Chapter TwoThe Marquis left London in a bad temper.
If there was one thing he really disliked more than anything else, it was when his plans went wrong.
He had, in fact, taken a great deal of trouble in arranging this particular party in the country.
The first thing to arrange was that the ballet on Saturday night at Covent Garden should not be one in which Lottie Vernon played such a large part that it could not be taken by an understudy.
This was not as difficult as it sounded because the Marquis had financed a number of the Covent Garden shows and, since as a patron he was respected, no one had any desire to offend him.
In the ballet therefore that was to be given on Saturday, Lottie would have had only a small part, the most important one being that of a male dancer.
The Marquis
