bright smile towards Melbourne: “Nothing, I’m fine. After all, I didn’t have high expectations for him. It’s been a year, two years, now three years, and our relationship is like this, it will never get better. William, let’s talk about something else, just like before, literature, poetry, things we’re interested in, don’t talk about those depressing things.”
Seeing her like this, the Viscount Melbourne just shook his head and chuckled: “Caroline, it’s not a big deal. Between husband and wife, differences in personality, you know, can be worked out. Don’t give up so quickly. I used to… well, you probably know about my wife, the things she did, were probably more serious than what your husband is doing now.
We were also incompatible and often argued. Now that I think about it, the things we argued about were actually quite ridiculous. She insisted on breastfeeding the child, while I disagreed, I wanted him to go to Harrow School, and she disagreed. Plus, my mother’s interference, just for these trivial matters, our relationship gradually eroded.
Then she fell in love with Byron, and did a series of hysterical things, ultimately ending up disgraced and dead. Only at the end of her life did she finally wake up, lying in bed and telling the servants, “Please call William, in this world, only he has never betrayed me.”
But it was too late, everything was too late. We were husband and wife for twenty years, but we had to wait until the end of our lives to understand each other. I just held her cold hand, her hair was no longer as black as it was when I first saw her at the dance at nineteen, it was withered and yellow. In the sunlight, her skin seemed translucent.
And the tears on her face were the same as the ones I see on your face today.”
The Viscount Melbourne seemed to be a little heartbroken, he pulled at his streaked gray hair, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to deepen.
“Sorry, Caroline, I shouldn’t have told you this. I just don’t want to see you and your husband repeat the same mistakes. If you can understand each other, actually, many things are not a big deal.”
As the Viscount Melbourne and Lady Norton were talking, Arthur and Elder, who were sitting not far away, had already pricked up their ears like antennas.
Elder lowered his voice and sighed: “Viscount Melbourne is really a lovelorn guy! The outside world thought he didn’t care about the things Lady Ponsonby did, but it turns out he was heartbroken and couldn’t respond.”
Arthur replied in an equally low voice: “Lady Ponsonby’s matter is over and done with, but the Viscount Melbourne is now actively talking about his love history in front of a married woman, it’s probably not a good thing.”
Elder was suspicious: “What’s wrong?”
Elder’s question was just asked, before Arthur could reply, the Red Devil had already begun to mock.
“Arthur, this kid is even more stupid than you in this regard. Didn’t he feel that the Viscount Melbourne is now releasing a kind of charm that is fatal to women? Worse, the recipient of this charm is a woman with an unhappy marriage, I think it won’t be long before they make a lot of big news.”
From the next table came Lady Caroline Norton’s voice again, her eyes flashing with tears.
“No, William, you don’t understand. It’s not just about incompatibility between us, we argue about everything, education, politics, literature, as long as you can think of it, we always argue, and… and he often hits me.”
Speaking of which, Lady Norton dipped her finger in the water glass and smeared it on her face, revealing her bruised eyelids beneath the faded white makeup.
“This…” The Viscount Melbourne was shocked: “Mr. George Norton actually hit you? He’s a proper gentleman who has been rigorously trained by Oxford and Lincoln’s Inn!”
Lady Norton wiped her tears and cried: “He’s not as gentle as you imagine, George’s temper is far more volatile than he appears, he’s capricious, rude, brutal, cruel, self-serving, conservative, and stupid.
I can’t imagine how he graduated from Oxford and how he got his law license, the Norton family spoiled him, he’s not at all like a civilized gentleman living in the 19th century, but rather like a violent warlord who existed in the last century.
We used to only argue when he came home at night, but now, I’m even spending the day in arguments and fights.”
The Viscount Melbourne asked: “Why is that?”
Lady Norton, whether out of anger or grievance, cried and laughed: “Of course it’s because of the election, you know, George is a Tory MP. But the Tories were defeated in this election, and George lost his constituency.
He has no proper job now, and he’s also under great pressure from within the Tory party. The Tories knew George might lose, but they didn’t expect him to lose so badly. Because of losing his constituency, some bigwigs in the Tory party are now questioning whether George has enough ability to continue as a Tory candidate.
He got angry in the party, and he’s no longer an MP, so naturally he can only vent his anger and extra energy on me. He doesn’t take any legal work, he has no income, he can’t be an MP, I really don’t know where he gets the nerve to lose his temper at me.”
Elder at the next table turned pale when he heard this: “Norton MP hits his wife, this story is more exciting than your Scotland Yard infighting.”
Arthur took a sip of coffee: “I’d rather have a head-to-head clash with Chief Inspector Rowan, but unfortunately, in this kind of thing, force can’t solve the problem.”
“Why don’t you teach Lady Norton Fiore Flow? I remember she was at General Codrington’s party that day, wasn’t she? I saw her that day, she was gloomy and didn’t talk much, it turns out there was a problem at home.”
“You’re only now remembering she was there? I thought you’d have a deep memory of such a beautiful lady in her twenties.”
“Arthur, that’s because you don’t understand me. My way of identifying ladies is not by looking at their faces, but by their aura. You know, knowing women by their scent?”
“Heh, no wonder you always want to bet on swimming back from the Thames, it turns out you’re in love with the aura of the Thames.”
“Arthur! That’s none of your business!”
Arthur and Elder’s banter obviously didn’t catch the Viscount Melbourne’s attention, he was fully thinking about how to solve the problem for his intellectual friend.
The Viscount Melbourne pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: “He lost his seat, his position in the party will definitely decline. It’s normal for him to have a fire in his belly, but he shouldn’t hit you. But I still advise you not to be too impulsive, you two can…”
Lady Norton wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said: “William, don’t persuade me anymore, I’ve made up my mind, I really can’t be with him. Even if I can’t get a divorce for now, I’m going to separate from him.”
“Separation won’t solve the problem either…”
The Viscount Melbourne felt that the problem was棘手, he thought for a moment, then suddenly sighed: “How about this, you should know that the Whigs are going to be in power. According to the party’s opinion, I will be appointed Home Secretary in the cabinet.
If George is willing to give up his political views and quit the Tories, although I can’t give him a party political office like a junior minister in the Home Office, I can consider finding him a clerical job.
He’ll have something to do, and he won’t have to spend all his energy arguing with you. You each go about your own business, and both of you can cool down during this time.”
“Clerical job?” Elder’s face turned green when he heard this, he looked at Arthur: “Damn it! Arthur, Melbourne won’t give your position to that idiot George Norton, will he?”
Arthur seemed very calm: “Don’t worry, a former MP with a law license will definitely not look down on my Scotland Yard Inspector position with a salary of 150 pounds a year.”
Sure enough, as soon as Arthur finished speaking, Lady Norton’s words came through.
“William, I appreciate you. But you don’t know George, he has no problem quitting the Tories. But unless you’re willing to directly appoint him as Permanent Under-Secretary of the Home Office, he’s definitely not going to take the job.
He doesn’t want to do those grassroots jobs, all he cares about is being a big shot with status and wealth. And the most powerful and wealthy, besides MPs, are judges, which is also why he became a lawyer. He went to Lincoln’s Inn to be a judge one day, before we got married, he used to brag to me all the time, saying he would one day become the Chief Justice of Britain.
But I was so stupid, I actually believed his words, I was completely fooled by his sweet words, it was all my fault, William, I don’t deserve your sympathy.”
The Viscount Melbourne, hearing this, just gritted his teeth and held Lady Norton’s hand in his.
After a moment of astonishment, a blush spread across Lady Norton’s face almost instantly.
“William… you…”
The Viscount Melbourne said firmly: “Caroline, trust me, since he wants to be a judge, then I’ll find him a judgeship. But I also have an extra condition, if he wants this position, besides quitting the Tories, he must also promise me that he will never hit you again.”
“William…” Lady Norton looked at the Viscount Melbourne’s face, her eyes were filled with tears again, but this time it was because of joy: “I… I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“No, you don’t need to thank me, I do this for you willingly.” The Viscount Melbourne laughed cheerfully: “Caroline, you have to be well, you can’t be like my wife, you have to live happily, live clearly.”
Elder heard this, couldn’t help but cover his face with both hands: “My God! If I don’t pay, am I qualified to listen to the following plot?”
On the other side of him, Arthur, who had already pulled out paper and pen from his canvas bag and was scribbling away at the table, was about to grind his pen tip to a nub.
He copied down the key information while negating Elder’s question: “No, of course not. Elder, although from the love story of Lady Ponsonby and Viscount Melbourne, we can see that the Viscount Melbourne is a good person. But, from Charles’s study of the origin of species, I think the following content is likely to be unsuitable for children.”
(End of Chapter)