A few nights later he took her to a Grand Gala at Vauxhall Gardens, making up an agreeable party for the expedition. Miss Milborne was amongst their guests, her parent having been persuaded, not without misgiving, to entrust her to Hero’s chaperonage. Nothing could have been more decorous, however, than the party, or more correct than the Viscount’s attentions to his guests; and the only thing that happened to mar the peace and propriety of the evening was the stormy quarrel which took place between Miss Milborne and Lord Wrotham, consequent upon the Duke of Severn’s detaching himself from his own party, on first catching sight of the Incomparable, and joining the Viscount’s for the greater part of the evening. This was of course regrettable, but as Miss Milborne was far too well-bred to permit her annoyance to appear, and everyone was quite accustomed to see Lord Wrotham in a fit of the sullens, the incident was not allowed to spoil the pleasure of the remainder of the guests.
Chapter Eleven
THE QUARREL WHICH HAD SPRUNG UP AT VAUXHALL Gardens between Miss Milborne and Lord Wrotham flourished longer than was expected, Wrotham’s temper having been worn thin, and Miss Milborne being so much incensed with him for choosing such a public spot for a quarrel that she refused to receive him when he called upon her next day to make his apologies. As the Duke of Severn ascended the steps of the Milbornes’ residence just as George came down them, and was instantly admitted into the house, it was not surprising that that fiery young man’s patience should there and then have deserted him. Encouraged by his long-suffering friends, he determined to relinquish his pretensions to the hand of the most hardened flirt in London, and for some time made great efforts to abide by this resolve, even allowing himself to forget his broken heart for long enough to enable him to challenge Sherry to a grand driving contest, in praiseworthy emulation of a feat once accomplished by Sir John Lade, who had driven his curricle twenty-two times in succession through a gateway only just wide enough to admit the vehicle. Neither young gentleman succeeded in bettering this performance, Sherry coming to grief at the fifth lap and George at the seventh. Sherry was quite unhurt, but George wrenched his shoulder, and went about for several days with his arm in a sling, looking even more romantic than usual, and causing ill-informed persons to spread the rumour that he had called someone out, and had himself sustained a wound. This story reached Isabella’s ears in due course, and she naturally supposed that she must have been the cause of the duel. She strongly disapproved of duelling, but she could not help feeling a little touched, as well as anxious; and as George did not come to see her she made an excuse to pay a morning call in Half Moon Street to discover what she could learn from Hero.
Hero, who had just come in from a ride in the park, and was wearing a saucy little hat, with a most provocative plume curling over its brim, which quite wrung Miss Milborne’s heart with envy, received her guest with her usual sunny good humour, accepted with thanks the marble-covered novel, straight from the Minerva Press, which was Miss Milborne’s excuse for the call, and begged her guest to be seated. Miss Milborne complimented her on the saucy hat, and confessed that if only she herself rode better, and were not so nervous of horses, she should be tempted to ride in the park too.
“Well, I don’t ride very well, you know,” said Hero frankly. “Sherry says I’m cow-handed. It isn’t true, because I drive my phaeton most creditably. Gil taught me, and he, you know, is quite a nonpareil. The thing is, my mare bolted with me yesterday, and there was such a commotion!” She gave a little gurgle. “Sherry was as mad as fire, but of course he could not scold me on account of that nonsensical match of his. And I was not thrown, and so there was nothing to be in a pucker over. In fact, George said I kept my seat admirably.”
This gave Miss Milborne her opportunity. She lowered her fine eyes to her lap and said gravely: “I hope Lord Wrotham has sustained no lasting injury?”
“Oh no, not the least in the world!”
“I was very much grieved when I heard — I hold such practices in abhorrence, as I am sure everyone must. Who — who was the other man?”
“Why Sherry, to be sure!” replied Hero. “Are you indeed shocked, Isabella? I did not think you would be so stuffy!”
“Sherry?” gasped Miss Milborne, looking up quickly. “Impossible! Oh, I would not have had such a thing happen for the world!”