Queen Victoria | Page 7

a man of no
ambition, and wish only to remain as I am... Easter, you know, falls
very early this year--the 22nd of March. If the Duke of Clarence does
not take any step before that time, I must find some pretext to reconcile
Madame St. Laurent to my going to England for a short time. When

once there, it will be easy for me to consult with my friends as to the
proper steps to be taken. Should the Duke of Clarence do nothing
before that time as to marrying it will become my duty, no doubt, to
take some measures upon the subject myself." Two names, the Duke
said, had been mentioned in this connection--those of the Princess of
Baden and the Princess of Saxe-Coburg. The latter, he thought, would
perhaps be the better of the two, from the circumstance of Prince
Leopold being so popular with the nation; but before any other steps
were taken, he hoped and expected to see justice done to Madame St.
Laurent. "She is," he explained, "of very good family, and has never
been an actress, and I am the first and only person who ever lived with
her. Her disinterestedness, too, has been equal to her fidelity. When she
first came to me it was upon L100 a year. That sum was afterwards
raised to L400 and finally to L1000; but when my debts made it
necessary for me to sacrifice a great part of my income, Madame St.
Laurent insisted upon again returning to her income of L400 a year. If
Madame St. Laurent is to return to live amongst her friends, it must be
in such a state of independence as to command their respect. I shall not
require very much, but a certain number of servants and a carriage are
essentials." As to his own settlement, the Duke observed that he would
expect the Duke of York's marriage to be considered the precedent.
"That," he said, "was a marriage for the succession, and L25,000 for
income was settled, in addition to all his other income, purely on that
account. I shall be contented with the same arrangement, without
making any demands grounded on the difference of the value of money
in 1792 and at present. As for the payment of my debts," the Duke
concluded, "I don't call them great. The nation, on the contrary, is
greatly my debtor." Here a clock struck, and seemed to remind the
Duke that he had an appointment; he rose, and Mr. Creevey left him.
Who could keep such a communication secret? Certainly not Mr.
Creevey. He hurried off to tell the Duke of Wellington, who was very
much amused, and he wrote a long account of it to Lord Sefton, who
received the letter "very apropos," while a surgeon was sounding his
bladder to ascertain whether he had a stone. "I never saw a fellow more
astonished than he was," wrote Lord Sefton in his reply, "at seeing me
laugh as soon as the operation was over. Nothing could be more
first-rate than the royal Edward's ingenuousness. One does not know

which to admire most--the delicacy of his attachment to Madame St.
Laurent, the refinement of his sentiments towards the Duke of Clarence,
or his own perfect disinterestedness in pecuniary matters."
As it turned out, both the brothers decided to marry. The Duke of Kent,
selecting the Princess of Saxe-Coburg in preference to the Princess of
Baden, was united to her on May 29, 1818. On June 11, the Duke of
Clarence followed suit with a daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
But they were disappointed in their financial expectations; for though
the Government brought forward proposals to increase their allowances,
together with that of the Duke of Cumberland, the motions were
defeated in the House of Commons. At this the Duke of Wellington
was not surprised. "By God!" he said, "there is a great deal to be said
about that. They are the damnedest millstones about the necks of any
Government that can be imagined. They have
insulted--PERSONALLY insulted--two-thirds of the gentlemen of
England, and how can it be wondered at that they take their revenge
upon them in the House of Commons? It is their only opportunity, and I
think, by God! they are quite right to use it." Eventually, however,
Parliament increased the Duke of Kent's annuity by L6000. The
subsequent history of Madame St. Laurent has not transpired.
IV
The new Duchess of Kent, Victoria Mary Louisa, was a daughter of
Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and a sister of Prince Leopold.
The family was an ancient one, being a branch of the great House of
Wettin, which since the eleventh century had ruled over the March of
Meissen on the Elbe. In the fifteenth century the whole possessions of