“That is one good thing, at any rate,” Lord Worcester said. “At the same time I shall try to discover who is the traitor in our midst and, when we know, we will make it extremely uncomfortable for him to remain in the Club.”

“Personally I could not care what he writes,” the Earl said, “and in the case of the innuendoes, if the cap fits, then one must be prepared to wear it.”

“That is very high-handed, Vargus,” Richard said, who had remained silent up until now. “You are only able to feel so cock-a-hoop because you are quite certain that there is no scandal written about you, but a lot of people are in a very different position.”

There was silence after he had spoken.

Then Lord Worcester said hastily,

“That is true enough. People have no right to go snooping around writing about their friends and acquaintances and then being too cowardly to give their name. I vote we find out who it is and have him blackballed.”

The Earl laughed.

“You are all making a mountain out of a molehill. As far as I can see there is nothing slanderous in anything that is written here, just generally amusing quips about gentlemen in general.”

“If the newspapers get hold of it, they will make us look pretty ridiculous!” the Duke of Argyll said harshly.

“Personally I don’t care what they say,” the Earl replied. “It is only women who read the gossip anyway.”

The Earl spoke in the lofty tone that always made Richard smile.

He was well aware that he never gossiped and was never interested in even the juiciest scandals.

The majority of the members at White’s were quite prepared to talk about one another and a number of them were always ready to whisper in a corner about what had happened the night before and reveal whose husband was being cuckolded by his closest friends.

He was not surprised when a little later on the Earl rose restlessly and left the Club.

He did not invite Richard to join him and he watched him wistfully from the bow window, driving off in his phaeton, up St. James’s Street.

He wondered where he was going and wished that he had asked.

Last night had been more amusing than he had anticipated. At the first ball they had attended he and the Earl had found friends there who had been delighted to see them and they had sat drinking in the card room and made no effort to join the dancers.

At Ashburnham House the Princess had held out her arms in greeting and scolded the Earl for being away for so long.

“London has been dull without you,” she said, “but now you are back, my Lord, we must celebrate.”

She had introduced him to a number of beautiful women, none of whom Richard thought would be of any use to the Earl in his search for a wife.