He was pleased to note that Alice’s engagement to a Cit had not excluded her from a place at the opera. For the opera was as exclusive as Almack’s and money alone was not enough to gain you a seat there. There was a cult of deportment and snobbery which had begun at the opening of the century which was just beginning to reach its peak. Beau Brummel and his set ruled the clubs in St. James’s Street and represented the male autocracy of fashion. The lady patronesses at Almack’s Assembly Rooms in King Street represented the feminine. At the opera, they both united their forces to make sure that only the best, the most blue-blooded, the most elegant, had a claim to a seat The opera, in fact, like Almack’s, was a social function which completely outclassed the Court. A committee supervised the issue of every ticket and a man or a lady went to the opera, or did not, according to their social position. “Only sixteen officers of the Guards were found worthy of that honor.”

The opera itself took second place to the company. One went, after all, to see and be seen.

It was more exciting to crowd “Fop’s Alley” at the opera to see the peerless Mr. Brummell and the dandies—Mr. George Darner, Lord Foley, Mr. Henry Pierrepoint, Mr. Wellesley Pole, Mr. Charles Standish, Mr. Drummond and Mr. Lumley Skeffington—than to pay attention to the stage. The question of the evening was not, “Who is singing?” but “How well got up is Brummell?”

Alice was unsophisticated enough to enjoy the music but by now had enough town bronze to cleverly conceal the fact.

Music had charms to soothe the savage thoughts that normally plagued her—why was she getting married—would she see her ghost ever again?—why was Webb always about, always staring?

The opera was Mozart’s Magic Flute and although it is doubtful if the composer would have recognized much of his work since it had been rather John Bullified, Alice could find no fault with it and sat in a happy trance through the first act.

But at the interval she had to give attention to her small court of admirers and her mind began to race as she smiled and chatted. That she could retire to a small cottage in the country and live out the rest of her days on the little money that came from the investments made for her by Mr. Bower never crossed her innocent mind. The Duke had gone to great lengths to launch her in society so that she might find herself a rich husband and she felt honor bound to fulfill his wishes.