The last letter in the collection is one in which Fersen wrote to Sophie about a Swedish political issue and closes the letter with these words: "… I do not speak to you, my dear friend, of the state of my heart. It is always the same. To think of her, to regret her, therein lies my consolation; to seek all I can find of hers and make it my treasure; that is all I care for. To speak intimately, therein lies my peace. Her loss will be the sorrow of my whole life. Never have I felt the value of all that I possessed and never have I loved her so well…. I do not tell you of my plans either; I have none; I feel incapable of making them. Her children still are a cause of anxiety to me, their fate torments me. That unfortunate daughter, what will she become? What horror, what humiliation will she not have to submit to? The son - what will he do? My heart aches in thinking of it. My God, will You not put a limit to such suffering, will You not punish so many crimes? Good-bye, my gentle Sophie. I finish because I only increase your sorrow with my own. Always continue to love and pity your unhappy brother."
The portrait was done in 1800. His life ended tragically (who'd have guessed, right?) in 1810. That story can wait for another day, though.
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