Well, this was the opportunity to be rid of a mistress of whom he had grown tired.
So quickly did the Prince act that Anne Vane had not heard the rumours and she was surprised when Lord Baltimore, whom the Prince had chosen as his envoy, called upon her at the house she had acquired in Grosvenor Street.
Anne thought he was a new admirer and prepared to receive him coquettishly when he quickly disillusioned her.
‘I come from the Prince of Wales,’ he told her.
‘For what reason?’ she asked quickly.
‘He has decided that you and he must end your friendship because His Highness is shortly to be married.’
‘I see. Why does he not come and tell me this himself?’
Lord Baltimore ignored the question. ‘His Highness is of the opinion that to avoid scandal you should leave the country for a while. He suggests that you settle in France or Holland for two or three years. Then you would be free to return.’
‘France! ‘ echoed Anne. ‘Holland! ‘
‘Precisely. Or if you do not fancy France or Holland you will be free to choose any place ... as long as it is out of England.’
‘I’ll see him in hell first! ‘ cried Anne.
Lord Baltimore looked astonished and Anne hurried on. ‘You can get out. You can tell him that anything he has to say to me he can say himself . . . You can tell him ...’
Lord Baltimore held up a hand. ‘You have not heard all,’ he told her. ‘His Highness will continue to give you £1,600 for life if you obey. If you do not, you will not receive one penny.’
‘And ... his son?’
‘The Prince will take care of his education here in England.’
‘So I am to be separated from my son?’
‘Those are the Prince’s terms. It is for you to accept or reject them. But pray consider what rejection would mean. All those who have been your friends when you enjoyed the Prince’s favour would perhaps change their feelings towards you when you were poor and of no consequence . . which you will most certainly be if you fail to agree to His Highness’s conditions.’
She did not speak. In a few moments her life was collapsing about her. She knew that the Prince was fickle; she would not have been surprised to hear of his unfaithfulness, but that he should send another man to tell her he was giving her up hurt her pride and robbed her of her dignity.
She controlled herself sufficiently to say that she could not reply to the Prince yet. She would think of what Lord Baltimore had said: and Lord Baltimore hurriedly took his leave.
As soon as he had gone Anne sent a message to Lord Hervey. She must see him without delay.
As soon as Lord Hervey reached the house in Grosvenor Street Anne threw her arms about him and told him what had happened.
He listened carefully, weighing up how best he could embarrass the Prince.
‘It is not that I care for that young fool,’ said Anne. ‘His protection was worth having ... nothing else. I’ll be glad to be rid of him, but if I go out of England how am I going to see you?’
Hervey considered this. He enjoyed their meetings, though when she was no longer the Prince’s mistress she would not be able to give him the accounts of that young man’s follies; all the same he was by no means tired of her.
He told her that he did not see why she should be banished from England. She must write to the Prince and tell him that she refused to go.
‘I write! But you know I am useless with a pen.’ A mischievous look had come into her eyes. ‘Not like you, my lord. A pen in your hand is a sword ... or whatever you want it to be.’
It was true. Hervey could scorn, wheedle, plead, and make love with words.
He sat down and wrote a letter in the name of Anne. In this he reminded the Prince of all they had been to each other. She regretted that he was to marry, but she had been prepared for this; what she was not prepared for was banishment. Her child was the only consolation she had left and she could not leave him. Nothing but death would make her leave the country in which her child was. The letter hinted at the blame which would attach itself to him when it were known how he had treated her.
When she read the letter Anne chortled with delight. She wanted to send it to the Prince immediately, but Hervey would not allow this. She must copy it out in her own handwriting before she sent it.
He suggested that she sit down and do it while he watched her and forced her to obey it. Once this was done Hervey took the precaution of destroying the original.
‘Now,’ he said, ‘we must not be hasty. Before you send this letter to the Prince you must show it to your brother and ask him whether he thinks it is advisable to send it, for if he did not and blamed you for it he might disown you and that could be disastrous since it would give the Prince the support he needs to act in this dastardly way.’
Anne looked at him with admiration.
‘I will obey you in all things,’ she told him; and while she went to her brother’s house he returned to his lodgings in St James’s to think about the matter.
The Queen was breakfasting with her family and Lord Hervey was in attendance when the Prince of Wales called. He was in a passion of rage and never had he looked more like his father.
He threw the letter on to the breakfast table, for since his father had gone to Hanover his manners inside the family circle had grown worse. He was very angry with his father for refusing him the Regency and with his mother for having it, and as his friends continually pointed out the injustice of this he could never forget it.
And now in addition to that he had received a letter the like of which he declared could never have been addressed to a Prince before.
‘Read that, Madam, and tell me if you think it was written by Mistress Anne Vane.’
The Queen read the letter and Amelia and Caroline stood on either side and looked over her shoulder reading it with her.
‘You should be able to tell far better than we whether she wrote it,’ said Amelia. ‘We were never on such terms of intimacy with the creature as you were.’
‘She is certainly erudite,’ said the Queen. ‘Look at this, my lord, and see if you don’t agree.’
Hervey took the letter and read it.
‘She has a way with her pen,’ he admitted.
‘What nonsense! ‘ cried the Prince. ‘The woman never wrote that letter. Some scroundrel wrote it for her.’
‘Has Your Highness any idea which scoundrel?’ asked Hervey. ‘There must be so many in Your Highness’s circle.’
The Prince was too incensed to feel the barb. ‘No,’ he cried, ‘but I am going to find out.’
‘Will she not tell you?’ asked the Queen. ‘She must be proud of a friend who would do so much for her.’
‘She swears she wrote it herself. She is showing it to all her friends and boasting about her cleverness.’
‘How difficult it is to cast off a mistress!’ sighed the Queen. ‘I pray you will not allow too large a scandal to be created over this woman. The people would not like it, nor would your bride.’
‘You can depend upon me to settle this matter to my satisfaction! ‘ cried the Prince.
And not glancing at Lord Hervey whom he detested, he flung out of the room, cursing his father for not allowing him to be Regent, Miss Vane for daring to send him such a letter, and Hervey for being in continual attendance on his mother.