He smiled ruefully as his friend went off with the note. He always felt relieved when he put his emotions on paper.
Anne Vane took the letter and as she read it let out a gasp of horror. No one could write as colourfully as Hervey when he had a mind to it and he had set down, with all the invective and venom of his nature and literary skill, what he would tell the Prince of his mistress. He would open Frederick’s eyes to the woman who had deceived him. He would let him know that the child he so fondly fathered might well be the child of a triumvirate. Anne Vane had deceived him cleverly and Hervey was going to let him know.
Anne grew pale; she was terrified; the letter fluttered from her hand; she fell to the ground and lay there as though dead.
The young messenger wondered why the friendly note from Hervey telling her the name of a good midwife should have upset her, so he knelt beside her and seeing that she was in a faint read the letter. He was horrified. Anne Vane was in a precarious condition, if anything happened to her he might be blamed.
He called to Anne’s maids and they soon revived her. She lay moaning on a sofa and he knelt beside her imploring her forgiveness telling her that he had been misled by Hervey, that he had no idea what the note contained.
‘Lies! ‘ moaned Anne. ‘All lies.’
‘I’ll call him out for this. He swore to me that it was a friendly note recommending a midwife.’
‘You must not fight with him.’
‘But I shall,’ declared the young man. ‘He deceived me.’
Anne Vane entreated the young man but his mind was made up, and while they were talking one of her servants had sent a message to the Prince telling him that his mistress had been taken very ill. So Frederick came riding to Soho Square with all speed to find Anne reclining on the sofa with a young man pacing up and down the room swearing revenge on Hervey.
Anne held out her arms to the Prince who embraced her.
‘It is terrible ... terrible!’ she cried. ‘Lord Hervey nearly brought about my death.’
The Prince was very angry and demanded to know exactly what had happened.
Anne told how the young man had been sent with the note.
‘I swear, your Highness,’ interjected the young man, ‘that Lord Hervey told me the note merely recommended a midwife.’
‘And where is the note?’
‘Oh, it is dreadful ... dreadful! ‘ cried Anne, but she had become alert and she called to one of her old servants who had been with her for many years. ‘Where is that wicked letter?’ she asked.
The woman looked as confused as Anne could have wished and declared that she had destroyed it because she had thought it unfit to be looked at by anyone ... such a pack of cruel wicked lies it was, that anyone who knew Mistress Vane would have thought it only proper to do what she had done—and that was burn it.
Anne was relieved and fell fainting into her lover’s arms, but she quickly revived and then implored Frederick to prevent the young man from challenging Hervey to a duel.
Frederick was glad to comply and the young man, now that he knew that he could not be blamed for what had happened, was also relieved.
Frederick said: ‘I will never again have the slightest regard for that monster.’
He meant it; and as it was impossible to keep such an event secret, soon the whole Court knew of it. It was not considered a very creditable action on Hervey’s part and as a result he found himself coldly received everywhere even in the Queen’s apartments.
The only one who tried to make excuses for him was the Princess Caroline.
Hervey was still under a cloud of disapproval when Anne’s son was born. The Prince proudly acknowledged him and he was named FitzFrederick. Anne held delighted court in Soho Square and many people of standing flocked to her receptions.
Being a father gave Frederick prestige, and men who were dissatisfied with the Walpole regime and despaired of ever receiving honours under it, were looking more and more to Frederick.
Bolingbroke, that inveterate mischief maker, believed that this was the time to come forward and he asked a friend to arrange a meeting at his house between himself and the Prince. He wanted this to be done secretly, for he did not want Walpole to be warned that his intentions towards the Prince were beginning to take a more definite form.
The meeting was arranged. Frederick was excited. He knew what it portended. He was growing more and more restless. How could he live in the style that was expected of a prince on the pittance his father allowed him? Why should he be continually snubbed by the King who seemed determined to treat his son as shabbily as his own father had treated him?
Bolingbroke arrived at the house in good time and was shown into the library to await Frederick’s coming.
He was standing up turning over the pages of a large book when Frederick entered and as he turned sharply the book fell to the floor. The Prince advanced and as he attempted to kneel Bolingbroke fell over the book.
Frederick helped him to rise and smiling said: ‘I trust this is an omen of my succeeding in raising your fortunes.’
A great exultation filled the adventurer at those words. It was clear to him, not only that Frederick understood the purpose of their meetings, but that he was willing and ready to allow himself to be used.
Musical Interlude
FREDERICK was now in opposition to Walpole and the King and Queen, with George Bubb Dodington advising him, and Pulteney, Wyndham, and Bolingbroke to support him.
Walpole came to see the Queen privately that he might discuss this new menace with her.
‘The trouble is,’ said the minister, ‘that besides being personable and affable he has a grievance. The people are always ready to support those whom they think are ill done by. You will remember His Majesty’s popularity when he was in opposition to his father.’
Caroline remembered it well.
‘The King is most displeased with the Prince’s conduct,’ she said.
‘Perhaps,’ suggested Walpole, ‘the Prince should be paid a higher income.’
‘The King would never hear of it. We should never be able to persuade him.’
Walpole understood. There were more important matters for which the Queen must save her persuasive powers.
‘Then we must be very watchful,’ Walpole went on. ‘Particularly of Bolingbroke, who is out for trouble.’
‘At least if he is supporting the Prince he is not with the Jacobites.’
‘Your Majesty has as usual pointed out the important factor. While he is trying to stir up rebellion within the family circle he is not making trouble overseas—which could be more disastrous.’
‘I am beginning to think,’ said the Queen, ‘that my dear firstborn is the greatest ass and the greatest liar and the greatest canaille and the greatest beast in the whole world, and I heartily wish him out of it.’
Walpole was taken aback. It was unlike the Queen to be unjust, and although he agreed that Frederick was an ass and had not a great respect for the truth, this was a harsh pronouncement.
‘He has caused nothing but trouble since he came to England,’ went on Caroline. ‘Oh, how I wish we could send him back to Hanover.’
‘Alas, if he were but a daughter we could marry him out of England. Now when he marries he will remain and demand an even greater status.’
‘He must not marry ... yet.’
‘We cannot allow him to remain a bachelor for ever, Madam. Remember he is the Prince of Wales.’