“He must be at least twenty-eight years younger than she is.”
“More, probably. But she prefers them like that. Don’t you remember Rochecouart? He was a mere child. When we gave our hop at Prince’s she was mad about him. And afterwards she wanted to marry Rupert Louth. It nearly killed her when she found out he had married that awful girl who called herself an actress. And there was someone else after Rupert.”
“I know. I often wonder who it was. Someone we don’t know.”
“Someone quite out of our world. Anyhow, he must have broken her heart for the time. And it’s taken ten years to mend. Do you think that she sold her jewels secretly to pay that man’s debts, or gave them to him, and that then he threw her over? I have often wondered.”
“So have we all. But we shall never know. Adela is very clever.”
“And now it’s another boy! And only twenty-eight or so. He can’t be more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Poor old Adela!”
“Perhaps he likes white hair. There are boys who do.”
“But not for long. Beryl was furious.”
“It is hardly a compliment to her. I expect her cult for Adela will diminish rapidly.”
“Oh, she’ll very soon get him away. Even Zotos won’t be able to do very much for Adela now. She burnt all her boats ten years ago. Her case is really hopeless, and she’ll very soon find that out.”