Johnstone

Overview

Robert Lancaster-Johnstone (Marie writes «Lancaster», «Robert», «Lancaster Johnstone», once «Jonhstone»), an Englishman, the husband of Berthe Boyd, whom he married in 1878 after her flight with him. The Mon Journal indexes list him as «Lancaster-Johnstone (Robert)» (t.11 pp. 105, 144, 176, 187–188, 197–198, 208, 259; t.12 pp. 172, 176, 180, 241, 248; t.13 pp. 22, 31, 62, 66–67, 70, 72, 83, 108, 112, 118, 121, 163; t.14 pp. 110, 115, 264). No other biographical data are known; he is not the baronet Sir Frederic Johnstone of 1875.

In Marie's diary

• 16 January and 17 February 1878 (077.0228, 078.0219): a correspondent asks for «tout le mal qu'on dit d'un certain M. L[ancaster]» and another writes of «M. Lancastre [sic]»; Marie's circle is warned about him before the affair.
• March–April 1878 (079.0030, 079.0179, 079.0187): Berthe is «incurablement folle de Lancaster».
• 10–11 April 1878 (079.0303–0311): Berthe slips away from a walk with her sister and Dina and «s'est enfuie avec Lancaster». An anonymous letter had told Mme Boyd that Berthe was «la maîtresse de ce Lancaster Johnstone» and that at a supper young men had congratulated him; Marie calls him «un vilain homme», whom she had seen once.
• 4 December 1878 (083.0350–0351): first dinner of «Berthe et son mari» at the Bashkirtseffs': «châtain, taille moyenne, favoris et moustache», grey or green eyes; Marie thinks him «un excellent homme» and does not recognise «ce héros et surtout ce viveur».
• 15 March 1879 (084.0478): he writes that Berthe has «heureusement accouché d'un joli petit garçon».
• 10 August 1879 (086.0047): he runs with MM. de Boishébert and de Rohan, which makes Gavini say «il est clair que c'est un drôle»; Marie thinks Berthe still loves him.
• 12–14 January 1880 (087.0191–0224): Berthe's rudeness to Blanc at the Russian New Year ball brings Blanc to send his seconds to Lancaster; the «affaire Blanc-Lancaster» is settled by Marie's letter.
• 1 October 1880 (089.0659): «c'est le cher Robert qui a fait le coup» in a question of money.
• 15 April 1881 (091.0470–0472): the Gil Blas article on Berthe, with «le chèque de cent mille francs que Robert est allé toucher en retenant dix mille francs pour lui»; Marie thinks he had perhaps already «songé à en trafiquer» before marrying her: «ce sale personnage».

Sources

The diary paragraphs cited; Mon Journal name indexes t.11–t.14. Per Kernberger (2013), as recorded in the BERTHE entry, Berthe eloped with Robert Lancaster-Johnstone in 1878; the Mon Journal t.11 index has «épouse Lancaster depuis 1878».