The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope Part 28

There is a very pretty Mrs FitzGerald here, her husband is related to Lord Ilchester, but our acquaintance among the English is very small and we have no wish to enlarge it.

VERSAILLES, _February 9th, 1819._

The Evelyns who live in Lord Mansfield's house gave an excellent ball.

Lady Allone invited, & the story is that Mrs Evelyn says this was on condition that she--Mrs Evelyn--left out all her own friends.

Mrs Poplim is the gayest of the gay with b.a.l.l.s and Proverbs, but the English society does not improve.

_Undated._

Robert Glyn writes word that Mrs Beaumont sent to him at Genoa to complain of the extortion of some of the foreign Bankers; they had amongst them cheated her of _thirty s.h.i.+llings_, and she seemed to think the Glyns were answerable for this, which made the Sieur Robert rather indignant, particularly as it turned out that she had left the set of Bankers recommended by the Glyns and gone to those of whom they knew nothing. She has laid out about 500 on curiosities at Genoa.

Sophy [14] has certainly had a very good offer in Italy, some very rich Neopolitan Prince, _un grand parti_, but Madame refused him in grand style.

In the next letter Marianne describes an event which electrified all France. The Duc D'Avaray was an intimate friend of Louis XVIII. His granddaughter Rosalba, aged seventeen, was extraordinarily handsome and much sought after by many aspirants for her hand. Among these latter was a young Englishman, twenty-six years of age, Charles Shakerley, [15] who was a great friend of the Stanhopes. Indeed, it appears extremely probable that Mrs Stanhope was responsible for his introduction to the Due D'Avaray as she was indirectly responsible for what followed, since it was owing to her invitation that Madame Contibonne, whose presence might have averted what happened, was absent from her home on the eventful evening when Charles Shakerley took his fate into his hands.

_February 25th, 1819._

I have secured the pen out of my mother's hand to announce the great event which at this moment occupies all at Versailles and all Paris, and probably will shortly occupy all the _beau monde_ of France.

This great event is Shakerley's elopement with Mlle. D'Avaray, on Sunday the 21st.

William saw him either Sat.u.r.day or Sunday at Paris, very disconsolate at having just been refused. He told him he was packing up, was just going to England for a week and then intended to depart for Petersburg, we supposed to take unto himself some Russian Belle.

William came down in the Celerifere with Madame & Mlle. de Contibonne, who told him Mlle. D'Avaray was their particular friend, and they related all the history of the refusal. Mdlle. de Contibonne came here to dine with her mother, who was obliged to return, having company at Paris in the evening, one of her daughters remained at home, and with her Mdlle. D'Avaray dined. The latter was to walk home with her maid to dress for the party. Instead of going home she got into a _Cabriolet_ with her maid, and drove to the barrier where Shakerley, with two carriages, was waiting. They went off to Ostend, the lady and her maid in one carriage, the gentleman and his valet in the other. At Ostend they set the telegraph to send word to the d.u.c.h.esse D'Avaray where they were, and in return the Duc sent a _permission de mariage_.

On Sunday William gave them your's and Philip's direction, so perhaps you may see them.

Had he murdered three women, there could not be such an outcry; old and young, male and female, married and single, all unite in abuse of the poor lady. The French Dandies are in a rage that the prettiest girl in Paris should have run off with _un Anglais_. The English all are delighted, even the Mammas, which astonishes all the French, _Mais cette nation d'Insulaires barbares a toujours insulte toutes les bien-connues._

I have sent you the general details, very likely not all true, but that he has run off is most certain. To me, he has married her, or means to do so; the very height and front of his offending hath this extent, no more.

To this information Mrs Stanhope added:--

What a scandal! In addition to what Anne has said, I must add what we have heard since. Before Mlle. D'Avaray went away, she went into Mile, de Contibonne's room, from which she made her way down the back stairs. They wondered she did not return, and when they looked for her, the bird was flown. I believe he was in the street waiting for her. It was certainly a bold step for a French girl, as the eloping, or as they call it being _enlevee_, is considered as everything that is shocking! I say you will give him away when they are married in England.

VERSAILLES, _March 3rd, 1819._

Shakerley returned Thursday, was married at the Amba.s.sador's Friday.

The Duke of Gloucester [16] gave the Lady away & has taken Shakerley with him to England, & she is gone to her friends, as she cannot be married by the rights of the Church till the dispensation arrives, which it cannot do for 21 days. Therefore he is lost and she is not-- what would you say to that? Report says her friends had fixed on another person whose name I forget, and that the Hotel was ready. You will probably see him and hear the truth.

Two days before the date of this letter, John Stanhope had encountered the delinquent in London. On March 1st, 1819, his diary records:--

It rained very hard. Met Shakerley in Bond Street. He had just arrived from Paris. After having in vain attempted to get the Duc D'Avaray's consent to marrying his granddaughter, he eloped with her. He had previously got a pa.s.sport under Lord B.'s name and sent his carriage off on the road to Brussels. He got another under his own name, and on the road to Calais he took up Mlle. D'Avaray.

His cabriolet drove most furiously to the place where Lord B's carriage and four horses were waiting, thence going off at full speed.

The whole of Paris went after them, but by taking the only road where there was no telegraph, they completely outwitted the police. At last one of his pursuers found him on the other side of the frontiers and conveyed to them the intelligence that the Due would forgive them and consent to their marriage at the Amba.s.sador's chapel.

Immediately after, Shakerley started for England in order to procure his father's consent, as that was necessary for their marriage according to the rites of the Catholic Church.

On March 30th, 1819, Mrs Stanhope adds the final word with regard to this episode:--

When Shakerley was married, rooms were prepared for them at the Duke D'Avaray's, which had not been opened for three years, but no "_Faire parts_" or "_Visites de noces_," and her friends say she will have a difficult part to act, as her being received will depend upon her future conduct. They are gone to Arras, where the Duke has the command, and will I suppose be in London in May.

Lady Hunloke and various other people are inquiring for houses here.

Mrs Evelyn carried off her daughter in a hurry, as all the men were after her.

It appears, however, that later the delinquents were honoured by some "_faire parts_" being sent out to their friends by their nearer relatives.

Folded up with these old letters are two announcements, each printed on a large sheet of paper, one surmounted by a Cupid holding a blazing torch and supporting a large M.:--

Mr and Mme. SHAKERLEY out l'honneur de vous faire part du mariage de M. SHAKERLEY, leur fils, avec Mlle. D'AVARAY.

The other (on which a Cupid has just lit two hearts flaming on one altar) runs thus:--

Mr le Duc et Mme. la d.u.c.h.eSSE D'AVARAY, M. le MARQUIS et Mme. la MARQUISE D'AVARAY ont l'honneur de vous faire part du Mariage de Mlle.

D'AVARAY, leur pet.i.te fille et fille, avec M. SHAKERLEY.

Sad to relate, this romance had an untimely ending. Gronow states:--

"It was the only case I remember of a young French lady running away from her father's house, and the sensation created by such an extraordinary occurrence was very great. The marriage, as runaway marriages usually are, was a very unhappy one; and the quarrels of the ill-matched couple were so violent that the police had to interfere. Unfortunately, the fair lady having once eloped, thought she might try the same experiment a second time, and one cold winter's night she decamped from a ball at the Austrian Amba.s.sador's with a black-haired Spanish Don, the Marquis d'Errara."

After this unprecedented Parisian excitement, the news from England which filtered through the post to the family in exile must have appeared lacking in interest. On March 25th, 1819, John Stanhope mentioned a little incident which has since become history. "Yesterday, I went to Almack's,"

he relates, "a tolerably full ball. Many people were shut out, as at twelve Lady Castlereagh ordered the doors to be closed. In the number were her Lord and Master, and the Duke of Wellington." From Brighton came news of another old friend, Mr Macdonald, who was under a course of treatment from "Mr Mahomet, the Oriental Vaporist, "during which he sent them a description of his surroundings, which might be written to-day.

16 NEW STEINE, BRIGHTON, _August 7th, 1819._

What a mult.i.tude of people we have here, Jews, Haberdashers, and money-lenders without number, a sort of Marine Cheapside, Mr Solomons, Mrs Levis, and all the Miss Abrahams; in short, Hook Noses, Mosaical Whiskers and the whole tribe of Benjamin occupy every shop, every donkey-cart, and every seat in Box, Pit, and Gallery. I am very tired of them, and shall probably take flight at the end of the week to Worthing.