London,
October 1824
They had but recently returned to London from Badminton House, and not a day had passed before Lady Susan was beset upon by the King. Before they had departed on their journey back to Town, Lady Susan had sent a note to her lover expressing her desire to name her young friend God-mother to her child, a desire the king had not been inclined to agree with his lover upon.
The thought of a child of his being so intimately connected to so unimportant a personage was inconceivable and he had determined to make his thoughts known forthwith. And so, no sooner had the king been made aware of his lover's arrival at her home in Berkeley Square, had he ordered his carriage prepared and departed from Buckingham House within the hour.
A rousing debate arose between Lady Susan and her lover with alarming speed and could soon be heard amongst guests and servants alike as the king insisted he would not tolerate a nobody placed in a position of such influence and Lady Susan insisted she would accept no-one else and that the king was of course free to name whomever he wished as the child's God-father.
The king blustered and protested in the face of his mistress' determination and, eventually, capitulated as she reminded him that, as their king, he had the power and influence to make Miss Heywood something other than a nobody; that he could give her wealth and influence and that in doing so could ensure their child would never be wanting for material comforts or for affection.
And so it transpired that Charlotte found herself granted an astonishing sum of £200,000 to be invested in the four per-cents and the deeds to Walcot Hall, a modest estate in the county of Cambridgeshire at the Crown's discretion. In a matter of hours, Charlotte's future had been secured such that she would live comfortably for the rest of her life; that even her own future children's grandchildren need never face financial insecurity.
London,
November 1824
A month later, Lady Susan was delivered of a baby girl she named Catherine on the morning of November 17th to the delight of her mother and siblings. Charlotte presently found herself seated in one of the many state apartments at Buckingham House surrounded by many of the most influential and respected personages of the realm. The king's sister, the Princess Mary was to stand with her as Catherine's principle god-mother with the Archbishop of York as god-father while the Archbishop of Canterbury oversaw the Christening ceremony itself.
Charlotte took a breath to steel her nerves as those gathered rose to their feet when the King entered, Lady Susan following behind with the infant in her arms. Charlotte joined the smaller group gathered around a basin of blessed holy water as promises of protection and love were exchanged between the parents and child and those chosen as the baby's god-parents. At her turn, Charlotte took Catherine in her arms and repeated the promises of those before her; promises to love, nurture, protect and guide her new god-daughter.
