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A little while later, an Italian lady walked towards
him from a shopping street, and he was instantly
taken with her. He guessed her to be about twenty
years old, a few years younger than himself. The
Italian woman had a small, beautiful head, a long
neck and sparkling eyes and she moved very elegantly.
The physician stared at the charming lady, who
looked to be high-born and he was unable to avert
his gaze. She was the most beautiful woman he had
ever seen and his heart was pierced by Cupid. Most
people did not show off their beauty, but Italians
did; the lady was walking around wearing very
conspicuous clothing. She was wearing a purple
velvet gown with puffed sleeves and an open white
collar. The Venetian-style garment flared from her
waist down to the ground, held up by hoops. Dozens
of them! In addition, her black hair was bound on
top of her head as an ornament, decorated with
jewels. Around her neck she wore an
expensive-looking pearl necklace. While the
breathtakingly beautiful lady was walking towards
Michel, her dress majestically dragged on the ground
and the longer he looked at her, the more unearthly
he began to feel. When the Italian woman walked past
him, chatting with two gentlemen and a matron, she
suddenly gave him a candid look. A spell was cast.
He melted like wax, under her unexpected gaze, and
he felt as if his life was now just beginning.
“Good heavens,” he stammered, totally rattled. And
while he kept staring at her he was shaking like a
leaf. He suddenly felt very small and more
vulnerable than he had ever thought possible. After
years of only visiting patients, he had completely
forgotten about love and now the sun was beginning
to shine in the crevices of his soul. During the
heartbeat that their eyes met, she was also struck
by a love arrow and she blushed as she continued on
her way with her companions. Michel’s heart was
aflame and he determined he absolutely must court
this woman. The love-struck admirer jumped up, threw
some money on the table and ran after the Italian
woman. He followed the little group from a distance
and feverishly tried to think of a way to approach
her. The lady sensed him behind her, but did not
dare to turn around and look and finally entered an
establishment. The unsteady physician almost started
to panic.
Now what? he wondered. A serving girl happened to be
leaving the same place at the same time. He noticed
and called out to her: “Miss, could you please tell
me when that last group of people leaves, because I
have something to discuss with them.” The servant
looked at his neat appearance and responded as he
had hoped: “You are an acquaintance of the De
Vaudemonts?”
“More or less,” he twisted the truth. She became
talkative and told him that the company would be
returning to the Lot en Garonne that coming Saturday.
He had the information he wanted, thanked her and
returned to Saint Rémy on cloud nine. There, he
began to make plans to meet the woman of his dreams.
During lunch, a changed housemate sat at the table.
“You’re in a good mood,” Father remarked.
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