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of disposing of his enemy.
    As he smiled at the Princess he was thinking how safe he was with her. She adored him and he was very fond of her. They worked together, saw eye to eye; Augusta was not a promiscuous woman; she had been the perfect wife when Frederick had been alive; she had stood firmly beside him, accepting his policies, hating those whom he hated, favouring those whom he favoured; and she had not been unfaithful, although Bute knew that often she wished to be … with him. And as soon as Frederick died there was nothing to prevent their union; neither of them asked for the impossible, which marriage would have been. They were wise enough to do without that mixed blessing. They were as one – in mind and body; and they asked nothing more.
    Lady Bute came to Court. Thank God he had been wise enough to choose a sensible wife. She knew of the relationship between her husband and the Princess. He had given her a large family: ‘Fourteen children,’ the Princess Augusta had remarked admiringly, ‘in as little time as it takes to get them.’ She had special privileges as the wife of one of the most prominent men at Court, and so did her children; Bute himself had become a member of the Privy Council, Groom of the Stole and First Gentleman of the Bedchamber; the King consulted him at every turn and he was fast becoming, to all intents and purposes, the Prime Minister. Lady Bute had been created Baroness Mount Stuart of Wortley; and this, her husband had assured her, on one of the rare occasions when he could absent himself from the side of his mistress to spend a little time with her, was a beginning. Yes, Lady Bute was a sensible woman, determined to put no obstacle in the way of her husband’s advancement.
    So with his women he was singularly blessed.
    ‘Nothing will go wrong with this, my love,’ he said firmly. ‘But I agree with you that the sooner our Princess arrives and is formally married to His Majesty, the happier we shall all feel.’
    ‘The girl should be grateful,’ said the Princess. ‘After all, what is this place, Mecklenburg-Strelitz? Can you imagine theirfeelings when Colonel Graeme made our intentions clear to them?’
    ‘They must have been overwhelmed with joy.’
    ‘I should think so! And Charlotte should be grateful. I hope she will be. We do not want any interference from her.’
    ‘You will know how to manage her, my dearest. I am sure of that.’
    ‘Oh, yes.’ The Princess was very confident. ‘I shall let the child see that she must do as I say. She is very young and will need guidance.’
    ‘Let us hope that she will be wise enough to take it.’
    ‘My dear, I shall insist on that wisdom.’
    Bute laughed. ‘I am sure of it. But His Majesty …’
    ‘What of George?’
    ‘If he should become enamoured of her and she plead with him for her own way …’
    The Princess nodded. ‘George does become enamoured in the most single-minded fashion. That Sarah Lennox …’
    ‘It was not insuperably difficult to part him from her. It is not Sarah Lennox who alarms me so much as … the other.’
    ‘That was when he was young and I believe he was led into that folly. He would never be so foolish again surely. It is merely a matter of managing Charlotte. And I am sure I shall be able to do that. Sarah Lennox is a minx … and Hannah Lightfoot must have been a strong-minded woman. German women are brought up much more sensibly. They know their places. So it will be with our little Charlotte. And I shall be hoping that she becomes pregnant as soon as possible.’
    ‘Then your mind is at ease?’
    ‘As much as it can be until George is actually married to a safe little German princess.’
    While they were talking the King burst in upon them. It was clear that something had happened to alarm him. His face was pinker than usual – a sure sign that he was distraught. His mouth with its thick Hanoverian lips was trembling a little.
    ‘George … my dearest son, what is