am so sorry, Boud, not have written about the Babe,1 but the fact is, I write so slowly still. Never mind, I write faster now than I did earlier. You know, I think, why I was ill; so I can explain it to you. You know I got shot in the head. Well, that paralysed my right arm & right leg. Understand?
Well, Boud, I was so thrilled by your cablegram – or, was it really yours? – I telephoned the Fem immediately, and, do you know, Boud, I heard her crying with complete joy!!!! As for darling Blorwell – well. Boud, what are you going to call her? Do write & say.
Boud, I must tell you something fearfully sad. Dolly Wilde has died. Oh, Boud, I know you will be unhappy. I was, fearfully unhappy.
Peter Rodd is going off to Africa. Poor, poor Nancy.
Well, Boud, I will stop, as I can’t write Fast!!
Give your baby a kiss from Aunt Me!!
V. Best Love, Boud
Darling Decca
I wonder how you & your baby are getting on now, also Esmond. I hear you have been in Canada to see him. Do you think he will come over here soon or is he to remain in Canada? I do wish we could see you all again, it seems such ages since we were in New York for the World Fair.
Derek is now operational flying & has been for about eight weeks. He has just been home for six days leave which he badly needed as going up most nights is very exhausting. The Air Force blue suits him so well & I expect it suits Esmond also with his blue eyes. What is your baby like & what are you naming her? Do send me a photograph of her if you have one. Diana’s two children are here still, it will be a year at the end of this month since they arrived. Nanny is kept very busy looking after them both, we cannot get a nursery maid to help, they have all gone into munitions. Also it is impossible to get housemaids & parlour maids so we now only have a cook & a little girl who seems to do everything. We are now rationed for clothes as I expect you have seen. A mackintosh takes fourteen coupons! The total number of coupons is sixty-six a year. Luckily for me I still have plenty of summer clothes from last year & so will not have to use any coupons just yet.
We see quite a lot of Bobo. She & Muv often come over & stay here for a few nights. Also darling Blor often comes here, she showed me a photograph of you & your baby.
On account of the difficulty of getting food for cattle I am having to give up my herd of Aberdeen Angus. It is very sad because I had bred some really beautiful ones. However they will make good beef. The Bull, Black Hussar, has already been sent to the butcher. Poor Black Hussar!
Please give Esmond my love when you next see him.
Much love from Woman
Dear Cheer
Well dear, I’ve smacked my ovary and taken it to Madame Bovary and the result is I’m in pig, I shan’t be like my old Hen and not tell anyone because although it’s not going to be born for nigh on a year I have to tell people on account of being sick and feeling so awful.
Well dear, do write an account of exactly what you felt like and exactly how embarrassed you were when you went to see the dr because I really nearly died when he pulled at the budding bust and said I must get a point on it whatever that may mean. I am glad to see in the papers that pregnant ladies are going to have some more clothes coupons otherwise think how awful it would be with everything splitting when one got huge. Think of a name for it there’s a good old Hen, I do hope it’s a girl. It ought to be exactly a year younger than your one, it’s supposed to be born on the 10th of Feb.
The idea of Andrew being a dad is so killing that I think of nought else. I hardly ever see him because he is always in some remote place and country hotels are so full now that you usually can’t get a room. He is going to be near Biddesden soon so I shall ask myself there. I have been here for three weeks and it’s been lovely and hot and there are masses of strawberries but even they taste disgusting, did things used to taste disgusting with you?
Cheer yourself along and write to yr old Hen if you can be bothered. I do long to hear what you’re up to.
Birdie hates me so dreadfully, I really can’t think why, it makes it almost impossible to go to Swinbrook. You can’t think how awful it is to see her now because although one is quite used to it because she’s been like that for nearly two years now it’s simply awful when one suddenly remembers what she used to be like. I don’t believe she will ever get quite normal again, it really is a nightmare when one thinks of her future. She has got a terrific religious thing on now and if you say even ‘damn’ she gets quite furious and says it [is] wicked to swear.
I was among the girls being called up to work at some horrid job for 48 hours a week but now I’m in pig I don’t have to do it and you know how I hate work so it’s very lucky.
Well dear do cheer and write to me. Swinbrook is the best address.
Love from Yr Hen
Darling Honks
It is awful of me not to have written to you before for your birthday, anyhow I do hope you had a nice one, I hear your pigs went up to see you. I saw in the paper that you had arrived in the Isle of Man with 50 suitcases and you had to carry them all yourself!1 I did so roar. I went to see Mr Gilliat2 on account of being in pig and I’ve never been so embarrassed as I was by the things he did, it really was torture, how did you manage it? And how did you manage to have four pigs, were you very sick with all of them because it really does poison life, I go about with my hand over my mouth.
It’s heaven here in many ways, people are allowed to bathe in the sea at one place and I’ve been several times as the doc seems to think it O.K.
The trouble about married life is never seeing one’s husband. He is going on a course for all July to Netheravon. How I wish you were still at Biddesden. I’ve written to Woman to ask if she thinks one could possibly ask oneself there for a weekend or two because she used to go when Derek was near them. Otherwise I shan’t see him for weeks and weeks and it was such a waste having the Regent’s Park house done up because so far I’ve spent exactly one night in it! Eddie Marsh3 lives here now, he is such a silly old man and eats a terrible lot. His best friend is Ivor Novello4 who is acting in Brighton and has just been over here for the day. The children5 got giggles at lunch when he said something was ‘divine’ for the 10th time, it was awful. I’m going to Swinbrook for July, I do hope Bird won’t kill me, she does hate me so!
My good goat is giving ten pints of milk a day and Muv has been making cheeses, you must say it’s good. That wonderful ring you gave me is the admiration of everybody, it makes my engagement ring look perfectly stupid.
Did I tell you about when Jonathan and Desmond came over to lunch about a month ago and I said ‘Do go & see Pam Timms’6 & Desmond went bright red & said he didn’t want to and Jonathan said ‘she’s like an old toy you’ve no more use for and have thrown away’. Tom was there, I never saw anyone roar so much.
Much love from Debo