The arrival of Mrs. Harcourt was a comfort. She was, he believed, a sensible woman; she was English; she would understand the need for an improvement in the Princess’s toilette and Lord Malmesbury could talk to her frankly.
Caroline was at first suspicious of her and resentful that her ladies-in-waiting should be chosen for her when she was not allowed to take her secretary Mademoiselle Rosenzweig with her. So she received Mrs. Harcourt as though she disliked her, for there was no finesse about Caroline.
Mrs. Harcourt— a friend of Lady Jersey who had planned with that lady that the Prince should marry not the fascinating Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, niece of the Queen) but the less attractive Caroline of Brunswick— was a woman of experience.
At the moment it was necessary for her to find her way into the Princess’s good graces, so she ignored the churlish reception and very soon Caroline’s temporary dislike had passed.
Malmesbury took the first opportunity of talking to Mrs. Harcourt and telling her of his fears. Mrs. Harcourt had, of course, been aware of Caroline’s failing and she told the Earl that she was doing all in her power to lure the Princess to cleaner habits.
‘Pray do so,’ begged the Earl, ‘or I fear for the results.’
‘My lord Earl,’ replied Mrs. Harcourt, ‘I think your anxiety over these matters has made you a little blind to our Princess’s virtues. I am sure the Prince will love her. She is so affectionate and good-natured. And you will agree that her desire to please everyone is most engaging.’
‘I recognize these virtues and I hope they will make up for the defects.’
‘Oh, but she is so lovable. And have you noticed a slight resemblance to Maria Fitzherbert— when Maria was young, I mean? I am sure it is there. That in itself would endear her to His Highness.’
‘I had not noticed,’ replied Malmesbury. ‘And certainly there is a great difference in the characters of these two ladies. If Her Highness possessed one half the dignity, the regality of Mrs. Fitzherbert—’
‘Ah, but she is so sweet-tempered and affable. I am sure she will please everyone.’
There was one person who would be very pleased, Mrs. Harcourt was sure, and that was Lady Jersey. But it was impossible to be with the Princess without feeling sympathy for her and Mrs. Harcourt genuinely did find her affable and affectionate.
She was well aware that these qualities would not carry her far with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. But the more she saw of the Princess, the more Mrs. Harcourt liked her and by the time they set sail for England she shared a little of Malmesbury’s desire to launch the Princess happily.
The Duchess clasped her daughter in her arms.
‘Goodbye, my daughter. May happiness be yours. Tell the King of England that I think of him often and I remember the happy days when we were children together. Tell him how happy I am to see my daughter heir to the throne— Princess of Wales— Queen of England.’
‘It would be scarcely kind to mention that, Mamma, because he has to die before I can be, hasn’t he?’
‘Don’t be so frivolous, Caroline. The King won’t like it. Remember he said he hoped you had not too much vivacity, and would be prepared for a quiet life.’
Caroline pouted. ‘I shall be myself and His Majesty will have to put up with me.’
‘Ob, my dear child, when will you learn? Well, you are married now and nothing can alter that and you are going to my dear— dear England. How I wish I were going with you! Oh no, I don’t. I’m sure I should soon be quarrelling with Charlotte. You will have to beware of Charlotte. I never liked her. She is sly and cunning and she will naturally hate you.’
Lord Malmesbury interrupted with apologies. It was time they left.
Caroline was not sorry to say goodbye to her mother, and she felt her spirits lifted a little. It was a relief that the waiting was over. Very soon now she would see her husband and since she had heard so much about him she was beginning to feel eager to start her married life. He was obviously a very fascinating personality; and she was determined to do everything that would please him, even endure a thorough bathing and changing her underclothes every day. They all seemed to insist on that and though it seemed rather foolish to her, to please him she would do it. Often she looked at the picture which had been brought over for her. He is undoubtedly very handsome, she thought. It will be pleasant to be Princess of Wales and we shall have children.
Yes, she was beginning to look forward with pleasure to the prospect.
The cavalcade arrived at Stade and there they spent the night. Next morning, at dawn, they sailed down the river to Cuxhaven where the English fleet lay in residence. Caroline was touched to realize that these magnificent ships had come from England to carry her to her new home.
As she boarded the Jupiter a royal salute was fired.
The journey to England had truly begun.
The Meeting
AFTER three days at sea the Jupiter arrived off the coast of Yarmouth.
Caroline, who was a good sailor, and had not suffered from seasickness as some of the company had, was on deck to get the first glimpse of her new country but all she saw was mist and the Captain told her that they could not land in such a fog but must wait a few hours before proceeding to Harwich. She had chatted familiarly with him throughout the voyage and he, like all the other officers on board, found her charming.
‘There’s nothing haughty about the new Princess of Wales,’ was their comment.
Lord Malmesbury looked on and saw much of his training dispensed with.
Often he heard her shrill laughter, noticed her coquettish glances at the men, deplored her habit of making what he called ‘missish friendships’ with her attendants and the habit into which she had slipped once more of calling her maids, ‘my dear’, ‘my heart’, ‘my love’. It pleased them perhaps— but it was not royal. And he heard too that Lady Jersey had been appointed as one of the ladies of her bed-chamber. This was a cruel action on the part of the Prince, but he supposed His Highness had been cajoled into it; and knowing something of that lady, Malmesbury saw great trouble ahead for his Princess.
The Prince, however, was almost certain to be a little interested in his bride.
His love of women would surely arouse in him a certain curiosity and if he found Caroline just a little to his taste he would be ready to be her lover, if only for a brief time, The fog lifted and the Jupiter was soon sailing past Harwich; they anchored at the Nore and then next day sailed on to Gravesend.
There Caroline said goodbye to the captain and officers of the Jupiter in a most affectionate manner and boarded the royal yacht Augusta for the journey up the Thames to Greenwich.
Malmesbury was beside her as they came up the river eager to see the effect the country had on her. The sight of those green fields touched him deeply.
Nowhere on Earth, he believed, was the grass so green. Caroline thought it beautiful and for once seemed to find nothing to say as she gazed at those fields, shut in by their hedges, and the graceful houses with their gardens coming down to the river’s edge; and as they came to Greenwich she could see the city’s buildings on the skyline dominated by the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Now, thought the Earl, there should be members of the Prince’s household waiting to greet his bride. He looked for them in vain.
So the Princess of Wales stepped ashore at Greenwich and found no one to welcome her.
As she sat in her carriage on the way to Greenwich, Lady Jersey was contemplacently smiling. We shall be at least an hour late, she thought, and that is exactly as I would wish it to be. She had in fact arranged that it should be so. Madam Princess would have to learn quickly that the lady who ruled the Prince’s household was his mistress and there was going to be no change in that arrangement now that he had a wife.
She was sure there was nothing to fear from Caroline— if her information was correct. The young woman was gauche, without grace and not particularly clean. How that had amused her! To think of M
almesbury— that most urbane of diplomats— finding it his duty to warn the Princess that she should take more baths!
One day she would amuse the Prince with an imaginary account of the scene.
But not yet. She must tread carefully for a while. Let him learn that the creature disgusted him without— as he thought— her help.
She had whispered all sorts of information to him, gradually damning Caroline, just as she had when she had had Maria Fitzherbert to deal with. Maria, aloof at Marble Hill, gave her greater cause for anxiety than the Princess of Wales, for she knew that the Prince thought often of Maria.
However, she herself could still enthrall the Prince and she was going to keep a tight hold of the leading reins by which at the moment she held him.
With her she had brought a change of costume for the Princess which she herself had had made. She had had many descriptions of the Princess’s physical appearance and had decided to dress her in white which would, Lady Jersey felt, be the most unbecoming; she had brought with her a tightly fitting hat which would hide Caroline’s hair because by all accounts it was beautiful. Lady Jersey had it all cleverly planned.
She was amused now to see the discomfiture of her companions, Lord Claremont and Colonel Greville, both of whom had been commissioned by the Prince to meet the Princess and, with an escort of the Prince’s Own Light Dragoons, escort her to St. James’s.
How they fidgeted; and they knew in their hearts that Lady Jersey had deliberately delayed them so that the Princess might have the humiliation of being kept waiting.
The Governor of the Hospital at Greenwich, Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, received Caroline and the company with the utmost grace, but he could not hide the fact that he was uneasy because the escort had not arrived.
Malmesbury was deeply conscious of the reason for the delay and thought it augured no good for Caroline’s future.
He was glad that he had warned her to be on her guard against women such as Lady Jersey.
He was not displeased with the Princess who, since she had stepped ashore, had behaved with some decorum This aught have been due to the fact that she was nervous, but it was still admirable. She had been far too noisy on the Jupiter but it was true that she had endeared herself to the officers; and if she could win the approval of the people through her free manners perhaps they had some virtue.
She looked charming, too. In fact he had rarely seen her look so well. The clothes which she put on for this occasion had been chosen by Madame de Hertzfeldt and Malmesbury was thankful for the good taste of that lady. Madame de Hertzfeldt had made Caroline promise that she would wear these clothes for her entry into England and although Caroline had thought them too quiet, she had promised.
Madame de Hertzfeldt had chosen well. The muslin dress over the blue- quilted satin petticoat was the most becoming color she could have chosen; it gave a touch of blue to Caroline’s rather protruding pale green eyes which was attractive; but it was the hat which did more for her than anything else. It was black beaver trimmed with blue and black feathers; it shaded her face; it subdued the rather too high colouring; and it showed her pretty hair to advantage.
Presentable, thought the Earl. I wonder whether she thought to change her linen. She stood at the window with the Earl beside her.
How much longer! he wondered. This is disgraceful. They should have been an hour early to make sure of being here. I am sure the Prince would be most displeased. Sir Hugh was doing his best to entertain the Princess and she was already becoming friendly towards him. She was quite comfortable, she said. She liked looking around. And seeing some of the crippled pensioners in the courtyard below the window, many of them having lost a limb, she said with a little laugh: ‘Tell me, do all the English lack a leg or an arm?’
Malmesbury saw Sir Hugh flinch and his lips tightened as he said with the utmost severity: ‘Do not joke on such a matter, Madam, I beg of you.’
And Caroline was silent for a few moments and then to his relief he saw that the first carriage had arrived. Lady Jersey alighted and came into the Hospital to greet the Princess on behalf of the Prince of Wales.
Caroline was all eagerness to see this woman of whom she had heard so much. She was astonished. She had imagined some monster and there curtseying before her, with the utmost display of homage, was the daintiest creature she had ever seen.
How pretty she is! thought Caroline.
Lady Jersey was raising the most beautiful eyes Caroline had ever seen, smiling charmingly. Could it be possible that she was a grandmother? How did she remain so slender, so beautiful?
‘Your Highness, I have come to serve you.’
The Princess nodded and Malmesbury closed his eyes because he could not bear to look.
Lady Jersey was thinking: She is more attractive than I had been led to believe But it is that hat— it would make anyone look attractive. That must be discarded.
‘Madam,’ she said, ‘there has been some unaccountable delay—’
Unaccountable, fumed Malmesbury, inwardly . Very accountable, I should think! ‘If you would give your permission for us to proceed with the dressing immediately ‘Why yes, yes, of course,’ cried the Princess ‘Then if you will allow me to conduct you to a room where we can thus serve Your Highness—’
‘Come along,’ cried Caroline.
Lady Jersey and Mrs. Harcourt left with the Princess.
Malmesbury looking after them thought: She has learned nothing— nothing.
‘I have here, Madam, the clothes which have been especially designed for your journey to St. James’s.’
‘Clothes!’ Caroline was eager to see them. ‘White?’ she cried.
‘Yes, Madam. The symbol of purity.’
Caroline laughed aloud, and Lady Jersey looked surprised.
‘Your Highness is amused?’
‘Just a little.’
‘Indeed, Madam.’
‘My father’s mistress used to say that white never suited me.’
‘White not suit you! But Your Highness has the most beautiful colouring.
Such freshness. White, if you will pardon me, Madam, is for ladies like Your Highness.’
Lady Jersey— herself so elegant— must know, thought Caroline. Madame de Hertzfeldt had seemed elegant, but that was in Brunswick. She could not compare with this dainty creature.
‘It is the most beautiful satin available. Pray touch it, Madam. There, Do you not long to try it on?’
‘I never saw such satin,’ admitted Caroline.
‘No, Madam, I daresay not. I ordered it especially for you. Nothing but the best would be worthy of Your Highness and I chose the best dressmakers in London. Would Your Highness try it?’
Caroline removed the beaver hat.
Her hair is lovely, thought Lady Jersey. That must certainly be put out of sight. That turban will be excellent. Caroline took off her muslin dress and put on the white Satin.
‘It couldn’t be better,’ cried Lady Jersey. ‘Do you not think so, Mrs.
Harcourt?’ Mrs. Harcourt, whose position in the Princess’s household depended on Lady Jersey, must agree with her, so she did, but reluctantly, for she had grown fond of the Princess and had been pleased to see her look so well in her muslin gown. Nothing, thought Lady Jersey complacently, could have brought out the coarseness of that ruddy complexion better than the harsh white satin.
She picked up the hat. ‘It is charming for some purposes,’ she admitted. ‘A ride in the country perhaps. But this is Your Highness’s first ride through the Capital, and we need something much more fine.’
She produced a turban trimmed with white satin and decorated with white feathers. This she placed on Caroline’s head, making sure that her hair was hidden.
The result was too much for Caroline to accept. It was quite hideous. It accentuated the deep colour of her cheeks while taking all the colour from her eyes.
‘It’s ugly,’ cried Caroline.
‘Your Highness, it is the height of fashion.’
‘Then the height of fashion is not for me.’ Caroline tore off the turban and threw it across the room. She shook out her hair and put back the beaver hat. The effect was ruined by the harsh white satin dress.
Lady Jersey was disappointed, she had reckoned on discarding that hat, but she saw it would be unwise to press the point. And in any case the beaver hat with the white satin was quite ridiculous.
‘At least Your Highness will wear the dress,’ said Lady Jersey anxiously.
Caroline smoothed down the folds. She had never felt such soft material. Oh yes, she loved the dress.
‘Then you must allow me to touch up Your Highness’s complexion— just a little. The ladies of the Court do, you know. It’s the fashion.’
Caroline looked at Lady Jersey’s delicately tinted cheeks. She really was a little beauty. It would be pleasant to look like that.
Caroline sat down and Lady Jersey applied rouge to the florid cheeks. The effect was startling but it seemed to please Caroline as much as Lady Jersey.
She was ready for the journey so putting on a green satin cloak trimmed with gold loops and tassels she allowed herself to be conducted to the coaches.
Lord Malmesbury was horrified by the change in her. He should have prevented this. He should have foreseen what that wicked creature, Lady Jersey, would do to his innocent Princess. For innocent she undoubtedly was and was almost ready to treat the woman as a friend in spite of what she had heard of her.
At any moment she would be calling her my love.
Caroline got into the first coach and Lady Jersey was about to take her place beside her when Lord Malmesbury pointed out that the Princess should sit facing the horses and her ladies opposite her. No one should sit beside the Princess. Lady Jersey put her hand over her eyes.
‘I feel sick when I sit with my back to the horses.’
‘How unfortunate, and you a Lady of the Bedchamber! I should have thought such a disability would have disqualified you from taking such a post; but since it did not I suggest that you ride in the second coach with me which will give me great pleasure and prevent any unfortunate occurrence.’
Indiscretions of the Queen Page 12