LADY BELL VOL. I. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LADY BELL A Story of Last Century BY THE AUTHOR OF “CITOYENNE JACQUELINE” IN THREE VOLS.—I. STRAHAN & CO. 56, LUDGATE HILL, LONDON 1873 LONDON: PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO., CITY ROAD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS OF VOL. I. CHAP. PAGE I. AN OLD QUEEN’S DRAWING-ROOM 1 II. ST. BEVIS’S AND SQUIRE GODWIN 17 III. MRS. KITTY 29 IV. MRS. DIE AND THE QUARTER SESSIONS 41 V. AN IMPRISONED PRINCESS 55 VI. FROM SCYLLA TO CHARYBDIS 69 VII. AN OLD SQUIRE’S WOOING 85 VIII. MARRIED IN A DAY 96 IX. LADY BELL TREVOR 107 X. THE SUNDONS AND THE WALSHES 123 XI. THE ELECTION AT PEASMARSH 141 XII. BETRAYAL 162 XIII. FLIGHT 177 XIV. ROYALTY AGAIN 195 XV. LIFE WITH THE PLAYERS 212 XVI. COMPANION TO MISS KINGSCOTE 228 XVII. MASTER CHARLES 243 XVIII. MRS. BARLOWE 256 XIX. AN OLD FRIEND 269 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER I. AN OLD QUEEN’S DRAWING-ROOM. “Now, child, I sha’n’t go any farther till her grace’s chair come. In the meantime I’ll tell you who are the tops in the drawing-room, and you may use your eyes for an honest purpose.” The speaker was old Lady Lucie Penruddock: the listener was her grand-niece, young Lady Bell Etheredge. The occasion was a queen’s drawing-room, and the time was still that of bad country roads and dark town streets, mobs and murders, wild ladies of quality and still wilder sparks of fashion.