It was about 3 a.m. one fine morning when I escaped from the Ursuline Convent; and made my way to the Hotel d’Angleterre, the porter in answer to my summons was about to refuse to give me refuge, when a young Englishman, who was just taking his candle in the hall, said, “he’d be damned if I should not be taken care of,” and ordered the chambermaid to be called to attend on 46me, and added that he would be responsible for all expenses. “Certainly, my lord,” said the porter of the hotel, but he added sotto voce, “I think he’s a fool to be so easily imposed upon.”
I was too glad to have found a protector, (especially when I found he was an aristocrat), so I quietly followed the femme de chambre, and was content to await awhile for the denouement of my adventure.
Breakfast was brought to me about eleven o’clock, and also a message to say that Lord Dunwich, would do himself the pleasure of waiting upon me in an hour’s time.
You may be sure I was all impatience to see the kind fellow who had stood my friend, and was most agreeably surprised to find his manners quite equal to his appearance when I saw him again.
His Lordship was greatly interested by the account of my escape from the convent, and said he was a very particular friend of my betrothed husband, the Earl of Ellington, 47and would put me under the protection of a lady going to England, who would see me safe home. He was such a handsome fellow, and my gratitude was so gushing that at the moment I could have refused him no thing, and was delighted by the way he lingered over a kiss, he would insist upon as his due, my whole soul seemed to leap towards the generous fellow, and tears of disappointment stood in my eyes when he was gone.
I never saw him again till my wedding day, two years later, when he was best man to my husband, and in my eyes looked a thousand times more loveable.
A married couple of sixteen and twenty-eight ought to have been blessed with every happiness, but after the first three days of our honeymoon the Earl’s temper seemed so overbearing and imperious, that I began seriously to regret my fate, and looked forward to a life of gilded misery. The Earl was fond of the turf, and often left me alone 48whilst he spent a fortnight at Newmarket or Doncaster and York.
One day I was agreeably surprised by a call from Lord Dunwich, (we were living in Grosvenor Square at the time), he looked more handsome than ever, and seemed so full of sympathy for me in every respect that I could not help falling into tears, and telling him all my fears, and how I was neglected for nasty ugly fourlegged brutes of race-horses, and that in fact I was sure Lord Ellington loved his Derby favourite better than myself, and would rather I broke my neck than his pet should fall lame.
“Ah, Lucille” he said, falling on his knees before me, “how your distress cuts me to the quick, would to God I could comfort you in any way! I have loved you from the first moment we met, although I knew you belonged to a bosom friend, and now the wretch slights you; look up, dear Lucille, from your tears, smile upon one who is devoted to you body and soul!” And 49then seizing my hand, upon which he imprinted a lot of impassioned kisses, “Ah, you will pardon my presumptuous love, how can I help it?”
I was piqued by the Earl’s coldness towards me, and something impelled me to pity the handsome suitor at my feet, so that although the tears were still welling from my eyes, could not help smiling and caressing his head as he looked up to my face.
“Darling Lucille, I may call you so now, you respond to my love, my happiness is too great,” he exclaimed, drawing my unresisting body down, so that our lips quickly met in a rapturous kiss of real love.
I was lost, and he so rapidly took advantage of everything, that proceeding from one liberty to another, in less than ten minutes I was an adulteress, but what a sweet sin, what transports of love shot through our souls as we melted away again and again in the ecstasies of mutual enjoyment; how we toyed with each other’s most secret charms, and 50promised to renew our forbidden pleasure at every convenient opportunity.
Alas, for our happiness, some spy informed the Earl of my sweet liaison, he made an excuse to visit Brussels with me and again I found myself incarcerated in a hateful convent.
The kindness of my husband on our journey from England (which I afterwards found was only a part of his most artful programme), had so imposed upon my rather soft-hearted nature, that I really felt sorry that I ever been unfaithful to my marriage vows, although no doubt the image of my loving paramour was firmly imprinted in my heart.
We went to operas, bal masques, saw all the sights, and enjoyed ourselves immensely for a few days and being strict Catholics he one day said jestingly, “I suppose, Lucille, we must go to confession, and get absolution after having enjoyed ourselves, and confess all the delightful sins we have committed; 51by-the-bye, be sure you do not forget to confess having ridden a St. George on your husband, and allowed him to spend his seed in your hand, or on your pretty bosom, they are most awful sins, and will cost a pretty penny for absolution. I should not be surprised if the Rev. Father undertook to inflict personal chastisement à la Girard et Cadière,” he added, laughing.
“But, seriously,” I answered, “apart from joking, I know we ought to do it, and will go to that church in the Rue de la Madeleine this very day, I know I am a sinner, but don’t like to make a laugh of such serious things.”
Then seating myself on his knee, I drew his face to mine, and kissed him lovingly, as I added, “But, dear Francis, you won’t leave your little wife so long again, will you, for those horrid horses? You can’t imagine how dull and low spirited I get when left all by myself.”
“What a pretty pouting little bride you 52look. Why, Lucille, the way you kiss excites me as if we were still on the honeymoon trip; but dearest,” he added, “a sporting man must see his horses tried and run, then, you, know, I shall make up in the winter what you lose in the summer; there&rsquo............