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"Oh thank you, Dicky! And you are not angry with me?"
"No, dear, of course not."
"Ah! Now I am happy! 'Tis sweet of you, Dicky, but confess you aresecretly thankful to be rid of me for a week! Now are you not?" Shespread out her fan in the highest good-humour and coquetted behind it.Richard was induced to smile.
"I fear I shall miss you too sadly, dear."
"Oh!" She dropped the fan. "But think how you will look forward toseeing me again, and I you. Why, I shall be so thankful to be back aftera week away, that I shall be good for months!"
His face lightened, and he caught her hands in his.
"Darling, if I thought you would miss me--"
"But of course I shall miss you, Dick--oh, _pray_, mind my frock! ShallI not miss him, Tracy?"
Richard suddenly remembered his brother-in-law's presence. He turned andwent to the foot of the stairs.
"So you are determined to wrest my wife from me?" he smiled.
Tracy descended leisurely, opening his snuff-box.
"Yes, I require a hostess," he said. "And I have"--he paused--"inducedher to honour Andover with her presence. Shall we have the felicity ofseeing you at any time?"
"I thank you, no. I am not, you will understand, in the mood for thegaiety for which my poor Lavinia craves."
The Duke bowed slightly, and they all three went out on to the terrace,Lavinia laughing and talking as Richard had not heard her laugh or talkfor days. She was the life and soul of the little dinner-party, flirtingprettily with her husband and exerting herself to please him in everyway. She had won her point; therefore she was in excellent spirits withall the world, and not even the spilling of some wine on her new silkserved to discompose her.
CHAPTER VI
BATH: 29 QUEEN SQUARE
The autumn and the winter passed smoothly, and April found the Carstaresinstalled at Bath, whither Lady Lavinia had teased her husband intogoing, despite his desire to return to Wyncham and John. She herself didnot care to be with the child, and was perfectly content that Richardshould journey occasionally to Wyncham to see that all was well withhim.
On the whole, she had enjoyed the winter, for she had induced Richard toopen Wyncham House, Mayfair, the Earl's town residence, where she hadbeen able to hold several entirely successful routs, and many selectlittle card-parties. Admirers she had a-many, and nothing so pleased hervain little heart as masculine adulation. Carstares never entered hishome without stumbling against some fresh flame of hers, but as theymostly consisted of what he rudely termed the lap-dog type, he wasconscious of no jealous qualms, and patiently submitted to theirinundation of his house. He was satisfied that Lavinia was happy, and,as he assured himself at times when he was most tried, nothing elsesignified.
The only flaw to Lavinia's content was the need of money. Not that shewas stinted, or ever refused anything that he could in reason give her;but her wants were never reasonable. She would demand a new townchariot, upholstered in pale blue, not because her own was worn orshabby, but because she was tired of its crimson cushions. Or she wouldsuddenly take a fancy to some new, and usually fabulously expensive toy,and having acquired it, weary of it in a week.
Without a murmur, Richard gave her lap-dogs (of the real kind), blackpages, jewels, and innumerable kickshaws, for which she rewarded himwith her brightest smiles and tenderest caresses. But when she requiredhim to refurnish Wyncham House in the style of the French Court,throwing away all the present Queen Anne furniture, the tapestries, andthe countless old trappings that were one and all so beautiful and sovaluable, he put his foot down with a firmness that surprised her. Notfor any whim of hers was Jack's house to be spoiled. Neither her coaxingnor her tears had any effect upon Richard, and when she reverted tosulks, he scolded her so harshly that she was frightened, and inconsequence silenced.
For a week she thought and dreamt of nothing but gilded French chairs,and then abruptly, as all else, the fancy left her, and she forgot allabout it. Her mantua-maker's bills were enormous, and caused Richardmany a sleepless night, but she was always so charmingly penitent thathe could not find it in his heart to be angry; and, after all, hereflected, he would rather have his money squandered on her adornmentthan on that of her brothers. She was by turns passionate and cold tohim: one day enrapturing him by some pretty blandishment, the nextsnapping peevishly when he spoke to her.
At the beginning of the season he dutifully conducted her to routs and_bals masques_, but soon she began to go always with either Andrew orRobert, both of whom were in town, and whose casual chaperonage she muchpreferred to Richard's solicitous care. Tracy was rarely in London formore than a few days at a time, and the Carstares, greatly to Richard'srelief, saw but little of him. Carstares disliked Colonel Lord RobertBelmanoir, but the Duke he detested, not only for his habitual sneertowards him, but for the influence that he undoubtedly held overLavinia. Richard was intensely jealous of this, and could sometimeshardly bring himself to be civil when his Grace visited my lady. Whetherjustly or not, he inwardly blamed Tracy for all Lavinia's crazy whimsand periodical fits of ill-temper. It did not take his astute Grace longto discover this, and with amused devilry he played upon it, encouragingLavinia in her extravagance, and making a point of calling on herwhenever he was in town.
Carstares never knew when not to expect to find him there; he came andwent to and from London with no warning whatsoever. No one ever knewwhere he was for more than a day at a time, and no one was in the leastsurprised if he happened to be seen in London when he should, accordingto all accounts, have been in Paris. They merely shrugged theirshoulders, and exchanged glances, murmuring: "Devil Belmanoir!" andwondering what fresh intrigue he was in.
So altogether Richard was not sorry when my lady grew suddenly sick oftown and was seized with a longing for Bath. He had secretly hoped thatshe might return to Wyncham, but when she expressed no such wish, hestifled his own longing for home, shut up the London house, and took herand all her baggage to Bath, installing her in Queen Square in one ofthe most elegantly furnished houses in the place.
Lady Lavinia was at first charmed to be there again; delighted with thehouse, and transported over the excellencies of the new French millinershe had discovered.
But the milliner's bills proved monstrous, and the drawing-room of herhouse not large enough for the routs she contemplated giving. The airwas too relaxing for her, and she was subject to constant attacks of thevapours that were as distressing to her household as they were toherself. The late hours made her head ache as it never ached in London,and the damp gave her a cold. Furthermore, the advent of an attractiveand exceedingly wealthy little widow caused her many a bitter hour, tothe considerable detriment of her good-temper.
She was lying on a couch in her white and gilt drawing room oneafternoon--alas! the craze for French furniture was o'er-smelling-bottlein hand and a _bona fide_ ache in her head, when the door opened andTracy walked into the room.
"Good heavens!" she said faintly, and uncorked her salts.
It was his Grace's first appearance since she had come to Bath, and thefact that he had politely declined an invitation that she had sent tohim still rankled in her mind. He bowed over the limp hand that sheextended, and looked her up and down.
"I regret to find you thus indisposed, my dear sister," he saidsmoothly.
