Виктория Холт - The Third George

One must not blame young men and women too much, he conceded; and wondered how he could procure the thirteen thousand pounds which clearly must be found. He decided to consult Lord North.

North came to see him at once and was not surprised that the King wished to consult him about Cumberland's misdemeanour. Dear Fred North! thought the King; he had not changed very much.

There he sat opposite the King, for George would have no formality between himself and such an old friend, particularly on an occasion like this, and he looked so like George that it was almost like gazing into a mirror. North's bulging eyes rolled short-sightedly about the room.

"My two brothers have been to see me," said the King. "You know about this distressing lawsuit and that they have found for Grosvenor. The money has to be paid in a week and I do not see how so large a sum as thirteen thousand pounds can be provided in so short a time. I pray you, my dear North, tell me what can be done about it.”

North's eyes seemed to focus on the King, but he could not see him clearly. He shook his head and the flesh on his cheeks waggled in a manner which might have seemed comical to some, but the King did not notice it.

"The money must be found," he said at last.

"Or," added the King, 'it will bring more dishonour on the family, eh?”

"That would be so, sir. I believe His Highness is no longer the lady's lover.”

"I'm not surprised," stuttered the King. "This is enough to put anyone off. What? Bringing a case ... dragging the family, the royal family, sir, through the law courts. And have the verdict go against a royal duke! Sometimes I think they enjoy plaguing us, eh? What do you think. What?”

North said that the Duke's reputation was not good. He already had a new mistress; he hadn't even waited for the case to be settled. "Mrs. Horton, widow of a Derbyshire squire. A very fascinating woman, sir, so I've heard. Walpole says her eyelashes are a yard long and she has the most amorous eyes in the world.”

"Then God help him.”

"That scandalmonger Walpole says she could have turned the Duke's head if her lashes had only been three-quarters of a yard long." North tittered.

"Gossip," he went on. "So much gossip. Not good at all for the family, sir. We must settle this affair without delay for the sooner it's settled the sooner it's forgotten. And Your Majesty will doubtless feel inclined to speak to His Highness, to point out his duty to the State, sir, from which he must not be allowed to diverge so far again ... not, I'm sure Your Majesty will agree with me, for eyelashes two yards long.”

"It's true, North. Absolutely true. I'll speak to the young idiot. And the money, eh, what?”

"From the Civil List. There's no other way.”

The King sighed with relief. "Thirteen thousand pounds!" he murmured. "But as you say, North, there's no other way.”

Family scandals were in the air and by an odd quirk of fate one followed quickly on another.

There was very disturbing news from Denmark.

When George read the letters he could scarcely believe them; he set out with all haste to his mother, for he felt that it was to her only that he could talk of this terrible disaster to the family.

When she heard that the King wished to see her, the Princess Dowager hastily arose from her bed.

She did not call her women but herself painted her face to take away the strained look and sallow tinge of her skin which was growing more and more apparent every day. When she received the King she was relieved to see that her changing looks went unnoticed. Perhaps this was because he was himself in a state of extreme agitation.

"Mother," he cried, embracing her, 'there is terrible news from Denmark.”

The Princess Dowager felt her throat begin to throb, but she said calmly: "News, George? What is it?”

"They have arrested Caroline Matilda.”

"Arrested the Queen! On what charges?”

"Treason and adultery.”

"It's impossible!”

"No, mother. I have proof of it. It's in these letters. There is one from Caroline Matilda herself.

She is a prisoner near Elsinore, and she fears for her life.”

"They wouldn't dare.”

"She is far away. And you know what Christian is.”

"The villainous little pervert," cried Augusta, her voice harsh with fear. What was happening to her family? That horrible case only just over and here was Caroline Matilda accused of adultery ...

and treason.

"They say they have found evidence of a plot against the King between Caroline Matilda and a man named Struensee. They are saying foul things against Caroline Matilda and Struensee. They have both been arrested. They say it will be the traitor's death for Struensee and possibly Caroline Matilda. What should we do, eh, what?”

"It's barbarous," whispered the Princess Dowager.

"She is in their hands ... a prisoner. My little sister! We should never have allowed her to go.

Better far if she had stayed here ... and never married at all. There is Augusta in Brunswick ... I shudder to think what is happening there. But this ... this is monstrous, eh?”

"We cannot allow her to remain a prisoner, George. It's an insult to our family.”

"That's true. We'll have to stop it. How dare they! My sister's life is in danger so they tell me.

They will take her out and execute her ... barbarously! What can we do, eh? What can we do what, what, what? ... Sometimes I feel as though I'm going mad.”

"George! For God's sake, don't say that.”

For a second or so they looked at each other in horror and then the Princess Dowager said very quietly: "We must find a way to save Caroline Matilda. I think George that this is a matter which you will have to lay before your ministers.”

George nodded. He had had to call in North and use the Civil List to extricate Henry from his scandal, but this was a matter between nations. This was a far more serious and dangerous affair.

From the window of her prison on the Sound near Elsinore, Caroline Matilda could see the lights of Copenhagen. The city was en fete to celebrate her downfall, so she had been told. So much was she hated.

And not more than I hate them ... all of them, she thought. But George will come and take me away. They will have to remember that I am the sister of the King of England and he is a good king; he loves his family; he would never desert his little sister. Oh please, George, send quickly.

She closed her eyes to shut out the sight of those garish illuminations and thought of home. Kew and Richmond; Hampton and Kensington; Buckingham House of which Charlotte was so proud.

Lucky Charlotte, who had been married to a stranger just as she had, but that stranger was George the dearest and kindest of men.

Oh, George, send quickly. Take me away from here. Bring me home. Everything had gone wrong since she left home; everything would be right once she was back. Her mother would scold her; she would blame her; but she would answer back. What of you, Mother, you and Lord Bute. Why shouldn't I have a lover too? I had to do something; and I hated the King and Struensee was so clever, so handsome, so skilful, everything that Christian was not. When her mother had come to see her two-years ago she knew that the Princess Dowager was prepared to remonstrate with her.

But she had given her no opportunity. John Frederick Struensee had been constantly in her company then and they had taken a mischievous delight in never allowing the Princess Dowager to have a word alone with her daughter. Even when the Princess asked it, she, Caroline Matilda had given orders that they were to be constantly interrupted.

"For if," she had said to John Frederick, 'she begins to scold me for my friendship with you, I shall not be able to prevent myself asking about hers with Bute. Far better for family relations if the subject of our extra-marital relationships are not allowed to be brought up.”

That was in the carefree days; the Princess Dowager had gone home dissatisfied and Caroline Matilda and her lover had continued to enjoy life.

How had it all started? Oh, God, she thought, those awful days when I arrived and saw this thing they had given me for a husband. What can they expect of a girl of fifteen, taken from her home to a strange land, handed to a strange man who is little more than a lunatic, even parted from the few attendants she had brought with her and surrounded by others whose language she does not fully understand! How could I have dealt with the situation I found? Christian has been compared with the Emperor Caligula and I don't find the description wildly exaggerated. And waiting for me was Juliana Maria, my husband's stepmother, who had a son of her own, Frederick, and naturally she would feel some resentment towards me and she must hope that I would be barren so that her son would inherit the throne. And as if that were not enough there was Sophia Magdalena the Queen Dowager, widow of Christian's grandfather, quiet and dull, watching everything with those old brooding eyes of hers.

What a situation for a young inexperienced girl to find herself in! And when Christian had taken Count von Hoick to be his constant companion, day and night, appointing him Marshal of the Court so that he could be in constant attendance, she had felt outraged. How dared they marry her to such a man!

But they had managed to have a child. She had her little Frederick who was some consolation; but she was too young to be shut away and merely play the mother in a hostile Court. Those two women Juliana Maria and Sophia Magdalena had put their heads together and clucked over the decadent behaviour of Christian and insisted on his taking a mistress. But it was von Hoick who had all the influence with Christian and he tried to run not only Christian's household but hers. He had succeeded in having dismissed old Frau von Plessen who had been her Mistress of the Robes.

She had not felt any great affection for Frau von Plessen, who had been most severe in her criticism, but now she realized how important that criticism, and the advice which went with it, were; and that had Frau von Plessen stayed with her, she might not be where she was today.

How she had raged when Christian had gone on his travels and not taken her with him. The idea of him in England had tormented her; a wave of terrible homesickness came over her at that time and she hated her husband, hated her life and vowed that she would not be treated in this way.

On his travels Christian had taken with him a young physician named John Frederick Struensee and had found him to be a very good physician indeed, with the result that on his return, Struensee remained in the royal service. At first Caroline Matilda had disliked him, as she disliked all those who were her husband's friends. She herself suffered from ill health now and then; she had her family's tendency to put on weight and believed she had a touch of dropsy.

She kept to her apartments and Christian for some odd reason suddenly became interested in her.

When he came to her apartments and found her lying on her bed, he asked what ailed her and she said that she thought it might be dropsy.

"I shall see one of the doctors," she added.

"I'll send Struensee," Christian told her.

"I don't want that man near me.”

"He's the best doctor in Denmark.”

"I don't think so and I will decide on my own doctor.”

"You'll have Struensee," said Christian threateningly. This was typical of him. Why should he have cared what doctor she had? Did he care for her? Certainly not. He merely wanted to go against her wishes.

Christian strode out of her apartment and she sent for one of her women and told her to call a doctor of her choosing. She would show Christian that she had no intention of bending to his will on every occasion. If he sent Struensee, but of course if he met von Hoick on the way from her apartments he would probably forget all about her and her need for a doctor - that man would find another doctor attending her.

The door of the apartment opened and there was Struensee. Angrily she demanded what he wanted. He bowed and said he came on the King's command.

"I do not wish ..." she began.

"The King wishes that I attend you, Madam." Tears of mortification filled her eyes; everyone would be listening. She was like a slave, forced to obey the King's will.