she had in her white and silver bridesmaid’s clothes with the circlet of diamonds on her head.
As her position warranted she took her place near the throne, by which Charlotte was standing, as one by one the peers and peeresses came to do homage to her.
She felt suddenly alone because she could not speak English and once again she was determined to learn as quickly as she could.
The Marchioness was announcing the names of the people as they approached the Queen; they then knelt and kissed her hand and swore allegiance.
‘Lord Westmorland,’ said the Marchioness; and that nobleman came forward, peering from side to side for he was, the Marchioness whispered to her, almost blind.
Charlotte smiled at him kindly but he did not see her, and,to the outward consternation and secret amusement of all, he knelt and took the hand of Sarah Lennox who was standing close to the Queen.
‘No … no …’ hissed the Marchioness, while Sarah sprang back as though she had been bitten.
The Queen held out her hand and Lord Westmorland kissed it. Charlotte did not see the old man; she was aware only of the hush which had fallen on the assembly.
*
Charlotte had her first clash with her mother-in-law a few days later.
She was preparing to take Communion and her ladies had put out all her new jewels, since this was an occasion when they believed she would wear them.
The Princess Augusta, the elder of George’s sisters, had come to her apartment to see her and so was present when Charlotte announced that she did not believe it was seemly to take Communion in a tiara and stomacher of diamonds.
‘Why not?’ Augusta asked in her peremptory way. Charlotte resented the Princess’s attitude towards her, but as they were both speaking in French – a language foreign to them both – she could never be sure whether she had interpreted correctly.
‘It does not seem to me to show proper respect.’
Augusta laughed; she had a harsh unpleasant laugh. She was resentful that George who was younger than she was should have married before her; and she had always thought it unfair that she, the first born, should have been a girl. This attitude did not endear her to Charlotte, though she was secretly amused that George had got a little Crocodile (it was a term which was being applied to Charlotte on account of that ungainly mouth of hers which everyone admitted did call the obnoxious creatures to mind) when he had set his heart on flighty Sarah Lennox. Augusta had done all she could to foil that romance and she had often succeeded in discomfiting Madame Sarah; all the same this did not endear her to Charlotte, who was not only younger than herself, but above her in position, being Queen of England. And come from some wretched little state which no one had heard of before the suggested marriage! thought Augusta.
‘ We feel it would show a lack of respect to appear without them.’
‘I do not believe the disciples wore jewels at the Last Supper.’
Impudent little crocodile, thought Augusta. So she would argue!
‘They had none. That’s why.’
‘I do not think jewels in keeping with the occasion,’ said Charlotte with a touch of that authority which she had displayed to her attendants on her way to London. ‘And I shall continue in the way I have been brought up to believe is the right one.’
Augusta flushed angrily and asked leave to depart. This was given with alacrity, and once out of the apartment Augusta made haste to her mother’s apartment.
‘Charlotte is a most arrogant creature,’ she declared. ‘She despises our customs and tells me she will keep to those in which she was brought up and which are so much better than ours.’
The Princess Dowager was alert. They would have to keep their eyes on Charlotte. The whole reason for marrying her to George was that they – she and Lord Bute – might keep their control of him.
‘What is this?’ she demanded.
Her daughter told her version of what had happened, and the
As her position warranted she took her place near the throne, by which Charlotte was standing, as one by one the peers and peeresses came to do homage to her.
She felt suddenly alone because she could not speak English and once again she was determined to learn as quickly as she could.
The Marchioness was announcing the names of the people as they approached the Queen; they then knelt and kissed her hand and swore allegiance.
‘Lord Westmorland,’ said the Marchioness; and that nobleman came forward, peering from side to side for he was, the Marchioness whispered to her, almost blind.
Charlotte smiled at him kindly but he did not see her, and,to the outward consternation and secret amusement of all, he knelt and took the hand of Sarah Lennox who was standing close to the Queen.
‘No … no …’ hissed the Marchioness, while Sarah sprang back as though she had been bitten.
The Queen held out her hand and Lord Westmorland kissed it. Charlotte did not see the old man; she was aware only of the hush which had fallen on the assembly.
*
Charlotte had her first clash with her mother-in-law a few days later.
She was preparing to take Communion and her ladies had put out all her new jewels, since this was an occasion when they believed she would wear them.
The Princess Augusta, the elder of George’s sisters, had come to her apartment to see her and so was present when Charlotte announced that she did not believe it was seemly to take Communion in a tiara and stomacher of diamonds.
‘Why not?’ Augusta asked in her peremptory way. Charlotte resented the Princess’s attitude towards her, but as they were both speaking in French – a language foreign to them both – she could never be sure whether she had interpreted correctly.
‘It does not seem to me to show proper respect.’
Augusta laughed; she had a harsh unpleasant laugh. She was resentful that George who was younger than she was should have married before her; and she had always thought it unfair that she, the first born, should have been a girl. This attitude did not endear her to Charlotte, though she was secretly amused that George had got a little Crocodile (it was a term which was being applied to Charlotte on account of that ungainly mouth of hers which everyone admitted did call the obnoxious creatures to mind) when he had set his heart on flighty Sarah Lennox. Augusta had done all she could to foil that romance and she had often succeeded in discomfiting Madame Sarah; all the same this did not endear her to Charlotte, who was not only younger than herself, but above her in position, being Queen of England. And come from some wretched little state which no one had heard of before the suggested marriage! thought Augusta.
‘ We feel it would show a lack of respect to appear without them.’
‘I do not believe the disciples wore jewels at the Last Supper.’
Impudent little crocodile, thought Augusta. So she would argue!
‘They had none. That’s why.’
‘I do not think jewels in keeping with the occasion,’ said Charlotte with a touch of that authority which she had displayed to her attendants on her way to London. ‘And I shall continue in the way I have been brought up to believe is the right one.’
Augusta flushed angrily and asked leave to depart. This was given with alacrity, and once out of the apartment Augusta made haste to her mother’s apartment.
‘Charlotte is a most arrogant creature,’ she declared. ‘She despises our customs and tells me she will keep to those in which she was brought up and which are so much better than ours.’
The Princess Dowager was alert. They would have to keep their eyes on Charlotte. The whole reason for marrying her to George was that they – she and Lord Bute – might keep their control of him.
‘What is this?’ she demanded.
Her daughter told her version of what had happened, and the
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