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 Harcourt 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.
"You and Elizabeth must stay with me until something can be done to dislodge your guests," she told Sheridan, who was delighted at the prospect.
In his bedroom in the magnificent Pall Mall house he discussed the future with Elizabeth.
"A temporary embarrassment, my love. When the Prince is Regent, when we are in power, there'll be a very important place for me in the Government. Make no mistake about that."
"Will it pay our debts, Richard?"
"My dearest, who is going to worry about the debts of the ... er ... what shall it be? What post would you choose for me?"
"I would choose that of the solvent man."
That made him laugh. "Elizabeth, you have no spirit of adventure?"
He took her by the shoulders and looked into her face. Now she could see clearly what dissipation had done to those once handsome looks.
Oh, Richard, she thought, where are you going?
She released herself and made a desperate effort to restrain her fit of coughing.
Maria was concerned by Elizabeth's pallor and Miss Pigot made one of her special cough mixtures for her. Maria was very fond of Elizabeth. Sheridan was witty and amusing and she believed a good friend of the Prince, but it was Elizabeth whom she loved.
The Prince had asked her to receive the Duke of Portland and she had sent an invitation to him which he had been delighted to accept, and he had shown his appreciation of her intelligence by discussing the situation with her. After that he had called several times and he, Sheridan and sometimes the Prince had had discussions together.
It would have been useful, Portland had implied, if Fox could have joined them.
It is one thing I will not do, Maria had decided. I will never have that man in my house.
The Sheridans came into her drawing room. Delightful guests, she thought. Sheridan so entertaining; Elizabeth so charming.
"We have half an hour before my guests are due," she told him. "Pray be seated, Elizabeth, my dear. Did you take Pig's potion? You will be in her black books if you did not."
Elizabeth assured her that she had taken the evil-tasting concoction. "And I have not coughed since."
Dear Elizabeth! She needed the quiet of the country; she needed a respite from anxiety. They were of a kind. Why should they fall in love and marry—yes marry —men who were so different from themselves?
"Portland will be coming tonight, I suppose," asked Sheridan.
"My dear Sherry, he almost asked himself. He seems to regard my house as the headquarters of his party, which is comical, considering my politics."
Sheridan laughed. "Delightfully incongruous."
"And Portland is a little jealous of you, Sherry."
"I know. You are too kind to us. He would like you to be as kind to him. Perhaps if I could persuade him to pass over his fortune to me he would be in a position to entertain the bailiffs, then you might take pity on him as you are now doing on the poor impecunious Sheridans."