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The two men bowed, Richard with reluctancy, the Captain with easy_bonhomie_.
"Sir, I claim to be a worshipper at the shrine of which you, I believe,are High Priest!" he said impudently, and bowed again, this time to mylady.
"You are one of many, sir," smiled Richard.
Lady Devereux came tripping up to them, and kissed Lavinia with a greatshow of affection.
"My dearest life! My sweet Lavinia!"
Lady Lavinia presented a powdered cheek.
"Dearest Fanny, how charming to see you again!" she cooed. Through herlashes she gazed at her friend's enormous headdress, with its rolls ofpowdered curls and the imitation flowers perched upon the top of theerection.
"But, my angel!" exclaimed Lady Fanny, stepping back to view her,"surely you have been ill?"
"How strange!" smiled Lavinia. "I was about to ask you that samequestion, my dear! 'Tis age, I doubt not. Do we both look such dreadfulhags?" She turned her bewitching little countenance to the men, andsmiled appealingly.
Compliments showered upon her, and Lady Devereux, who was conscious thather own sallow countenance, in spite of rouge and powder, must appeareven more sallow beside Lavinia's pink-and-whiteness, flushed inannoyance and turned away, begging her dearest Lavvy to come to the farowith her. But Lavinia, it appeared, was going to watch the dicing atRichard's table: she vowed she should bring him monstrous good luck.
"I don't doubt it, my dear," replied her husband, "but I am not playingto-night. Will you not take your luck to Bob?" He nodded to where theColonel was lounging, dice-box in hand.
Lavinia pouted.
"No, I want you to play!"
"'Tis of no avail, Lady Lavinia!" drawled Sir Gregory. "Richard is thevery devil to-night."
Selwyn, rattling his dice, paused, and looked round at Markham with aface of innocent surprise. Then he turned slowly and stared atCarstares' grave, almost stern countenance, with even more surprise. Hestarted to rattle the dice again, and shifted back to face his opponent,with pursed lips.
"Is he?" he inquired with studied depression.
Even Lavinia joined in the general laugh, not so much at the wit's wordsas at his comic expression, and the extreme deliberation with which hehad enacted the little scene.
Someone cried a bet to Lovelace, which was promptly accepted, andLavinia's eyes glowed afresh as she followed the Captain to a table.
Richard went to fetch her some refreshment, and on his return, found herleaning over Lovelace's chair, her hand on his shoulder, eagerly castingthe dice on to the table. He was in time to see her clap her hands andto hear her cry of: "My luck! Oh, my luck is in! I will throw again!"
Glancing round she caught sight of her husband, and her face fell.
"Do you _mind_, Dicky?" she pleaded.
He did mind, but he could not appear churlish before all these men; sohe laughed and shook his head, and went to her elbow to watch her play.
When she at length ceased, her luck had run out, and she had lost hermuch-prized ruby earring to Mr. Selwyn, who placed it carefully in hisvest pocket, vowing he should wear it next his heart for ever. Then, andthen only, did she consent to leave the gaming tables for the dancinghall, and for another hour Richard had the felicity of watching hertread the minuet with various young bloods, but most often with hernew-found Harry Lovelace.
CHAPTER XIX
THE REAPPEARANCE OF HIS GRACE OF ANDOVER
It seemed to Richard in the days that followed, that Captain Lovelacewas never out of his house. If he went to his wife's boudoir, there wasLovelace, hanging over her while she played upon the spinet or glancedthrough the pages of the _Rambler_. If Lavinia went to a ball ormasquerade, the Captain was always amongst the favoured ones admitted toher chamber for the express purpose of watching her don her gown andjudiciously place her patches. If Carstares begged his wife's companyone morning, she was full of regrets: Harry was calling to take her toVauxhall or to Spring Gardens. When he entered his door, the first sightthat met his eyes was the Captain's amber-clouded cane and point-edgedhat; and when he looked out of the window, it was more often to see achair draw up at the house and Lovelace alight. After patiently enduringa week of his continued presence, Carstares remonstrated with his wife:she must not encourage her friend to spend all his time at GrosvenorSquare. At first she had looked reproachful, and then she inquired hisreason. His reluctant answer was that it was not seemly. At that hereyes had opened wide, and she demanded to know what could be more seemlythan the visits of such an old friend? With a gleam of humour, Richardreplied that it was not Captain Harold's age that he objected to, but,on the contrary, his youth. On which she accused him of being jealous.It was true enough, but he indignantly repudiated the suggestion. Verywell, then, he was merely stupid! He must not be cross; Harry was hervery good friend, and did not Richard admire the new device for herhair? Richard was not to be cajoled: did she clearly understand thatLovelace's visits must cease? She only understood one thing, and thatwas that Dicky was marvellous ill-tempered and ridiculous to-day. And hemust not tease her! Yes, she would be very good, but so must he! And nowshe was going shopping, and she would require at least twenty guineas.
In spite of her promise to "be good," she made no attempt to discourageLovelace's attentions, always smiling charmingly upon him and beckoninghim to her side.
It was the morning of the Duchess of Devonshire's rout that Carstaresagain broached the subject. My lady was in bed, her fair hair unpowderedand streaming all about her shoulders, her chocolate on a small table ather side and countless _billets doux_ from admirers scattered on thesheet. In her hand she held a bouquet of white roses with a cardattached bearing, in bold, sprawling characters, the initials "H. L."Perhaps it was the sight of those incriminating letters that rousedRichard's anger. At all events, with a violence quite unlike his usualgentle politeness, he snatched the flowers from her hand, and sent themwhizzing into a corner.
"Let there be an end to all this folly!" he cried.
Lavinia raised herself on one elbow, astonished.
