Deborah’s adolescent letters show that she could be quite as sharp and funny as Nancy but without her eldest sister’s spiteful streak. She adopted an apolitical stance early on, partly because she had seen the damage that extremism had inflicted on her family and partly because, unlike her sisters, politics simply did not excite her. When she visited Germany in 1937 and had tea with Hitler, she dismissed him as one of the ‘sights’, and was far more interested in a handsome musician in a band. Like Nancy, she deplored the fact that politics made people lose their sense of the ridiculous and she poked fun at Unity and Diana’s earnest involvement. Deborah looked forward to being a debutante, enjoyed her London Season, and, shortly after her ‘coming-out’ dance in March 1938, fell in love with Lord Andrew Cavendish, younger son of the Duke of Devonshire, to whom she soon became unofficially engaged.
Darling Corduroy,
You really are the most brick like girl I know. Thank you a MILLION times for the divine pound which I found here last night when I arrived back from the Isle of [Wight] nearly crying with tiredness, and I nearly died of joy when I saw the £1 because naturally I thought that the £10 was meant for my birthday you are a brick. We had a lovely time at the Widow’s1 except that Muv & Debo had to do her knitting for her all the time so that wasn’t too good. Debo found a copy of Farve’s letter2 to you in TPOF’s3 bag, poor Corda you do have bad luck, but the worst of the storm of fury fell before you came back, & was braved by Tuddemy,4 who softened them both down a heap. Boudy is in top-hole form & has told me all about her semi romance with Putzi,5 at least I call it a semi romance.
Idden6 & I went on the Sunday school outing to Southsea, & had some romance with (a) a Frenchman who we picked up on the Prom, & (b) two men on a switchback & one of them asked Idden to go to Blackpool with him for a week but I don’t think she’s going. It was fun.
Give my love to TPOL7 & Jonathan & Demi8 if they are there.
Much love & millions of thanks from Decca
Darling Honks
Thank you SO much for the HEVERN eveninger,1 Blor was ‘dumfounded’ when Nancy told her what it cost. I honestly never seen anything quite so lovely in all my.
I even forgive you being a fascist for that.
Thanks ever so much.
Best love from Debo
We are having a fine time though very sorry to miss all the fun at home. We hear such dreadful accounts of the weather that we really couldn’t face the journey. Why do people say they don’t enjoy honeymoons? I am adoring mine.1 You must come out here soon it is wonderful & everyone is so nice & kind.
Best love, NR
Darling Forgery
The book1 about you is going to be extraordinary, your grandparents who you live with are called Lord & Lady Tremorgan (TPTPOF)2 & you are called Eugenia let me know if you would rather not be.
I will finish this later.
Oh deary. Aunt Sport3 came & said some wonderful things & the chiefly wonderful was in Kew. She wanted to find out why her camellia drops its buds, so went up to a gardener & said ‘Good afternoon. Bud dropping by a camellia please?’ The gardener just said ‘Overfeeding’ & went on with his work. It was funny.
Nancy’s engagement to Peter Rodd was announced in July 1933. They were married five months later.
Much love, NR
WRITE
Darling Nard
I’m so dreadfully sorry to hear you are so ill & couldn’t go to the great meeting,1 I think it’s too awful for you to have missed it. It does sound such heaven. What an outcry in the papers, though! As to Bill Anstruther-Gray,2 I’m longing to see him thoroughly beaten up. He does deserve it. Was Nancy at the meeting?
Poor Nard, how awful, your illness costing you such a lot. I do hope you’re better by now, & not in pain. It sounds horrid.
Such a terribly exciting thing happened yesterday. I saw Hitler.3 At about six last night Derek4 rang me up from the Carlton Teeraum & said that He was there. Derek was having tea with his mother & aunt, & they were sitting just opposite Him. Of course I jumped straight into a taxi, in which in my excitement I left my camera which I was going to take to the shop. I went & sat down with them, & there was the Führer opposite. The aunt said ‘You’re trembling all over with excitement’, and sure enough I was, so much that Derek had to drink my chocolate for me because I couldn’t hold the cup. He sat there for 1½ hours. It was all so thrilling I can still hardly believe it. If only Putzi had been there! When he went he gave me a special salute all to myself.
Do write & tell me whether or not you think Olympia was a success? Does the Leader think so? I suppose all these absurd attacks in the papers are bound to do the Party a certain amount of harm. The accounts in the German papers were marvellous.
I do love hearing stories about the kits5 in your letters, do always tell me if they say anything funny.
With best love from Bobo
Darling Nard
Thank you so much for your letter, & the cutting about Tilly’s divorce.1 I’m so glad Edward won, although I hardly know him, because I do think she was a little brute to say such horrid things about him.
Thank you so much too for sending me the cutting about Putzi