Literature and Mind Post 3: Curiosity and Desire

Is the protagonist of Eliza Haywood's Fantomina: or, Love in a Maze the "master" of her curiosity" or does her curiosity "master" her?

"And 'tis difficult to determine, if Beauplaisir, or the Lady, were more surpris'd at what they heard; he, that he should have been blinded so often by her Artifices; or she, that so young a creature should have the Skill to make use of them" (Fantomina, p. 17).

"Early modern texts represent this desire as a passion that turns the inquirer into either a savior or a monster, for both trample the conventions of nature, culture, and society. The difference between the two possibilities relies on both the perspective of the writer and the pervious relationship between curiosity as an activity and as an identity. Are inquirers masters of their curiosity, or does their curiosity master them?" ("Curiosity," p. 3)

For most of Eliza Haywood's Fantomina, the protagonist, a lady who is never named, seems to be the "master" of her curiosity. The reader sees her successfully trick the object of her love, (or perhaps simply lust as time goes on)  Beauplaisir, in order to continue to enjoy his company without tarnishing her own reputation. Her curiosity grows from a simple thought about what it would be like to have the attention of a prostitute/mistress to if her next "stratagem" will work. The only reason that she cannot continue to satisfy this curiosity (which definitely has strong links to lust in this story) is that her mother comes into the picture. Even her pregnancy would not have been a problem if she was not under the command of her mother anymore. The quote above comes from the point where curiosity finally "masters" her, and she herself becomes the curiosity. The protagonist is no longer a lady, or even a "nymph," but a "creature." The word "creature" can even be linked to "monster." Her curiosity has caused her to go from an angelic woman of high birth with her virtue in tact to an almost devilish "creature" who blinds with her "Artifices." Of course, the man was not at fault for continuing to see all of this girl's "characters," even the ones he was completely bored with. What is this "Skill" that the mother refers to? Is it intelligence? Is it cunning? It could even be perhaps curiosity in a way, but it is a bad curiosity which leads to ruin (and ending up under the care of an Abbess for the rest of one's life.)
This text seems to shed curiosity in a dangerous, uncontrollable light. Both the protagonist and Beauplaisir get into trouble by acting on their curiosity. Perhaps Beauplaisir comes away unscathed because he did not try to push against social norm, whereas the lady sinned not only by acting on curiosity, but by not living up to the "weak, weeping" reputation of her sex.