Royal Sisters: The Story of the Daughters of James II

precious.

“Confound it, Mama!” he said. “You are not old like Mrs. Davies. You will have many children yet; then you will not have to watch over me with such care.”

Anne wanted to say that however many children she had he would always be infinitely precious to her, but to hide her emotion she said: “And pray where do you learn such language?”

“What language, Mama?”

“ ‘Confound it’, you said.”

“Oh, that is nothing. It is not like ‘God damn you to hell, sir.’ ”

Anne was truly shocked.

“I demand to know where you heard such talk,” she said.

“It was Lewis, I think …”

“Lewis! Then he shall be dismissed.”

“Oh, Mama, no … it was not Lewis. I am remembering now.”

“I want to know where you learned such talk.”

He hesitated then, “Why, Mama, I remember now. I invented it myself.”

He smiled at her disarmingly and once more she had to fight to resist the temptation to embrace him and cover him with kisses.

Anne sent for her treasurer, Sir Benjamin Bathurst, the husband of her great friend, Frances Apsley, whom her sister Mary had loved so dearly. Frances had remained Anne’s dear friend and naturally Anne had wanted to honor her husband and this she did by bestowing on him the post of treasurer of her household.

“Sir Benjamin,” said Anne, “we have been here some four or five weeks and all this time we have enjoyed the hospitality of Mrs. Davies. I want you to pay her a hundred guineas, for although she is a wealthy woman, I and my son and our servants must have been a great drain on her.”

Sir Benjamin said that he would see to the matter without delay and the next day he returned to the house with a hundred gold guineas.

Gloucester was with the old lady when Bathurst came in and when he saw that the treasurer wished to speak to her he retired to a corner, and both seemed to forget that he was present.

“Her Highness wishes to recompense you for your hospitality during the last weeks,” began Sir Benjamin.

“To recompense me? I need no recompense.”

“Her Highness believes that to feed so many people must have been costly.”

“I am not in need. I have plenty here for my use and for that of my friends.”

“Still it is Her Highness’s wish that you should take a hundred guineas.”

“I pray you return to Her Highness and tell her that I have no intention of accepting payment.”

A hundred guineas, thought Gloucester. A great deal of money. How many muskets could one buy with it? Was the old lady wondering? But she would not want muskets, of course.

Sir Benjamin, believing that Mrs. Davies merely wished to be persuaded, emptied the bag of guineas into her lap.

“There,” he said, “with Her Highness’s thanks.”

Mrs. Davies stood up and the guineas rolled in all directions. Then she rose and walked from the room without even looking where they went.

Gloucester watched Sir Benjamin on his hands and knees gathering them up. Some had come close to him so he took them to Sir Benjamin.

“So Your Highness saw what happened?”

“She told you that she did not want it.”

“People say of money ‘Take it away. I won’t have it.’ But they are only waiting to be pressed.”

Gloucester considered this.

“But she is not people,” he said gravely. “She is Mrs. Davies.”

“Mama,” said Gloucester, “may I come to church with you?” Anne opened her eyes very wide. “I thought my boy did not care to go to church.”

“I wish to go now,” he said.

“I am pleased.”

“She is pleased too.”

Anne knew that he meant Mrs. Davies.

“I can say ‘Our Father’ now. And I know the Commandments. She says them and I say them after her. The psalms too.”