He answered quickly.
"The Countess is my wife—that begins and ends it. If Marius is not a fool he will understand."
Susannah was hotly scornful.
"What did you expect of her? I do not take your view of it; better for her to coquette with Marius than to put that paragraph in the Gazette—that was the unforgivable thing."
My lord was silent, but his half-veiled eyes were mocking.
"He has not had the chance for more than a few words with her since his return," continued Susannah. "He is simple and she is heartless, but——"
"But you speak against your own convictions," interrupted the Earl. "You know, as I know, Susannah, what is happening, and there must be an end of it; if Marius and I meet behind Montague House——"
"He could rouse you to that," cried Susannah incredulously, "when you were cold before Sir Francis?"
"This concerns me more," said my lord. "Miss Boyle's name is not in my keeping—ah! God knows it is all very miserable," he made a disdainful gesture with his hand, "and paltry, too, but there are some things—tell Marius not to force it to an issue between us."