Stockma looked as though he had already been standing there for a while; if Arthur and Conroy had really started quarreling just now, he would most likely have gone in to smooth things over.
Seeing the two of them come out, Stockma merely lifted his chin, indicating that they should go outside and talk.
The three of them walked out of Kensington Palace shoulder to shoulder; before Arthur could take out his cigar case, he heard Stockma say, "Dealing with Conroy is very difficult, isn't it?"
Arthur had just taken out the cigar case; hearing this, he casually closed it again and slipped it back into his pocket.
In such a private setting, Lord Chamberlain could not even be bothered to keep up his polished noble demeanor; he spoke bluntly: "Difficult? That's putting it far too mildly. He gives one the impression that Victoria isn't the seventeen-year-old girl—he is."
