But what manner of companion would this sbirro make in times of peace?
Had he the wit, the grace, the beauty even that was Gonzaga's?
Circumstance, it seemed to him, was here to blame, and he roundly cursed
that same Circumstance. In other surroundings, he was assured that
she would not have cast an eye upon Francesco whilst he, himself, was by;
and if he recalled their first meeting at Acquasparta, it was again to
curse Circumstance for having placed the knight in such case as to appeal
to the tenderness that is a part of woman's nature.
He reflected--assured that he was right--that if Francesco had not come
to Roccaleone, he might by now have been wed to Valentina; and once wed,
he could throw down the bridge and march out of Roccaleone, assured that
Gian Maria would not care to espouse his widow, and no less assured that
Guidobaldo--who was at heart a kind and clement prince--would be content
to let be what was accomplished, since there would be naught gained
beyond his niece's widowhood in hanging Gonzaga. It was the specious
argument that had lured him upon this rash enterprise, the hopes that he
was confident would have fructified but for the interloping of Francesco.
He stood looking down at the tented plain, with black rage and black
despair blotting the beauty from the sunlight of that May morning, and
then it came to him that since there was naught to be hoped from his old
plans, might it not be wise to turn his attention to new ones that would,
at least, save him from hanging? For he was assured that whatever might
betide the others, his own fate was sealed, whether Roccaleone fell or
not.
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