That March, every penny was earned. Edward’s cold turned, yet again, into bronchitis, accompanied by an accelerated pulse, rapid breathing and ‘physical signs in the chest’33 that caused Reid considerable anxiety. Fearful of a sudden emergency, he took to sitting up all night in case he was needed. Soveral and Mrs Keppel were constantly in and out of the royal suite, but otherwise the crisis was kept firmly under wraps. The British public was given no reason to suppose the King suffered from anything worse than a passing indisposition.
