The loved and envied

At age fifty-three, Lady Ruby Maclean shines at the centre of her aristocractic circle in Pouilly. Her admirers look to her and wonder how such a feted woman can accept with equanimity the prospect of aging, as they themselves struggle with jealousy, dread and uncertainty. Few see beyond the image to the woman beneath, or guess that the love and envy she inspires have particular consequences for Ruby herself.