A Letter from Grassini
Keppel Craven pursues one of the most sought-after women of the Regency.
Josephine Grassini
Keppel Craven’s journal is missing entries for 21 to 30 September 1805. He went to London during part of that time. When he returned to Benham, he received a letter dated 2 Oct 1805: messy handwriting, badly written French, but who cares, when Napoleon’s ex-mistress — and one of the most desirable women in the world — is writing to scold you for not calling upon her?
I confess, I cannot read French, so I’ve asked AI to help. I don’t know whether it’s accurate, but from other entries in Keppel’s journal, the translation below feels right:
Josephine (Giuseppina) Grassini “to Honble Mr Keppel Craven, Benham near Newbury Berks”:
“I ought to begin by scolding you, my dear Keppel, for having doubted that you would have been admitted if you had come to see me. I am also cross with you for having been in town and not having managed to find a single minute of time to devote to me. I shall accept no excuses; instead, I intend to scold you thoroughly for it when I see you. I fully intend to procure for myself the pleasure and honour of paying a visit to Madame the Margravine, your mother, after I have fulfilled my engagement at Winchester. From there I also intend to write to her to ask her permission, which I shall do presently, asking it of her through you. The season will be quite far advanced by then, it is true, but no matter; I hope not to catch cold — and even if that should happen, it would not be enough to prevent me from making my journey to Benham. I shall leave the villa on Tuesday of next week. Until then, farewell. Believe, my dear and charming Keppel, that I am wholeheartedly yours, and I beg you to present my respectful compliments to Madame the Margravine, your mother. Farewell once again, J. Grassini.”
It seems playing hard to get worked for Keppel in these circumstances, as future events in the journal will show….