Act 1, Scenes 8 and 9 Summary

Scene 8 - In the drawing room Claire and Sir Charles argue. Their conversation reveals that Claire knows that the woman posing as Marguerite, Grace Shelley, is Sir Charles' mistress. He tried to marry her to the 13th Earl so she could be conveniently nearby, and he's trying the same trick on Jack. Sir Charles explains that he knew that he could never convince Jack he wasn't married. He needed someone in a hurry to pose as Marguerite and called Grace, and she borrowed some costumes from a theater and came down to convince Jack to marry "her" again. Claire warns him that Herder might decide to declare Jack insane before the marriage can take place, and Sir Charles tells her to keep Herder under control.

Grace comes in, pleased with her performance but surprised to see the cross. Claire...