– That's fine. I hope you have a good time. My advice is to be wary of bright colours. They're a sign of bad taste. Go for subdued colours and styles. No feathers – they look hideous and cheap. And don't forget to wear a hat, Vivian. In London all ladies must wear hats," Lady Cranford advised, and picked up the silver cutlery. – But breakfast awaits.

Vivian readily followed her aunt's example, for she was very hungry: she had missed dinner on purpose last night, and her stomach was inexorably hungry.

– But mustn't we wait till Mr. Cranford comes? – she asked, surprised that her strict aunt had taken breakfast without her son.

– If he is not here at seven o'clock, he is not at Greenhall," Lady Cranford said grimly; she knew very well the reason why her son had not been at breakfast, and she was not happy about his latest night out. But the Countess did not think it necessary to share this with her niece, for, in the opinion of the mistress of Greenhall, everything that concerned her sons was of no concern to Vivian.

Lady Cranford had expected her niece to go on inquiring about Anthony, but to her great surprise Vivian shrugged her shoulders, ate her breakfast quickly, asked permission to leave the table, wished her aunt a good day, and left the dining-room.

– 'Albert, when Mr. Cranford arrives at home, tell him to come into my study immediately,' Lady Cranford ordered the footman standing at the window.

"And you, my son, I shall have a serious talk with you, both about Vivian and about your pernicious amusements," she thought, and went on with her meal alone, considering when and how she should give a reception in her niece's honour, and realising with displeasure that it would have to be well spent.

***

Anthony did not arrive home until midday: although he had ordered the coachman to pick him up at six in the morning, his physical condition after a long night of alcohol, prostitutes and card games prevented him from leaving the Den before eleven o'clock. The young gentleman's head was splitting and he could barely stand on his feet, but he was quite pleased with the time he had spent with his friends and Mrs.Bree's brothel staff. His expensive suit, ruined by yesterday's downpour, did not seem such a tragedy to him now, but he knew that his mother's disapproving gaze awaited him at Greenhall, and that knowledge made Anthony sad. However, he did not feel "guilty of the sin of drunkenness and voluptuousness" that his mother sometimes gently reproached him for.

Sitting in the carriage on the way home, Anthony could not escape the memory of the night before: in the red-haired girls of the brothel he saw Vivian. She was his obsession, and her image kept him awake.

"Am I in love with her? – thought young Cranford with genuine surprise. – But is it possible to fall in love with any one in so short a time? I only met her yesterday! No, I think it's her beauty that does that to my mind. She is the most beautiful woman in England and perhaps in the whole world. Vivian is my cousin. I should not think of her…and yet she does not leave my thoughts! Am I henceforth lost, or can I drive this unwelcome obsession away? Anthony, don't lose your head! You know that almost all your father's inheritance has gone to your elder brother, and it is your destiny to marry a rich heiress. Vivian, as beautiful as she is, is even poorer than you. Remember that, remember that, and don't you dare fall in love with her."

When the carriage finally pulled into the Greenhall courtyard, Anthony hurried into the house to get to his room and go to bed: so tired was he after a merry night at the Den. However, scarcely had the master's son crossed the threshold of the beautiful front doors, when one of the footmen said to him, "Good afternoon, Mr. Cranford. Lady Cranford is expecting you in her study."