"Does she play Whist alone?"
Leopold inquired quietly about the Duchess of Kent's current situation, but his tone did not sound too surprised. It seemed as if a long-foreseen worry had finally been confirmed.
"Yes." Arthur nodded. "Sometimes Flora joins her for a two-player game. Occasionally, the Duchess sits alone in a chair looking at chess manuals or staring out the window. Only when Mrs. Levin visits Buckingham Palace does the Duchess's face show a hint of a smile."
"Mrs. Levin..."
Leopold murmured, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
Arthur knew that the King of Belgium did not favor that Russian woman. It wasn't just because she was emotionally expressive, had a bad reputation, and often carried herself with arrogance, but more so because Leopold was aware that Mrs. Levin was essentially a female spy.
It is well-known that since Belgium's independence, the Russian government has harbored long-term animosity toward the newborn constitutional state.
