Never in all the years he had known the Earl had he ever seen him in such a state about anything or anybody, least of all a woman.

Always in the past he had accepted them as necessities in that they could amuse and entertain him.

Never, and this was the truth, had he ever become involved so that he actively suffered from the need of one of them.

‘He is in love!’ Richard told himself.

But he did not say it out loud because he felt that it would only contribute further to the Earl’s obvious unhappiness.

As the Earl sipped his brandy, to change the subject he asked,

“How are your horses?”

“I have no idea.”

“I thought that you might have been running one at Epsom.”

“I believe my trainer did enquire if I wished to do so,” the Earl answered vaguely.

It was obvious that his mind was elsewhere, but at that moment a member who was passing called out,

“Hello, Hellington! I expected to see you at Epsom yesterday.”

The Earl merely nodded his head in recognition of the greeting, but Richard, in an effort to be polite, enquired,

“Did you have a winner?”

“Only as regards my bets,” was the reply. “I withdrew my own horse.”

This was obviously a sore point and the speaker moved on to sit down in a chair behind the Earl and Richard, obviously not wishing to talk any further of what had occurred.

There was a rustle of paper and then someone said,

“Good morning, Dandish. I have not seen you for some time.”

“I have been staying at Epsom,” Lord Dandish replied and then in a louder tone than he had used before, he exclaimed, “Good God!”

“What has happened?”

“You will hardly believe it, but Caversham has returned the one thousand pounds he owed me. It has taken him three years and I can hardly credit it’s not a joke!”

“Sir Denzil Caversham? I thought he was abroad.”

“He is, but here is the one thousand pounds he owed me from his Trustees.”

The Earl, who had been sitting in what Richard called to himself ‘the darkest gloom’, suddenly sat upright.

Then to his friend’s astonishment he sprang to his feet and walked to where Lord Dandish was sitting behind him.

“Forgive my intrusion, Dandish,” he said, “but I could not help overhearing you saying that you had received one thousand pounds from somebody after a lapse of three years.”

“That is true,” Lord Dandish replied. “I can tell you it’s quite a shock! I never expected to see the money again. In fact I intended to take out a warrant for Caversham’s arrest if he ever returned to this country.”

“Would you permit me to see the one thousand pounds you have received?” the Earl asked.

Lord Dandish looked at him in surprise.

Then he said,