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father.
    She was growing closer and closer to Thomas whose activities were of the utmost interest to her; and for him it was a great pleasure to have a well-informed wife with whom he could discuss those issues which were of such importance to him.
    There was only one disappointment in their marriage; there was no sign of any children. But Maria was very young and they had their whole lives before them. Thomas was certain that such a paragon as Maria could not fail to give him all he wanted.
    He delighted in those occasions when they could dine alone together. These were rare because there seemed to be a continual round of entertaining, for he had always been a jovial man who liked to surround himself with friends; he was wealthy; he had fine houses in which to entertain, and as there were three of them in different parts of the country and he had so many friends in each part, naturally there was a constant round of visits.
    But there were rare occasions when he and Maria could dine intimately together and this was one of them. How beautiful she looked with her golden hair falling about her shoulders, so simply dressed and so charming. He thought that in her muslin gown with the blue ribbons she was more beautiful than in a satin silk velvet or brocade evening gown.
    Driving home through the Mall they had passed a young woman in a carriage – a flamboyant, overdressed young woman in pale pink satin and big straw hat decorated with pink and green feathers. An undoubted beauty but, in Maria’s opinion, decidedly a little vulgar. Thomas had told her that the woman was Mrs Robinson, the actress who was known as Perdita because she had been playing Perdita in The Winter’s Tale when the Prince of Wales had first noticed her.
    While they dined they discussed the woman and the scandal she was causing.
    ‘I am sorry for His Majesty,’ said Thomas. ‘The Prince is a great trial to him.’
    ‘He is young yet,’ replied Maria. ‘Doubtless he will grow wiser as he grows older.’
    ‘But when the heir to the throne lives openly with an actress it is certain to cause distress to all good subjects of the King who, I have heard, spends many a sleepless night worrying about what the Prince is doing.’
    ‘I am surprised that he should have become enamoured of such a woman.’
    ‘Actresses have a great appeal for the very young and she is reckoned a beauty.’
    ‘She is undoubtedly that,’ agreed Maria.
    ‘And clearly well aware of it. I give her another three months. They say His Highness is already wavering.’
    ‘Poor woman! What will she do then?’
    ‘Find another protector, I dareswear. That is usually the way of such women.’
    ‘I am sorry for her. She is pretty, too.’
    ‘You waste your pity on such a woman, my love. I wonder what influence the Prince will have on political issues. I have heard that he is seen often in the company of men like Burke and Charles James Fox.’
    ‘So it would appear,’ said Maria, ‘that he does not spend all his time with the actress. He must be interested in politics to have such men as his friends.’
    ‘This could be so.’
    ‘And do you think he will be on our side?’
    Her husband smiled. ‘The Prince will always take sides against his father. But the King gave his assent to our Bill nearly two years ago, so doubtless His Highness would not have given his if he had an opportunity of doing so, which fortunately he has not. He will have to wait until he is twenty-one before he can have an influence on politics … and that is three years away.’
    ‘Is he so young then?’ said Maria.
    ‘Very young. Six years younger than you, Maria.’
    ‘Six years.’ That was about the time she had married Edward Weld! She had seemed very young then. She was silent, thinking of the Prince who caused such distress to his father and who was very wild and gay and, so it was said, extremely charming and undeniably handsome.
    Poor woman, she thought again, as a vision of the woman in the Mall