Sire
You can judge my joy when in the evening of Easter Sunday I was announced the person who was carrying your letter, this good letter for which I beg you to receive all my very tender thanks; I cannot tell you how much ot touched me and how much the confidence it expresses in me makes me happy. I can not help but tell you, although the thought of the separation of my beloved parents, the paternal roof, my family is very painful to me, I am happy to see the approach of the moment when it will no longer be through letters that we will talk together and that I will tell you how grateful I am to God who has allowed me to dedicate my life to you;
Oh! yes Sire, I always recognise more of my happiness. What is more beautiful, sweeter in this world than the union of two hearts that understand each other, that love each other, that are animated by the same desire; it seems to me that whatever the events of life, they must be easier to bear; but I believe that what is most essential for a union to become ever more intimate, so that it is never disturbed by the lightest cloud, is for one not to let oneself be stopped at anything and always say the truth, no matter how hard it might be, because there are so many things which are easy to change in the beginning through a single word, which, when you just leave them be, grow like anything, because there is never a stop, and they can become a cause of annoyance or trouble; and also it is a very ardent prayer that I will address to you, to always tell me the truth because I am used to it and it is extremely necessary to me, which you will see, Sire, and that will be a great tranquility to me, if I dare count on it.
I find you very severe in your manner of judging yourself, but it is better like so than the opposite. It is, I believe, a great happiness when we recognise, like you, all that has influenced the development of the character as well what has been less favorable from the rest; because the more we know ourselves and the more we have realised all these impressions, the more one ought to arrive quickly and surely towards the goal that one has and I often believe that to acknowledge the less favourable matters later than sooner, at the moment, is not favourable or even good for us, and that the former can serve us in what follows;it is God’s reward for those who genuinely seek Good, who want the Good that makes everything turn for the best; when you have this desire for Good I believe that nothing is lost in life. And, if I dare say, it is the blessing of your beloved Mother that God recalled so early, who is with you and who will always be with you and will bring you happiness.
I think a lot about your beloved Mother, Sire, who left us an example of great virtues, which I will always have in front of my eyes and which I will try to follow, and I hope that she will bless our union, as if we still had the happiness of having that blessing on Earth. Here is this great day which will bind us eternally to each other, which is very close, and I have a very ardent wish to express to you, which you will understand will you not? This is because we meet the day before our wedding day in Holy Communion; it will make me very happy, I firmly believe that it will bring us happiness! My dear parents entrust me with reminding them fondly of your fond memories, and I beg you, Sire, to express my very tender compliments to your dear sister. Many times I have read and reread your good letter and always with emotion, and it is by thanking you again that I say of myself with all my heart.
Your all devoted and happy fiancée – Stéphanie
Comment:
This letter does not bring many news, aside from Stephanie and Pedro’s impending wedding. It does, however, illustrate the growing emotional attachment she is forming towards Pedro. She now feels comfortable enough to gently admonish him and worry about him, seen in her advice to be careful with overworking, and to be less harsh on himself. Pedro has clearly been sharing his thoughts and feelings with her, as he has told her what he believes contributed, both positively and negatively, towards his own character (which only comes to show his personality, as a man who is his own greatest judge). Stephanie clearly keeps writing to his family and receiving letters from them, including the letters from his sister (again we do not know which one, but I would bet on the eldest, Infanta Maria Ana).
An interesting detail is her mention of his mother, Queen Maria II of Portugal. Maria II became Queen of Portugal at the age of 7, when her father abdicated in her favour to keep the Crown of Brazil to himself. She was to marry her uncle once she reached a marriageable age, and they would be co-monarchs. However, her uncle Miguel had Absolutist views (more 18th century-ish), whereas her father, Pedro, was a Constitutional monarch. That brought friction, and Miguel usurped the Portuguese crown with absolute rights as king, broke up the engagement and started a Civil War which would last quite a few years in the late 1820s.
For several reasons aside from his daughter’s honour, Pedro abdicated of the Imperial Crown of Brazil, leaving it to his only son, also named Pedro; and he went to fight for Maria’s cause. This fight happened with English help, as England, a Constitutional Monarchy, sided with Portugal (the oldest alliance still in vigour is, in fact, the Anglo-Portuguese alliance). Maria herself travelled to Europe and was in England, where she met Queen Victoria; they became friends and there are quite a few letters that survived which show their constant friendship (and misunderstandings) through the years, and Victoria also had painters sent to Portugal to create portraits and miniatures of the Portuguese Royal Family (forget not, Victoria was a big fan of Pedro, whom she thought was far better prepared to reign than her own Bertie).
Virtues, Maria may have had. But she was also known to be a stubborn woman, who was not as absent from political intervention as her role as Constitutional Monarch might make one believe. She was, however, a doting mother, even if demanding, and raised quite a few children who were generally well-liked in Europe, including Pedro. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1853, when her son and heir was about 15, giving birth to her last child, a son, who also died not long afterwards. Pedro thus became King of Portugal at a very young age, and lost his mother as a teenager during his formative years. This must have left a severe impact upon a child who was already serious and a bit melancholic by nature, and Stephanie, surely knowing these events, seems to be willing to bring back the memory of Pedro’s lost mother. Her sensitivity and sensibility to these matters probably led her to realise what was a hard subject for Pedro, one which he probably simultaneously wished and did not wish to talk about.
The Historian Chronicles 