MRS. FITZHERBERT's new house in Pall Mall. She and SHERIDAN sit in her drawing room.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: [Sighs] I am like a dog with a log tied round its neck. You must protect me, Mr. Sheridan.
SHERIDAN: [Delicately] That is my first and foremost priority, but I must urge you to take into consideration the Prince of Wales' position, as well as yours. You both are in danger of being ruined, lest some explanation should be made pertaining to your...relationship.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: Our relationship is honorable, sir. Pray, believe me. I am nobody's mistress.
SHERIDAN: Mrs. Fitzherbert, you are the most respectable woman in my acquaintance. I could never suspect you of indecency.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: Mr. Sheridan, your words put me at ease... But can you persuade the House of this?
SHERIDAN: Though I cannot mention your marriage to the Prince, I shall defend your honor to the best of my ability.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: [Sincere] God bless you, sir.
SHERIDAN: [Smiling to himself] Oh, 'tis nothing.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: But it isn't! You have taken up a task with which none of the other Whigs have concerned themselves. In return, I shall persist in my silence on the marriage.
SHERIDAN: I thank you, madam, for you are doing His Royal Highness and my party a great service, which we appreciate tremendously.
MRS. FITZHERBERT: I must be willing to make sacrifices for the Prince. My loyalty to him is absolute and unfailing.
SHERIDAN: [Disappointed] Right.
Cut to ACT II, SCENE V.
YOU ARE READING
The Drunken Feathers
Historical FictionIn this biographical series that begins in 1784, twenty-one-year-old George, Prince of Wales-- the eldest son of King George III and heir to the British throne-- spends his youth idly by keeping countless mistresses, drinking profusely, and making f...
