'With the Atlantic between us,' she said, 'surely I have done with that terrible woman now!' Barely a week passed after those words had been spoken, before an event happened which reminded Agnes of 'the terrible woman' once more.
On that day, Henry's engagements had obliged him to return to London.
He had ventured, on the morning of his departure, to press his suit once more on Agnes; and the children, as he had anticipated, proved to be innocent obstacles in the way of his success.

On the other hand, he had privately secured a firm ally in his sister-in-law.

'Have a little patience,' the new Lady Montbarry had said, 'and leave me to turn the influence of the children in the right direction.

If they can persuade her to listen to you--they shall!' The two ladies had accompanied Henry, and some other guests who went away at the same time, to the railway station, and had just driven back to the house, when the servant announced that 'a person of the name of Rolland was waiting to see her ladyship.' 'Is it a woman ?' 'Yes, my lady.' Young Lady Montbarry turned to Agnes.
'This is the very person,' she said, 'whom your lawyer thought likely to help him, when he was trying to trace the lost courier.' 'You don't mean the English maid who was with Lady Montbarry at Venice ?' 'My dear! don't speak of Montbarry's horrid widow by the name which is my name now.

Stephen and I have arranged to call her by her foreign title, before she was married.