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As Nancy Randolph's love affair continues with her brother-in-law, his wife and other family members begin to suspect that Nancy is pregnant.
Judith RandolphJudith Randolph, the sister of Nancy Randolph, was "plain, pious, serious, and terribly frustrated by life." She married Richard Randolph when she was sixteen. When Judith and Nancy's mother died their father remarried. He also lost a considerable fortune after signing a loan for a friend. It was then that Nancy went to live with her sister and her husband at their plantation called Bizarre. It was also then that Nancy and the handsome Richard became lovers. Suspicions are ArousedRichard Randolph's uncle, Major Carter Page, a one-time aide to Lafayette, noted that Richard and Nancy seemed to be considerably fond of each other. He had also seen them in each other's arms while kissing. Then he began to detect that Nancy's middle was gradually expanding. The Major's wife, who was the daughter of Archibald Cary, the speaker of the Virginia Senate, was certain that Nancy was, indeed, pregnant. She had also overheard Judith complaining of the intimacy between her husband and sister. Mrs. Page, in an attempt to satisfy her suspicions of Nancy's condition, even asked her if she could examine her to "determine whether she was a virgin." Nancy refused the gesture. But Mrs. Page soon had her answer, and by devious means. One night as she passed Nancy's locked bedroom door, Mrs. Page took the time to peer through the keyhole. There stood Nancy, naked, and very obviously pregnant. Judith also began to watch the two of them more closely. Like Mrs. Page, Judith had also begun to be suspicious of her sister's middle-body weight gain. An Unusual House PartyBefore Nancy Randolph and her sister's husband, Richard Randolph, in April of1793, were accused of the horrendous crime of killing their newborn infant a strange sort of house party was held at Glenlyvar on October 1, 1792. Glenlyvar was the Virginia country place of Randolph Harrison, yet another member of the Randolph clan. House party it may have been termed, but evidently it was intended as much more than a mere friendly family gathering, one that lasted well into the dark hours of night. A Colonial Love Affaire: An Unwed Pregnancy continues with A Mysterious Night at Glenlyvar: Did Nancy Randolph Miscarry or Murder? Previous: Nancy Randolph: Sex, Incest, Infidelity, and Murder in Old Virginia. Recommended Reading:
The copyright of the article A Colonial Love Affaire in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish A Colonial Love Affaire in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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