“Now you are flattering me,” the Duchesse exclaimed. “I am too old at seventy-five to have my head turned by pretty speeches.”
“But you are not too old to listen to them or to believe them,” Lucien retorted.
She laughed at that.
“You are incorrigible!” she said. “But you are not here to talk about me. Did you choose Mrs. Lawson?”
“I approved her credentials,” Lucien replied. “She was recommended, as you know, by the Comtesse de Beaufleur.”
“A stupid woman! Always intriguing about something or other. I make it a practice to ignore her suggestions.”
“But this time she was worth listening to,” Lucien said firmly. “And we are grateful to her for her introduction of Mrs. Lawson.”
“He seems to think you are a success,” the Duchesse said, looking up at Sheena. “But you are young, terribly
