Dreadnought and Britain's search for allies

Joseph Chamberlain sought a British association with Germany and the Triple Alliance as an alternative to continued isolation. The Duchess of Devonshire helped create discreet opportunities for talks at Chatsworth, where political guests could meet without attracting notice. German diplomatic reports also suggested that Chamberlain and his allies hoped to pursue negotiations while Salisbury was away. Berlin preferred to wait, expecting Britain's difficulties to make an eventual alliance more valuable and more expensive. That calculation depended on Britain continuing to prefer German support over a settlement with France or Russia.