It was now more than a month
since she had seen that perjured lord at Mistletoe, and more than a
week since her father had brought him so uselessly up to London.
Though determined that Lord Rufford should hear more of her, she
hardly knew how to go to work, and on these days spent most of her
time in idle denunciations of her false lover. Then came her
uncle's letter, which was of course shown to her.
She was quite of opinion that they must do as the Duke directed. It
was so great a thing to have the Duke interesting himself in the
matter, that she would have assented to anything proposed by him.
The suggestion even inspired some temporary respect, or at any rate
observance, towards her mother. Hitherto her mother had been nobody
to her in the matter, a person belonging to her whom she had to
regard simply as a burden. She could not at all understand how the
Duke had been guided in making such a choice of a new emissary;--
but there it was under his own hand, and she must now in some
measure submit herself to her mother unless she were prepared to
repudiate altogether the Duke's assistance. As to Lady Augustus
herself, the suggestion gave to her quite a new life. She had no
clear conception what she should say to Lord Rufford if the meeting
were arranged, but it was gratifying to her to find herself brought
back into authority over her daughter.
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