Simon sighed longingly. Oh, for another glimpse of the cardinal's niece.
But there was no sign of her, and he could not stand here any longer. Sighing again, he walked away.
XVI
The door leading from Cardinal Ugolini's private cabinet to the solar swung back, and David came in. As always when she first caught sight of David, Sophia felt her heart give a little jongleur's somersault. She loved the look of his hard eyes with their suggestion of weariness at having seen too much.
But now those eyes were turned toward her, and they were narrowed angrily.
"Why were you rude to him?"
His harsh tone, when she was so pleased to see him, hurt her. She had no ready answer for him. To give herself time to think, she walked to the small chair Simon had occupied and sat down in it.
Cardinal Ugolini, sitting at his carved oak table, spoke up.
"Sophia put him in his place by demonstrating to him that she could speak his language better than he could speak Italian, David. There is no end to the arroganzia of these French."