Churchill's amorous, almost abject, missives of devotion were, it seems, received with suspicion – his first lover, Barbara Villiers, was just moving her household to Paris, feeding doubts that he may well have been looking at Sarah as a replacement mistress rather than a fiancée.
Men Churchills amourøse, næsten krybende, kærlighedsbreve blev, lader det til, modtaget med mistænksomhed og skepsis – hans første elskerinde, Barbara Villiers, var netop i færd med at flytte til Paris, hvilket gav anledning til rygter om, at han betragtede Sarah som en ny elskerinde mere end en forlovet.