Women admired him fervently or detested him cordially. It was not
possible to regard him with indifference. His personality was too
magnetic to leave his neighbours cold; and as a rule it was only those
whom he wished to keep at a distance who disliked him.
As for Madalena de Santiago, for a time she had enjoyed thinking herself
in love. There were reasons, she knew, why she could not hope to be the
man's wife, and if he had chosen a plain woman to help him on in the
world she would have made no objection to his marriage.
But at first sight she had realized that Annesley Grayle, shy and
unconscious of power to charm as she was, might be dangerous.
Madalena had anxiously watched the two together, and at breakfast the day
before the wedding she had distrusted the light in the man's eyes as he
looked at the girl. It had seemed incredible that he should be in love
with a creature so pale, so formless still in character (as Annesley
appeared to Madalena); that a man like "Don" should be caught by a pair
of gray eyes and a softness which was only the beauty of youth.
Still, the Countess had been made to suffer; and if she could have found
a way to prevent the marriage without alienating her friend, she would
have seized it.
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