He was one of the most brilliantly clever young men of the Court—clever in a different way from Sir Robert Walpole. Lord Hervey made amusing verses and witty conversation; he was very very handsome and, she was sure her mother agreed with this. one of the brightest lights of the Court.

He had recently married Molly Lepel, one of the Court beauties, but she remained in the country and rarely came to Court, so it was almost as though Lord Hervey was a bachelor.

So Caroline sat dreaming of Lord Hervey while Anne and Amelia quarrelled over the Duke of Grafton.

The coronation was to take place in October and during September little else was talked of throughout the Court and the city.

The King strutted in the Park wearing brilliant uniforms, reviewing troops. He was very pleased with himself. The Queen busied herself with state affairs, going carefully through all documents in order to render, as she told the King, the little assistance of which she was capable.

He was pleased, and as long as she never showed that she had a firmer grasp of affairs than he had, as long as she always made a show of waiting for his opinion before passing her own, he was contented.

Caroline was delighted that he showed such a pleasure in pomp and ceremony, for this was what the people enjoyed; they would gather to cheer him in the Park and often when she was at Kensington she would watch him from her window.

She too must not give up her habit of sauntering, always remembering to smile and chat affably with the humblest who approached her. She realized the importance of this. It was where George I had failed so wretchedly. In fact, sauntering tired her more than it used to. It might have been due to that unmentionable infirmity of which she refused to think; there was a touch of gout in her legs which was almost as disturbing, for if she could not walk with the King whenever he wished it, he would be irritated and it might be necessary to confess that she was unable to. That must never happen.

George was in the highest spirits at this time. He was a new enough king to be a novelty to his subjects and had as yet had not had time to do anything of which they could disapprove. All he had to do was parade in splendid uniforms and acknowledge the cheers. He was delighted with the manner in which he believed he had acquired a larger Civil List than his father, for he was immediately able to forget the part Caroline had played in this and she, in accordance with her practice, made no effort to remind him. He was eagerly awaiting the coronation which would be the most dazzling spectacle of all.

He came to the Queen to talk to her about it. She was busy with state papers, her feet resting on a footstool which seemed to ease her legs, but when the King came in she hastily kicked it aside.

‘Ha!’ He glanced quickly at the papers and then sat down stretching his legs out before him.

‘I have been looking at the robes,’ he said with a smile. ‘They are very fine.’

She smiled at him. ‘Crimson velvet edged with ermine vill suit you. You have tried them on?’

He confessed it, and she had a quick picture of him strutting before mirrors. She tried not to think of the suppressed smiles of his attendants but she guessed they would have bcen there.

The cap of state is very fine,’ went on the King. ‘I remember seeing your father vearing it.’

The King laughed. ‘It did him not much become!’ he jeered. ‘He looked as if he vere going to his execution rather than his coronation.’

‘You vill look so different.’

His expression changed. Rarely was a man so easy to read, thought Caroline; and was thankful for it. It helped her to assess his moods quickly and so avoid pitfalls.

‘The jewels in this cap are very goot. They sparkle yell against the crimson velvet.’

‘The people vill be delighted.’

‘It vill be the best coronation they have ever seen.’ The King reluctantly turned his mind from the contemplation of his own splendour to think of the Queen’s.

‘You too must dazzle them, my dear.’

‘It vill be the King on whom every eye vill rest.’

‘But they vill not forget the Queen. He had no queen. They remembered she was shut away in prison ... and he had put her there. No queen ... only those two mistresses of his. I remember how the people laughed at him. Our coronation vill be different. You vill be there ... the Queen ... and the girls vill hold your train. They vill see that we are von big and happy family ... now that the old scoundrel can no longer plague us. You must sparkle vith jewels.’

‘Ah, jewels,’ said Caroline. ‘Vere shall I find them? Your father gave away all the jewels to those mistresses of his. I vas looking into this only today. There is nothing left but one pearl necklace.’

‘The old scoundrel....’ George’s eyes bulged in the familiar way. ‘But jewels there must be. They must them give back.... We must have jewels...

‘I vill find a vay of acquiring some.’

He nodded. He was not really interested in her jewels. He was seeing himself smiling, bowing, his hand on his heart. He could hear the acclamation of the crowds. Everybody was going to be glad on that day that the old King was dead and a new one was being crowned.

The Queen was at her wits end to know how to procure jewels for the coronation. The King would be displeased if she did not glitter from head to foot; and how could she, when the royal jewel cases were empty and she could not even trace which of the late King’s mistresses were in possession of the gems. Ermengarda Schulemburg, Duchess of Kendal, no doubt possessed many of them, but she was still abroad and certainly could not be asked to return her late lover’s gifts ... not by letter at any rate.

Caroline summoned her two most trusted women, Mrs Clayton, on whom she depended perhaps more than any other, and Henrietta Howard, the King’s mistress, who had for many years proved herself a good and discreet servant to the Queen. That these two ladies disliked each other intensely did not disturb Caroline.

‘I need jewels,’ she said. ‘There is only one pearl necklace in the jewel boxes.’

‘But, Your Majesty, that is impossible!’ cried Mrs Clayton.

‘I fear not. The late King vas occasionally a generous man to his mistresses ... particularly as he grew older.’

‘I’ll swear that harlot Anne Brett has looked after herself.’

‘Ve can scarcely blame her for that. Perhaps ve should all have done the same in her place. But I need jewels. I must have them for the coronation.’

Henrietta Howard said: ‘I’m sure every lady in your household would be delighted to lend Your Majesty everything she has.’

‘You think so, Henrietta.’ The Queen smiled. ‘It is a strange position—a coronation and no jewels for the Queen to wear.’

‘If Your Majesty will give me permission I will discover discreetly whether I can acquire the jewellery.’

‘Yes, Henrietta, you vill be discreet I know.’

Henrietta bowed her head. She was a little weary of discretion. She herself received very little reward for her services. She was a little tired of those regular visits of His Majesty. Sometimes she wanted to laugh aloud when she saw him come into the apartment, watch in hand. ‘It is exactly nine o’clock, Henrietta. Time ve made love.’ It would be hysterical laughter. She knew that throughout the Palace people would be looking at the time and making ribald remarks about her and the King.

It was said that she had all the disadvantages of being a king’s mistress and none of the advantages. It was true.

If she had not a husband from whom she wished to escape; if she were free; she would like nothing better than to retire from Court, perhaps marry again, this time using more judgment, retire into private life, perhaps to the country, far away from the Court where she must wait on the Queen and be prepared to receive the King at precisely the same hour every evening for precisely the same purpose.