“I’ll come to-morrow and go through some necessary matters with you, Lady Wyndover. Please say ‘Good-bye’ to Miss Chetwynde for me.” He paused at the door, and, with a groan, added: “Odious isn’t the word! She’s worse than odious; she’s a witch, and every man who comes within reach of her becomes a perfect fool! But you’ll find out all this for yourself before many hours have passed! Odious! Good lord, I should have had a much easier time if she had been!”
[CHAPTER VII.]
Esmeralda, as she took off her jacket and hat, looked round Lady Wyndover’s dressing-room with amazed curiosity. She had never before been in or imagined such a room. Like Lady Wyndover, it was a marvel of artistic taste. The decorations and the soft silk hangings were of the approved crushed strawberry hue, the furniture of the daintiest kind, and in tone like that of a sparrow’s egg, the chairs were of divan-like comfort, the carpet a thick Turkish pile. A satin tea-gown of the palest hue hung over one of the chairs; the dressing-tables were covered with scent-bottles, ivory and silver-backed brushes, silver pots, containing some pink and red stuff, whose use Esmeralda was ignorant of; and jewelry of an exquisite kind lay about amongst silver pots and bottles, and even on the chairs.
The room overlooked the square, and Esmeralda gazed down at the carriages, with their high-stepping horses and liveried servants, with interest.
She was at last in the heart of that London of which she had heard. She seemed to be in a dream.
She opened the door and went into the next room. Lady Wyndover was seated in a low chair beside the fire, with a dainty tea-service, of silver and Sèvres, before her, and she greeted Esmeralda with a smile, and motioned her to draw up a chair on the other side of the fire.
“You must be dying for your tea, my dear,” she said, taking in all the points of Esmeralda’s plain traveling-dress, and yet without even seeming to glance at her.
“What a great deal we must have to tell each other,” she continued, sweetly. “I really don’t know where to begin! By the way, Mr. Pinchook was obliged to hurry away, and asked me to say good-bye to you for him. He is a very nice old gentleman, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” said Esmeralda, with a faint smile. “He has been very kind to me, and I expect I have given him a great deal of trouble.”