Theresa Marchmont, or, the Maid of Honour: A TaleGore, Mrs. (Catherine Grace Frances)
General
Theresa Marchmont, or, the Maid of Honour: A Tale
Gore, Mrs. (Catherine Grace Frances)
Fiction
“In this position of our affairs, it chanced that we were both in
attendance on the Queen at Kew; where one evening a chosen few,
distinguished by her Majesty's favour, formed a select circle. The
conversation turned upon music, and the Queen who had been describing
with national partiality the beauty of the hymns sung by the Portuguese
mariners, suddenly addressing me, observed that since she left her
native country she had heard no vocal music which had given her pleasure
except from the lips of Miss Marchmont: 'I cannot' said she kindly
smiling, 'as you may perceive, forget the name of one whose society I
prized so highly; but if 'Lady Greville' will pardon my inadvertence,
and oblige me by singing one of those airs with which she was wont
formerly to charm me to sleep when I suffered either mental or bodily
affliction, I will in turn forgive _you_, my lord, for robbing me of the
attendance of my friend.'
“Theresa instantly obeyed, and while she hung over her instrument her
attitude was so graceful, that the Queen again observed to me, 'we must
have our Theresa seen by Lely in that costume, and thus occupied she
would make a charming study for his pencil; and I promise myself the
pleasure of possessing it as a lasting memorial of my young friend.'
The portrait to which this observation gave rise, you must have seen
yourself, my Helen, in the gallery at Silsea castle.
“While I was thus engaged by her Majesty, I observed the Duke of
Buckingham approach my wife with an air of deference bordering on irony;
he appeared to make some unpleasant request which he affected to urge
with an earnestness beyond the rules of gallantry or good breeding, and
which she refused with an appearance of haughtiness I had never before
seen her excise. He than respectfully addressed the Queen, and entreated
her intercession with Lady Greville for a favourite Italian air, one,
he said, which her Majesty had probably never enjoyed the happiness of
hearing--but before the Queen could reply, before I had time to inquire
into the cause of the agony and shame which were mingled in Lady
Greville's looks, she covered her brow with her hands, and exclaimed
with hysteric violence, 'No, never more--never again. Alas! it is too
late.'
“The queen, herself too deeply skilled in the sorrows of a wounded
heart, appeared warmly to compassionate the distress which had robbed
her favourite of all presence of mind; and rising evidently to divert
the attention of the circle, whose malignant smiles were instantly
repressed, she invited us to follow her into the adjoining gallery, at
that time occupied by Sir Peter Lely for the completion of his exquisite
series of portraits of the beauties of Charles's court. In their own
idle comments and petty jealousies arising from the resemblances before
them, Lady Greville was forgotten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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