Olivia obediently produced her handkerchief, saying gratefully: “I knew you would stand my friendl”
Since Kitty, though anxious to befriend her, had no idea how this was to be done, she felt very much consciencestricken, and was glad to be able to restore her to Mrs. Broughty before she was called upon to outline some scheme for her relief. The only course that offered itself to her was to confide the whole to Freddy; but as he had sent a message to Berkeley Square that he would dine with his sister that evening, she had a good many hours to while away before she could seek his advice. These were spent by her in concocting and immediately discarding a number of quite unsuitable stratagems, and in blaming herself bitterly for her part in the affair. A diversion was created midway through the afternoon by Mr. Westruther, who came to pay a morning-visit. As Meg had retired to lie down upon her bed, Kitty received him alone, and would not have received him at all had she had the least warning of his arrival. But he was ushered into the drawing-room, where she sat brooding by the fire, so that she had no opportunity to deny herself.
She accorded him a somewhat cool welcome, but he was quite impervious to such snubs, merely laughing at her, and saying, with a quizzical lift of one eyebrow: “Vexed with me, Kitty? For taking Meg to the masquerade? Now, consider how unjust! Am I vexed with you for allowing your fascinating cousin to be your cicisbeo? Certainly not! I hope you enjoyed an excellent evening’s entertainment.”
She ignored the greater part of this speech. “No, I did not enjoy it, and I am astonished that you could have taken Meg to such an improper party!”
“Little prude!” he said, amused. “Did not the dashing Chevalier take good care of you? I had thought him to have been quite in his element!”
“I collect,” said Kitty, boldly confronting him, “that you have taken my cousin in aversion. Will you be so good as to tell me why?”
“My dear Kitty, what in the world can I have said to put such a notion as that into your head? You wrong me, really you do! So far from taking the Chevalier in aversion, I admire his address profoundly, and quite envy him his assurance. Such delightful Gallic polish, and so skilled a card-player! It is a privilege to have met him. Indeed, I hope he may be going to do me the honour of visiting me this very evening, to pit his skill against mine. I am myself a gamester, you know, and I have a great desire to measure myself against one whom I have reason to think a past master in the art.”
She was dismayed, but summoned up enough courage to reply: “I wish you may not have cause to regret it!”
“Ah, well!” he said, his eyes glinting down at her. “Perhaps he may have the advantage of me in some respects, but in others I venture to think that I have the advantage of him.”
She was silenced, and he presently left her a prey to uneasiness. There could be no doubt that he knew that Olivia had been at the masquerade, for she recalled that she had herself told him that she was there with the Scortons; and she could not rid her mind of its suspicion that his invitation to her cousin to visit him must have some bearing on this circumstance.