He shrugged contemptuously. "Explanations are dull affairs. At least I find them so. And they usually never explain."
She was stunned. She had thought always of Danilo in terms of warmth, even of passion. She had never imagined him capable of such steely malevolence.
"I have made a mistake," she went on, desperately. "I am willing to admit that, but...."
"No, not a mistake, Claire. Mistakes are never deliberate."
She could almost feel herself grow pale. "Have you come to any decision?" she asked.
"Decision?"
"Well, I suppose that you will wish to be released ... that our ... that everything between us is finished."
His eyes flashed. "Finished! It isn't as simple as all that. Oh no! A bargain with me is a bargain. When I make a deal it either goes through or else there is a reckoning.... But I don't act as hastily as one might imagine. I believe in sifting things. When I play a game I know every card I hold." He looked at her steadily. "I am still looking over my hand!"
She leaned against the wall, overcome by a sudden faintness. He passed her deliberately and went into his room. When he came out she had recovered herself.
"About mother?" she said, with a display of calmness. "What am I to expect?"