Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill - Plaidy Jean. Страница 73

implying that she was of no account and that he was the master now.

'It is monstrous that you should propose to take the King to Kew without consulting me.'

'Madam, as you will not be going with him it did not occur to us to consult you. You are to live ... at peace either at Buckingham House or Windsor. You may take your choice.'

'How kind, how understanding of you to give me a choice.'

'Well, Madam, I wish to please if possible.'

'Enough of this. Where the King is there shall I be. You forget I am his wife.'

'Madam, my plans ...'

She snapped her fingers. 'My plan is to stay with the King and my place is at his side. I believe that His Majesty's ministers will agree with me, and would not take kindly to any plan to separate a sick husband from his wife.'

The Prince was silent.

She went on: 'It was suggested that, should there be a Regency, I should share in it, but I have said my place is to care for the King. Should I be ousted from that place, there might be another waiting for me. And if I was kept from my duty to the King I might take it.'

As she walked from the room he knew she was right and that he had been foolish to talk of separating them. He would have to give way.

The first round of the battle was a victory for the Queen.

The Prince left for Kew, having given orders that his mother and sisters with their attendants were to follow. The King was to come on later.

At Kew the Prince decided which rooms should be allotted to whom and actually wrote the names of the people who should occupy them over the doors.

The Queen's apartments were immediately above the King's and he decided that she could not occupy these for fear of disturbing His Majesty; therefore he selected a bedroom and drawing room for her which were not very commodious, but, as he said to his equerry, she would come so therefore she must

make do with what accommodation there was. As for some of her maids of honour, they would have to be content with the servants' rooms.

From one of the windows he saw his mother arrive, surrounded by her weeping daughters.

At Windsor the King paced up and down his bedroom and shouted: *Where do you wish to take me, eh, what? To Kew? I will not go to Kew. What should I go to Kew for if I do not wish it, eh, what? Tell me that! Kew ... I do not wish to go to Kew...' And so on in such a strain, his voice rising higher and higher until there was little of it left and he could only croak.

Colonel Digby reminded him that he had always been particularly fond of Kew.

4 No longer,' cried the King. 'I will not go to Kew. I know what you people are after. You want to shut me up there. Do you, eh, what?'

They only wanted him to be comfortable, they told him.

'You want to separate me from the Queen, eh, what? You are trying to take her from me. Queen Elizabeth ... She's my Queen...'

The equerries looked mystified until Digby nodded, remembering the King's glances at Lady Elizabeth Pembroke. The poor old man was very far gone if he believed he was married to Elizabeth Pembroke.

'The Queen,' cried the King. 'I want the Queen. You have separated us. Oh yes you have. You have taken the Queen from me. You have decided that she shall not be with me, eh, what?'

Colonel Digby said: 'Your Majesty, the Queen has gone ahead to Kew. She is waiting there to welcome you.'

'Eh, what? The Queen at Kew?'

Digby assured His Majesty that this was indeed the truth; and thus was enabled to persuade him to enter his carriage. And so the poor deranged King came to Kew.

The Queen watched the King's arrival. Oh, God, she

thought, is that poor shambling creature the King? And she thought of him as he had been when she first saw him: young, handsome in his way with his fresh complexion and his blue eyes, and kindly too, not letting her guess that he had married her with the utmost reluctance.

And now ... he had come to this. There was General Har-court and Colonel Goldsworthy with him, helping him in; she could hear his voice, hoarse and yet somehow audible; and she wondered if he had been shouting during the journey.

'Oh, Mamma. Mamma.' It was her daughter Augusta who was beside her, taking her hand and pressing it.

'My daughter,' said the Queen, 'your father has come to Kew. It is fitting that we should be together at such a time.'

Augusta began to cry. 'Everything is so different, Mamma. Everything is changed.'

'Yes/ agreed the Queen, 'I fear nothing will be the same again.'

She felt her lips tremble uncontrollably and Augusta seeing her emotion said: 'Mamma, may I sleep in your bedchamber tonight? I will have a small tent bed put up and I promise not to disturb you ... only to be a comfort.'

The Queen pressed her daughter's hand. 'It is strange,' she said, 'that Queens should pray for sons. It is daughters who are a comfort to them.'

Immediately on his arrival in England Fox arranged to meet the Prince at Carlton House. The Prince received his old friend with tears in his eyes.

'By God, Charles, it is a relief to see you here.'

'And a relief to be here, Your Highness.'

'I had feared we should never find you.'

'As soon as I knew my services were required I came at full speed.'

'And Lizzie?'

'She is following. I doubt her return will be long delayed.'

'Now to business, Charles.'

'Indeed so, Your Highness. I hear there is a little improvement in His Majesty's general health.'

'That's true.' The Prince spoke almost ruefully and added quickly: 'In his state his death would be the best possible solution for himself more than any of us. I cannot tell you how mad he is, Charles. A raving lunatic.'

'Sad, very sad. And likely to remain so?'

'Dr. Warren thinks so. The other doctors hold out hope of his return to sanity. But they arc doubtless primed by the Queen.'

'Her Majesty shows unusual spirit.'

'She has changed ... completely. Now she has given up bearing children I believe she fancies herself as a powerful influence on the country's affairs.'

'She could have some influence, Your Highness. We should not lose sight of that.'

'She seems to have formed an alliance with Pitt.'

'Then we must indeed be watchful of her. Your Highness, we need Portland's assistance. It would be helpful if you could forget your quarrel with him.'

The Prince scowled. 'He showed himself to be no friend of mine over that matter of my debts.'

'Nevertheless, Your Highness, we need him.'

The Prince was silent for a moment. 'Very well,' he said. 'Shake him by the hand and tell him that I hope everything that is past may be forgotten between us.'

'Excellent,' murmured Fox.

'I will ask Maria to receive him at Pall Mall.'

Fox was silent. Would Maria receive Charles James Fox?

Oh, curse the woman! The pity of it was that the Prince had ever become influenced by her. She was the reason for his exile; she could now be his biggest enemy.

'Maria will see that Portland forgets his grievances,' said the Prince with a fond smile.

That may be, thought Fox, but how will she behave towards me?

At least the quarrel between the Prince and Portland would be mended and that was the first step forward.

Now, he explained, they must see that the Regency passed to the Prince with all the powers of kingship, for they could be

sure Pitt would do everything in his power to curtail the Prince's.

Maria had arrived from Brighton with the Sheridans whose own house was now occupied by the bailiffs.

'Guests,' declared Sheridan, 'whom we can scarcely call welcome.'

Maria, who had herself, since her association with the Prince, suffered from the visits of such 'guests', was sympathetic.