Come what might, she would do what was best for him.

If possible, she would induce him to leave Rome at once, and thus free herself from the pain of constantly meeting him.
Perhaps she could make him marry--anything would be better than to allow things to go on in their present course, to have to face him at every turn, and to know that at any moment he might be quarrelling with somebody and fighting duels on her account.
She went boldly into the world that night, not knowing whether she should meet Giovanni or not, but resolved upon her course if he appeared.

Many people looked curiously at her, and smiled cunningly as they thought they detected traces of care upon her proud face; but though they studied her, and lost no opportunity of talking to her upon the one topic which absorbed the general conversation, no one had the satisfaction of moving her even so much as to blush a little, or to lower the gaze of her eyes that looked them all indifferently through and through.
Giovanni, however, did not appear, and people told her he would not leave his room for several days, so that she returned to her home without having accomplished anything in the matter.

Her husband was very silent, but looked at her with an expression of uncertainty, as though hesitating to speak to her upon some subject that absorbed his interest.

Neither of them referred to the strange interview of the previous night.