Summary

In Chapter 27, James is trying to ignore his mother's worry that Archie is gambling too much. James accompanies Lady Radcliffe to an art exhibit. He realizes the social elite are boring, a fact he had forgotten in the face of time with Kitty. He encounters Kitty and Dorothy with Pemberton, and wonders if Kitty is really going to marry “such a buffoon.” Pemberton mentions the Duke of Wellington's predicted presence at Almack's that week. James makes a comment that makes it clear he knows Wellington, then immediately regrets it. Pemberton talks about Wellington's role in the battle of Waterloo, proclaiming himself an authority. Pemberton is typically loud, though he does not know what he is talking about. Kitty and Lady Radcliffe, knowing that James hates talking about the war in general and Waterloo in particular, try to diffuse the situation, but Pemberton continues...