A Night of Gaiety by Barbara Cartland Page A

Violet, crossed the Restaurant to stand beside the Marquis.
    F or a moment she did not speak. Then as he looked up at her she said:
    “ I want to talk to you. I must talk to you!”
    H e did not rise to his feet but merely looked up and said quietly but distinctly:
    “ There is nothing for us to talk about, as you well know.”
    “ I have a lot to say.”
    S he spoke with an hysterical tone in her voice, and Violet bent forward to say to her quietly:
    “ Please, Rosie, don’t be stupid.”
    D avita realised that this was the Rosie whom Violet had been talking about to Lord Mundesley.
    S he looked so beautiful that Davita wondered how the Marquis could resist her. But Rosie ignored Violet and said:
    “ If you won’t listen to me, I’m going to kill myself! Do you hear? I’m going to kill myself now—at once! Then perhaps you’ll be—sorry!”
    A s she finished speaking she burst into tears, and as they ran down her pink-and-white cheeks she repeated brokenly:
    “ I—I’ll kill myself—I’ll kill—myself !” Violet jumped up from her seat and put her arms round Rosie, and as she did so she gave Lord Mundesley a frantic glance, imploring him to help.
    “ You can’t make a scene here!” Violet said. “Come on, Rosie dear, it’ll be best if you go home.”
    “ I don’t—want to go—home,” Rosie tried to protest through her sobs.
    B ut with Violet on one side of her and Lord Mundesley on the other there was nothing she could do but let them draw her away from the table towards the door.
    O nly as they moved away did Lord Mundesley say over his shoulder:
    “ Order my carriage, will you, Willie?”
    Lord William hurried to obey, and Davita was left alone at the table, wondering if she should follow them but feeling that she would only be in the way.
    S he was staring at their backs as they moved rather slowly towards the door of the Restaurant, since Rosie was obviously resisting being taken away, when the Marquis remarked:
    “ I suppose I should apologise.”
    D avita realised he was speaking to her and turned her head to look at him, her eyes very wide and astonished at what had just taken place.
    A s if he understood her surprise, he said:
    “ I can assure you, this is not a usual occurrence at Romano’s. I have the idea this is your first visit.”
    “ Yes ... I only ... arrived in London ... tonight.”
    S he thought it would be correct and would show good breeding to speak quite calmly and not to appear upset by what had happened. But her voice sounded very young and breathless.
    “ Where have you come from?” the Marquis enquired.
    “From ... Scotland.”
    “ Then I can understand that for the moment everything seems strange, but you will get used to it.”
    H e did not sound as though he thought that was a particularly enviable prospect, and Davita, again trying to behave normally, replied:
    “ I have always heard about ... Romano’s ... and the ... Gaiety ... but they are very much more ... exciting than I ... ever imagined they would ... be.”
    “ That, of course, is a matter of opinion,” the Marquis said cynically. “They are certainly the best that London can provide.”
    H e spoke as if other countries could do better, and Davita felt that if he disparaged both the Theatre and the Restaurant, it would somehow spoil it for her. So she asked:
    “ Have you had a great deal of ... success with your horses this ... season?”
    “ I have been lucky,” the Marquis replied. “You sound as if you are interested in racing.”
    D avita smiled.
    “ I am afraid I have never seen an important race, only those that take place in Edinburgh, and the Steeple-Chases which my father sometimes ... arranged when he had a good horse.”
    A s she spoke, she thought that the Marquis would certainly think this was not particularly interesting, and she added quickly:
    “ But I think a Thoroughbred is the most beautiful animal in the world!”
    “ I agree with you there,” the Marquis said,