"But that is impossible. There was no time."
"We were married religiously, in the parish church, on the morning he left Rome."
The indulgent smile gave way to a sarcastic one.
"Then why did he leave you behind? If he thought that was a good marriage, why didn't he take you with him? But perhaps he had his own reason, and the denunciation of the poor man in prison was not so far amiss."
"That was an official lie, a cowardly lie," said Roma, and her eyes burned with anger.
"Was it? Perhaps it was. But I have just heard something else about Mr. Rossi that is undoubtedly true. I have heard from the Prefect of Paris that he is organising a conspiracy for the assassination of the King."
A look of fear which she could not restrain crossed Roma's face.
"More than that, and stranger than that, I have just heard also that the Pope has some knowledge of the plot."
Roma felt terror seizing her, and she said in a constrained voice, "Why? What has the Pope told you?"
"Only that an insurrection is impending. It seems that his informant is a woman.... Who can she be, I wonder?"