Bess, being Georgiana's confidant, was very well aware of the Duchess' mounting debts. By the time Georgiana successfully delivered a healthy child, Bess was living in Turin, Italy. She was both jealous and fearful that this child would bring husband and wife closer together and she would soon be forgotten. At the time Bess was being supported by the Devonshires, but strangely enough would find herself running out of money. Is Turin a pricey place? Either way, her letters to Georgiana begged for money and contained a lot of 'I owe ya one!' which was slightly suspicious because she used to only reluctantly accept gifts of money. Georgiana's letters to Bess talk of how she would of course give Bess the money she needed, and then would consist of her thinking out-loud (via letter) about how she would manage to sneak the money to Bess with all the debts she was already worrying about. Not only was Bess well-aware of Georgiana's debts, she was not in need of extra money. She threw what money Georgiana spared to her in the bank. So much for IOUs.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Oh No She Didn't! Poor Bess
Bess, being Georgiana's confidant, was very well aware of the Duchess' mounting debts. By the time Georgiana successfully delivered a healthy child, Bess was living in Turin, Italy. She was both jealous and fearful that this child would bring husband and wife closer together and she would soon be forgotten. At the time Bess was being supported by the Devonshires, but strangely enough would find herself running out of money. Is Turin a pricey place? Either way, her letters to Georgiana begged for money and contained a lot of 'I owe ya one!' which was slightly suspicious because she used to only reluctantly accept gifts of money. Georgiana's letters to Bess talk of how she would of course give Bess the money she needed, and then would consist of her thinking out-loud (via letter) about how she would manage to sneak the money to Bess with all the debts she was already worrying about. Not only was Bess well-aware of Georgiana's debts, she was not in need of extra money. She threw what money Georgiana spared to her in the bank. So much for IOUs.
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Sheep dog hair-dos don't style themselves, Heather. She probably had the best lady's maid in Turin to help with that Benji-esque concoction. Bluck!
ReplyDeleteshe looks adorable; minx!
ReplyDeleteTo me she looks wary. Maybe she knows I'm on to her!
ReplyDeleteEven in her portrait she looks sneaky!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't even looking for a sneaky-looking portrait! She always looks smug in her portraits to me
ReplyDeleteI agree that she looks sneaky. Almost ferret-like.
ReplyDeletecome now. that ferret hairdo had a name. They called it a "hedgehog" which is a far more distinguished animal than a ferret.
ReplyDeleteBut poor Georgiana. She must have been a generous soul.
Poor Bess my eye! Poor, naive and overly-generous Georgie more like! How dare she play on her insecurities! Grrr...
ReplyDelete(I don't like her - did you guess?)
Amazing to hear that she pumped for money and then socked it away in the bank!
ReplyDeleteThe sideways glance in the portrait does make her look deceitful. I don't trust anyone who won't look me straight in the eye! ;-)
Thanks for this great tidbit Heather. I can always depend on you culling through letters and history books for the best bits for us.
LA
*Blush*
ReplyDeleteAm a little late in the game for this one. But, not that I condone what Bess's fraud, I've found in life that life's hangers-on, especially those people who have to depend on the whims of others for money, will get sneaky and weird like this. It's a real challenge for them to stay above board in their dealing with others.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if Bess had had a decent first marriage or a father who would pay her a proper allowance, or even *gasp* been able to earn her own money, she would not have committed fraud.