TALBOT5108

Lacock Abbey
Tuesday October 22^d

My dear Henry

In vain I stirred the fire – fed it with logs & raised an inviting blaze to cheer my expected relations kindred – they did not arrive & at ½ past eleven I went to bed – Today arrived a letter from Horatia ¹ explanatory – & holding out hopes of my seeing them tomorrow – It seems that Lady Elisabeth ² had a cold yesterday & was unfit to travel, though she was so bent upon coming that she only gave it put up on Caroline’s ³ earnest entreaty – She expected it to pass off quickly however for the plan when Horatia wrote, was – to leave M^t Edgcumbe ⁴ today & sleep at Exeter and reach Lacock tomorrow – The only act of imprudence that could be recollected, was a sail on Friday in the Ganymede when Lady Elisabeth complained of feeling cold – but Horatia thought the interval between that & Monday too long for a cold to have lain dormant –

The Damers are engaged to Tottenham on the 28^th & therefore will not be here before the 29^th at soonest & probably not till the end of that week –

I had rather an indifferent account of Noel ⁵ today from my Brother ⁶ – inasmuch as the cough, though not very severe, has brought a return of some of the old annoyances. They have also thought it necessary to keep him in the house – more than my Brother seems to approve – as he thinks the loss of air & exercise has hurt him as much as anything.

They have had a house full of company – the Belmores & Lady Emily Moreton⁷ – having offered themselves for the same day – & they invited neighbours to meet them –

Your affectionate
Constance

We had very fine weather today –