By-and-
by in comes the king, and anon the duke and his duchesse; so
that, they being all together, was such a sight as I never could
almost have happened to see with so much ease and leisure. They
staid till it was dark, and then went away; the king and his
queene, and my Lady Castlemaine and young Crofts, in one coach,
and the rest in other coaches. Here were great stores of great
ladies. The king and queen were very merry; and he would have
made the queene mother believe that the queene was with child,
and said that she said so. And the young queene answered, 'You
lye,' which was the first English word that I ever heard her say,
which made the king good sport."
Others besides Mr. Pepys had begun to notice that the young Duke
of Monmouth hung much upon the Countess of Castlemaine, and that
her ladyship lavished caresses upon him. Whether this was to
provoke the uneasiness of his majesty, who she hoped might find
employment for the lad elsewhere, or to express her genuine
affection for him, it is impossible to say. However, the duke
being come to an age when the endearments of such a woman might
have undesired effects upon him, the king resolved to remove him
from her influence, and at the same time secure his fortune by
marriage.
He therefore selected a bride for him, in the person of Lady Anne
Scott, a young gentlewoman of virtue and excellence, who was only
child of Francis, Earl of Buccleugh, and the greatest heiress in
Great Britain.
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