Victoria listened quietly, her eyelashes lowered, seemingly contemplating how to respond.
Viscount Melbourne had anticipated this; after all, in the common perception of society, for a young lady, just appearing in a room full of men would likely cause blushing, fear, giggling, or tears.
And as Britain's new monarch, Victoria appeared extremely young and inexperienced, with the public knowing very little about her.
Therefore, if she couldn't establish a reliable and strong first impression at this queen's "debut meeting," then it would be impossible for those high-ranking, powerful, and aged political veterans to take her seriously.
After all, even the Duke of Wellington, a loyal Royalist leader, had once clashed with George IV over the Catholic Emancipation Act. If Victoria couldn't appear strong enough, and with Conroy stirring up trouble, the long-defunct Regency Bill might be resurrected.
