May 12^th

My dear Henry

your letter of the 5^th this moment arrived gives me great uneasiness about your dear Constance ^<1> which however I hope your next will relieve me from – I have felt most unnatural in not having given vent to my feeling of joy at the good accounts which reached us of her prior[?] accouchement but I delayed from day to day in the hope that something would be settled as to our Plans – it was only yesterday that Valletort ^<2> came to the resolution of remaining here – he had a great desire to move to England, & nothing but his entire inability to do so has prevented him undertaking the Journey – I do not think he could have accomplished it without making several stoppages by the way & Caroline ^<3> had no Time to lose – our plans depended entirely on theirs. For your mother ^<4> could not [illegible deletion] allow Caroline to go without her & if V. had persisted in his resolution, we should all have gone together as far as Aix & your Mother would have proceeded to England with them & I should have followed with Hr. ^<5> after our Baths there – She, Horatia is a vast deal better, but we Think that being in the reach of Aix it would be unfair, not to endeavour to procure for her all the benefit their waters can afford her, & me also. – It is then settled that the Valletorts remain & Caroline will be confined here they will however probably make some Tour – he, if he can, will go to Aix – & we intend making an excursion to Genoa – immediately in which of going Saturday, but direct here – the place is emptying fast but the weather continues cool – Your mother has the notion which she may still execute of going to England for a month returning for Caroline’s confinement. – I should accompany her – leaving Horatia with Caroline – I write, as you may perceive, in great haste, to send the Post & have no time to say more today than to beg you to write often, Till you can relieve our minds about Constance–

God bless you my dear Henry
how I wish we were with you to comfort you in your anxiety.
V. Aff.
C.F

It is not our Fault that you have not heard lately – we could not press Valletort to decide without appearing unkind – nothing could be settled without him – & he might any Day for the last month as well as yesterday have made up his mind

we think of staying a week or ten days at Genoa, but it is not unlikely our Trip may be prolonged

I will write again soon

H.F. Talbot Esq^r
Angleterre
Sackville St
London

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Notes:

1. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.

2. Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, Lord Valletort, 3rd Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (1797–1861), WHFT’s brother-in-law.

3. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.

4. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.

5. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.