19060426 Gerard

From Gerard to his new mother-in-law, Ella :-

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS

CHATAIGN, LONDON

      ---------------------

TELEPHONE No. 7821 GERRARD           THE COBURG HOTEL,

                                                                        CARLOS PLACE,

GROSVENOR SQUARE, W

26 April /06

My dear Mummy

I hope you won’t think this great impudence ! –

We arrived here all right rather late last night after a very complicated journey - Mr Walton provided us with a tremendous dinner at Fricester, & innumerable officials met us there & at Derby & St. Pancras with eyes glittering for tips.  I hope you got back the

rug which we gave to the Station Master at Derby.

I was so sorry we went off without the Yeomanry Escort, but they picked us up very quickly, & took us to the Station in great form, where they drew up in lines & cheered us, & we went round & thanked them.  We shall never feel so much like the King & Queen again, I expect.

We think the wedding as a great success – it seemed to go off so well, from the dinner the night before, right up to the moment when Lady ??? presented me with the violets

as we left.          

I think the Bride’s dress was lovely, almost worty of th Bride, & she looked prettier than ever before; weren’t you very proud of her.  The reception was great fun & not nearly such an ordeal as I hd imagined it, but I’m afraid Violet had all the hard work of introducing.

We have got on together splendidly are both very happy – she has been awfully good & dear to me, & I love her very very much.

She is rather tired this morning, so we are tp stop her today, & go to Exeter tomorrow, & Lynton on Saturday.  The Hotel is quite comfortable, but not quite as quiet
 

as I had expected.

 It has rather weighed on my mind that I have not half thanked you for all the heaps of kindness you have shown me since I was engaged, but I am very much obliged, & I can show it best, I thin, by trying to make Violet as happy as possible.

With best love to you & Katty,

Yr. affect. son –

Gerard.

Note:
Gerard had fought with the Staffordshire Yeomanry in the South African War.