Dear Readers,

I have written The Victoria & Melbourne Story for all those viewers of the wonderful PBS TV series Victoria who wish that Lord Melbourne had responded differently when the Queen proposed to him. In the series, as in history, it is clear that they love each other. Melbourne's biographer, Lord David Cecil, implies that Melbourne seemed to lose his reason to live after Victoria was out of his life. He had a stroke at the age of 62 and lived pretty miserably, with no wife or children to care for him, until he died at 69 in 1848. He was mainly taken care of at Brocket Hall by his brother Frederick and Fred's 36-years-younger wife. After Melbourne died, Fred inherited his title. When Fred also died childless, in 1853, both of his titles (Viscount Melbourne and Baron Beauvale) were extinguished.

The Victoria & Melbourne Story is a do-over for Melbourne. We can respect him greatly for his sacrifice in the name of what he and many others thought was his duty, yet still pity what he and Victoria lost by his taking that decision entirely away from the Queen. I wanted to imagine that Melbourne saw the competing principles of duty to the crown and honesty, and tried to respect both at once, while leaving the ultimate decision to the Queen. Such a do-over as I imagine might have had many ripples of positive effects: on Victoria's developing character, on her children's nature and nurture, on Melbourne's brother and his wife, on Victorian society, and even on world history. Victoria's children with Albert came to determine the bloodlines in most of the royal houses of Europe. Maybe world history would have been different if Victoria had not married her first cousin. She might even have had a longer marriage with Melbourne than she had with Albert, if she had managed Melbourne's habits better than he did alone.

I hope Jenna Coleman, Rufus Sewell and many others of the original cast might return, to create a sort of alternate universe, in a TV show or a movie: a better universe than ours, in which there would be no World War I or II. No Kaiser Wilhelm, and no Hitler.

After you read my story, please leave me a review. I would like to correct any errors, such as in British terms and usage, real historical events, or anachronisms.

With my best regards,

Gillian Ellipse

May 31, 2017 (Victoria Redux); July 16, 2018 (Revised for The Victoria & Melbourne Story)

P. S. If you are leaving a review and would like me to be able to reply, all you need to do is sign into FanFiction first. I would like to thank anonymous reviewer Katherine for making my day today! -- G.E. 7/2/2019