There were rumours that Gounod and Mrs Weldon were lovers. When Gounod returned to his wife in Paris the Weldons refused to return his belongings, including a draft score for a new opera. In 1863 William Weldon took a mistress, the nineteen-year-old Annie Stanley Dobson (born 1843), who secretly became his partner for life.
Rumors about Gounod and Mrs. Weldon's relationship were circulating. When Gounod returned to his wife in Paris, the Weldons refused to return his belongings, including a draft score of a new opera. In 1863, William Weldon took a young woman named Annie Stanley Dobson as his mistress and they became partners for life.