In
truth, my lord Duke's value to her Majesty was founded greatly upon
that which had drawn his Grace of Marlborough to him. He wanted
nothing; all the others had some desire to gain, secret or avowed. The
woman who had so longed for unregal feminine intimacy and companionship
that with her favoured attendant she had played a comedy of private
life--doffing her queenship and becoming simple "Mrs. Morley," that
with "Mrs. Freeman," at least, she might forget she was a Queen--was
not formed by Nature to combat with State intrigues and Court
duplicities.
"I am given no quiet," the poor august lady said. "These people who
resign places and demand them, who call meetings and create a ferment,
these ladies who vituperate and clamour like deserted lovers, weary me.
Your Grace's strength brings me repose!"
And as the father had felt sympathy and pity for poor Catherine of
Braganza in Charles the Second's day, so the son felt pity and gave
what support he could to poor bullied and bewildered Queen Anne. To
him her queenship was truly the lesser thing, her helpless, somewhat
heavy-witted and easily wavering womanhood the greater; and there were
those who feared him, for such reasons as few men in his position had
been feared before.
His Grace had been but two days in town, and on the morning of the
second had driven in his chariot to Kensington, and had an audience
upon the private matter already spoken of, and which would in all
likelihood take him, despite his wishes, across the Channel and to the
French Court.
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