Complex sentence: In Germany there was skepticism among senior ministers that anything would come of this apparent new friendliness, but serious negotiations for a formal alliance began between the French ambassador to London, Cambon, and the British Foreign Secretary, the Marquess of Lansdowne.
Split into simpler sentences: In Germany there was skepticism among senior ministers that anything would come of this apparent new friendliness. But serious negotiations for a formal alliance began between the French ambassador to London, Cambon, and the British Foreign Secretary, the Marquess of Lansdowne.