By the mid 1860s the relationship between Georgina and her husband was beginning to change. In the early days of their marriage Harry had been ill at ease with his wife's old friends, some of whom made it clear that they thought him their social inferior. He had been reluctant to go anywhere without Georgina. Now he was more self-confident: he had friends of his own and was elected to the Garrick Club in 1867. Harry had previously been inclined to jealousy, tearing the photographs of Georgina's former admirers out of her album, but in the summer of 1866 he did not complain when she spent hours alone with John Brett whilst the artist sketched her. Nor did he object to Georgina staying with Freddy Warre in his new house at 44 Great Ormond Street. It is probably significant that Freddy never married – or came anywhere near doing so. Harry never seems to have seen him as a threat. Freddy was a good friend to Georgina, running errands and buying presents for her. Both were fond of knick-knacks, which they called ‘grabs’, and they wrote silly, teasing letters to each other. Freddy called Georgina ‘Grabkins’ or ‘Georgina Graspall’ and frequently referred to her strong acquisitive streak. He was only too well aware of Georgina's somewhat imperious nature, telling her ‘Sometimes I wish I was your pardner [sic], and then I should be fed and led about like a slave.’ Georgina took all this in good part, and she continued to confide in Freddy and enjoy his visits.

Fred Clay was another close friend. Like Freddy Warre, he teased Georgina and did not take her too seriously, addressing her in one letter as ‘Wondrous Madarme! Ray of Light from Realms above! You ‘eavenborn Female.’ Harry showed no signs of jealousy of Fred Clay either. Much more dangerous was Henry Thompson, who paid Georgina more attention than was entirely proper. He took her to the theatre in London without Harry and brought her chocolate truffles and champagne. Thompson and Georgina began a regular correspondence after she returned to Wales in October, and his gift of a box of marrons glacés on New Year's Day was received with rather more enthusiasm than Harry's aluminium saucepan.