Anne was quickly beside her.

‘So ... you are flirting with Grafton.’

Amelia was still looking at the man on horseback whose dark handsome looks and physique made him outstanding.

‘I am acknowledging the greeting of Charles, Duke of Grafton,’ retorted Amelia tartly.

‘You know that is most unwise.’

‘I cannot see that it is unwise to give or return a greeting.’

‘Greeting! You know it is more than that. You know you have a fancy for him.’

‘You are inclined to thinkyouknow too much, sister.’

Caroline moved away to another window and stood there gazing out. She was always seeking to escape from her more forceful sisters who were constantly quarrelling. Quarrels were commonplace in this family. There had been the Great Quarrel between Grandfather and Papa—and now that was over minor ones were continually springing up between members of the family.

‘Who is Grafton?’ demanded Anne. ‘I think you forget that you are royal.’

‘It is as well that all of us don’t keep reminding everyone on every occasion of the fact,’ retorted Amelia. ‘And the Duke of Grafton is as royal as you are.’

‘His grandfather was a king, I know, since his father was the bastard of Barbara Villiers and Charles II. A very pleasant recommendation.’

‘They say he inherited his father’s brilliance and charm and his mother’s beauty,’ said Amelia.

‘And doubtless the immorality of both. For shame, Amelia! You know you are all but betrothed to the Crown Prince of Prussia.’

Amelia shivered. ‘I hope that I never have to make that marriage.’

Caroline drew farther into her corner, shivering slightly. She had heard stories of the terrible King of Prussia who beat his children, locked them up and starved them and then worked out how much he had saved by keeping them without food. He quarrelled constantly with his wife, their aunt Sophia Dorothea, tried to beat her too, and because that wasn’t possible contented himself by spitting into her food when it was a dish she especially fancied.

What a household for poor Amelia to enter l No wonder she thought longingly of staying in England and marrying a man who was as handsome and charming and daring as the Duke of Grafton.

Caroline was terrified of the day when she might have to go away. It wouldn’t bear thinking of. But they were growing old now and they were no longer merely the granddaughters of a king; they were the daughters of one; and that made a difference. Matches would be made for them and princesses always had to do what was expected of them.

How sad it was for a princess to grow up It was better to be young even though their childhood had been overshadowed by the Great Quarrel when Grandfather would not allow them to see their parents. Caroline had suffered then because of dear Mamma who loved them so and whom they loved. Not being allowed to see Papa had been no great hardship, for they could not help being a little ashamed of the way in which he strutted and was so conceited, and anxious to prove he was the master of them all—which he wasn’t although he was King, for kings were ruled by their parliaments; and it was becoming well known that the Queen had a bigger influence, and the only one who wasn’t aware of this was the King. All this made him a ridiculous figure in spite of his brilliant uniforms and all the pomp with which he liked to surround himself, for although he was mean enough with his daughters, he was not with himself.

Caroline listened to her sisters quarrelling over the Duke of Grafton and let her own thoughts stray pleasantly.

She wouldn’t think of the time when she too must go away. Perhaps it would never happen. After all, the King had so many daughters, he couldn’t find royal marriages for all of them. Some might be allowed to marry in England.

There was one figure which kept intruding into her mind—that of elegant Lord Hervey of whom her mother was so fond.

He was one of the most brilliantly clever young men of the Court—clever in a different way from Sir Robert Walpole. Lord Hervey made amusing verses and witty conversation; he was very very handsome and, she was sure her mother agreed with this. one of the brightest lights of the Court.

He had recently married Molly Lepel, one of the Court beauties, but she remained in the country and rarely came to Court, so it was almost as though Lord Hervey was a bachelor.

So Caroline sat dreaming of Lord Hervey while Anne and Amelia quarrelled over the Duke of Grafton.


* * *

The coronation was to take place in October and during September little else was talked of throughout the Court and the city.

The King strutted in the Park wearing brilliant uniforms, reviewing troops. He was very pleased with himself. The Queen busied herself with state affairs, going carefully through all documents in order to render, as she told the King, the little assistance of which she was capable.

He was pleased, and as long as she never showed that she had a firmer grasp of affairs than he had, as long as she always made a show of waiting for his opinion before passing her own, he was contented.

Caroline was delighted that he showed such a pleasure in pomp and ceremony, for this was what the people enjoyed; they would gather to cheer him in the Park and often when she was at Kensington she would watch him from her window.

She too must not give up her habit of sauntering, always remembering to smile and chat affably with the humblest who approached her. She realized the importance of this. It was where George I had failed so wretchedly. In fact, sauntering tired her more than it used to. It might have been due to that unmentionable infirmity of which she refused to think; there was a touch of gout in her legs which was almost as disturbing, for if she could not walk with the King whenever he wished it, he would be irritated and it might be necessary to confess that she was unable to. That must never happen.

George was in the highest spirits at this time. He was a new enough king to be a novelty to his subjects and had as yet had not had time to do anything of which they could disapprove. All he had to do was parade in splendid uniforms and acknowledge the cheers. He was delighted with the manner in which he believed he had acquired a larger Civil List than his father, for he was immediately able to forget the part Caroline had played in this and she, in accordance with her practice, made no effort to remind him. He was eagerly awaiting the coronation which would be the most dazzling spectacle of all.

He came to the Queen to talk to her about it. She was busy with state papers, her feet resting on a footstool which seemed to ease her legs, but when the King came in she hastily kicked it aside.

‘Ha!’ He glanced quickly at the papers and then sat down stretching his legs out before him.

‘I have been looking at the robes,’ he said with a smile. ‘They are very fine.’

She smiled at him. ‘Crimson velvet edged with ermine vill suit you. You have tried them on?’

He confessed it, and she had a quick picture of him strutting before mirrors. She tried not to think of the suppressed smiles of his attendants but she guessed they would have bcen there.

The cap of state is very fine,’ went on the King. ‘I remember seeing your father vearing it.’

The King laughed. ‘It did him not much become!’ he jeered. ‘He looked as if he vere going to his execution rather than his coronation.’

‘You vill look so different.’

His expression changed. Rarely was a man so easy to read, thought Caroline; and was thankful for it. It helped her to assess his moods quickly and so avoid pitfalls.

‘The jewels in this cap are very goot. They sparkle yell against the crimson velvet.’

‘The people vill be delighted.’

‘It vill be the best coronation they have ever seen.’ The King reluctantly turned his mind from the contemplation of his own splendour to think of the Queen’s.

‘You too must dazzle them, my dear.’

‘It vill be the King on whom every eye vill rest.’

‘But they vill not forget the Queen. He had no queen. They remembered she was shut away in prison ... and he had put her there. No queen ... only those two mistresses of his. I remember how the people laughed at him. Our coronation vill be different. You vill be there ... the Queen ... and the girls vill hold your train. They vill see that we are von big and happy family ... now that the old scoundrel can no longer plague us. You must sparkle vith jewels.’

‘Ah, jewels,’ said Caroline. ‘Vere shall I find them? Your father gave away all the jewels to those mistresses of his. I vas looking into this only today. There is nothing left but one pearl necklace.’

‘The old scoundrel....’ George’s eyes bulged in the familiar way. ‘But jewels there must be. They must them give back.... We must have jewels...

‘I vill find a vay of acquiring some.’

He nodded. He was not really interested in her jewels. He was seeing himself smiling, bowing, his hand on his heart. He could hear the acclamation of the crowds. Everybody was going to be glad on that day that the old King was dead and a new one was being crowned.


* * *

The Queen was at her wits end to know how to procure jewels for the coronation. The King would be displeased if she did not glitter from head to foot; and how could she, when the royal jewel cases were empty and she could not even trace which of the late King’s mistresses were in possession of the gems. Ermengarda Schulemburg, Duchess of Kendal, no doubt possessed many of them, but she was still abroad and certainly could not be asked to return her late lover’s gifts ... not by letter at any rate.