Page from Lady Redesdale’s scrapbook with cuttings about Jessica’s wedding to Esmond Romilly.
Darling Sooze
Really Susan it was your turn to write – or not? Anyway I would have written for your wedding only the typical Fem never told me until the day before or so & I didn’t note on my mantelpiece ‘Col & Mrs Romilly request the honour (pleasure) of your company at the wedding of their son’ etc etc but perhaps it slipped down the back, all my invites do.
Life here is very hectic & I am having a good time. In August we go to Naples, why don’t you come? The German Amb. invited us to a party in German which is very rude so Rodd refused in Yiddish but I took the letter away because of my weak mind & not wanting to be tortured when the G’s have conquered us.
Love to Esmond & you, Susan
P.S. I hope you got our wedding telegram all right. The Fem didn’t seem to think so.
Dear Hen whose Hen has by now given up all hope of her Hen writing to her Hen
Well dear we are in the train doing a horrid long journey of 6 hours from Vienna to Salzburg to meet Birdie.
Yesterday we went to stay with Janos [von Almasy] & Baby1 took us in her car. We found Mrs Janos in a great state because Janos had been taken off by the gendarmes because he was thought to be plotting for the Nazis & the soldiers had been through all his papers & writing desk & they had found the picture of Bobo & H. & were in a state about it.
Baby has got the most fascinating collection of Angela Brazil2 school stories I have ever seen.
How are you getting on with your honeymoon & when are you going back to Bayonne.
I must say I have enjoyed myself in filthy abroad although I am longing to get back to the old homeland. (Angela Brazil almost.)
I am in a frenzy because I can’t find out what has won the Derby although it happened yesterday.
Bobo – the brute – has started an anti the WID league & Diana has joined. So I have started a pro one & Tom & Nancy & Muv are joining.
Will you too? If so I will send you the forms, & the conditions are (i) that you will always pay her taxis etc for her & (ii) that you will always give her any clothes that she asks for & (iii) that you help her with her packing or whatever is worrying her at the moment & (iv) that you will always buy her clothes off her at 4 times their price.
The subscription is £500 a year which will go towards her upkeep.
Love from Embittered Hen
Dear Miss Girdlestone or Geldedstone,
I got your letter1 on arriving here last night, forwarded from Bayonne. It must have taken ages getting here, & what’s more I’m afraid you won’t get this for ages as I’ve only got your address up to the 23rd which seems to be today. Oh how cheerless. Dear I simply can’t thank you enough for the absolutely HEAVENLY gramophone, oh I do adore it you really are a cheery young tart to send me such a marvellous present. It’s easily one of the nicest we’ve had. I wrote to my Boud thanking her too. The following are what I’ve had so far: Muv, lovely brush set with JLR on the back, a ruby & diamond ring which is absolute heaven & I can’t stop looking at my hands on account of it; Tello,2 killing hideous black bag with rosebuds on it (‘at least three pence, Sydney’)3 but wasn’t it sweet of her to send it; Woman, cheque; Derek, cheque; Tuddemy, cheque (goodness how nice). That isn’t all but I can’t remember all the others now. Sweet Peter Ram’s bottom wrote asking what I wanted & apologising for not sending a present out to Spain!! So I thought of suggesting records, which I’ve asked George for, too.
I expect Muv’s told you all the low down on the wedding so I won’t bother to enlarge on it. It really was great fun, & we nearly giggled from nerves during the ceremony. Afterwards we went to Paris where we jollied ourselves up in nightclubs etc for two days, it was fun but rather tiring & it’s lovely to be here for a bit. Dieppe is full of the most extraorder people, they all seem about 70 but according to Cousin Nellie never stop having affairs with each other, chiefly as far as I can make out in the darkened corners of the Bridge club.
Being a married Hen is not at all unlike being an unmarried Hen has been during the last few months, except it seems rather extraorder to have a wedding ring & a mother in law & everything. Well Henderson dear I must thank you again millions of times for the phone, it was too sweet of you to give me such a lovely expensive gift.
Best love from Decca
P.S. Maggot sent me a photo of a statue of a naked gentleman: do thank her for it if she is with you. Cousin Nellie has got The Well of Loneliness4 here, your poor old Hen is reading it but goodness it is boring, she can skeke [hardly] get through it.
Dear Straight Eight or Racing Eight
What a kind old Hen to write her Hen at last. I thought I’d give you some of your own bread or whatever it’s called & not write for ages but then I thought I must tell you about the fascinator I have fallen in love with.
There is a wonderful band led by the most wonderful & sweet man called Barnabas von Géczy1 & they play at a delicious café called the Luitpold. Dear, there is a man in that band who simply makes your hair stand on end to look at him. We don’t know his name but he plays the violin the 2nd from the right so that is what we’ve called him. He is the personification of my type – awfully like Franchot Tone2 & he sometimes makes the most fascinating faces like Maurice Chevalier.3 We go there every night so I can sit & stare at him & it makes Muv furious. The terrible thing is that he smiled twice at Bobo last night & not once at me but I think that was partly because I didn’t dare look at him much. Géczy himself is a perfect love & he always roars when he sees us. I bought two gramophone records of his yesterday, they are wonderful.
We have had quite a nice time here & we’ve had tea with Hitler & seen all the other sights.
We are going to try & get Géczy for my dance next March if he comes to London. But I expect he would be much too expensive & anyhow dance music isn’t his line so much as wonderful Hungarian tunes.
I have bought a delicious locked diary to note down all about the 2nd from the right in.
We are going home tomorrow. I am quite pleased although I have enjoyed myself like anything. If it hadn’t been for Géczy & the 2nd from the right I should have longed to go ages ago. I think Munich is no end nice all the same. If I had to live anywhere abroad I should certainly live here.
We have been away for a whole month, a record almost. I miss My Man & Studley