noon on Wednesday
But how was she to act in face of the threatened disaster ? Why had not her son warned her ? Did Marigny know , and was that the explanation of his sheepish demeanor when she and Cynthia were about to enter the car that morning ? Indeed , Marigny 's quiet acceptance of the position was quite as difficult to understand as her own failure to grasp the significance of all that happened since noon on Wednesday . This very day , before breakfast , he had come to her room with the cheering news that information to hand from London would certainly procure the dismissal of `` Fitzroy '' forthwith . The Mercury was registered in the name of the Earl of Fairholme , the obvious deduction being that his lordship 's chauffeur was careering through England in a valuable car without a shred of permission ; the merest whisper to Cynthia of this discovery , said the Frenchman , would send `` Fitzroy '' packing . And again , what had Cynthia meant when she referred at Chepstow to the `` Norman baron scowl '' with which `` Fitzroy '' had favored Marigny ?