Morgan was waiting to receive the queen and the crown prince in the center of the Victoria’s quarterdeck. His mouth was dry, and his stomach churned. The royal couple seemed relaxed as they made their way across the quarterdeck, smiling and joking with each other. As he watched the small queen come down the companionway stairs, Morgan looked more closely at this illustrious young woman. Her high forehead and long brown hair, parted in the middle and partially tied up in a bun, reminded him somewhat of Eliza. Her lower face and small mouth narrowed and seemed pinched, giving the impression of a stubborn, independent young woman, but her lively laugh suggested a fun-loving personality. She wore a large diamond that dangled down low on her pale open neck, but it was her eyes that caught his attention. Her blue, oval-shaped eyes seemed to sparkle with life.
At her side was Prince Albert, his chestnut hair slicked back on his head, his small moustache slightly waxed. Even Morgan had to admit he cut a striking figure. He carried himself like a well-trained military man on parade with a protruding chin and a stiff carriage, but like her he seemed to reveal a slightly more informal side as they emerged in the satinwood-paneled saloon with its zebrawood trim and he scanned his new surroundings.
“Tell me about your new ship, Captain,” Prince Albert asked. “How big is she?”
“The Victoria is almost 1,000 tons, 156 feet in length, and 36 feet in width,” Morgan proudly explained to the royal couple as he led them around the saloon. The stewards had decorated the small tables with vases of clove-scented Sweet Williams, and Lowery had placed a large gilded cake in the shape of a crown in the center of the dining table.
“She can carry almost an acre of canvas,” Morgan continued. “It took twenty-four tons of hemp to make her rigging. And from the royals to the keelson, the main mast is 155 feet high.”
The crown prince politely nodded his head.
“How many passengers can she carry, Captain?”
“We have twenty-two first-class cabin suites here in the saloon, each with two berths, and a new second-class cabin amidships for another thirty passengers.”
Prince Albert again nodded with interest even as Queen Victoria peered into one of the open staterooms. He escorted the royal party into the carpeted ladies cabin with its white and gold ceiling, where Queen Victoria was seated on a light blue and white silk damask-upholstered couch facing a white marble table. Her face lit up with pleasure at the sight of the ground glass windowpanes decorated with views of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. As Lowery passed around a tray of cool drinks, she began to question Morgan about the Sketching Club. She wanted to hear how an American ship captain had fallen in with these well-known English artists.
“It is through Mr. Leslie and Mr. Landseer that I heard about your fine ship! I am quite familiar with the London Sketching Club. I have many of those artists’ sketches. Several of the men in your club taught me watercolors over the years. In fact, many of them, including your good friend Mr. Leslie, have executed portraits of myself and the crown prince which we are quite fond of. One evening at one of their meetings I was even invited to give them themes for their sketches.”
“Really! I wasn’t aware of that, Your Majesty. What were the topics?”
“‘Danger’ was one. ‘Elevation’ the other,” she replied enthusiastically.
“I can think of several places right here on the Victoria, Your Majesty, where you might find both, particularly out on the Atlantic highway.”
The queen smiled. “Perhaps you can point those out, Captain, but from the safety of the deck.” They both laughed.
“Are you an artist as well, Captain? I don’t detect any trace of oil and varnish on you.”
“No, Your Majesty, I can’t say that I am. Although Mr. Leslie once told me that sailing a packet ship with its many sails is like a painter with brushes and colors in hand.”
“Indeed,” she replied. “Then Edwin Landseer should make a good sailor. Did you know, Captain, he has the ability to paint with both hands at the same time? He is a particular favorite of mine. He taught Albert and me how to do etchings.”
It was while Lowery and the new steward, Sam Junkett, were serving cucumber sandwiches to the royal entourage that the Duke of Newcastle smugly asked the captain why he had never called one of his ships after Her Majesty before.
“After all, Captain, Her Majesty has been on the throne for nearly six years. Why have you been so slow to recognize and honor the queen?”
Morgan was smart enough to know that the old duke, who was known as an outspoken conservative, was trying to trip him up. All conversation came to a stop at the table. Even the stewards stopped passing the platter of tea sandwiches. Morgan’s mind was working quickly. He could either apologize, and say something embarrassing about his own shipping line, or he could say something the English would interpret as demeaning to their queen and to England. After a few seconds pause, he looked back at the smiling face of the duke and responded smoothly: “Because, Your Lordship, we never built a ship before that was worthy of Her Majesty.”