The Winter Villa <1>
April 8th 1859
My dear Henry
I wish you joy with all my heart of dear Matilda’s <2> approaching marriage, as it seems to give you so much satisfaction, & to promise her so much happiness. I received your letter by the second post (recently established) on Wednesday, & was quite taken by surprise, as you may imagine; for you have kept the affair so snug, I could have no idea that anything was impending. I only hope that her prétendu <3> is all that you could wish. He ought to be very charming to be worthy of her – & also to have succeeded in attracting her away from her happy home. Pray give her my best & tenderest love & congratulations – & also to Constance, <4> on this happy event – though I fear you will all miss her dreadfully. I am glad that he has an occupation – tho’ so dry a one as the law – & I hope they will be comfortably off – but I could have wished a little more fortune – though I am far from thinking that the most essential ingredient to happiness. Milord & Ernestine, & Val & Charlie, <5> (who are both here) send their congratulations & best wishes to Matilda. Charlie came down for a few days leave, very difficult to get just now, & returns to Town tomorrow. Shall you, individually, be continuing to stay at Edinboro’ <6> or have we any hopes of seeing you here this Spring? Do come if you can. Milord has been a little better lately – He has been trying Homœopathy with a certain amount of success. Is Major Bolton <7> of the Royal Artillery, whom we know here very well, the son of your Mr Bolton <8> the lawyer?
With love to everybody
Yr affte
Caroline
Notes:
1. Winter Villa, near Plymouth: estate of the Earls of Mt Edgcumbe
2. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter married John Gilchrist-Clark (1830–1881), Scottish JP; WHFT’s son-in-law on 16 June 1859.
3. Intended.
4. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
5. Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, Lord Valletort, 3rd Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (1797–1861), WHFT’s brother-in-law, and his children Ernestine Emma Horatia Edgcumbe (1843-1925), WHFT’s niece, William Henry Edgcumbe, ‘Val’, 4th Earl Mt Edgcumbe (1832–1917), JP & Ld Steward of the Royal Household; WHFT’s nephew ‘Bimbo’ and Charles Earnest Edgcumbe (1838–1915), JP, WHFT’s nephew.
6. Edinburgh, Scotland.
7. Sir Francis John Bolton (1831–1887), soldier and electrician. He was the son of Dr. Thomas Wilson Bolton MD, surgeon of London and Manchester.
8. John Henry Bolton (1795–1873), solicitor, London.
9. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].