Straight on Till Morning (13 page)
Read Straight on Till Morning Online
Authors: Mary S. Lovell
On 2 June a major social event was reported by the
East African Standard
. It was the marriage during the preceding week of Gwladys, the former Lady Markham, to Lord Delamere at St Andrew's Church, Nairobi. The list of âprincipal guests' at the wedding included Mr and Mrs Mansfield Markham and Baroness von Blixen. Gwladys had divorced Mansfield's brother Sir Charles in the previous year, but Mansfield and she remained friends. Beryl was there in the role of adopted niece of the groom, as well as being âfamily' of the bride.
Beryl and Mansfield settled on a farm called Melela at Elburgon near Njoro, where Beryl arranged the provision of gallops. Now she could afford to buy top-class horses, and she did so. Almost immediately after their arrival Beryl's name appeared in the racing columns: âWinner owned and trained by Mrs Markham.' âOwner Mr Mansfield Markham, Trainer Mrs Beryl Markham.' It is hardly surprising to see that some of these horses had formerly been Clutterbuck's; indeed most were progeny of horses from his old stud at Njoro six years earlier. And now, to Beryl's delight and reportedly at Mansfield's expense, her father returned from Peru and took up residence in a cottage on the farm. Her relationship with Emma Orchardson was no better than before â a mutual tolerance was the best that could be hoped for, but at least she had Daddy back. Mansfield could have given her nothing in the world more calculated to please.
There are various reports of Beryl and Mansfield in the social columns of the period, and they are pictured receiving the Rift Valley Plate after the horse Clemency (owned by Mansfield and trained by Beryl) had won the race in great style in late June. The couple were seen together often during this period and, at least on the surface, seemed happy together. This is important, for some time around May Beryl conceived, and the parentage of this child was to cause rumour and conjecture for decades. It is not possible to say for certain who was the father of her child, but it is possible to say, with conviction, who could not have been.
The present Sir Charles Markham told me that Mansfield was already unhappy about Beryl's behaviour before they left England. âShe liked to go out a lot, and she loved parties. She must have been a very striking woman with her blonde hair and lovely skin, and would have stood out in a crowd. I think Beryl had already met Prince Henry in England before she and my uncle returned to Kenya.' Mansfield was suspicious of Beryl's relationship with the prince from the start.
When in the summer of 1928 Beryl discovered she was pregnant she was furious and immediately talked about an abortion.
23
âShe just didn't have time for a baby and anyway she certainly wasn't the maternal type.'
24
Mansfield was equally furious and they had a row in which Beryl allegedly flung at him the angry words: âYou don't even know that it's yours anyway, so why should you worry?' If this report is true, it was probably this remark which accounted for Mansfield's subsequent behaviour towards his son.
25
Tania Blixen reported in July to her mother that she had lunched with the couple at Muthaiga, and that Beryl âlooks ill and I think they are rather unhappy'.
26
Throughout August and September whilst Beryl continued her successful training activities,
27
Nairobi became a hive of activity. The forthcoming visit of the Prince of Wales and his brother Prince Henry was the major topic of conversation. Perhaps because Beryl had met both men socially she was asked to help with the hostessing arrangements for the safari.
28
The life of a safari hostess is really a social and administrative one. Safari life was certainly adventurous and hard at times, but the camps themselves were as comfortable as money was able to make them. The weary hunters could expect to find sundowner cocktails awaiting their return to camp. A relaxing drink was followed by a relaxing hot bath, in a canvas bathtub.
29
The guests, clad in pyjamas and dressing gowns, then sat down to dinner (often game shot by the hunters), which was served on tables in the open, and if the evening became chilly a huge camp fire blazed with entire tree trunks as logs. Usually the administrative details of providing this comfort â stores, furnishings, the provision of constant hot water for baths etc. was the responsibility of a camp hostess, and Beryl was clearly delighted to be involved in planning these details.
30
When the princes arrived in Nairobi on 1 October she was in the vanguard of those waiting to welcome the royal party. A description of the event is recorded in
Sport and Travel in East Africa
, a book compiled by Patrick Chalmers from the diaries of the Prince of Wales.
As the train came to the platform it got an ovation which must have surprised it. The station looked like a flower show and circus combined. Around it sat or stood in the street, many thousands of spectators of all races and colours attired in all conceivable schemes of personal decoration. On a red carpeted dais, under banners and flags and a mile of bunting the Governorâ¦made Their Royal Highnesses welcome. Theyâ¦then got into a waiting car and drove at foot pace, under triumphal arches and the fluttering of a thousand flags to Government House. The route, roses all the way, wasâ¦solid with folk and wild with enthusiasm.
31
For the next few weeks the two princes were feted and entertained in the grand manner with balls at Government House, outdoor supper parties, luncheons, race meetings and private parties at Muthaiga Club and leading night spots. Beryl was constantly present at these social occasions and from the start interested onlookers noted the marked preference that Prince Henry showed for her company.
32
The Prince of Wales had arranged several safaris and although he claimed to be more interested in shooting with his camera than his gun he particularly wanted to bag an elephant and a lion.
33
Prince Henry was not so keen to hunt, Bunny Allen stated. âHe was riding horses a lot, doing trips up into the mountains and thoroughly enjoying himself, but not actually doing a lot of hunting.' Before leaving civilization both princes spent some time racing at Nairobi. Prince Henry rode well, far better than his brother who was, according to local opinion, âa brave though somewhat poor horseman'.
34
Significantly the Prince of Wales was always provided with better horses though he only managed a second place riding the Markhams' best horse Cambrian, a few days after his arrival. At a subsequent meeting the Prince of Wales won a race with his brother a close second. Surely the informant who hinted that the other riders had hung back was being less than generous?
Bunny Allen first met Beryl on one of the Prince of Wales's safaris:
â¦she was in and out of camp as a friend of His Royal Highness and his aides. It's history that Prince Henry was very fond of Beryl and that she reciprocatedâ¦They were constantly together and they were a very handsome pair. He was tall, slightly arrogant, good looking; a fine figure of a man. She was a magnificent creature, with a beautiful movement, very feline. It was like watching a beautiful golden lioness when she walked across the room, or the green lawns of the Muthaiga Club.
She was always so beautifully dressed and she had such wonderful legs for a pair of slacks. Slacks were only just coming into vogue at that period â all the dear old ladies who had hunted in the past (which weren't many) were still wearing voluminous skirts. She was the first girl to bring a good looking pair of legs into a good looking pair of slacks! If one went into the club during the visit of Prince Henry, more often than not Beryl and the Prince were there together having a splendid time with a crowd of friends.
35
Beryl was several times in our camps in the Mount Kenya and Northern Frontier areas, accompanied by Prince Henry on at least one occasion. Whilst camps were being moved from one place to another, the âinmates' hied themselves off to Muthaiga Club, which was the Royal âWaiting Room'. One has to remember that in those days safaris moved on slower wheels. A move from one camp to another took about a week to set up and get the champagne chilled.
36
Bunny also felt confident that Beryl had accompanied Prince Henry on at least one safari as a member of his party, where there was ample time for what he termed âbushy experiences'.
37
In the authorized biography
Prince Henry: Duke of Gloucester
the prince's time in East Africa is reported:
Prince Henry felt that he had met everyone in Kenya. âThere are some very nice people,' he observed, âand some very much otherwise.' Kenya, with its uniquely beautiful scenery, and its rather relaxed European society ranging from the highest quality as represented by Lord Frances Scottâ¦to some of less reliable background, did indeed offer a combination of enjoyments and hazards for two of such eligible status as the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Gloucester. From here they were to take their separate safari routes, Prince Henry travelling to Longido, spending some days in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaroâ¦he was in search of big game but he resolved not to shoot more than two of each species unless the need for meat dictated a greater ration.
The record of Prince Henry's trip continues with reports of the races in which the princes rode, with particular note of the race where
â¦the Prince of Wales won and Prince Henry was second âwhich was great fun'. Prince Henry was mounted on a horse trained by Captain Clutterbuck, a Kenya notable and the father of Beryl, who won a name for herself on account of her remarkable beauty and also her outstanding feats of airmanship.
38
They then dined with the Governor of Kenya and Lady Grigg. This was followed by a municipal ball and then a supper party which the Princes gave at a club. No wonder the Governor, Sir Edward Grigg, described the Princes as âindefatigable'. He also noticed âwhat a charming and simple person' Prince Henry was and he reckoned he would be âa great asset when he has gained a little more confidence'â¦By 20th October, when [the prince] was writing to the Queen under an extension to his tent with a yellow lining on the M'hata Plains near Kilosa in a lovely breeze, âthe kind of weather you would like', he was able to tell his mother that he was enjoying himself, had ânever felt so well' and that his party was a happy one.
39
On 9 November Tania wrote to her mother of the small dinner party she had given for the Prince of Wales at which Beryl, shortly to leave for England, had been present: â[Beryl] looked absolutely ravishing that eveningâ¦'
40
Karen Blixen's biographer, Judith Thurman, states:
Beryl was a sort of Circeâ¦Tania could not have been blind to her allure, and it speaks highly for her dedication as a hostess â and her sense of fairplay generally â that she still invited her to dinner, placed her beside Denys and later reported to her mother that she looked ravishing. It was the evening of Kamante's [Tania's cook] greatest triumph, with a meal that began with his famous clear soup and was followed by Mombasa turbot served with hollandaise, ham poached in champagne, partridge with peas, a pasta with cream and truffles, green, pearl onions and tomato salad, wild mushroom croustades, a savarin, strawberries and grenadines from the garden. Denys provided the wines and cigars. Afterward, the guests went out to watch the
ngoma
[tribal dance]. The chiefs had not let her down, and there was a crowd of enthusiastic dancers around the bonfires. The drive was illuminated with several smaller fires, and Tania hung a pair of old ship's lanterns â brought back from Denmark for Berkeley Cole â outside the house.
41
The next day the Prince of Wales's party left on safari. Beryl was now five months into her pregnancy, though âno one would have guessed to look at her. She was riding out up to the day she left.' Some time in mid November she left for England to spend Christmas with her mother-in-law and to have her baby. From the day of her departure her father took over the training of all the horses.
Within weeks the two princes were made aware of a potential crisis when the king became gravely ill. The Prince of Wales was hunting with Bror Blixen when he received a cabled summons back to England. It said: âThe King has been attacked with congestion of and pleurisy of the lung due to microbic infection. The condition of the heart makes the immediate future anxious and uncertain. I advise the Prince to get in touch near home. Dawson.'
42
Not unnaturally, after receiving this message, the prince became pensive. âAt any moment he might have to open a blue and white envelope informing him that he was no longer Prince of Wales.'
43
Before he left, the prince remarked to Cockie (Bror Blixen's second wife), âTo think that in a few days I may be King of England.'
The whole nation held its breath. On 27 November, the Prince of Wales who was at Dodoma received the news. His Assistant Private Secretary Captain Alan Lascelles, immediately telegraphed Lord Stamfordham to say that they would stay there to await further developments. He also telegraphed to Captain Howard Kerr at Buckingham Palace to see if he could contact Prince Henry, whose whereabouts neither he nor the Prince of Wales knew. Then on 1 December at Ndola, Prince Henry got the news. âAm so distressed to hear of Papa's illness,' he telegraphed to his mother, âand am proceeding home as soon as possible via Cape Town.'
44
