BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 20 FEB. 1949
BRACERS 19858. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

18 Dorset House,
Gloucester Place,
N.W.11
Feb. 20, 1949

Dearest Colette

Frances2 giving notice is a bitter blow. It may mean our giving up the cottage.3 If you hear of any one willing to take her place (which is unlikely) please engage said person temporarily at once on our behalf, till we have time to judge. Meanwhile I suppose you can get on with Mrs. Roberts4 in the mornings, but please feed at the Pengwern5 as our guest.

I had planned to come by myself on Sat. 12 or perhaps Fri. 11th for 9 or 10 days, and had looked forward very eagerly to the days with you. But now I don’t know if it can be managed from the service point of view? If it can’t, I must go to the Pengwern for part of that time, as there are things I need for my work.

I am sorry I never answered your letter at Xmas.6 I have only just had energy for what I had to do, and have been near a breakdown.7 But beneath fatigue my feelings are unchanged.

Please let me know what you think I had better do about coming to Festiniog. Love.

B.

• 1

  [document] Document 200865.

• 2

  Frances Frances Shepherd, domestic staff. Colette got on well with her as they both liked strong tea and cigarettes (letter to Phyllis Urch, 12 Feb.).

• 3

  the cottage Penralltgoch in Llan Ffestiniog, North Wales, owned by Patricia Russell, where Colette was staying. She was there at the Russells’ invitation, completing negotiations on her purchase of a cottage on the Bala Road.

• 4

  Mrs. Roberts Domestic staff.

• 5

  Pengwern The Pengwern Arms, a nearby hotel in Llan Ffestiniog.

• 6

  your letter at Xmas Not extant. She was in Finland at the time.

• 7

  near a breakdown Nothing more is known of this. BR had just completed delivering the first Reith Lectures for the BBC and Allen & Unwin were publishing the series as Authority and the Individual (B&R A84).