Mrs. Howard, afterwards the Countess of Suffolk, was a neighbour from
1723, when the Prince of Wales, whose mistress she was, provided her
with funds for the purchase of Marble Hill. However, though, of course,
she and Lady Mary were acquainted, there was at no time any intimacy
between them. Lady Mary, in fact, does not appear to have liked
Henrietta Howard. At least she on more than one occasion tittle-tattled
about her. "The most surprising news is Lord Bathurst's assiduous court
to their Royal Highnesses, which fills the coffee-houses with profound
speculations. But I, who smell a rat at a profound distance, do believe
in private that Mrs. Howard and his lordship have a friendship that
borders upon 'the tender.'