Free Victoria Victorious: The Story of Queen Victoria by Jean Plaidy Page A

Because my father had been older than he was, I came before George Cumberland, and that irritated his parents. They had such evil reputations that I am not sure now whether the rumors were circulated because of that, or whether they really were menacing my life.
    When I was very young they had put it about that I was a weak child and not expected to live, and Mama had to take me for walks very publicly so that all the people were able to see for themselves how strong I was. Indeed I was quite plump and brimming over with good health. I still went for these walks with Mama or Lehzen—usually as far as Apsley House, and the people often stopped and cheered me.
    Mama said later that the reason why I was never left alone was because of the forces round me and the need to protect me from them all the time. I was not so sure of that because I became aware that Mama wanted me to do exactly as she wished, so that I should be like a puppet she was controlling.
    The Cumberlands were at the center of more than one scandal—and not minor ones either. There was the one long ago concerning the Duke'svalet; and at this time there was another when Lord Graves was found dead in bed with his throat cut, the evidence being that he had killed himself. And why had he done this? Because his wife was having a love affair with the Duke of Cumberland, and one must never forget that his Duchess also had a dubious past with two husbands who had died young.
    Aunt Sophia, when she was very young had had a child presumed to be by Colonel Garth. Now they were saying that the real father of Sophia's child was her brother, the Duke of Cumberland.
    There was no end to the scandal that surrounded that family.
    Aunt Adelaide used to call on my mother occasionally, and I always thought Mama behaved very regally toward her, although as the wife of the Duke of Clarence, who was older than my father would have been, Aunt Adelaide should have taken precedence. She might have been put out by this—most people, and certainly Mama, would have been—but she was not. I really think she liked to come to Kensington to see me, because she was always so kind to me, and I noticed a special look on her face when she talked to me. She always asked about my pony, Rosy, and the dolls, and what I was doing. She wanted me to go to visit her at Bushey; she told me something about the parties she gave. The two little Georges came—Cumberland and Cambridge. “Such darling boys,” said Aunt Adelaide. “George Cambridge is with us now, because his mother and father are abroad. He and the other George are great friends. We have singing and dancing and games.” How I should have loved to go to Bushey!
    But I was never allowed to. I asked Mama why and she grew very red in the face and muttered something about those dreadful FitzClarences.
    Later I discovered they were the children and grandchildren of Uncle William's liaison with the actress Dorothy Jordan and Aunt Adelaide had adopted them as her own family when she married Uncle William. More family scandal!
    My chief companion at this time was Victoire Conroy whom I never liked because she was her father's daughter, and the older I grew the more resentful I became of his presence in our household. I felt sure I was right to be wary of him because both Lehzen and Spath disliked him too. They did not say much to me—at least Lehzen didn't—but Spath used to purse her lips and mutter “
Das Schwein
.”
    Victoire was like her father; she was a little superior and seemed to forget I was a princess, or perhaps she felt that with such an important father, she was of as much consequence as I was.
    Several times I asked Mama why I could not go to Aunt Adelaide'sparties and meet gentle George Cambridge, who had the good fortune to live with Aunt Adelaide, and George Cumberland, who might not be as sinister as his parents.
    But Mama was adamant. I simply could not go to Bushey because of what I heard her call “The Bastidry.” “And