The air in the room was heavy and oppressive. King William IV slowly let out a breath. "Delina, she… is she all right?"
Arthur bent forward and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Princess looks far better than the rumors outside would have it, at least for the last two days. She is still very weak, and she has lost a great deal of weight. But when I left Ramsgate, she was already able to get out of bed and walk. Of course, she still can't go very far for the moment, and her steps are unsteady."
King William IV listened in silence.
Seeing that the King was interested in this topic, Arthur added some detail. "I heard from Lady Leisen that after the Princess got up yesterday, she lay on the sofa and played the piano with the Duchess of Kent until twelve o'clock. For lunch she had potato soup and orange jelly. In the afternoon Lady Leisen kept her company reading Sir Walter Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor."
