Bidspirit auction | CAVENDISH GEORGIANA: (1757-1806)

CAVENDISH GEORGIANA: (1757-1806) - CAVENDISH GEORGIANA: (1757-1806) Duchess of Devonshire. English aristocrat, a famed beauty and leader of fashionable style who was notorious for her marital arrangements, catastrophic love affairs and love of gambling. A.L.S., G Devonshire (twice), four pages, small 8vo, n.p., 20th May n.y. (1790), to a gentleman, in French. The Duchess announces ´Je suis bien fachée de ne vous avoir pas vu hier, car je crois que je vais accoucher aujourd´hui´ (Translation: ´I am very upset that I did not see you yesterday, as I believe I am going to give birth today´ ) and continues to remark that she can´t imagine why her correspondent did not receive a payment, adding ´Le jour de mon arrivée ici que l´argent etait chez lui et qu´il s´attendait a votre traitte. Depuis j´eu ai fait verser d´avantage et je vous serai bien obligée d´arranger la traitte que vous recevrez de Londres - Le Duc vous donnera 200 pour moi ce qui me fait vous presser comme cela, c´est que je ne devrai pas entendre parler d´affaires d´ici, a dix jours´ (Translation: ´ On the day I arrived here, the money was with him and he was expecting your payment. Since then, I have paid more and I would be very grateful if you could arrange the payment you will receive from London. The Duke will give you 200 for me, which is why I am urging you like this, as I must not hear anything about business here for ten days´ ). The Duchess further adds three postscripts (one also signed G Devonshire ) in which she refers to other financial arrangements and also remarks ´Ayez la bonte de garder toutes mes lettres a votre addresse; je les enverais chercher quand je pourrai les lire´ (Translation: ´Please be so kind as to keep all my letters at your address; I will send for them when I am able to read them´ ). Some light age wear, VG The Duchess did, in fact, give birth on 21st May 1790, the day after writing the present letter. Having already produced two daughters, the Duchess gave birth to a male heir to the dukedom, William George Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858). Styled the Marquess of Hartington at birth, he succeeded his father as Duke of Devonshire in 1811, at the age of twenty-one years. The 6th Duke served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household 1827-28, 1830-34 and became known as the ´Bachelor Duke´.