An hour before noon
But the fates were to work out the destinies of Dorothy and myself without our assistance . Self-willed , arrogant creatures are those same fates , but they save us a deal of trouble by assuming our responsibilities . The morning following my meeting with Manners , he and I made an early start . An hour before noon we rode into the town of Rowsley and halted at The Peacock for dinner . When we entered the courtyard of the inn we saw three ladies warmly wrapped in rich furs leave a ponderous coach and walk to the inn door , which they entered . One of them was an elderly lady whom I recognized as my cousin , Lady Dorothy Crawford , sister to Sir George Vernon . The second was a tall , beautiful girl , with an exquisite ivory-like complexion and a wonderful crown of fluffy red hair which encircled her head like a halo of sunlit glory .