However, Maisie made no attempt to address the ladies. "How do you like these ponies?" she said. She seemed to have forgotten their quarrel.
Hugh was completely thrown by this beautiful, surprising woman, her skillful driving and her careless manners. "They're very fine," he said without looking at them.
"They're for sale."
Aunt Augusta said icily: "Hugh, kindly tell this person to let us pass!"
Maisie looked at Augusta for the first time. "Shut your gob, you old bitch," she said casually.
Clementine gasped and Aunt Madeleine gave a small scream of horror. Hugh's mouth dropped open. Maisie's gorgeous clothes and expensive equipage had made it easy to forget that she was an urchin from the slums. Her words were so splendidly vulgar that for a moment Augusta was too stunned to reply. Nobody ever dared to speak to her this way.
Maisie did not give her time to recover. Turning back to Hugh, she said: "Tell your cousin Edward he should buy my ponies!" Then she cracked her whip and drove away.
Augusta erupted. "How dare you expose me to such a person!" She boiled. "How dare you take off your hat to her!"
Hugh was staring after Maisie, watching her neat back and jaunty hat recede along the drive.
Aunt Madeleine joined in. "How can you possibly know her, Hugh?" she said. "No well-bred young man would be acquainted with that type! And it seems you have even introduced her to Edward!"
It was Edward who had introduced Maisie to Hugh, but Hugh was not going to try to put the blame on Edward. They would not have believed him anyway. "I don't actually know her very well," he said.
Clementine was intrigued. "Where on earth did you meet her?"
"A place called the Argyll Rooms."
Augusta frowned at Clementine and said: "I don't wish to know such things. Hugh, tell Baxter to drive home."
Hugh said: "I'm going to walk for a while." He opened the door of the carriage.
"You're going after that woman!" Augusta said. "I forbid it!"
"Drive on, Baxter," said Hugh as he stepped down. The coachman shook the reins, the wheels turned, and Hugh politely doffed his hat as his angry aunts were driven away.
He had not heard the last of this. There would be more trouble later. Uncle Joseph would be told, and soon all the partners would know that Hugh consorted with low women.
But it was a holiday, the sun was shining, and the park was full of people enjoying themselves, and Hugh could not get worried about his aunt's rage today.
