Druon, Maurice - The Accursed Kings 01 by Druon Maurice

Author:Druon, Maurice [Druon, Maurice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Guccio had not the presence of mind to reply, "Well then, pay your debt and I shall be happy."

From all the evidence it appeared that the widow was prepared to pay in her own person, and one might well have asked if she were submitting to sacrifice to evade the debt, or whether she was merely using the debt as an opportunity of personal sacrifice.

As a good Italian, Guccio thought that it would be extremely pleasing to have both mother and daughter at the same time. Dame Eliabel still had many charms, particularly for those who, did not mind a certain fullness of figure, her hands were soft and her bosom, abundant as it might be, seemed nevertheless to preserve a certain firmness; but this could be no more than an additional amusement. To risk missing the younger in order to linger with the older would destroy the enjoyment of the game.

Guccio managed to get away by pretending that he was touched by Dame Eliabel's advances and by assuring her, that he would most certainly arrange the matter; but that, in order to do this, he must go at once to Neauphle and confer there with his clerks.

He went out into the courtyard, found the lame man, persuaded him to saddle his horse, leapt into the saddle and went on his way towards the town. There was no Marie upon the road. While he galloped along, he asked himself if the girl were really as beautiful as he had thought her to be the day before, if he had not ' counted too much upon the promise he had thought to see in her eyes, and whether indeed the whole business, which was perhaps but an after-dinner illusion, were worth his haste. For there are women who, when they look at you, seem to surrender to you in the first instant; but that is merely their natural expression; they look at apiece of furniture, at a tree, in exactly the same way and, in the end, give nothing at all.

Guccio saw no sign of Marie in the town square. He looked down many of the side-streets, went into the church, but only stayed there long enough to cross himself and fail to find her. Then he went to the bank. There he accused the three clerks of having misinformed him. The Cressays were people of quality, both honourable and solvent. Their credit must be prolonged. As for the Provost, he was frankly a scoundrel. As he shouted all this out, Guccio never stopped looking out of the window. The employees wagged their heads as they gazed at the young fool who changed his mind from one day to the next. They thought it would be a, great pity if the bank should ever fall completely under his control.

"It may well, be that I shall come back here fairly frequently this branch obviously requires close supervision," he said to them by way of good-bye.

He leapt into the saddle and the gravel flew under his horse's hooves.

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