Several pretty women, very smartly dressed, passed the Earl as he stood with his back to the fireplace. Because he was so handsome, they first looked at him with interest and then they looked again with what was almost an invitation in their eyes.
The Earl wondered a little bitterly what they would say if they knew that his pockets were empty.
If he was to ask a lady to have luncheon with him, she would have to pay for the meal.
There were however, he noticed, several rather smart gentlemen waiting for them. They sprang to their feet eagerly when the ladies appeared.
It was a long time, he thought, since he had taken a woman out for a meal or even had the pleasure of her company.
He remembered the women he had met in Cairo when he had spent a short leave in that exotic city.
How entr
