Despite the restrictions imposed upon him by the narrowness of his purse, Richard Rowlands had enjoyed not only the nightlife of London but also the race meetings, the mills, the horse sales and every other event that the beaux and the dandies flocked to daily.

He had thought that the Earl was as fascinated as he was by every new excitement, so he was extremely surprised when three weeks ago he had suddenly for no apparent reason, left London for his country house in Kent.

He gave no explanation on his decision except that he had things to see to in the country.

Richard had missed the Earl more than he would admit and had waited expectantly for an invitation to Hellington Park only to be disappointed.

Now the Earl was back and he said impatiently,

“Come on, Vargus! It’s not like you to be mysterious. If it is a woman who is coming between us, I swear I shall feel like throttling her!”

“It’s not any particular woman, yet in a way you are being clairvoyant, except that the woman you wish to throttle has, as yet, no name.”

“What the devil do you mean by that?” Richard enquired.

As he spoke, his valet came back into the room with a tray on which there was a silver coffee pot, a cream jug and a large man-sized cup.

He set it down on a small table by the Earl who thanked him.

When he left the room the Earl said,

“I went to the country, Richard, to think.”

“To think?” his friend exclaimed.

He spoke incredulously, as if he had never heard of the exercise.

“I thought,” he continued after a moment, “that you were finding Lady Adelaide rather a bore. At the same time that little dancer, what was her name, Fay, was divinely alluring.”

“I paid her off,” the Earl said.

“You got rid of her?” Richard asked. “For whom?”

There was a pause before the Earl replied,

“I don’t know yet, but I have decided that I shall get married.”

“Who is to be the fortunate bride?”

“As I say, I have not yet found her.”

Richard gave a laugh.

“That is just like you, Vargus! You make up your mind about something and plan it out like a military campaign. Well, I think you are wise in your position to marry. It’s obvious that you need an heir, but for God’s sake choose the right woman or it will not be I who will throttle her, but you!”

“That is exactly what I thought myself,” the Earl replied seriously.

He took a sip of coffee before he went on,

“I went to Hellington Park because I felt stifled in London and bored with the endless gambling and drinking and having to toady to all those fat women at Carlton House.”

Richard laughed.