Nice
17 April.
My dearest Henry
Many Thanks for your letter <1>. The first lines made me tremble – but thank God what might have been attended with such dreadful consequences has passed with only some alarm – how little one knows in this world how soon we may be plunged into unbearable affliction – & how little grateful we are when it does not happen – the absence of evil is a positive blessing, for which we ought to be daily & hourly thankful – You have got on rather faster than I expected & I fear from that circumstance will have missed some of my letters. This however is sure of reaching you so I shall send a part of Kings <2> last letter to me as it concerns you. I am in great annoyance about the house not letting I fear we shall get so small a sum for it that you will be a great loser by your generous undertaking – I think my love considering the pleasant footing we are now on about money matters, that as I had no hesitation in telling you that it would be a great relief to me to know that the sum whatever it was recd for the house would be made up 500£ & still less in accepting the difference from you so you I trust & believe [illegible], if you find that sum more than you expected or can comfortably afford will not hesitate to say so. I really depend on your doing so – You will find your Journey expensive. in short I have entire depend[ence]<3> on your openness with me on this score – King wrote me word that he has made another arrangement about the 600£ I mentioned to you [illegible] so I do not want to know the 400. of which you made a memorandum – I have written by this Post a long letter to your Mother <4> with an account of my plans & proceedings – so will not repeat them. The Children <5> are in great spirits at the idea of going in a Brig <6> – & I confess that it is a great relief to me not to have the job of conveying them to Genoa either by Land or water.
God bless you my dear Henry
I will write to you again soon
Yr aff
C.F.
Monsr
W. H. F. Talbot
Poste Restante
a Paris
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 00962.
2. Of William Read King & Son, solicitors, London.
3. Written off the edge of page.
4. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
5. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister and Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.
6. See Doc. No: 00966.
7. Probably a servant.
8. Probably a servant.
9. Mrs Gwynne (d. winter 1841/1842), lady’s maid, cook and housekeeper to Elisabeth Feilding.