was no doubt of that. She was small, slim almost
to girlishness and he was fond of fleshy women; but she was widely experienced
for she was nine years older than he was and in that respect she resembled the
type he favoured. Maria was six years older; he always found women older than
himself so comforting. Not that there was much comfort in Frances, though she
was exciting; and he was just a little afraid of her. The softness of Maria was
lacking; so was the deep affection Maria had always had for him. But he had said
goodbye to Maria and was now devoting himself to Frances.
Frances was a sensual woman; physically she excited him; she always made
him feel uncertain; that was her forte . He always believed that she could provide greater satisfaction than any woman ever had before; and her strength was that
while she did not, the promise of future eroticism remained.
That was what had attracted him and lured him from comfortable, deeply
loving almost motherly Maria. And even as his heart called out for Maria he could not go and beg her to return to him because Frances Jersey stood there between
them mocking, sensually alluring and, he feared, irresistible.
She did not try to placate him as so many women did. Now she said to him: ‘I
cannot understand why you are so glum. You have nothing to lose by the
marriage— and everything to gain.’
‘You are forgetting what marriage may entail.’
Frances laughed aloud. ‘Dearest Highness, I have a husband, as you know. A
very complacent husband at this time who is always eager to serve his Prince so
we need not concern ourselves with him. I have had two sons and seven
daughters. I am even a grandmother. I confess I am a very young grandmother.
But you cannot say that a life so worthily spent in replenishing the earth could
possibly be without experience of what marriage entails.’
‘But I am to marry a German woman— I confess I don’t like the Germans.’
‘I obviously cannot share your Highness’s aversion, for someone for whom I
entertain the most tender passions has descended from that race.’
‘Germans!’ went on the Prince. ‘My father married one. And consider her.’
‘I have always found Her Majesty most gracious.’
Frances chuckled inwardly. How amusing
Prim and proper Charlotte
actually approved of her son’s relationship with his mistress.
In fact Frances
had received instructions from Lady Harcourt. She was to lure the Prince from
Fitzherbert, for only then would he consider marriage— and was high time he
was married, he had to provide that heir to the throne, for his brothers were
proving themselves strangely backward in doing so.
The Duke of York, estranged from his Duchess, was clearly not going to be of
any use. William, Duke of Clarence, the next son, had set up house most
respectably— at least as respectably as such arrangements could be— with that
enchanting actress Dorothy Jordan but naturally there was nothing to hope from
there. Another brother Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, had just emerged
from a big scandal, for he had married secretly in defiance of the Marriage Act
which decreed that no member of the royal family could marry without the
consent of the King until he reached the age of twenty-five (Augustus Frederick
had been twenty), and the marriage had been null and void even though the lady
in his adventures was about to give
birth and was of noble lineage, being the
daughter of the Earl of Dunmore and claiming royal blood from her ancestors.
No, there was no hope from his brothers so clearly it was the duty of the Prince of Wales to provide heirs to the throne.
The Queen had known this could not be done while the Prince adhered to
Mrs. Fitzherbert; so the relationship had to be broken. Since Frances had a good
chance of doing that, the Queen gave her approval to Frances’ activities.
Which showed, thought Frances cynically, how morals could be cast aside for
the sake of the
to girlishness and he was fond of fleshy women; but she was widely experienced
for she was nine years older than he was and in that respect she resembled the
type he favoured. Maria was six years older; he always found women older than
himself so comforting. Not that there was much comfort in Frances, though she
was exciting; and he was just a little afraid of her. The softness of Maria was
lacking; so was the deep affection Maria had always had for him. But he had said
goodbye to Maria and was now devoting himself to Frances.
Frances was a sensual woman; physically she excited him; she always made
him feel uncertain; that was her forte . He always believed that she could provide greater satisfaction than any woman ever had before; and her strength was that
while she did not, the promise of future eroticism remained.
That was what had attracted him and lured him from comfortable, deeply
loving almost motherly Maria. And even as his heart called out for Maria he could not go and beg her to return to him because Frances Jersey stood there between
them mocking, sensually alluring and, he feared, irresistible.
She did not try to placate him as so many women did. Now she said to him: ‘I
cannot understand why you are so glum. You have nothing to lose by the
marriage— and everything to gain.’
‘You are forgetting what marriage may entail.’
Frances laughed aloud. ‘Dearest Highness, I have a husband, as you know. A
very complacent husband at this time who is always eager to serve his Prince so
we need not concern ourselves with him. I have had two sons and seven
daughters. I am even a grandmother. I confess I am a very young grandmother.
But you cannot say that a life so worthily spent in replenishing the earth could
possibly be without experience of what marriage entails.’
‘But I am to marry a German woman— I confess I don’t like the Germans.’
‘I obviously cannot share your Highness’s aversion, for someone for whom I
entertain the most tender passions has descended from that race.’
‘Germans!’ went on the Prince. ‘My father married one. And consider her.’
‘I have always found Her Majesty most gracious.’
Frances chuckled inwardly. How amusing
Prim and proper Charlotte
actually approved of her son’s relationship with his mistress.
In fact Frances
had received instructions from Lady Harcourt. She was to lure the Prince from
Fitzherbert, for only then would he consider marriage— and was high time he
was married, he had to provide that heir to the throne, for his brothers were
proving themselves strangely backward in doing so.
The Duke of York, estranged from his Duchess, was clearly not going to be of
any use. William, Duke of Clarence, the next son, had set up house most
respectably— at least as respectably as such arrangements could be— with that
enchanting actress Dorothy Jordan but naturally there was nothing to hope from
there. Another brother Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, had just emerged
from a big scandal, for he had married secretly in defiance of the Marriage Act
which decreed that no member of the royal family could marry without the
consent of the King until he reached the age of twenty-five (Augustus Frederick
had been twenty), and the marriage had been null and void even though the lady
in his adventures was about to give
birth and was of noble lineage, being the
daughter of the Earl of Dunmore and claiming royal blood from her ancestors.
No, there was no hope from his brothers so clearly it was the duty of the Prince of Wales to provide heirs to the throne.
The Queen had known this could not be done while the Prince adhered to
Mrs. Fitzherbert; so the relationship had to be broken. Since Frances had a good
chance of doing that, the Queen gave her approval to Frances’ activities.
Which showed, thought Frances cynically, how morals could be cast aside for
the sake of the
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