The British had decided to sit back and enjoy the show. However, they hadn't outright rejected the Spanish ambassador's request for aid; they had merely resorted to the most common stalling tactic.
After all, Britain was a constitutional monarchy, and government action required Parliament's approval. It was only sensible to hold an internal debate first.
No one could find fault with the British explanation, so the Spanish ambassador had no choice but to accept it.
But he couldn't just sit and wait. Not because of his country, but because Isabella II was not a patient monarch.
Once Isabella II lost her patience, the British would naturally be fine, but he, as the ambassador, would be in for trouble.
And so, the Spanish ambassador, Mr. Caneboro, had no choice but to start looking for connections. Unfortunately, his connections were clearly rather outdated.
With no other options, Mr. Caneboro could only turn to a broker. But brokers cost money, and that made his heart ache.
Some people might wonder why Mr. Caneboro, as the Spanish ambassador, would begrudge the cost of hiring a broker. Was he truly a great patriot, unwilling to waste even a penny of his country's money?
Here was a diplomatic fact from before the twentieth century: most of the expenses for most activities undertaken by ambassadors from Western countries came out of their own pockets.
Europeans had been paying their own way to work for over a thousand years.
That was why diplomats of the time were either wealthy or noble; otherwise, they simply couldn't afford the exorbitant costs of diplomacy.
The money for hiring a broker, as well as the bribes that would be needed afterward, would all have to come from Mr. Caneboro's pocket. That was why he felt such anguish.
There was no shortage of