He also fathered a son, Lancelot Ernest Cecil, in 1895 by the Johannesburg socialite and hostess José Brink Dale Lace, married to mining magnate, John Dale Lace. In 1901, Ernest became engaged to Eve Fairfax, but the engagement was broken a few years later. During this time, he commissioned a bust of Eve from sculptor Auguste Rodin, which was the first of several Rodin made using Eve as a model. Rodin and Eve became close friends during the sittings for these busts.