Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill: (Georgian Series) (22 page)

‘Do you think they will?’

‘I should hope not. What would your opinion be of a member of your profession who so far forgot his duty to the Crown and to the State as to do such a thing?’

‘It would be quite wrong, of course.’

‘I trust no clergyman would do such a thing. I am sure that if such a request were made to you you would refuse. That is so, is it not?’

‘Why – yes, yes of course I should refuse.’ The Reverend Johnes Knight felt a little sick; he had lost his appetite.

When he left the Colonel he went to his parents’ house in Stratford Place where he spent the night; to their questions as to his business in town he was evasive, and the next morning presented himself at Carlton House.

There he was not kept waiting long but was conducted to the Prince’s bedchamber where His Highness, wearing a dressing gown as though he had just risen from bed, was waiting for him.

‘My good friend …’ he began, his eyes warm with affection, and the Reverend Johnes Knight felt in that moment that he would do anything to please such a charming Prince.

‘I must offer my apologies for bringing you up from Bushey and being unable to see you last evening. Circumstances … circumstances …’

The Reverend Johnes Knight murmured that it was such an honour to be received by the Prince at any time and he would make a hundred journeys up from Bushey for such a pleasure.

‘For a very long time,’ said the Prince confidentially, ‘I have been deeply in love with a good and virtuous lady. I shall know no peace until she is my wife. At one time I was so desperate that I attempted to take my life and should have done so had my doctors not saved me in time. I have suffered greatly by the attitude of my father towards me. I should tell you, my dear friend, that he hates me, that he greatly regrets that my brother Frederick is not his eldest son. I have suffered … how deeply I can never explain.’

The Reverend Johnes Knight expressed his sorrow at the Prince’s sufferings.

‘I knew you would,’ went on the Prince, ‘because I believe that you are deeply attached to me. Is that so?’

‘It most certainly is, Your Highness.’

‘Then I am going to ask you to give proof of that attachment. I am going to ask you to perform a marriage ceremony between myself and Mrs Fitzherbert.’

‘Your Highness, I could not do it. It is against the law. The Marriage Act stands in the way, sir. It would be criminal of me to perform such a ceremony.’

‘As soon as I am on the throne that iniquitous Marriage Act will be repealed.’

‘I am sure it will, sir, but now it is in force and I cannot therefore …’

The Prince paced up and down the room, a look of blank despair on his face.

Then he turned to face his visitor. ‘So you refuse me?’ he said plaintively.

‘Your Highness, it is with the deepest regret, but I must.’

‘If you refuse I must find a clergyman who will.’

The Reverend Johnes Knight was torn between his desire to serve the Prince and what he knew was his duty. He might, it was true, find someone to marry him, but what sort of clergyman would he be? Someone who would ask for preferment for performing the task; someone who would have to be bribed, someone who might betray the Prince’s secret to Mr Pitt if he were offered a bigger bribe to do so.

He pointed this out to the Prince who grew more and more melancholy. ‘It is for this reason that I wished you to help me. I wanted an honest man to come to my assistance. Ah, so many people swear they will serve me … but only when it pleases them to do so.’

The Reverend Johnes Knight was young and impressionable and the Prince was well aware of this. He went on talking of his sufferings, of the manner in which the King had ill-treated him, of his enduring love for the most virtuous of women; and at length the Reverend Johnes Knight cried out: ‘I will do it. For Your Highness I will do it.’

At which the Prince embraced him and said that never never would he forget his very good friend.

At the house in Park Street the Prince of Wales met Walter and John Smythe and Henry Errington. Dressed soberly by his
standards in a green coat of the finest cloth and white leather breeches he looked quietly elegant; but the diamond star on his left breast and the diamond buckles on his shoes made it impossible to mistake him for any but the Prince of Wales.

He greeted the men with a warm friendliness which implied that this was for him a very solemn occasion. His emotions – superficial as they often were – were constantly displayed for everyone to see. Tears would fill his eyes when he spoke of friendship and at the sentimental words of a ballad. It was one of the reasons why he drew people to him; he made them feel in the short time he was with them that they were of importance to him.

Henry Errington had come with some misgivings. Seeing himself as a guardian of the family since his brother-in-law was incapacitated he felt it was for him to look after Maria’s interest and he was a man of the world enough to know that a marriage with the Prince of Wales could not be recognized by the State because of the Royal Marriage Act.

‘Pray be seated,’ said the Prince. ‘I am delighted to make the acquaintance of my dearest Maria’s family. I want to explain this situation to you for it will grieve me deeply if I cannot dismiss your concerns … which, believe me, I fully understand.’

He crossed his legs gracefully; John Smythe’s eyes were dazzled by the diamond shoe buckles but more so by the easy manners of the Prince. He kept telling himself that this glittering personality was proposing to become his brother-in-law. His sister Maria was the most talked of woman in England; and when the Prince of Wales spoke of her there were tears in his eyes.

She was, the Prince went on to say, all that he asked in life. He would willingly give up the crown for her sake; this marriage that was about to take place would be in the eyes of the Church a true marriage. He, who respected Maria as he could no one else on Earth, was determined on this. He was in an unfortunate position. He spread his hands deprecatingly – very white hands adorned by a few fine diamonds – and the star on his breast flashed as though in defiance of this statement. But he was going to marry Mr Errington’s niece, Walter and John Smythe’s sister. If he could make her the Queen of England
that would be the greatest joy of his life. Who knew … When he became King he would instantly repeal the Marriage Act. What he wished to impress on his dearest Maria’s family was that his intentions were entirely honourable. He respected Maria as a pure good woman and he was going to see that everyone else did the same.

John stammered that this was a great honour to their family; and he trusted that Maria would be worthy of such a Prince.

John was won over; Walter quickly followed. The uncle was not quite so ready; so the Prince turned his attention to him.

He need have no fear, he assured him. He understood, of course, his misgivings. He himself would have had them in similar circumstances; but if he would but trust him … ‘well, I shall be your nephew by marriage, shall I not? … If you will but trust me, you will not be disappointed in it. I promise you.’

How could Henry Errington hold out against such charm? How could he – a humble country gentleman – resist the honour of becoming uncle to the Prince of Wales?

‘I see,’ he said, catching the Prince’s emotion, ‘that my niece must be a very happy woman to have inspired such … such disinterested devotion.’

The Prince was all smiles. That battle was won.

‘I shall expect you at the ceremony,’ he said. ‘Uncle Henry, you must give the bride away.’

He rose, thus dismissing them. He was eager to be back with Maria.

When he left the Prince the Reverend Johnes Knight walked through the streets of London deep in thought.

What had he done? He had promised to perform a marriage between the Prince of Wales and Maria Fitzherbert, an act which he knew to be illegal. Moreover, he had given his word to Colonel Lake, who had suspected rightly that this was the reason why he had been summoned to Carlton House, that he would have nothing to do with the affair.

Not only had he committed himself to an illegal act but he had lied to a friend.

As far as performing the ceremony was concerned he would not have been so worried. After all, this was the Prince of
Wales who could at any time be the King. He did not believe he would come to much harm through the act. But what had Colonel Lake said to him? Had he not asked him if he would do such a thing, and had he not given his word that he would not?

If only the Prince of Wales had received him when he had arranged to. If only he had not gone into the Mount Coffee House he would not have given his word to Colonel Lake.

But he had and he
had
given his word and he would be not only a clergyman who had failed in his duty – but a liar into the bargain.

Moreover, why should Colonel Lake have been so insistent? He was one of the true friends of the Prince of Wales. It would only have been because he knew that the marriage could bring harm to the Prince that he was so much against it.

‘I cannot do it,’ he said.

Back at Stratford Place the Reverend Johnes Knight sat down to write a letter to the Prince of Wales.

It was difficult, but he knew he had to do it.

He took up his pen and began. He was a devoted servant of the Prince’s, he explained. He wished to please him. He would have sustained any loss that might have been his; he would have suffered any punishment that he might have incurred by breaking the law; all this he was ready to do for the Prince’s sake. But before his interview with the Prince he had given his word to a friend that he would not perform the marriage ceremony and this promise had – because of the Prince’s eloquence – slipped out of his mind. He was in a most unhappy state, but he could only crave His Highness’s pardon while being sure he would understand the position in which his humble servant found himself.

After having written and despatched the letter, Knight waited the answer with trepidation.

It was not long in coming. The Prince’s reply was kind; he did not reproach Knight but commanded him to present himself at the house of Colonel Gardner which was in Queen Street.

Colonel Gardner was waiting for him on his arrival. He received the clergyman coolly and remarked that it was
regretful he had not recalled his promise to a friend before the Prince had told him of his intentions.

‘I admit it,’ said Knight. ‘I cannot tell you how deeply I regret my conduct.’

The Prince arrived and was cordial though disappointed. He did not believe that it would be impossible to find a clergyman who would comply with his wishes, although the first two had defaulted.

‘I should like to know,’ said the Prince, ‘who this friend is who extracted this promise from you.’

‘Your Highness, I could not tell even you that and I beg of you not to ask me.’

‘It was Lord North, I’ll swear. You were at his house when I sent for you.’

‘Sir, I do assure you that it is not Lord North.’

‘Well,’ said the Prince, ‘you have shown us that you are a man to respect a promise. Now I shall ask one of you. I want you not to speak to anyone of what has passed between us and to destroy any correspondence concerning this matter.’

‘Your Highness,’ cried Knight fervently, ‘I give you my word.’

‘I accept your word,’ replied the Prince.

It was dismissal, and thankfully the Reverend Johnes Knight came out into the cold December air.

When he had gone the Prince turned mournfully to Colonel Gardner.

‘So,’ he said, ‘we are still without our officiating clergyman.’

But this was soon rectified. Colonel Gardner had discovered a man who would do what was asked.

‘Your Highness,’ explained Colonel Gardner, ‘I have on this occasion taken a different approach. I believe that had we offered Rosenhagen a sum of money in the beginning we should not have had these unfortunate incidents. I am therefore offering £500 to this man and Your Highness’s promise of preferment.’

The Prince nodded. ‘And he has accepted?’

‘With alacrity, sir. He is not a worldly rogue like Rosenhagen, nor an honest man like Knight. He is a young curate, ambitious, eager to marry, and looking for honours in the
Church. Just the man to be prepared to take a risk in the hope of getting them.’

‘And you think there’ll be no hitch this time?’

‘None at all. He is the Reverend Robert Burt who has but recently taken Orders. I am sure that it is now safe to go ahead with our plans. I have impressed on this man the importance of secrecy.’

‘Importance indeed!’ agreed the Prince. ‘You know, Gardner, that if this got to Pitt’s ears he could have it stopped.’

‘Yes, sir. But I do not think we shall have trouble from Burt. He is most eager to serve Your Highness and for … preferment. He will have to be given a living after the ceremony.’

‘He shall have it.’

‘And a good one, sir.’

‘There is one at Twickenham … a very comfortable one … in Mrs Fitzherbert’s own parish there. That would be most appropriate, Gardner. He shall have that.’

‘Then I am sure we need have no fear. If Your Highness’s enemies had wind of the affair and tried to bribe him they could not give as much as that.’

‘I would have preferred to deal with a man like Knight.’

‘It is difficult to find men like Knight who will act in circumstances like this.’

‘That infernal Marriage Act. By God, that will go as soon as I’m on the throne.’

Colonel Gardner was silent. The Prince, by marrying a Catholic, might very well have forfeited his right ever to mount the throne.

‘I will give him his instructions, Your Highness. The ceremony will take place at night. That will be safer, I’m sure.’

‘At night,’ agreed the Prince.

‘Say between seven or eight o’clock … at Mrs Fitzherbert’s house in Park Street.’

The Prince nodded.

‘I will tell Burt that he must be walking along the street with an air of casualness. He will be met by a gentleman who shall make a comment … as yet to be decided … and who will bring him to the house where we shall be waiting for him.’