Lord Worcester’ s youthful adoration of a courtesan

In recent weeks I’ve been telling you about Harriette’s affair with a young heir to a dukedom, and my belief that she hoped to gain a happy ending from the relationship, in the form of a ring on her finger and financial security for the rest of her life. She frequently declares in her memoirs, that Lord Worcester constantly called her his wife, as well as treating her like his wife… But before I continue, as usual, here’s a quick recap for anyone joining this series of posts today. If you’ve read it before then skip to the end of the italics.

In 1825 Harriette Wilson, a courtesan, published a series of stories as her memoirs in a British broad sheet paper. The Regency gentleman’s clubs were a buzz, waiting to see the next names mentioned each week. While barriers had to be set up outside the shop of her publisher, Stockdale, to hold back the disapproving mob.

Harriette was born Harriette Debochet, she chose the name Harriette Wilson as her professional name, in the same way Emma Hart, who I’ve blogged about previously, had changed her name. Unlike Emma, it isn’t known why or when Harriette changed her name.

She was one of nine surviving children. Her father was a watchmaker and her mother a stocking repairer, and both were believed to be from illegitimate origin.

Three of Harriette’s sisters also became courtesans. Amy, Fanny and Sophia (who I have written about before). So the tales I am about to begin in my blogs will include some elements from their lives too.

For a start you’ll need to understand the world of the 19^th Century Courtesan. It was all about show and not just about sex. The idle rich of the upper class aspired to spending time in the company of courtesans, it was fashionable, the thing to do.

You were envied if you were linked to one of the most popular courtesans or you discovered a new unknown beauty to be admired by others.

Courtesans were also part of the competitive nature of the regency period too, gambling was a large element of the life of the idle rich and courtesans were won and lost and bartered and fought for.

So courtesans obviously aspired to be one of the most popular, and to achieve it they learnt how to play music, read widely, so they could debate, and tried to shine in personality too. They wanted to be a favoured ’original’.

The eccentric and outspoken was admired by gentlemen who liked to consort with boxers and jockeys, and coachmen, so courtesans did not aim for placid but were quite happy to insult and mock men who courted them, and demand money for any small favour.

The Marquis of Wiltshire. 7th Duke of Beaufort. in later life

Harriette tells us numerous stories of Lord Worcester’s devotion through the period of their three-year engagement (which is what she called any contractual relationship she entered into). Some examples are that he would get out of bed and make their toast for breakfast himself, in the morning, rather than let a footman touch the food she was to eat; that he insisted on lacing her corset himself so that no maid hurt her by pulling it too harshly; that he took over the ordering of the house (usually a woman’s duty) including meeting with the housekeeper to agree dinner menu’s because Harriette once said she preferred not to know what she was going to eat; that he went deathly pale when she had to have a back tooth pulled and then wore it about his neck for a long while. He even refused to attend any gatherings of the gentry locally, because Harriette, of course, would not have been received, so if she could not go, then he would not go. His view was, ‘having bound myself to you for my life, for better or for worse, and with my eyes open, I feel that we two make but one… and I hate to go to any place, where you may not accompany me.’

There was one night though, when Lord Worcester’s uncle, who lived locally, had invited Lord Worcester to attend a ball in honour of his birthday, and Lord Worcester refused to go. But Harriette says she urged him to attend. Apparently Worcester’s uncle had been threatening to tell Worcester’s father about Harriette, as he was concerned they really were married. So to prevent the interference of Worcester’s father, the Duke of Beaufort, Harriette encourages the young lord to go.

He says he cannot go because he always serves her dinner himself and if he goes who will serve her? Harriette declares that he can serve her before he leaves then. But when they carry out this plan, after dinner, he was in no mood to leave her, ‘why am I to be dressed up, there, while the person for whom alone I exist, or wish to live an hour, is left in solitude… I will not go, let the consequence be what it may.’

When his angry uncle then sent a servant to fetch Worcester, Lord Worcester ran upstairs, put a nightcap on and shouted out the window that he was too ill to go, and in bed, so he did not wish to be disturbed.

One other time though, when the invitation came from the Prince Regent, who was visiting Brighton, and at the time commanded Lord Worcester’s regiment, the 10^th Hussars, Lord Worcester could not then refuse.

Harriette says, this was the first time he did leave her alone. But again he served her dinner first, then sighed for a long while before he did go, and when he returned claimed that although the music was beautiful, because Harriette could not listen to it, he’d found somewhere to hide and stuff his ears, so he could not hear it, because she could not. But the visit earned him a nightly invitation from the Prince Regent. So Lord Worcester declared that he would learn to limp, and then claim he could not attend the Prince because he was terribly lame. He spent the rest of the night then practicing his limp.

I don’t think Harriette could have asked for any greater devotion, but even then she does not speak of love he never won that from her, she speaks of gratitude, she says in response to all this attention, ‘my gratitude, which he yet believes in, because I proved it, not only in words but by all actions….’ – I can only imagine 🙂

Their story isn’t over by a long way though, more next week…

Jane Lark is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional love stories.

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Harriette begins an intrigue with a new protector – perhaps with a happy ending on her mind

So let me continue my posts on Harriette Wilson’s story where I left off, just skipping a little ahead to when the Duke of Leinster leaves.

But as usual for those joining this series of posts today here’s the background, if you’ve read it before skip to the end of the italics.

She was one of nine surviving children. Her father was a watchmaker and her mother a stocking repairer, and both were believed to be from illegitimate origin.

You were envied if you were linked to one of the most popular courtesans or you discovered a new unknown beauty to be admired by others.

Harriette declares herself melancholy when Lord Leinster leaves London, and she has sworn her other young beau, Lord Worcester, not to call on her for three days, as she knows he will be gleeful, and she will be in no mood for his joy.

The Duke of Leinster has promised to write to her if his trip to Spain is delayed by the weather at Portsmouth, and when he does write advising his delay maybe as long as a week, Harriette decides to play more games, and leaves Lord Worcester behind in London, with hurried notes apologizing for deserting him, and hurtles off to Portsmouth for a last and final farewell to Lord Leinster. When she arrives, she says ‘His Grace was very glad to see me, in his dry way; but it was impossible to avoid making comparisons between my two young lovers as were most favourable to Worcester.’

But then we hear another insight into Harriette’s calculating mind. She takes this moment to highlight that ‘her sister’ (this was not Harriette’s thinking – not Harriette’s at all – ha, ha) highlighted the fact the Duke had not thought to enquire after Harriette’s finances before he intended leaving. Then Lord Leinster added insult to injury and instead of spending his mornings entertaining Harriette by walking out with her, he instead went sailing. That was the final straw when there was the perhaps less wealthy (as he had not yet come into his title), but certainly more ardent and willing to flatter, Lord Worcester back in London. Harriette was not going to sit in Portsmouth twiddling her thumbs to hang about a Duke who did not even pay her (perhaps she had only gone in the hope he would pay up after he’d left London without giving her a final settlement).

So ‘coolly’ wishing Lord Leinster ‘un bon voyage’ to his utter astonishment, she hastens back to town.

And on her return to London ‘I found a great many cards and letters on my table in town; and what was better still, another blank cover, directed to me, containing two banknotes for one hundred pounds each!’

Harriette says very little else about why she specifically agrees to accept Lord Worcester’s protection, and become his mistress, all she says about meeting him again in London is, ‘I will not attempt to describe his rapture, or how violently he was agitated at meeting with me. My readers, besides accusing me of vanity, would not believe such exaggerated feeling as he evinced to be in human nature… Therefore without love, I agreed to place myself under his protection.’

As I said last week and the week before, I have a suspicion that Harriette held some hope in Lord Worcester as her potential happy ending, as a pathway to respectability and constant fortune. And here, Harriette makes me believe it again, when in the paragraph after saying she has accepted Lord Worcester without love she goes on to say, ‘Many women… intrigue (have affairs in modern language) because they see no prospect nor hopes for getting husbands; but I, who might as everybody told me, and were incessantly reminding me, have, at this period, smuggled myself into the Beaufort family, by merely declaring to Lord Worcester, with my finger pointed towards the North––that way leads to Harriette Wilson’s bedchamber; yet so perverse was my conscience, so hardened by what Fred Bentinck calls, my perseverance in loose morality, that I scorned the idea of talking such advantage of the passion I had inspired…’

Me thinks she doth protest too much 😀

Harriette’s tale continues next week – but just for a little humorous aside, it makes me laugh how things circle about – The Beauforts, of course, are descended from Katherine Swynford who had an affair/intrigue with the Prince, John of Guant, in the 14^th Century which lasted years and produced four children who he later had legitimized. Oddly this was the love story which inspired me to write historical novels when I was very young, as John of Gaunt married Katherine when his second wife died… The happy ending perhaps Harriette was seeking.

Jane is currently running a competition offering a night in The Regency Hotel, London, amazon vouchers, and free copies of Illicit Love, which continues until 19th July 2013. To support the release of her new novella, Captured Love, telling the story of subsidiary characters from Illicit Love. Click on the cover on the side bar to purchase through Amazon, or go to the Old Victorian Quill to find out more.

Jane Lark is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional love stories.