Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/496

 BEAUTY 472 young Prince of Wales caught sight of her, and in so doing looked for the first time on the only real romance of his long and prosaic life. " Farmer George " of the after years was a high-spirited youth enough, and such frank, unspoiled beauties as Lady Sarah Lennox were not frequent at Court. By the time she was fifteen Lady Sarah was a radiant creature, of whom a delightful description has been left by her uncle. Uncles are not, as a rule, the most en- thusiastic admirers of a girl, but no young lover could have been more fervent than Lord Holland on his niece's charms. Refuses to Become a Queen " Her beauty is not easily described, otherwise than by saying she had the finest complexion, most beautiful hair, and pret- tyest person that ever was seen, with a sprightly and fine air, a pretty mouth, and remarkably fine teeth, and excess of bloom in her cheeks, little eyes — but this is not describing her, for her great beauty was a peculiarity of countenance, that made her at the same time different from and prettyer than any other girl I ever saw." When George IH. became King, the ques- tion of his marriage very soon arose. A Princess of Brunswick was mentioned, but his heart was far nearer than that. Not one of Lady Sarah's least charms was the fact that, when a child, she formed a friendship with Lady Susan Fox Strangeways, which lasted till they were old ladies in their eighties, when death ended it. To this friend George III. practically proposed for Lady Sarah. But the next time he saw his love at Court, and asked her if she had heard what he had said to Lady Susan, and what she thought of it, she said crossly, " Nothing, sir ! " Thus she refused a throne as lightly as though it had been a sugar biscuit. The fact was, she was rather attracted by young Lord Newbattle, and some hitch had occurred between her and him. She liked the King well enough, but she did not love him. However, this was not her final oppor- tunity of being Queen of England. On every occasion when she appeared at Court, the King made opportunities of talking to her long and publicly. On one occasion there was some pretty badinage between them about a lady from Ireland who had taught him a certain dance. Lady Sarah pretended not to know who this lady was, and the Court stood looking on at as pretty a scene of love-making as the most romantic heart could desire. The Wedding of King George III At his birthday ball the King had no eyes for anyone but her. He brought her forward to stand by his chair, and her uncle has recorded that, "if possible, she looked prettyer than ever." She was frankly pleased, and " the language of the eye " again, according to Lord Holland, passed between them; and the girl's natural modesty made his pride in his niece even greater than it had been. She was about the only person at the English Court who was not scheming on the vexed question of the King's marriage. She took it all quite naturally, and when one day we find the King talking to her in the usual terms of affection and tender court- ship, and the next announcing his betrothal to a German Princess, although Lady Sarah certainly felt that she had been made a fool of, she showed no resentment. The death of a pet squirrel gave her far more concern than his Majesty ever did. According to Horace Walpole, when Lady Sarah acted as bridesmaid to the ugly little brown Princess from Germany who married King George, the deserted maiden, far from wearing the willow, " was the chief angel of them all." Lord Westmorland's Mistake Old Lord Westmorland, who was very short-sighted, plumped on his knees, and kissed her hand as she stood at the head of the bridesmaids. Lady Sarah blushed, and exclaimed hastily, " I am not the Queen, sir ! " — an incident which naturally in the circumstances caused a good deal of amuse- ment at Court. Throughout the ceremony the King stood gazing at his lady love, who was certainly watching him married to some one else with disconcerting composure. Even her liking for him had been shaken by the duplicity of his conduct. If he had to marry Princess Charlotte, it was disgusting that he should make love to Lady Sarah as he had done. But by this time Lady Sarah had every reason to look radiant, for she was happily in love with a sporting, racing, hunting squire, very good-looking, and fairly well off, and to him she was married a few months after the King. Thus she became My Lady Bunbury at the age of seventeen, and wife of the man who was afterwards known less as the husband of a historic beauty than as the " Father of the Turf," and owner of the first Derby winner, Diomed. For a time she was very happy, but Sir Charles was more interested in his horses than in anything else, and after a few years he neglected his beautiful wife, and left her to the attentions of others. ••The Lovers' Walk" Of these she took no notice until her cousin. Lord William Gordon, fell passionately in love with her, and she returned his affection. At last she yielded to him, and left her husband's house. For three brief months they wandered together through the grounds of a lovely old house in the North Country, where they christened their favourite path " The Lovers' Walk," and planted two thorn-trees which, as they grew, inter- twined their branches. At the end of the summer, however. Lady Sarah, with her little daughter, overcome by remorse, went