Letter to John Valentine from his wife Ursula

Letter to John Valentine from his wife Ursula

Thanks him for his letter and comments on his recent activities. Continues with account of counselling meeting with estranged couple and meeting other ladies with matrimonial problems.

1945-08-29

Four page handwritten letter

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EValentineUMValentineJRM450829

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Felmersham.
August 29th
Darling Johnnie,
Thank you for your letter enclosing one from Tante Bertha. What an invalid! 4 sets of tennis, topped off with croquet & swimming & then a night on the tiles! It’s high time I came to keep an eye on you, I think. But I’m very glad that you had a spot of fun over the weekend. Certainly I’ll be glad to meet the Robertsons on Wednesday week. I seriously doubt if I’ll have time to ring up your people, & relay the news of your meeting Mr Robertson & Mr White could as well come from you in a letter, I’ve just about got my
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hands full this end.
Yesterdays meeting between between [sic] Mrs Kinsey & her husband was a most unpleasant affair. She arrived first, with only one child, & sat twiddling her thumbs for 1/2 an hour till the gentleman arrived. He was in a very truculent mood with obviously no intention of trying to make it up with his wife but only to insult her. He’s a rather good looking fellow & could, I should think, make himself attractive, but as hard as nails & very selfish I should say. He told Mrs Kinsey that he had plenty of evidence to divorce here (whereas she has no [underlined] evidence [/underlined] around him, only theories) but wouldn’t of course say what, taunting her with various unnamed [indecipherable word].
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She called him a good few names too, & the whole thing is resolved now into whether he’ll divorce her & get the custody of the children or whether she’ll get her whack in first & get alimony. It’s a nasty sordid business, & I shouldn’t be surprised if he simply deserts her when he gets out of the army, for he admits he doesn’t want the children. I wish I felt more sure in my own mind of Mrs Kinsey’s fidelity; if she really has transgressed & he’s got the evidence, she’s had it. But of course she hotly denies such a thing. He also declares himself quite innocent of unfaithfulness, but I wouldn’t trust him an inch, tho’ I can well believe
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that he’ll have covered up his tracks.
Soon after they’d gone, Mrs Pearce & her sister Mrs Westwood turned up, both of whom are also in dire matrimonial difficulties. My goodness, how lucky I am to have a husband like you! It makes you think.
We had a parcel from Aunt Ethel this morning containing sundry groceries which will be most useful, particularly some delightful looking cheese.
Frances is painfully pencilling you a missive, her own composition, I tell her the spelling only.
I’m longing to see you on Friday, but can’t really believe its true yet!
Always yours
Ursula.