Read Online England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Williams
Tags: Historical, History, England, Military, Political, Biographies & Memoirs, Europe, Great Britain, Ireland, Leaders & Notable People, Professionals & Academics, Military & Spies, Military & Wars
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attitudes. About an hour afterwards, he dismissed them, and then, drawing a pistol from his pocket, immediately put an end to his existence." 2
In the receiving room, Kelly discussed prices and requirements, and the gentleman either took a girl immediately or a servant led him through to the salon. Candles were lit, the fire quickly kindled, and the girls stuffed their blankets and cards under the sofas and arranged themselves beguilingly.Buzzing with ideas borrowed from erotic novels such as John Cle-land's Fanny Hill, the men settled down as the girls served them wine and fine meats and took turns dancing or singing. Arlington Street also entertained rich, independent women who came to watch the show. The evening usually began with civilized chatter, music, and flirting, but it could turn rowdy: one army captain and his men broke china and mirrors there seven nights in a row.
Emma had a chance to refine her natural grace as she danced, sang, and perhaps played the guitar. "Lewd Posture," a form of erotic dance, was the most popular form of entertainment. The performer wore a light dance dress or less and drew shawls across herself as she performed twirls, extended her leg behind her, and bent and stretched while others played a guitar or sang. Sometimes the women danced in twos or in groups. The employees also staged impromptu plays or recited speeches, often tales of seduced women that filled the pages of bawdy contemporary books such as Nocturnal Revels, which allowed them to pretend to be ruined girls remembering their seduction while kneeling to beg for forgiveness. Other girls took men upstairs, sometimes up to three a night. One contemporary book instructed, "You must not forget to use the natural accents of dying persons…. You must add to these ejaculations, aspirations, sighs, intermissions of words, and such like gallantries, whereby you may give your Mate to believe you are melted, dissolved and wholly consumed in pleasure, though Ladies of large business are generally no more moved by an embrace, than if they were made of Wood or Stone." 3 The women had to stay awake and, as one visitor noted, "sit up every Morning until Five o'clock to drink with any straggling Buck who may reel in the early Morning and bear with whatever behaviour these drunken Visitants are pleased to use."
Sometimes Emma had only to be a pleasant companion for dinner, drinks, and cards, talking of horses and hunting with the aristocrats, stocks and shares with the businessmen, and politics with everybody, as it looked increasingly likely that England would lose the American war of independence. When attempting to take refuge in a brothel from the English obsession with politics, Lord Tyrconnel was so infuriated by the zeal of the "nymphs" for politics that he "left them in a passion and the next day returned to France." 4 Those who ruled the country came to Arlington Street, and many claimed that St. James courtesans bartered their favors for votes.
Kelly often paraded her staff around the Ranelagh and Vauxhall pleasuregardens and took them to the theater or opera. As one commentator noted, the girls were often "superbly clothed at public places; and even those of the most expensive kind." Clients sometimes hired them simply as escorts for parties or days out. One rake, William Hickey, took three Kelly girls in a coach to Turnham Green, "to drink tea at the Pack Horse, and treat the misses to a swing." On fine days, Emma perhaps visited the tea gardens at Sadler's Wells and Highbury or concerts in Hanover Square.
Emma was beginning to make friends, and she soon found a protector. Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, a spoiled young squire, was characterized by gossip columns as the brothel regular "Sir Harry Flagellum" and "The Sporting Lover." Kelly listed him as Baron Harry Flagellum in a daybook for another of her brothels. He had become interested in Emma and asked to take her for long-term hire at his house, Uppark, to entertain him and his
In the receiving room, Kelly discussed prices and requirements, and the gentleman either took a girl immediately or a servant led him through to the salon. Candles were lit, the fire quickly kindled, and the girls stuffed their blankets and cards under the sofas and arranged themselves beguilingly.Buzzing with ideas borrowed from erotic novels such as John Cle-land's Fanny Hill, the men settled down as the girls served them wine and fine meats and took turns dancing or singing. Arlington Street also entertained rich, independent women who came to watch the show. The evening usually began with civilized chatter, music, and flirting, but it could turn rowdy: one army captain and his men broke china and mirrors there seven nights in a row.
Emma had a chance to refine her natural grace as she danced, sang, and perhaps played the guitar. "Lewd Posture," a form of erotic dance, was the most popular form of entertainment. The performer wore a light dance dress or less and drew shawls across herself as she performed twirls, extended her leg behind her, and bent and stretched while others played a guitar or sang. Sometimes the women danced in twos or in groups. The employees also staged impromptu plays or recited speeches, often tales of seduced women that filled the pages of bawdy contemporary books such as Nocturnal Revels, which allowed them to pretend to be ruined girls remembering their seduction while kneeling to beg for forgiveness. Other girls took men upstairs, sometimes up to three a night. One contemporary book instructed, "You must not forget to use the natural accents of dying persons…. You must add to these ejaculations, aspirations, sighs, intermissions of words, and such like gallantries, whereby you may give your Mate to believe you are melted, dissolved and wholly consumed in pleasure, though Ladies of large business are generally no more moved by an embrace, than if they were made of Wood or Stone." 3 The women had to stay awake and, as one visitor noted, "sit up every Morning until Five o'clock to drink with any straggling Buck who may reel in the early Morning and bear with whatever behaviour these drunken Visitants are pleased to use."
Sometimes Emma had only to be a pleasant companion for dinner, drinks, and cards, talking of horses and hunting with the aristocrats, stocks and shares with the businessmen, and politics with everybody, as it looked increasingly likely that England would lose the American war of independence. When attempting to take refuge in a brothel from the English obsession with politics, Lord Tyrconnel was so infuriated by the zeal of the "nymphs" for politics that he "left them in a passion and the next day returned to France." 4 Those who ruled the country came to Arlington Street, and many claimed that St. James courtesans bartered their favors for votes.
Kelly often paraded her staff around the Ranelagh and Vauxhall pleasuregardens and took them to the theater or opera. As one commentator noted, the girls were often "superbly clothed at public places; and even those of the most expensive kind." Clients sometimes hired them simply as escorts for parties or days out. One rake, William Hickey, took three Kelly girls in a coach to Turnham Green, "to drink tea at the Pack Horse, and treat the misses to a swing." On fine days, Emma perhaps visited the tea gardens at Sadler's Wells and Highbury or concerts in Hanover Square.
Emma was beginning to make friends, and she soon found a protector. Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, a spoiled young squire, was characterized by gossip columns as the brothel regular "Sir Harry Flagellum" and "The Sporting Lover." Kelly listed him as Baron Harry Flagellum in a daybook for another of her brothels. He had become interested in Emma and asked to take her for long-term hire at his house, Uppark, to entertain him and his
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