There would be a concert, of course; both King and Queen were determined on that, and, as it was brilliant summer, it would be an al-fresco occasion. The King selected a certain Mr. Kuffe, who was a German, to take charge of the arrangements. Besides the concert there was to be a ball and the gardens would be illuminated.

Crowds waited outside to see the guests arrive and they were delighted by the sight of the King and his pregnant Queen on the balcony, for this pregnancy had won back the popularity which the King had lost at the time of Pitt's resignation. Now he was their young king again. He could be said to be handsome though his fair skin was now often marred by pimples; but his very blue eyes were not as prominent as his grandfather's and his jaw was only sullen in repose. If he would rid himself of the odious Bute and take back their idol Pitt, they would have nothing with which to complain.

But settling into Buckingham House was a joyous occasion and the crowds had come to cheer and applaud. It was a delightful ball, Charlotte decided; and she wished that they could have more balls. She confided this to George in the privacy of their apartments when the successful festivities had come to an end. He shook his head.

"It would not be good for you in your condition.”

"But George, I shall not be in this condition after August," she reminded him.

"It may well be," he said, 'that you soon will be again.”

She considered this a little dolefully, for she had been feeling the heat rather too much and she had suffered certain discomforts. It would all be worth while once the child was born, but the idea of starting again almost immediately was a little subduing. However, she did not protest. After all, she would not be content with one child only.

Charlotte was feeling wan and exhausted. The Princess Dowager called on her and expressed her concern. "You should be in the country," she said. "There is nothing like country air when you are carrying.”

"But I love this house.”

"You should go to the country," insisted Augusta.

It was not only the Queen's health which made her feel this would be advisable. Charlotte was beginning to speak a little English and was taking too much interest in what was going on around her. She had expressed a view on Mr. Pitt and what was more distressing was that she had commented to one of her women, so Miss Pascal had reported, that she believed the King to be especially interested in the Quaker religion and she herself would like to know something of it so that she could discuss it with His Majesty if the subject should arise.

Quite clearly she was beginning to learn too much of what was going on around her. She and Lord Bute had brought Charlotte to England to bear the King's children, not to meddle and probe. So the Queen should go to Richmond and live in retirement there.

Princess Augusta directed her cold smile on her daughter-in-law.

"Richmond! That is the answer. I shall know no peace until you are there. I shall instruct your ladies that they are not to bother you with too much chatter.”

"I enjoy my conversation with them. It enables me to improve my English.”

"All in good time. Don't forget you are carrying the heir to the throne.”

"It may not be a boy.”

"Of course it will be a boy," insisted Augusta, as though, thought Charlotte, it will be my fault if it is not her own firstborn was a girl in any case.

"And if this one is not a boy the next one will be.”

Oh dear, thought Charlotte, how they do talk about the next before this one has appeared.

"I shall prepare a schedule for you, my dear. You will wish for a little exercise and when the King is with you at Richmond you will take that together. I doubt not the King will be with you whenever he can spare the time from state duties. You will have your reading, your English lessons, your sewing. But I do not think your ladies should tire you too much at this stage. I shall give instructions that they shall spend only half an hour a week in conversation with you.”

"Oh, but...”

The Princess Dowager held up a playful finger which accorded strangely with her cold and calculating glance.

"It is all for your good, my dear," she said. "We cannot allow anything to go wrong now, can we?”

So Charlotte left Buckingham House and went to Richmond where the weeks of waiting passed slowly and monotonously.

George joined Charlotte at Richmond, and here began to live the life of the country gentleman.

Richmond was near enough to St. James's to enable him to return for levees and important state occasions; but the thought of being a father and living a life of domestic happiness greatly appealed to him; and at Richmond he had time to be the devoted husband.

He enjoyed the rural life and nothing pleased him so much as to go among the local people and talk to them, waving ceremony aside and asking them questions about their work and lives. He was particularly interested in the farms and would talk at great length with the farmers and even their labourers on agricultural matters. He became very popular in Richmond and he was delighted that the local people there touched their forelocks or curtsied, according to sex, and called a "Good morning, sir' instead of cheering for His Majesty.

And then there were the days with Charlotte. They both had a love of music and he would listen approvingly while she sang or played the harpsichord. Sitting with Charlotte, talking to her in German, he was happy; she sewed or embroidered and as he did not like to sit idly, he took up the craft of button-making to which he applied a great deal of patience.

But he did not forget the state matters in spite of the simple life. Every morning he arose at five to light the fire in his bedroom which his servants had laid the night before. Then he would go back to bed until the room was warmed up. After washing and dressing he would study state papers until it was time to breakfast with Charlotte. Each morning he surveyed her with pleasure. She appeared in good health and there was no doubt that the simple life and Richmond air agreed with her. She was a goodly size and some of the experienced were saying the way she carried the child implied that it was a boy.

At eight o'clock they took breakfast. "Just a dish of tea for me, my dear Charlotte." His usual remark.

To which she replied: "Oh, but George, it is not enough.”

But he would sternly resist her efforts to press food on him. He was not going to indulge his inherited love of rich food and incur the obesity which went with it, he told her. It was all part of the discipline of his life. He put it from him as he had Hannah Lightfoot and Sarah Lennox; and he accepted his dish of tea as though it was exactly all he desired, in the same way as he accepted the plain woman sitting opposite him. Such happy days they were in spite of all the conflict in the government. Charlotte had no intention of concerning herself with that. Her thoughts were concentrated on the child.

On one of his visits to St. James's, George heard the news. It was Mr. Fox who told him slyly, thought George, taking pleasure in the discomfiture which he must know such a revelation would cause.

"Your Majesty, my sister-in-law Sarah Lennox was married a few days ago.”

George felt his face growing pink. "Oh... is that so?”

"Yes, Sire. In view of Your Majesty's kind interest in her I thought you would wish to know.”

"Er ... yes ...”

"A quiet wedding in the chapel at Holland House. Not perhaps a brilliant match, but...”

"Who was the bridegroom?" asked George quickly.

"Bunbury, Sire. Charles Bunbury. He is a fortunate man. He is not rich and of course heir to the baronetcy. But it is a match of her making and Your Majesty will agree with me that happiness does not depend on riches.”

"H'm," grunted George, and turned away to speak to someone else. But he was not listening to what was said; he was thinking of Sarah, married to someone else; Sarah who might have been his wife.

The King returned to Richmond. How plain Charlotte was. Plainer than ever now that her body was bulky! She was grotesque. He thought of Sarah, Sarah teaching him that dance, with the silly name, the Betty Blue, was it? Sarah laughing and teasing and making hay in the gardens of Holland House. He had given up Sarah for Charlotte and now Sarah had another lover: Bunbury.

Silly name, thought George angrily. Who was Bunbury? A petty baronet... not even that until his father died ... and no fortune either. But Sarah had never looked for title and fortune. If she had would she ever have refused the King? And she had refused him at one time ... although later she would have accepted him and then he was persuaded to take Charlotte instead. He might have had Sarah ... and he had Charlotte.

There was no longer contentment for him at Richmond. He could not bear to look at Charlotte.

His mind and body were crying out for Sarah and wherever he looked he saw her ... with Bunbury. He could not stay within walls; he went out and walked. It started to rain and he went on walking. The rain soothed him; it soaked through his clothes; it was inside his boots, but he didn't care. He found some savage pleasure in the discomfort. He was cold and shivering when he returned; he felt feverish and was sneezing violently.

The King was suffering from acute influenza; he was delirious and to the doctors' consternation his chest was covered with a rash which they could not identify as being a symptom of a known disease.

Charlotte insisted on nursing him and she was in despair because, when she brought the doctors to bleed him, he cried out that he did not want them. They should not touch him. His behaviour was very strange, and he was not like the reasonable, amenable young man they had known before.