1821 Letter from Madame de Castéras, Lady in Waiting to Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France, the Duchesse d'Angoulême

On offer, a hand-written note in French from Mise de Castéras, an aristocratic lady bound by her duties to a reclusive princess, who extends kindness and assistance to her friends, the Thompsons, during their visit to Paris. Dated Vendredi 11 Mai (Friday May 11) 1821. 

French text from letter:

    J'ai reçu ce matin Madame le billet du Capitaine Thompson que vous avez eu l'amitié de m'apporter et pour lequel je vous prie de recevoir tous mes remerciements.
Je suis désolée Madame que votre arrivée à Paris soit dans un moment ou il n'est impossible de mi rendre, par la raison qu'étant toujours de service auprès de S.A. qui habite la campagne ou elle est retenue par cause de maladie grave, et du grès de qui elle est m'est impossible de m'absenter un instant.
    Deplus S.A. ne reçoit personne depuis quelque temps excepté ses parents, et les plus intime de ses amies de temps en temps.
    Toutes ces circonstances fort triste pour mon coeur doublent mon chagrin en ce moment, Madame, puis qu'ils me privent du plaisir de vous voir, ainsi que votre mari, son frère, c'est fort bien que j'aurais été trop heureuse de faire mon possible pour nous être à tous agréable.
    La maladie de S.A étant d'un genre qui ne fait point espérer de prompte guérison, je ne puis avoir l'espoir de vous revoir, pour voyage. Mais si vous croyez que je vous puisse vous être utile en quelque chose pendant votre séjour à Paris, je vous prie en grâce de m'écrire, sans aucun compliment, vous pouvez être bien assurée que je ferais tout mon possible, pour que vous trouviez en moi une amie sincère de Monsieur le Capitaine Thompson, et la votre.
    Agréez tous mes terrible regrets Madame  d'être privé du plaisir de faire votre connaissance, et croyez à l'expression de votre affectionnée servante, Mise de Castéras.

Transcription in English:

    I received this morning, Madame, the note from Captain Thompson that you were kind enough to bring me, and for which I ask you to accept all my thanks.
    I am sorry, Madame, that your arrival in Paris is at a time when it is impossible for me to go there, for the reason that I am always on duty with H.R.H. who lives in the countryside where she is being kept due to a serious illness, and from whose side it is impossible for me to be absent for a moment.
    Furthermore, H.R.H. has not been receiving anyone for some time, with the exception of her relatives and her most intimate friends from time to time.
    All these circumstances, which are very sad for my heart, double my sorrow at this moment, Madame, since they deprive me of the pleasure of seeing you, as well as your husband, and his brother. It's too bad, since I would have been so happy to do my best to be pleasant to all of you.
    H.R.H.'s illness is of a kind that does not offer hope for a quick recovery, so I cannot hope to see you again before your trip. But if you believe I can be of any use to you during your stay in Paris, I beg you, please, to write to me, without any formality. You can be assured that I will do everything I can so that you will find in me a sincere friend of Captain Thompson, and yours.
    Please accept all my terrible regrets, Madame, for being deprived of the pleasure of making your acquaintance, and believe in the expression of your affectionate servant, Mise de Castéras.

The letter is mounted to an album page with the notation in a different hand, “From Madame de Castéra's Lady in Waiting to S.A. of the French Pringles,” which Gemini (AI) describes as a humorous play on words relating the Dauphine to the distinctly shaped snack chips. Another annotation appears on the reverse for a different letter previously mounted and not included.

The Castéras family was a noble family, particularly in the region of Gascony in southwestern France. Though there is no specific record of Mise de Castéras, she would have been a high-ranking lady-in-waiting or a close confidante in service to the S.A. (Sa Altesse or His/Her Royal Highness) Given the date and description of an illness, the Royal in context is likely Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France, the Duchesse d'Angoulême. While records show she suffered no particular malady in this time period, she was known for her solemn and private nature, being the only surviving child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, a central figure of the restored Bourbon monarchy, and the last Dauphine and heir to the French throne before the final fall of the monarchy.

A two page letter 12 x 8 inches folded to 5-¾  x 8 inches and affixed to larger paper removed from an album. Moderately creased and discoloured, but perfectly legible. Good condition.