The Portland Peerage Romance

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RICHARD THE BRAZEN BY CYRUS BRADY AND EDWARD PEPLE THE TANGLED SKEIN BY THE BARONESS ORCZY. 18th Thousand. 6s. THE MASCOTTE OF PARK LANE BY LUCAS CLEEVE. Third Edition. 6s . THE DUPE BY GERALD BISS. Second Edition. 6s. THE WOMAN FRIEND AND THE WIFE BY ETHEL HILL. 6s. THE PALM OIL RUFFIAN BY ANTHONY HAMILTON. 6s. AND THE MOOR GAVE UP ITS DEAD BY ERIC HARRISON. 6s. WHEN TERROR RULED BY MAY WYNNE. 3s. 6d. THE BISHOP'S EMERALDS BY HOUGHTON TOWNLEY. 6s.
LONDON: GREENING & CO., LTD. 1907
THE FIRST BENTINCK A HERO
What a delightful story is that of the Portland peerage, in which fidelity, heroism, chivalry and romance are blended and interwoven in the annals of the noble families of England. Who that has been to Welbeck Abbey, that magnificent palace in the heart of Sherwood Forest, with its legends of Robin Hood and his merrie men, with its stately oaks and undulating woodlands, stretching away to fertile pastures, dotted over with prosperous farmsteads, as far as the eye can reach, does not feel interested in the fortunes of the noble owner; and who that has seen the Duke and Duchess on some festive occasion at Welbeck, moving to and fro among their thousand guests, a perfectly happy couple, in which the course of true love runs smooth, and whose supreme delight appears to be to spread happiness around them, is so churlish as not to wish them long life, as types of the English nobility it is a delight to honour?
There is no affectation about this illustrious pair, the Duke never poses in relation to affairs of State, and the Duchess has a natural grace all her own, to which art can add no touch of dignity.
Welbeck is now the home of peace and joy; but there have been times when its history has been shrouded in tragic mystery, and even to-day there is the Druce claim to give piquancy to its story.
The family springs from the alliance of the Bentincks and the Cavendishes. Theirs is a telling motto: Dominus providebit (The Lord will provide) was on the crest of the Bentincks, and it befitted a family not too richly endowed with this world's goods according to the position of the Dutch nobility 250 years ago; but being of sterling qualities devoted to the cause they espoused, their descendants have met with their reward. Craignez honte (Fear disgrace) was another motto of the family, and the fear of dishonour has been a characteristic trait from the time when the first Bentinck set foot in England, till to-day.