Abigail's Cousin (20 page)

Robert Harley
entered Parliament as a country Whig yet he had come to realise
that he had little in common with the Whigs already in government
and especially the Whigs connected with the war then raging on the
Continent. It was lord Godolphin who saw in Harley a great
parliamentary fixer for pushing his financial bills through the
House. He even owed his elevation as Secretary to him for although
the queen did not demur when his name was put forward, as she had
done in the case of Lord Sunderland, Harley knew the queen was also
swayed by Godolphin's recommendation.

He did not
like owing favours. He did not like this war. He was ambitious and
believed a man of his talent should sit in the House of Lords and
saw a way of achieving his ambition. One obstacle was his politics.
He could not form an anti-war party and be a Whig. The two were
incompatible. Were he to become a Tory his chances of promotion
would be higher as his cousin had told him that the queen showed
more sympathy with that party because of its close association with
the Church of England.

Yet although
the queen was a Tory she was also a woman. She was a woman prone to
whims about people. It was her whim, as Godolphin and Lady
Churchill saw it, to exclude Charles Spencer Sunderland recommended
by Godolphin as envoy to Vienna. In another instance, Robert Harley
put forward the name of Mathew Prior as an envoy to Europe but the
queen demurred, her excuse being he was of 'mean extraction'.

Now Robert
Harley saw a way of gentle persuasion through his cousin Abigail
Hill, through increasing her happiness and improving his chances of
promotion he had set his mind to. When he heard a knock one
afternoon, as he sat in his room and office, he smiled to himself
as he called for the person to enter. He greeted his visitor:

"Good day,
colonel Masham. Come and b-be seated." The colonel returned the
greeting accepting the proffered seat. Harley continued:

"Please accept
my heartfelt condolences upon the recent loss of your dear father."
The colonel is very appreciative of these words and Harley can be
sure that Masham means what he says:

"Thank you
from the bottom of my heart, Mr Harley. It was a little time ago
yet I still feel bereft. Indeed I am quite at a loss."

"I understand,
my dear colonel. My father's loss greatly affected me and I still
feel the p-pangs though it was years ago. Did I hear that you have
left the army?"

"Sadly, yes.
My father's death was just one of the reasons. Perhaps I shall
return at some later date. There was much to do concerned with my
father's estate, as you doubtless appreciate."

"You used the p-past tense,
Colonel. Do I take it you are
anxious to rejoin the ranks of those who needs must sweat for their
advancement." Masham might, with justification, have given that
thought some reproach thinking of how stripped to the waist he had
helped colonel Blood place his cannon in position never having shed
so much perspiration in his life, but he smiled at Harley
noting:

"Ably put Mr
Harley." Flattery came easy to him and he tried a phrase to see how
it went down: "My, my, sir! I've heard it said you're not easy to
understand yet I could not have put it better myself."

Masham had hit
the right note for Harley smiled, placing his hands, thumbs
uppermost, on his chest in preening mode:

"We all have
our days, colonel, and off-days, I daresay, especially when the
latter coincide with those of my detractors. But I can see you're a
man of keen wit and can sort the substance from the chaff. Have you
had some thought as to your future?"

It had been a
surprise to Masham to receive this invitation for an interview. Yet
it had come at a time when having dealt with his father's estate
and having come to realise his future lay elsewhere, it occurred to
him that perhaps his departure from the army had been premature. He
could have asked for leave of absence but his father had so
well-concealed the paucity of his estate, that Masham had built up
a mental picture of becoming a country squire. That dream had
turned to dust. He had travelled to London, to his former haunts,
to St James Palace, his former place of employment, as much on the
lookout for an opening as the possibility of a reunion with old
friends and former colleagues.

What a difference four years had made. His
former master, prince George, no longer ran a large domestic circle
or family, indeed, often he was not in permanent residence. He saw
few people with whom he had been on good terms. One person who had
had welcomed him was the sister of
Lieutenant Hill, whom he, on first acquaintance,
had unjustly despised, and then later, come to dislike although
mistress Hill appeared not to have heard of their mutual
antagonism, or, knowing of it, did not allow it to cast a shadow on
their warm acquaintance.

Harley seemed
to read his thoughts which had flashed through his head appearing
to carry on the conversation when he said:

"Regarding
your future, may a humble worm sensible of his weakness yet
supported by the p-power of the wisdom which is from above..."
Masham's own comment earlier returned and he smiled inwardly,
listening as Harley went on, "may I venture to suggest a
p-preliminary amendment may be at hand."

The colonel
looked puzzled but said nothing as Harley added: "With a lady,
p-perhaps?" Masham still looked puzzled murmuring doubt: “Mmmm!” It
was clear to Harley that he would need to put his thoughts somewhat
clearer. Yet he had not been given the nickname 'the dragon'
through mere drollery. As the Speaker in the House of Commons,
unlike in today’s parliament, he was neutral, possessing a mediator
role, especially between the monarch and parliament.

The nickname
arose out of his landowning background with the Harley family
embroiled in wrangles over tithes satirised in a humorous ballad,
'The Dragon of Wantley' which tells of a Yorkshire dragon devouring
children and cattle of those who did not pay their tithes.

Harley
expected the colonel's puzzlement construing it possibly as
reticence though he never fully appreciated that other people did
not necessarily place the same construction upon matters. He
explained:

"The lady in
question, colonel, is a great favourite with her majesty, who
p-places great confidence in her judgement even to being
comptroller of the wagering fund when her majesty travels to Ascot
or Newmarket. Are you a racing gentleman, colonel?"

Masham was
diffident: "My father liked to attend local meetings and whereas I
interested myself in the bloodstock, he enjoyed betting upon racing
results. Perhaps had I shared his predilection, I might not have
been so shocked as to the smallness of his estate."

Harley noted
the last comment and stored it away simply commenting:

"I daresay
there is much in common between racing, p-perhaps I should say,
hunting and your p-profession in the army, in the cavalry."

Harley noticed
the colonel's eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of horse
pursuits and Harley pursued the theme:

"Her majesty
loves hunting. It is a great passion for her. She drives through
the Berkshire countryside at a furious pace. It sets my p-pulse
racing just to watch her. As indeed it did to another lady."

Masham's eyes
narrowed asking innocently: "What lady is that, Mr Harley?"

"Why, Mistress Hill colonel. I believe
you
are already
acquainted with her."

"Indeed Mr
Harley, a fine and loyal woman. Her majesty is well served."

Harley needed
no more encouragement to embark upon his project. He leaned over
confidingly:

"Could you
entertain the notion, colonel that your future happiness could b-be
at one with the happiness of this fine and loyal woman."

No obtuseness
here, thought Masham. Now the purpose of the interview became
clearer. The moment of truth occasioned him to experience an
initial stammer and in anticipation could only murmur, "Mmmmmm' and
Harley took it as encouraging adding:

"Indeed
colonel, your happiness and p-prospects could easily scale the
extent of your hopes and expectations."

Masham had
entertained notions of inviting out one of the Hill sisters
although until now it had been Alice that had occupied his thoughts
and the perceptive Harley seemed to read his thoughts for he
said:

"Consider
colonel. Mistress Alice has twenty-one years of age and fair but is
beholden to her elder sister for whatever she hath or will have
whereas Mistress Abigail is b-beholden only to her mistress, the
queen, a very grateful queen." Harley paused looking at Masham
intently before adding: "Your desires need be no less."

In that
cryptic addition of Harley's Masham believed he saw another meaning
and chided himself for it, yet adopted a more aggressive attitude
saying: "And what is your interest in all this Mr Harley?"

"My interest,
colonel, my interest!" He spread out his hands in despair that
someone might dream of imputing a selfish intent, saying:

"My interest
is to b-bring about the happiness of two people made for each
other. Simply that, colonel. B-b-believe me!"

Masham could
not help but smile though it was not overtly cynical though Harley
might have doubted it hearing his next remark:

"All the more
so when one of the newly weds has the key to the b-backstairs
entrance to the Palace."

"And not just
one newly wed, colonel, if you don't mind my anticipation."

Masham said
dryly: "I am happy if she's happy, and you're happy if she is
happy." To which Harley smiled saying: "One happy family."

"That would
include her royal highness, I take it, Mr Harley!"

Taken somewhat aback by the colonel's
frankness, Harley could only concur: "If you like, colonel." Yet he
wanted to know Masham
's
mind and asked him outright:

"Would you
like time to dwell on the matter, colonel?"

Masham said in
reply: "When you asked me to call on you, Mr Harley, I somewhat
naively believed that perhaps I might raise the question of an
appointment or some sort of employment."

Harley said: "Appointments in the P-palace
are not in my gift, at p-present. That is the p-prerogative of the
lord treasurer. As in the Army colonel these appointments are in
great demand and often go to the highest bidder. It was a p-policy
of the late King that he would not appoint anybody
with
out a private
income."

"A pauper then
would be unlikely to be appointed as a page." asked Masham.

Harley smiled
enjoying a recollection and now shared it with Masham:

"Unless his
sponsor was Lady Churchill. You are thinking of Hill, no
doubt."

"The lady was
hardly a favourite with William especially after he sent her
husband to the Tower." said Masham emphatically.

"Once the lady
had obtained Queen Anne's approval, she was then just the
p-princess, you understand,” Harley paused in admiration, adding:
“she sent Hill's p-papers to Sir B-benjamin, the treasurer, as if
they had just arrived from the king, who lived in Whitehall at the
time. It was a neat manoeuvre worthy of her husband."

Masham
whistled in admiration: "I gave Hill a lot of stick at the time I
do confess, but it was water off a duck's back." Masham looked
directly at Harley and said: "Lady Churchill offered me an
appointment."

"Oh!" said
Harley interested, "In St James Palace?"

"At Holywell
House, her residence at the time in St. Albans."

Harley looked
intrigued but laughed with Masham when he said:

"As the
official door-opener; she thought I had especial gifts in that
direction."

"Doubtless her ladyship would expect a
high p-premium for such a distinguished situation." Harley's
drollery clearly had an edge as if he too had been the object of
Lady Churchill's scorn and Masham
tried to comfort him by saying:

"We can thank
our lucky stars, Mr Harley, that the Levellers in Cromwell's day
never enacted representation in Parliament for women to be
members."

"They would
surely gain an unfair advantage. Lady Churchill already leads the
lord Godolphin by the nose. Were she in P-parliament, I dread to
think what measures she would introduce." Harley tapped his nose
conspiratorially, leaned over and almost whispered: "Eh,
colonel!"

Masham took
his cue and told him of something he would like to enact whether
proposed by man or woman:

"One of the
gross iniquities that should be ended, Mr Harley is the business of
purchasing commissions. From personal experience there are officers
that disgrace the uniform they wear, and they are there only
because of the depth of their father's pocket."

"Throwing
stones in glass houses, colonel! Tch, tch!" Harley was smiling but
Masham took his point: "You're right. I was so favoured, though it
landed my father in enormous debt. My sisters suffered as a result.
This is the reason, the real reason, I'm here. To seek an
appointment, otherwise it's back to the army for me."

Masham's very
innocence put Harley in a panic. That chance remark made Harley
realise that his plans might have come to nought and he started
thinking furiously of some way of keeping the colonel in the
country. What he had just heard brought him up short. He had
believed, had been led to believe Masham was a gentleman of means.
He said confidingly to him:

"I'm glad you
mentioned that, my dear colonel. I had nearly forgotten," he lied,
"this was what this interview was all about, to sound you out for a
p-possible appointment. He picked up a document on his desk and
handing it over to Masham, said: