In spite of her promise to "be good," she made no attempt to discourage Lovelace's attentions, always smiling charmingly upon him and beckoning him to her side.
It was the morning of the Duchess of Devonshire's rout that Carstares again broached the subject. My lady was in bed, her fair hair unpowdered and streaming all about her shoulders, her chocolate on a small table at her side and countless billets doux from admirers scattered on the sheet. In her hand she held a bouquet of white roses with a card attached bearing, in bold, sprawling characters, the initials "H. L." Perhaps it was the sight of those incriminating letters that roused Richard's anger. At all events, with a violence quite unlike his usual gentle politeness, he snatched the flowers from her hand, and sent them whizzing into a corner.
"Let there be an end to all this folly!" he cried.
Lavinia raised herself on one elbow, astonished.
"H-how dare you?" she gasped.
"It has come to that!" he answered. "How dare I, your husband, try to control your actions in any way? I tell you, Lavinia, I have had enough of your antics, and I will not longer put up with them!"
"You-you- What in heaven's name ails you, Richard?"
"This! I will not countenance that puppy's invasion of my house!" He made a furious gesture towards the wilted bouquet. "Neither will I permit you to make yourself the talk of London through him!"
"I? I? I make myself the talk of London? How dare you? Oh! how dare you?"
"I beg you will cease that foolishness. There is no question of my daring. How dare you disobey me, as you have been doing all this past week?"
She cowered away from him.
"Dicky!"
"'Tis very well to cry 'Dicky,' and to smile, but I have experienced that before. Sometimes I think you are utterly without heart!-a selfish, vain, extravagant woman!"
The childish lips trembled. Lady Lavinia buried her face in the pillows, sobbing.
Carstares' face softened.
"I beg your pardon, my dear. Mayhap that was unjust."
"And cruel! And cruel!"
"And cruel. Forgive me."
She twined white, satiny arms about his neck.
"You did not mean it?"
"No. I mean that I will not allow Lovelace to dangle after you, however."
She flung away from him.
"You have no right to speak like that. I knew Harry long before I ever set eyes on you!"
He winced.
"You infer that he is more to you than I am?"
"No! Though you try to make me hate you. No! I love you best. But I will not send Harry away!"
"Not if I order it?"
"Order it? Order it? No! No! A thousand times no!"
"I do order it!"
"And I refuse to listen to you!"
"By God, madam, you need a lesson!" he flamed. "I am minded to take you back to Wyncham this very day! And I promise you that, an you do not obey me in this, to Wyncham you shall go!" He stamped out of the room as he spoke, and she sank back amongst her pillows, white and trembling with fury.
As soon as she was dressed, she flounced downstairs, bent on finishing the quarrel. But Carstares had gone out some time since, and was not expected to return until late. For a moment Lavinia was furious, but the timely arrival of a box from her mantua-maker's chased away the frowns and wreathed her face in smiles.
Richard did not return until it was time to prepare for the rout, and on entering the house he went straight to his chamber, putting himself into the hands of his valet. He submitted to the delicate tinting of his finger-nails, the sprinkling of his linen with rosewater and the stencilling of his brows. He was arrayed in puce and gold, rings slipped on to his fingers, his legs coaxed into hose with marvellous clocks splashed on their sides, and a diamond buckle placed above the large black bow of his tie-wig. Then, powdered, painted and patched, he went slowly across to his wife's room.
Lavinia, who had by now quite forgotten the morning's contretemps, greeted him with a smile. She sat before the mirror in her under-gown, with a loose déshabillé thrown over her shoulders. The coiffeur had departed, and her hair, thickly powdered, was dressed high above her head over cushions, twisted into curls over her ears and allowed to fall in more curls over her shoulders. On top of the creation were poised ostrich feathers, scarlet and white, and round her throat gleamed a great necklet of diamonds. The room was redolent of some heavy perfume; discarded ribbons, laces, slippers and gloves strewed the floor; over the back of a chair hung a brilliant scarlet domino, and tenderly laid out on the bed was her gown, a mass of white satin and brocade, with full ruffles over the hips and quantities of foaming lace falling from the corsage and from the short sleeves. Beside it reposed her fan, her soft lace gloves, her mask and her tiny reticule.
Carstares gingerly sat down on the extreme edge of a chair and watched the maid tint his wife's already perfect cheeks.
"I shall break hearts to-night, shall I not?" she asked gaily, over her shoulder.
"I do not doubt it," he answered shortly.
"And you, Dicky?" She turned round to look at him. "Puce . . . 'tis not the colour I should have chosen, but 'tis well enough. A new wig, surely?"
"Ay."
Her eyes questioned his coldness, and she suddenly remembered the events of the morning. So he was sulky? Very well! Monsieur should see!
Someone knocked at the door; the maid went to open it.
"Sir Douglas Faversham, Sir Gregory Markham, Moosso le Chevalier and Captain Lovelace are below, m'lady."
A little devil prompted Lavinia.
"Oh, la-la! So many? Well, I cannot see all, 'tis certain. Admit Sir Gregory and Captain Lovelace."
Louisa communicated this to the lackey and shut the door.
Richard bit his lip angrily.
"Are you sure I am not de trop?" he asked, savagely sarcastic.
Lady Lavinia cast aside her déshabillé and stood up.
"Oh, 'tis no matter-I am ready for my gown, Louisa."
There came more knocking at the door, and this time it was Carstares who rose to open it.