Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill - Plaidy Jean. Страница 59

'I did not give him authority ...' cried the Prince.

Grey was a man who spoke his mind. He said: 'Fox had a letter from Your Highness four days before the marriage was alleged to have taken place. That is his defence for speaking as he did.'

'A letter...' said the Prince, his dismay apparent. He remembered now. He frowned at Grey. That man had always been too frank for him. Not like Sherry, who always said the pleasant thing whatever he was thinking.

'Your Highness had to make the choice,' said Grey bluntly. 'Acknowledging your marriage or facing the threat of losing the Crown. Fox chose the only course.'

'I did not direct him to do so. That's what Maria must be made to understand. One of you must explain to her. You, Francis ... You go ... You go now ... Now, this minute ... and come straight back here.'

Sir Philip Francis looked uneasy but could not very well disobey the Prince's command.

He went, and during his absence the Prince and his friends discussed the affair; the Prince, seeking loopholes, by which he could persist in keeping quiet about his marriage and so keep his chances of the succession, storming and weeping, telling his

friends how he could not live without Maria and that something would have to be done.

They listened with apparent sympathy, but there was not one of them who did not know that to own publicly to the marriage would be fatal to the Prince and the Whigs—however much ihat party had attempted to dissociate itself from the affair.

The Prince must see reason; he must get over this mad infatuation for a religious woman; or she must cast aside her principles and allow herself to be accepted as his mistress.

In due course Sir Philip Francis returned to Carlton House.

'Well, Francis, well?' cried the Prince.

'She is furious. She says she has no wish to see Your Highness ever again.'

The Prince wailed and threw himself on to the couch, covering his face with his hands.

'She said that Fox has rolled her in the kennel like a street walker and that he has lied. Every word he had said was a lie.'

'She believes every word Fox said was a lie,' said the Prince hopefully.

'Even so,' Grey pointed out, 'Your Highness would have to make a public declaration that this was so to satisfy her.'

Trust Grey to dash all hopes to the ground.

'What am I going to do? I must do something. Sherry, what can I do?'

Sheridan said soothingly: 'I doubt not in time it will blow over. She will forget it. She will realize that this is the only way...'

The Prince was looking trustingly at Sheridan.

Then he said: 'If it was brought up in the House again. If it could be modified ...'

Lord Stourton said that he did not see how it could be modified. It was a statement which unfortunately could only have one answci: Yes or No.

'There must be some way. Touch on the marriage lightly ... and make sure that Maria is spoken of with respect. Charles went too far. There was no need for him to go so far. Grey, you could explain it to the House.'

'Your Highness, it would be an impossibility.'

The Prince's eyes were angry. Grey frustrated him at every turn. 'It seems you are determined to make difficulties,' he said coldly.

'Your Highness, the difficulties arc already made.'

'You could do it. You could modify ...'

'Modify,' cried Grey. 'Will Your Highness explain what you mean by modify? I fear I cannot see how this could be done.'

'But you will think of something.'

'I regret Your Highness that I cannot do so and I think it a grave mistake to bring this matter up in the House again.'

'You seem determined not to help, Grey,' said the Prince coldly.

He turned to Sheridan who, during the altercation between Grey and the Prince, seemed to have been trying to shrink further into his chair.

'You'll do it, Sherry?'

Oh, God, thought Sheridan. What am I let in for now?

'Your Highness, let us consider the matter.'

The Prince brightened. 'Dear Sherry, I knew I could rely on you. 1 A snub to Grey, but Grey was not a man to fawn on Princes. Not like poor old Sherry, thought Sheridan, who has come up in the world, from theatre manager to Prince's crony on Irish blarney and an ability to juggle with words. He had to think quickly now: Face the House on this matter which was already concluded or lose the friendship of the Prince of Wales, who would one day be King. Grey had already chosen. Well, Grey was a man of background and political ambitions; Grey could doubtless afford to throw away the friendship of the Prince. Sheridan could not. He was a born gambler in any case. He would back the Prince.

'I will do what I can,' he promised.

'Dearest Sherry!'

'But I think Your Highness will agree with me that the matter should not be brought up until after Fox has secured the payment of your debts.'

The Prince reluctantly agreed to this. He knew his dear friend Sherry was right; and no one had such a way with words as he had.

When Sherry had spoken in the House, Maria would feel happier. She would see him again. She would give him a chance to explain. All would be well between them. They would go down to Brighton together; and if his debts were paid he would give her a fine house of her own; he would make some alterations to the Marine Pavilion.

It would be wonderful to live like a Prince again ... with Maria.

Mr. Pitt called on the King.

'Your Majesty will share my relief,' said the Prime Minister, 'that this unfortunate matter of His Royal Highness's affairs has come to an end. He has, through Mr. Charles James Fox, given us a complete denial of the marriage with Mrs. Fitzher-bert. Therefore he has not, as we feared, acted in defiance of Your Majesty's own Royal Marriage Act.'

'It is a relief, eh?' replied the King. 'I feared he might have married the woman. He's capable of it, Mr. Pitt. Quite capable/

'I feared so, too,' said Pitt. 'And now this matter of his debts. They amount to ?161,000 which I propose shall be paid by Parliament; and ?60,000 shall be set aside for His Highness's expenses at Carlton House. If Your Majesty is agreeable to this, I feel the time has come to raise His Highness's income and suggest an additional ?10,000 a year.'

The King said he thought this was very generous and the young rip ought to be satisfied with that.

'There is another matter which I wished to discuss with Your Majesty,' went on Mr. Pitt, 'and that is the discord which exists between Your Majesty and His Highness. This is undesirable and it seems that now is a good moment to change it. It has been publicly stated that the Prince, contrary to rumour, has not defied Your Majesty's Marriage Act. You have sanctioned the payments of his debts and increased his income. There is therefore no reason for discord in the family. There should be a reunion—a making-up of differences. This, I think, Sir, is very important and the moment is ripe for it.'

The King looked proudly at his Mr. Pitt, and silently

Betrayal in the House » % r K r,

thanked God for him. Momentarily he compared him wiih dear old North—good friend, but what a blunderer!- and what the King felt he needed more and more as the weeks passed was a good steady prop. Mr. Pitt enabled him to gel away to Kew and Windsor. Mr. Pitt was fast becoming a powt i in the land. Mr. Pitt kept the Fox at bay. Good Mr. Pitt!

'You are right I am sure, Mr. Pitt. There shall be a family reunion. The. Prince shall come to Windsor and I will make sure that the family receive him with friendship.'

Mr. Pitt bowed and took his leave.

Parliament had agreed to settle the Prince's debts and Alderman Ncwnham rose to say that he was happy that the motion he had been proposing to bring forward—that of the Prince's debts—was now no longer necessary.