In the early afternoon, nearly a month later, Dorian Gray reclined in a contemptuous leather armchair in Lady Helena's library as he sulked and waited for her return. The room was scattered with various works of art from Paris and Germany, oak paneling framing the ceiling, and heavy, imported Persian rugs adorning the floors. Flowers, bright in sapphire blue and crimson reds, sang out from every corner of the ornately decorated room. The only sounds came from the ancient grandfather clock as it chimed out the hours and from a gilded golden-wire cage in the corner where a curious red-plumed parrot jumped incessantly from perch to perch, between squawks of outrage.

Lady Helena was always late, likely coming from some meeting or lunch with her male business associates that she often disappeared with for hours at a time. Dorian was leafing through the numerous volumes of Greek tragedies, philosophical letters of Homer and Plato, and the various odd works Lady Helena was so fond of that challenged societies views of virtue and morality. At last, he heard echoing footsteps from the tiled hallway outside.

"Lady Helena, how discourteous you are to keep me waiting so long!"

But it was Lord Wotton who answered in a somewhat timid but smooth voice. "I am afraid it is not Lady Helena, Mr. Gray."

"I beg your pardon Lord Wotton, but it is a pleasure to see you as well."

"Ah, but it is I who must apologize Mr. Gray, for I have often seen you at the opera with my Lady wife and have been remiss in my attentions to you."

"Not at all Lord Wotton, I understand you are often busy with important matters of state and with your import and export business as well. I should have noticed you and took the initiative myself. It is only that I do so concentrate on the music, for one must never speak during good music, but truly listen to it with all of their senses attuned."

"That is one of Helena's views, is it not? I do hear so many of her views from her friends. It is the only way I come to know them. In truth my wife handles the affairs of the import and export business. She has quite the keen mind for it. You really must join me at one of my parties for entertaining foreign dignitaries sometime Mr. Gray. They can be a bit tedious sometimes with all of the politicians I must discourse with, but I assure you, I spare no expense for the entertainment—Ah! Here is my Lady wife now. Helena I have been meaning to ask you something—now I forget what it was."

Lady Helena greeted her husband with a kiss on the cheek. "My love, I am sure you will remember if you think on it, and we can discuss it at dinner later this evening. I am so sorry that I am late Mr. Gray."

"Well Mr. Gray, it has been a pleasure. I hope to see you at dinner later this evening. Goodbye Helena, I am sure I will remember what it was I wished to discuss with you by this evening." Lord Wotton hurried out of the room, lighting a fat cigar on his way.

"Never marry someone so sentimental. In fact, never marry at all. Men only ever marry because they are tired and disappointed, women only ever marry because they are curious what it would be like—and are also disappointed in what life has given them."

"I am not sure if I will marry, but if it is how you say, then I am too much in love to ever get married!"

Lady Helena lifted her hand to her face in surprise. "What's that? Who are you in love with?"

A crimson blush spread slowly across Dorian's face. "With an actress. She is the most amazing Juliet you have ever seen! Her name is Sibyl Vane and she is an undiscovered genius in a meager theatre near Walthamstow. I was strolling by it quite by accident after a recent foray in London. I had gotten quite lost and stumbled across the owner standing outside smoking a most vile cigar. As he saw me his eyes lit up, 'Have a box, m'Lord?' he said. And he would not take no for an answer, but whisked me inside the horrid little theatre. To think, I almost refused him. Had I not gone inside that day, I would have missed the most beautiful creature enact the greatest romance of my life."

Lady Helena forced a laugh between her delicate lips. "Mr. Gray, you should say the FIRST romance of your life, not the greatest, for you shall always be loved and be in love. This is merely the beginning of your foray into the complicated world of infatuation."

"I am not as shallow as all that. Now let me finish my tale. I tell you, my Juliet was a shining beacon in an otherwise third-rate and tawdry affair. The dingy gallery was full in contrast to the empty stalls, with a terrible smell about the air, and there was a most dreadful orchestra complete with cracked and rusty instruments. I was beginning to question what I was doing in that wretched hole, Romeo and Mercutio being played in a very poor style, but then Juliet emerged."

He paused and a beaming smile lit up Dorian's face as he remembered first seeing her.