Wasn’t it nice Gee† getting in at East Woolwich, and Ramsay MacDonald‡ failing? I was really pleased. We are going up to Glamis for Easter I believe, which falls fairly soon – I suppose you will still be abroad. Do you approve of the idea of me becoming a royalty? What ho!!
I write to the accompaniment of the squeaking of rats, melodious and soothing to a degree; and the patter of their little feet in the walls calm my troubled brain – the little darlings. Bless them.
Ah Jock! How seldom we remember the vast debt we owe to the rat – his winsome winning ways, and always fresh humour which helps us so in the daily battle of Life. Ah! how small the world is; As Virgil says ‘Tempus fugit,’ or as Homer aptly has it – ‘Nil desperandum non lapsus linguae’.*
Well, so long Bro, guess I’m off to pound the pillow.
Your very loving Buffy†
12 April 1921 to Beryl Poignand
St Paul’s Walden Bury
My dearest M,
I haven’t heard from you for years fickle Beast. I am longing to hear, so take up your pen oh Medusa, & forthwith set down on paper all your doings & thoughts for the last month. […]
Bad times my dear M, but I love the calm way the British people take it all! Nothing but talks of Revolution & Ruin,‡ & yet everybody moons along in the same old way, except that the ‘Boys’ join anything they can.
Mike has joined something, and goes to Hertford tomorrow. Very bored, but I suppose he’s right. I do hope all that won’t be needed, & that something will be arranged. […]
Father dashed off to Glamis yesterday to raise volunteers – he & Barson flew off with great celerity!
Mother & I have been here since Xmas now – isn’t it extraordinary? I am longing for ‘17’ [Bruton Street] to be finished, and then you must instantly come & see it. […]
I simply can’t write a decent letter. I feel just like I used to on those hot days during lesson time, when I used to lie on the bed upstairs – do you remember? And those delicious suppers of chicken, green peas & strawbugs, when we used to cheer up considerably! Good old days – I feel much older now, I suppose I am a few years older!! Write From your very loving Elizabeth
Curse strikes.
Wednesday undated [18 May 1921] to Beryl Poignand
Bicton
East Budleigh
Devonshire
My dearest M
Thank you so much for your letter I was wondering what had become of you! The party here has been great fun, and I am leaving today. We played tennis & lazed about, & occasionally did a few official Prince of Wales things and had great fun.*
[…] The Prince was away all day working hard, & only got back at tea-time – he does have a hellish life – that’s the only word for it.
It has been the most perfect weather here. I am going on to Dawlish to see my aunt [Violet Cavendish-Bentinck], & returning to London tomorrow – & then to Paris when Lord Hardinge† makes up his mighty mind to go back! […]
Au revoir, your very very loving Elizabeth
Saturday 28 May 1921 to the Duke of York
British Embassy
Paris
Dear Prince Bertie
Your letter has only just reached me here, and I telegraphed a reply which I hope you will understand! It is so nice of you to ask me to play tennis, and I would have adored it, but I am rather far away unfortunately, in the land of ‘ou la la wee wee’! So far the only French I’ve had to use is ‘oui oui’ or ‘non non’, both quite useful. I am having great fun here and last night escaped from the Embassy, and went out to dine with Paul of Serbia; & Walter & Mollie [Dalkeith],* who were spending two nights in Paris. It was such fun, and delicious seeing Mollie again – also it felt very odd being chaperoned by her! She & Walter were both very flourishing, and they left this morning which was very sad. We danced at Ciro’s† until it shut, and then went on and danced at another place where Leonora & Maurice‡ were dancing; and chucked little balls at everybody!! It was all so funny.
I am going to stay here quite another week I think, as London is so dull now, and this is amusing. Are you going to Ascot? I know you love it!! I am going from Bisham, but don’t think I can stand more than two days of it – probably Tuesday & Thursday.
I do wish I could have come tomorrow, and again many thanks for asking me,
Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth
9 June 1921 to the Duke of York
British Embassy
Paris
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you so much for your letter – I am so sorry to have been such ages answering – I was trying to find out about the Sunday 19th. My sister will not be down in Surrey that week-end, which rather knocks the ‘strawberry feed’ on the head! I do hope you have made other plans by now – it is unfortunate, that Sunday is no good, and I really am sorry to have been so long letting you know.
There was a tremendous ball here last night, and I am in the last stages of exhaustion!
They dance the Tango a great deal out here – rather an amusing dance I think. I danced it with a Russian called Constantine Somebody the other evening – I never found out his other name! It was so funny, one is suddenly hurled into the air, & then bounced on the floor till one is gaga, ooh la la! Very painful.
I expect I shall see you at Ascot some time – do you think there will be any dances in London? I hope there will be.
Yours v. sincerely
Elizabeth Lyon
Monday undated [18 July 1921] to the Duke of York
6 Upper Brook Street*
W.1
Dear Prince Bertie
I would love to play tennis on Thursday, tho’ I find I am getting worse & worse! I am sure you will all be far too good for me.
I thought you were coming to tea tomorrow, and will continue to expect you unless I hear to the contrary. Is that alright?
After you left the Grahams’ dance the other evening, my French friend got fearfully excited when they played ‘Mon Homme’, and
threw me into the air, uttering short sharp cries! I think he was mad!
I remain –
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth Lyon
6 August 1921 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you so very much for writing to me on my birthday – it was very nice of you to remember it. I love the book too, and they really are very amusing some of the verses, aren’t they?
Welbeck* was great fun – an immense party of about 36 people, and we played tennis violently all day, & danced violently all night, so I’m now even more of a wreck than I was! They had a band from London in the house, and the party was very nice, so it was very amusing.
Have you been enjoying Cowes? It was as if it might be such fun, and I hope you are feeling quite well again now.
Your Boys Camp was a great success wasn’t it? I hope so anyway, as it is such an excellent idea, and a wonderful thing for the boys.
Have you seen the Bisham photographs? Nina has just sent me a terrible one of myself sitting between you and Arthur [Penn]! I am simpering in the most awful way – I do hope it’s only the sun.
It is rather cold up here, and the tennis court has been ruined – isn’t it sad. ‘ou la la oui oui’, and likewise ‘ci-ci’.
Yes, this summer has been great fun, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and that we are such friends after what happened. It was very hectic, & I feel tired out, don’t you? You are coming on Sept. 24th, n’est-ce pas?
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth
4 October 1921 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you so very much for your delightful letter I got this morning. It was so nice of you to write like that about mother, and I can’t tell you how touched I was.
The operation itself was very successful,* and the doctors are quite satisfied, but she has been terribly ill these last two days, a
nd it has all been too awful.
However, she had a very good night last night, and I really think she is a little tiny bit better today. The only real worry is her intense weakness, but I am so grateful that the operation was successful, and have great hopes that she will improve today. Of course it was a terrible handicap her already being so weak when it was done.
I’m afraid this is a very depressed letter, but you know, it is such a relief to write about it, & does one so much good, that I hope you don’t mind.
I’m afraid I must have made a lugubrious hostess last week, but I enjoyed having everybody here, and I only hope that it wasn’t too depressing for you.
I shouldn’t worry about your shooting, it was just bad luck that you happened to be ‘off’, and I’m sure next time you will be back in your old form. It must be infuriating when one is a good shot, to have off days like that, but I bet you will be shooting like a book the next time.
I hope you will have fun riding, and find that you like your new horses – aren’t you longing for the hunting to start?
Shall I write a little later on, to let you know how my mother is? You are very sympathetic about it all – worry is awful isn’t it? I am really much happier today tho’, and I will write you a more cheerful letter soon & tell you how she gets on.
Thank you again for your letter, it is such a help to have the sympathy of one’s friends on these occasions.
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth
11 October 1921 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Many thanks for your letter – do you know my mother is really better today, isn’t it wonderful? The doctors are quite satisfied, and I feel she makes good progress now. It has been a ghastly week, and now the relief is so intense, that I don’t know what to do!
She is still of course terribly weak, but everything is going well, and I’m so pleased. It was nice of you to take so much interest.
What is London like at this time of year? Do you go to dozens of fast little parties, or just do nothing?
The heat sounds too depressing – it is cold, rainy, windy, foggy, misty, & everything that is beastly here – but I don’t care! I’m so happy at the moment that nothing matters.
I’m not really in a fit state to write a letter – it can only be pure drivel, so I hope you won’t mind. The grim and doleful Gomm is standing by me waiting for the letters. His baleful eye is fixed furiously on me, and I am beginning to feel quite nervous. The post ought to be going he says, so I must finish.
Mother will get well now I’m sure, & many thanks for your letter.
Yours
Elizabeth Lyon
Don’t lead too fast a life in London, & above all don’t have anything to do with ‘FASTY’* – she’s dangerous.†
16 December 1921 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
I was just starting to write to you for your birthday, when I read in the Morning Post that it was on Wednesday. I am so annoyed, as I thought it was tomorrow, and now it is over, and I shall have to wish
you many happy returns of the day before yesterday. It was very stupid of me, as I remembered your birthday several days ago, & had it firmly fixed in my mind that it was Dec: 17th! Anyway, I send you lots of good wishes, and a very happy and successful 26th year. This is an impossible place to buy presents in, otherwise I should have bought a large and magnificent offering. The only thing one can buy are bull’s eyes – very sticky, and they won’t travel!
All best wishes,
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth
Friday undated [December 1921] to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Just a line to wish you a happy Xmas, and a wonderful New Year, full of everything delicious & joyful. I am not quite sure where you are, but will send this to York Cottage.* Please forgive pencil, but I am writing in bed with a chill or flu or something.
Your delightful present has just arrived as I write!
I simply cannot thank you enough, it is the most darling little clock, and I simply love it. Thank you a million times – you should not give me such a lovely present. It really is too pretty for words, and besides being pretty is useful too. I am enchanted with it. Also that is an excellent photograph of you – I wish I had got something to send you too.
All good wishes, & good luck
Yours v sincerely
Elizabeth
Wednesday undated [8 March 1922] to the Duke of York
17 Bruton Street
W.1
Dear Prince Bertie
I am so terribly sorry about what happened yesterday, & feel it is all my fault, as I ought to have known. You are one of my best & most faithful friends, & have always been so nice to me – that it makes it doubly worse. I am too miserable about it, & blame myself more than I can say. If you ever feel you want a talk about things in general – I hope you will come & see me, as I understand you know.
I do wish this hadn’t happened.
Yours Elizabeth
The Duke of York had proposed to her for the second time. In his reply on the same day he asked her not to be miserable – ‘I was entirely in the wrong to bring up the question in the way I did without giving you any warning as to my intentions … I am so so sorry.’*
Sunday undated [12 March 1922] to the Duke of York
17 Bruton Street
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you so very much for your very nice letter – it relieved my mind tremendously in a way, and I do hope you are not worrying about it all any more.
I must return to Glamis tomorrow, and am hoping very much to get my mother south before so very long, so we shall not meet for several weeks I expect. Please do try & forget about this, as I hate to think that you worry over it – things are hard for you anyway, and I can’t bear to think they are any harder through me.
I couldn’t manage to go to Brixworth, as I was originally going tonight. I hope you had a good hunt. Au revoir – till I don’t know when.
Yours Elizabeth
On 16 March, the Duke of York wrote a ‘very difficult’ letter. ‘I feel I must tell you that I have always cared for you and had the hope that you would one day care for me.’*
Saturday 18 March 1922 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you so much for your letter. You write the nicest letters of anyone I know, and the one I got this morning was just as charming. Yes, I think it has been difficult for both of us, but especially for you, and thank you so much for being so nice about it. I do hope we can go on being friends, as it would be too sad if a happening like this should come between our friendship, and I don’t see why it should, do you?
I shall always be glad to see you if you ever feel like dropping in to tea, & having a talk. As I do understand you know, and when people are as good friends as you and I are – there is always a lot to talk about. I wish I could put into words what I feel about it all, & I think it is wonderful of you to have gone on caring – oh why didn’t I guess. How silly I’ve been, and, as you say in your letter, of course I shall look on you as more than an ordinary friend.
I found my mother much better, and I do hope to come south at the beginning of May. I had already told her before you wrote, but nobody else in the world, & never shall.
What are you going to do now? Shall you be in London – I wish I wasn’t up here – it is so dull.
Thank you so very much for your letter.
Yours ever
Elizabeth
On 26 March Prince Albert replied, ‘Thank you so much for your charming letter which has cheered me up a great deal. You wrote too nicely to me, & I do feel now that you are not angry with me for what happened.’† In early May Queen Mary wrote to Lady Strathmore saying that she and the King were ‘much disappointed that the little “romance” has come to
an end as we should so much have liked the connection with your family’.*
3 October 1922 to the Duke of York
Glamis Castle
Dear Prince Bertie
Thank you ten million times for sending me all those gramophone records, which arrived in record time (oh! a joke, accident I promise). I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed playing them. When one is in the country far away from everything, it is too delicious getting new records. Thank you so much, it was very angelic of you to take the trouble to get them for me. I enclose some notes of enormous value, but I don’t know quite how much I really owe you. I hope two crackly sovereigns is enough? Thank you also so much for the excellent photograph, it is a very good one I think, and I am so pleased to have it.
I am listening to ‘Stumbling’ as I write, it is so good, I love it, and also ‘Limehouse Blues’ and ‘I’m Simply Mad about Harry’.
We all went into Perth races on Saturday to see Joe Airlie win his race – he did it quite easily, as one man fell off & lost his horse, & the other never got over the first jump! There were only three of them. Diamond† is here now, I think she looks so ill poor thing. […]
I do hope your trip to Rumania will go off well, and that it will all be a great success.‡
James looks very thin, doesn’t he? I suppose it is pretty dirty work too – he looks covered in oil & grease.§
Many thanks again for your photograph, which I have stuck up in my room, & the best of luck on your trip abroad.
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth
Thursday [26] October 1922 to D’Arcy Osborne
17 Bruton Street
Dear Mr Osborne*
I am so sorry to hear that you had to have chloroform, & do hope that you are really feeling better. It must be too horrible being operated upon, even though it’s a small one.
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