Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill: (Georgian Series) (24 page)

‘Indeed, I am not. I am suggesting that you should never have been so foolish … and so wicked … as to become involved with her.’

‘Sarah is the most beautiful of girls. She is completely suited to the rank of Princess.’

‘But she is not, I imagine, of such a rank?’

‘Of course she is not.’

‘Then pray tell me who she is.’

‘She is Sarah Martin – daughter of the Commissioner of Portsmouth in whose house I lodge.’

‘I see. And you imagine yourself to be in love with her.’

‘There is no imagination about it. I am.’

‘And you propose to marry her. You must know, William, that without your father’s consent and that of the Parliament such a marriage would not be legal.’

‘George does not seem to think so.’

‘George! You are referring to the Prince of Wales, I suppose. Let me tell you that this Royal Marriage Act applies to you all … George included, even though he may be the Prince of Wales.’

‘Mamma, we may be princes but we are still men.’

The Queen looked with exasperation at her son who hurried on: ‘If you do not approve of my marriage to Sarah I am ready to abandon everything to be with her. I shall be happy enough as Lieutenant Guelph. In fact that is what I am known as in the Navy. I prefer it. I would rather be a commoner and free than a prince and a prisoner.’

‘No one is suggesting that you should be a prisoner, William. Only that you should observe the laws of your country as we all have to do.’

‘All men – except the members of our family – may marry as they please. That is the greatest freedom of all. Mamma, I
will
marry Sarah. I must make Papa see. Where is he now? Perhaps I could go to him and explain …’

‘My dear William, His Majesty is greatly worried by your brother’s conduct. I pray you do not add to his anxieties.’

‘And what of George? I suppose he will have his way. I suppose he will find some way out of his … his …
cage.
’

‘I will not listen to such foolish talk. Your brother will marry as you will, which is as the King wishes.’

‘Oh, I can see that it is important to George. His son would be the King. But surely it cannot be so important for me. There is Frederick to come before me. Mamma, will you speak to the King?’

The Queen was silent. She imagined the King’s reaction to this news. She pictured his coming in now and finding his son
in Windsor when he should be in Portsmouth. The shock would be terrible; and she was afraid of these shocks. Heaven knew what the Prince of Wales was doing. They must expect shocks from that direction. But that William, their third son, should suddenly present them with his problem was quite unexpected.

It would never do for the King to find his son here. It would be much better if she could break the news gently.

‘I will speak to your father, William,’ she said.

‘Oh, Mamma.’ He took her hand and kissed it. How affectionate they are, she thought, when they want something.

‘You will plead with him? You will tell him how important this is to me? Tell him that he need not be ashamed of welcoming Sarah into the family circle. She is good … and beautiful, and would be an asset to any family.’

‘I am sure she would,’ said the Queen. ‘I will speak to your father on condition that you return immediately to Portsmouth.’

The Prince stared at her in dismay.

‘I will see that you hear the King’s decision there. But if you stay here I can do nothing. For one thing His Majesty will be so enraged when he sees that you have deserted your post that he will not listen to you. Go back as quickly and quietly as you can to Portsmouth and I will take the first opportunity of speaking to your father.’

He took her hands and looked earnestly in her face.

‘You will speak
for
me.’

‘Yes, my son, I will speak for you.’

He kissed her hands fervently.

She thought: If only George would ask me to do something for him. But George was different from William. He went his way without needing any help from his mother. He was after all Prince of Wales.

‘Thank you, Mamma. I will return to Portsmouth at once … and you will speak to the King.’

‘At the first opportunity,’ the Queen promised.

The King came in from hunting the stag in Windsor Forest, looking tired; but then he almost always did nowadays. The Queen thought: He takes too much exercise. He forces himself
to, because he thinks it is good for his health and will reduce his weight. But he was growing fatter in spite of all his efforts; his face was a deeper shade of red and there was a tinge of purple in it, but perhaps that was due to those white eyebrows. His eyes seemed to bulge more than they used to.

I watch him too critically, she thought. I am too anxious.

She asked him if she could have a word alone with him. He looked surprised. ‘Eh, what?’

‘At Your Majesty’s convenience.’ She did not wish to make it sound too important. She had no wish to worry him in advance.

In due course they were alone and she said to him: ‘A disturbing thing happened today. William came here.’

‘William.’ The white brows shot up; the blue eyes bulged; the colour in the too colourful face deepened. ‘William! Left Portsmouth! Eh? What for? What did he do that for? Why did he leave Portsmouth, eh, what?’

Oh dear. The rapid speech, the repetitions. Always a bad sign.

‘He has one of these notions which young people get. He’s fallen in love with the Commissioner’s daughter and wants to marry her.’

‘Marry her. Is he mad, eh?’

The Queen shivered. She hated that word.

She said quickly: ‘He is young. Your Majesty knows what young men are. I think some action will have to be taken and Your Majesty will know what.’

‘Action, eh, I should think so. What is this? How far has it gone? What is the girl? Commissioner’s daughter? He lodges in the Commissioner’s house. So that’s it! Well, it will have to be stopped, of course. Young fool. Will have to stop being a … a young fool. And he came here. How dare he? Desertion, that’s what it was. Does he think because he’s my son he can flout the rules of the Navy? We’ll have to teach that young puppy a lesson or two.’

The Queen thought of the ‘lessons’ which had been taught the boys when they were younger. This had been the application of the cane – often by the King himself. He had declared to the Queen, ‘Only way … only way you can train young puppies.’ And she had hated to hear the screams of the boys
and had been a little frightened by the fury and resentment she had seen in their eyes towards their father … and this applied particularly to the Prince of Wales. Of course William could not be allowed to marry this Sarah Martin, but she was sorry for William – and she hoped the King would not be too severe.

‘He is in love with this Sarah …’ began the Queen.

‘Sarah!’ cried the King; and his thoughts immediately went to another Sarah. Lady Sarah Lennox, with whom he had been in love, whom he had given up to marry Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz, this plain old woman who was sitting there now and was the mother of the troublesome William and that other even more troublesome one, George, who had given him so many sleepless nights. He wondered what his life would have been like if he had married beautiful Sarah Lennox – and he could have married her, for there was no Marriage Act in those days to prevent him and in any case, as the King, he could have given his own consent to whatever marriage he had wanted to make. Yet he had done his duty – a fact of which he had been proud all those years but which nevertheless continued to rankle.

‘Sarah?’ he repeated.

‘Her name is Sarah Martin … this Commissioner’s daughter.’

‘He must be mad.’

The Queen flinched.

‘He is only twenty.’

‘Old enough to know better. Where is he now?’

‘He has gone back to Portsmouth. He will stay there until he hears Your Majesty’s decision.’

The King grunted.

‘What is Your Majesty going to do?’

The King hesitated and looked at her cautiously. Usually he kept her in the dark. He had always said that he would not have women interfering in State matters. But this was scarcely a State matter. It was a family matter – and he was going to see that that was what it remained. In this case he could take Charlotte into his confidence.

‘I will order the Commissioner of Portsmouth to transfer Prince William to Plymouth without delay.’

The Queen sighed.

‘And there this … this … young woman will not accompany him. I doubt not that in Plymouth he will find someone else to take her place … but this, this little adventure will have taught the young rip that he should not take these ladies too seriously.’

The Queen nodded and the King said angrily, ‘Sarah … Sarah … what was it?’

‘Martin,’ answered the Queen a trifle sadly, for she knew what memories the name recalled. There had been plenty to let her know when she had arrived in England that the King had been deeply enamoured of Sarah Lennox and reluctantly was taking Charlotte to be his Queen. That, thought the Queen, was the fate of princesses – and of princes too. This William would discover.

In a few days he was transferred from Portsmouth to Plymouth.

Family Conflict

THE PRINCE WAS
happy. He was seen everywhere with Mrs Fitzherbert. Whispers circulated throughout the Court and the Town – Are they married? Or is she his mistress? It was obvious from the Prince’s manner that either one or the other of these conditions were true. If anyone wished to entertain the Prince of Wales they must entertain Mrs Fitzherbert also. If there was no invitation for the lady, then the Prince of Wales regretfully declined. He would dance with no other but Mrs Fitzherbert; he must be placed next to her at table; and after each ball, banquet or evening engagement he could be heard saying to her with the utmost gallantry: ‘Madam, may I have the honour of seeing you home in my carriage?’

She did not take up her residence in Carlton House, but continued to live at Richmond and in Park Street. She was, however, constantly in the company of the Prince of Wales, and the change in him was remarkable. He was extremely
affable to everyone; he was constantly bursting into song; he moderated his language and rarely used a coarse expression; he drank less; he liked to retire early on some evenings. He was undoubtedly a newly married husband deeply in love with his wife and domesticity.

He took a box at the Opera for her and was frequently seen with her in it; they rode together in the Park. His habits had changed considerably; he no longer sought the company of others. Mrs Fitzherbert was all he asked.

The friendship with Charles James Fox had clearly weakened. There had been a time when he had been constantly in that man’s company, had accepted his news, laughed heartily at his wit and called him his greatest friend. But Mrs Fitzherbert was inclined to view the politician with disfavour.

‘He is both coarse and unclean,’ she commented; and there was a distinct coolness between them.

‘He is a brilliant fellow,’ the Prince told her. ‘My loye, I think you would enjoy his conversation.’

‘He is undoubtedly very witty and a brilliant conversationalist, and I am sure a very clever politician,’ agreed Maria, ‘but he certainly does not change his linen often enough and his wit is inclined to be cruel.’

‘Everyone cannot be like my angel,’ commented the Prince.

‘Who likes only those who are worthy to be the friends of hers.’

The Prince was enchanted by that reply and began to feel less friendly towards Fox from that moment, and when he remembered that Fox had tried to prevent the marriage he felt some resentment. How dare Fox preach to him! Fox who had led just about the most immoral life any man could lead! But Fox had not preached. He had only pointed out the facts – and they were true enough. All the same, much as he respected Fox, he did not want to see him. To tell the truth he wanted no one but Maria.

He walked into Maria’s drawing room where she received him with open arms and a demeanour which was almost regal. What a queen she would make! If he could make her so. Why not? When the old man died he would alter that Marriage Act with a stroke of the pen. He would have powerful ministers behind him. Fox! There he was back at Fox. No matter! His
Maria was beautiful, worthy in every way to be a queen. He told her so.

‘But this place is not good enough for my dearest.’

‘My darling, it is ideal for me.’

‘No, no, Maria. I want to see you in a setting worthy of you.’

‘Settings are unimportant.’

‘Of course. What setting does the brightest jewel in the kingdom need? You don’t
need
it, my precious love; but you should have it. I see you in a white and gilded drawing room with Chinese silk lining the walls.’

‘It sounds like Carlton House,’ she said with a laugh.

‘But this shall be yours. And there we shall entertain. You must admit, my dearest Maria, that this place is a trifle small.’

‘It is big enough for the two of us. I care only to entertain you.’

He embraced her and wept on that wonderful bosom, so soft, so voluptuous yet so maternal. Oh, Maria, perfect woman, with all the attributes, everything that he needed to make him happy!

‘Why … real tears,’ she said, stroking his frizzed hair.

‘Tears of joy,’ he cried. ‘Tears of wonder and gratitude. What have I done to deserve you, Maria? Tell me that.’

‘You have been good and kind to me, faithful to me, you have sacrificed much for me …’

He lay against her listening. It was true.

‘I’d crowns resign

To call thee mine,’

But it had not been necessary to resign the Crown. This sort of marriage did not interfere with the succession in the least. It was a secret marriage, a morganatic marriage, if one cared to call it that. And it was secret; therefore what harm could come of it? As soon as he was the King he would get the Act repealed and marry Maria; and any children they might have before that happy event would be legitimized. It was really very simple. He could not imagine why there had had to be the fuss.