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The
smell
was
of
fresh
flowers
and
lemon
blossoms
but
she
wore
nothing
in
her
hair
of
jet
black
curls
,
nothing
on
her
plain
severe
black
dress
,
obviously
her
Sunday
best
.
She
gave
him
a
quick
glance
and
a
tiny
smile
before
she
cast
her
eyes
down
demurely
and
sat
down
next
to
her
mother
.
Again
Michael
felt
that
shortness
of
breath
,
that
flooding
through
his
body
of
something
that
was
not
so
much
desire
as
an
insane
possessiveness
.
He
understood
for
the
first
time
the
classical
jealousy
of
the
Italian
male
.
He
was
at
that
moment
ready
to
kill
anyone
who
touched
this
girl
,
who
tried
to
claim
her
,
take
her
away
from
him
.
He
wanted
to
own
her
as
wildly
as
a
miser
wants
to
own
gold
coins
,
as
hungrily
as
a
sharecropper
wants
to
own
his
own
land
.
Nothing
was
going
to
stop
him
from
owning
this
girl
,
possessing
her
,
locking
her
in
a
house
and
keeping
her
prisoner
only
for
himself
.
He
did
n't
want
anyone
even
to
see
her
.
When
she
turned
to
smile
at
one
of
her
brothers
Michael
gave
that
young
man
a
murderous
look
without
even
realizing
it
.
The
family
could
see
it
was
a
classical
case
of
the
"
thunderbolt
"
and
they
were
reassured
.
This
young
man
would
be
putty
in
their
daughter
's
hands
until
they
were
married
.
After
that
of
course
things
would
change
but
it
would
n't
matter
.
Michael
had
bought
himself
some
new
clothes
in
Palermo
and
was
no
longer
the
roughly
dressed
peasant
,
and
it
was
obvious
to
the
family
that
he
was
a
Don
of
some
kind
.
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His
smashed
face
did
not
make
him
as
evil-looking
as
he
believed
;
because
his
other
profile
was
so
handsome
it
made
the
disfigurement
interesting
even
.
And
in
any
case
this
was
a
land
where
to
be
called
disfigured
you
had
to
compete
with
a
host
of
men
who
had
suffered
extreme
physical
misfortune
.
Michael
looked
directly
at
the
girl
,
the
lovely
ovals
of
her
face
.
Her
lips
now
he
could
see
were
almost
blue
so
dark
was
the
blood
pulsating
in
them
.
He
said
,
not
daring
to
speak
her
name
,
"
I
saw
you
by
the
orange
groves
the
other
day
.
When
you
ran
away
.
I
hope
I
did
n't
frighten
you
?
"
The
girl
raised
her
eyes
to
him
for
just
a
fraction
.
She
shook
her
head
.
But
the
loveliness
of
those
eyes
had
made
Michael
look
away
.
The
mother
said
tartly
,
"
Apollonia
,
speak
to
the
poor
fellow
,
he
's
come
miles
to
see
you
,
"
but
the
girl
's
long
jet
lashes
remained
closed
like
wings
over
her
eyes
.
Michael
handed
her
the
present
wrapped
in
gold
paper
and
the
girl
put
it
in
her
lap
.
The
father
said
,
"
Open
it
,
girl
,
"
but
her
hands
did
not
move
.
Her
hands
were
small
and
brown
,
an
urchin
's
hands
.
The
mother
reached
over
and
opened
the
package
impatiently
,
yet
careful
not
to
tear
the
precious
paper
.
The
red
velvet
jeweler
's
box
gave
her
pause
,
she
had
never
held
such
a
thing
in
her
hands
and
did
n't
know
how
to
spring
its
catch
.
But
she
got
it
open
on
pure
instinct
and
then
took
out
the
present
.
It
was
a
heavy
gold
chain
to
be
worn
as
a
necklace
,
and
it
awed
them
not
only
because
of
its
obvious
value
but
because
a
gift
of
gold
in
this
society
was
also
a
statement
of
the
most
serious
intentions
.
It
was
no
less
than
a
proposal
of
matrimony
,
or
rather
the
signal
that
there
was
the
intention
to
propose
matrimony
.
They
could
no
longer
doubt
the
seriousness
of
this
stranger
.
And
they
could
not
doubt
his
substance
.
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Apollonia
still
had
not
touched
her
present
.
Her
mother
held
it
up
for
her
to
see
and
she
raised
those
long
lashes
for
a
moment
and
then
she
looked
directly
at
Michael
,
her
doelike
brown
eyes
grave
,
and
said
,
"
Grazie
.
"
It
was
the
first
time
he
had
heard
her
voice
.
It
had
all
the
velvety
softness
of
youth
and
shyness
and
it
set
Michael
's
ears
ringing
.
He
kept
looking
away
from
her
and
talking
to
the
father
and
mother
simply
because
looking
at
her
confused
him
so
much
.
But
he
noticed
that
despite
the
conservative
looseness
of
her
dress
her
body
almost
shone
through
the
cloth
with
sheer
sensuality
.
And
he
noticed
the
darkening
of
her
skin
blushing
,
the
dark
creamy
skin
,
going
darker
with
the
blood
surging
to
her
feet
.
Finally
Michael
rose
to
go
and
the
family
rose
too
.
They
said
their
good-byes
formally
,
the
girl
at
last
confronting
him
as
they
shook
hands
,
and
he
felt
the
shock
of
her
skin
on
his
skin
,
her
skin
warm
and
rough
,
peasant
skin
.
The
father
walked
down
the
hill
with
him
to
his
car
and
invited
him
to
Sunday
dinner
the
next
week
.
Michael
nodded
but
he
knew
he
could
n't
wait
a
week
to
see
the
girl
again
.