Carlton House, eh? For while in any case.
Children! What a worry! Better not to have them if it could be avoided. But of course that was what they married for. The Prince of Wales had caused him as many as ten sleepless nights in a row since he came of age— and went on doing it too.
It was no use trying to bring them together if they had determined on parting.
It was amazing how news of the Court reached the gossip columns; there was a scandal about letters which had been written by the Princess of Wales to her family, intercepted and taken to the Queen. The stealer of the letters was of course Lady Jersey.
Her name was in every paper; there were obscene verses and even pictures of herself and the Prince, but the chief complaint against her was not so much that she was the mistress of the Prince and flaunted her ascendancy over the Princess, but that she was all the time acting as the Queen’s spy, intercepting the Princess’s private correspondence and giving it into the hands of her enemies.
Caroline had managed to win public approval. Her affable smiles and obvious pleasure in popularity delighted the people. Besides they had heard stories of her reception and they saw her as an injured woman. And why? Because of that voluptuary, their Prince of Wales, whose debts and adventures with women were a scandal; who had married the good and virtuous Maria Fitzherbert and discarded her.
But even more unpopular was Lady Jersey.
The comments in the press made it impossible for Lady Jersey to ignore them.
Something would have to be done she told the complacent and long suffering Lord Jersey and it was for him to defend his wife’s honour. His manners were too graceful for him to as much as smile at this. He was in fact noted for his beautiful manners. What would his wife wish him to do? She had only to say.
She had written to Dr. Randolph asking him to explain what had happened to a certain packet of letters which the Princess of Wales had entrusted to his care and so far had received no reply. Lord Jersey should without delay write to the doctor and tell him that he insisted on an explanation.
This the obliging Lord Jersey did and in such terms which Dr. Randolph dared not ignore them. He explained in detail how he had set out for Germany, been called back by his wife’s illness and had sent the packet of letters entrusted to him by the Princess of Wales back to her by way of Lady Jersey.
Lady Jersey wrote to say that she had not received that packet and was most uneasy about it. The fact that it had not been returned had been overlooked at the time as the Princess herself had not questioned its return. However, she would publish the correspondence and hoped that this would put an end to the cruel slanders against her.
Caroline read the papers and tried to remember what she had written in those letters. Comments on her new family. Of one thing she was certain. They would not have been very flattering.
She laughed at the affair. It was perfectly clear to her what had happened.
Lady Jersey had deliberately stolen the letters and sent them to the Queen.
Then she became angry. Why should she have that woman in her household?
Why should she allow herself to be spied on? She would endure it no longer.
When the King came to see her she told him that she wished to ask a favour of him.
‘I think,’ she said, ‘that now that the Prince and I have come to an understanding I should no longer be expected to keep Lady Jersey in my household.’
‘No, indeed you should not,’ declared the King. ‘Too much, eh what? No, the woman shall be dismissed. You may leave that to me, my dear.’
Caroline threw her arms about the King’s neck and kissed him.
Bless me, thought the King, the woman has no decorum. But it’s rather pleasant to be kissed by a pretty woman, eh, what? The King sent for the Prince of Wales He shook his head sadly over his son’s matrimonial affairs. ‘The people don’t like it,’ he said ‘They’re in an ill mood. You should take care.’
‘By God,’ cried the Prince of Wales. ‘I married the woman. What more do they want?’
‘They expect you to do your duty. You should have sons.’
‘I have a daughter. No one can prevent her from becoming Queen of England.’
‘A son would have pleased them more.’
‘I have pleased them enough. I now intend to please myself.’
‘A Prince can never please his people enough.’
‘So it would seem. But nothing will induce me to return to her. That is settled.
Your Majesty has seen the correspondence?’
‘Yes, yes. And it seems to be a matter on which you are both in agreement— she as well as you, but there is one matter I have to discuss with you. She asks for the removal from her household of Lady Jersey and in view of the unfortunate position that lady holds in your affections I must ask you to dismiss her.’
‘And if I refuse?’
‘Then I shall be forced to dismiss her myself. You understand, eh, what?’
The Prince’s face had flushed to a deeper red than usual. ‘So Your Majesty would concern yourself with my wife’s household?’
‘The lady whom you have repudiated, remember— Someone must protect her. I have decided to do that.’
The Prince narrowed his eyes. He was not going to fight for Frances. Why should he? He was tired of her. Perhaps she would realize if he made no attempt to keep her in Caroline’s household, that he wished to be free of her.
‘Am I to understand that these are Your Majesty’s orders,’ he asked.
‘You may take it so.’
The Prince bowed and retired.
‘And so,’ he told Frances, ‘I had no alternative but to accept.’
‘So you are not allowed to choose the members of your own household?’
‘You are a member of the Princess’s household.’
‘But surely you, as the Prince of Wales, could insist—’
‘Madam,’ said the Prince coldly, ‘I am not the King; and it is on his orders that you are to leave.’
She was too angry to see the warning lights in his eyes.
She would not forget this insult, she declared. She would make that creature sorry for this. She had carried tales of her to the King and this was the result.
She was indeed angry. Now she would be of no use to the Queen, and the Queen would quickly withdraw her favour from one who could not serve her.
This was going to make a great deal of difference to Lady Jersey’s power and power Was money of which she was very fond. She had had a good picking from the Prince but there were all sorts of perquisites which came the way of a lady who was on good terms not only with the Prince but with the Queen who, since the King had become feeble-minded, had the power to bestow ill sorts of honours.
Yes, Lady Jersey was very angry.
She left the Prince in no doubt of her ill temper, but she did not care. She believed she had the power to subdue him when she wished to, and it was Caroline against whom she vented her anger. That gauche ridiculous creature.
Lady Jersey burst out laughing remembering her in the hideous white satin she had had made for her first meeting with the Prince. Stupid creature, did she think she could get the better of Lady Jersey?
She got into her coach and as it passed down St. James’s, she was recognized by passersby. One called her a lewd name. The people nowadays were becoming more and more insolent. Examples should be made of them. She sat back against the upholstery pretending not to see those grinning faces which looked in at her.
Mud splashed against the window. Someone threw a stone.
It was too bad. She was most displeased.
In the privacy of her own house she sat down to write to the Princess of Wales, telling her that she had that day obtained permission from the Prince of Wales to resign her position of Lady of the Bedchamber. She considered that she had suffered persecution and injustice in Her Royal Highness’s service but she had the satisfaction of knowing; that through her silence and forbearance she had given proof of her loyalty to His Highness the Prince of Wales and to the royal family; as for gratitude and attachment to the Prince, that would only cease with her life. She was, with all possible respect, Her Royal Highness’s humble servant.