Chapter 23: The Web of Difficulty

⁠​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​⁠The morning after the de Hauteville ball Lady Esmondet and Vaura met at the breakfast-table, at noon, Lady Esmondet not looking paler than usual. Vaura was pale for she had slept none, her eyes looking larger and her dainty and flexible lips a deep red. She was quite like her own sweet self though, in spite of fatigue, and her soft cardinal silk morning robe, loose at the throat, and turned down c