Michael Meredith dozed in his chair under the influence of the low musical voice, and the Italian spoke on, talking only to Roma, looking into her fair, pale face, and delighting with all the artistic feeling within him, in her rare and perfect beauty of form and feature.
When the blind man awoke to consciousness, more than an hour had passed, and yet his daughter and their guest were still in earnest converse. A stroll round the dewy garden after dinner, and some music in the drawing-room later, closed the day; and Roma went to bed that night feeling as though something very strange had happened to her, and as though some new interest had unaccountably come into her life. This Italian with the soft voice and earnest eyes, that seemed to her half-strange and half-familiar, interested her more than any man whom she had met, since her childhood’s dreams had merged into the more definite ideals of womanhood.
CHAPTER X.
FRIEND OR FOE?
or left Michael Meredith’s house that day with a presentiment that this visit of Signor Pagliadini boded no good to him.
He could not account for the feeling altogether, because by a little dexterous management it would surely be easy to avoid meeting this Italian, who would not be likely to remain more than a single night, or at most two, in so remote a part as Ladywell. Even if he did meet the foreigner, he could but brazen matters out with him as he had done before with Sir Herbert Moncrieff. He would meet the man, if meet him he must, alone, and then there would be no danger that the conversation would be repeated abroad and reach other ears. He knew quite well that if Mrs. Belassis found out that a second old acquaintance had identified him as Torwood, it would enable her to come to a conclusion which was of all things to be avoided. That she already entertained some suspicions about him, her visits to his house in his absence plainly proved. He had been more uneasy than he cared to show, when he heard of her second attempt to be left alone in one of the Ladywell rooms. And the declaration of open enmity, which she had made in a moment of anger, seemed to him to indicate that she knew of something which gave her confidence to declare war. He had ignored in her presence any knowledge of her words or actions; but for all that he felt ill at ease before her.
Next day news came that Signor Pagliadini was staying at Mr. Meredith’s house, and was an immense favourite there already. Maud had been to see Roma, and had seen him, and been quite captivated by his good looks and gentle manners. Conversation had not flowed easily, as her knowledge of Italian was about on a par with his English; but Roma had made everything easy, and when the mistress of Ladywell understood that the Signor was an old friend of Phil’s, she had asked him up to the Manor House that same afternoon to see her brother.
‘I thought you would like me to, Phil,’ she said. ‘I know your hospitable ways.’