Longford's biography pauses on an encounter between Wellington's wife, Kitty, and the celebrated exile Madame de Staël. Kitty had avoided meeting her in London because she feared the restored Bourbon court might refuse to receive de Staël, while the French court later proved welcoming. When de Staël challenged her about the earlier avoidance, Kitty admitted plainly that she had been afraid. She then said she was no longer afraid, and de Staël answered with an embrace. The anecdote adds social diplomacy and personal reputation to the book's picture of political life after Napoleon.
Notable Point · 14:12-15:15
Kitty Wellesley meets Madame de Staël
Kitty Wellesley's blunt exchange with Madame de Staël turns a social introduction into a glimpse of status, fear, and reconciliation in Restoration Paris.