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Page 285
"Oh, you!" Simon laughed. "You would eat me whole for the sake of one hide of land or one serf's hut."
"The situation is not likely to arise," Alinor said with dignity and then grinned. "But it is fortunate that the Queen bestowed my wardship upon the one honest man at Court. The number of courtiers might have been sadly diminished by all the accidents that befell dishonest wardens of my lands."
"Alinor," Simon said uneasily, "you laugh, but you are not jesting. That would be murder."
"Nonsense! If a thief came to my keep, I would set my dogs and men to pursue him and kill him. A thief is a thief to me, and the high born worse than the low because they are more rapacious. Which brings us to the most rapacious of all. Since he is here before us, what are we to do about Longchamp?"
Simon's face grew as hard as Alinor's. The softness disappeared from his eyes, which seemed to grow lighter and brighter. "It is too late to go about the matter as I intended. I will put it to the touch in open Court this day."
"Oh, Simon, that is like to be dangerous to you."
"What of that? I do not fear the King's spite. If he is angered, Richard will say it to my face. He is not forgiving, but he is not one to keep anger hidden either. A bold front is more like to please the King than whining complaints."
"I did not mean the King. He is just enough and knows you would not cheat him."
"Longchamp then? What is there to fear in him?"
Alinor drew a quick, exasperated breath. "Because he is little and crooked and cannot wield a sword or mace, you think he is nothing. He is the more deadly for his weakness. There are ambushes that can be laid upon the road, and there are knives in dark corners."
"Tush! I have lived with that all of my life. I was not so dearly beloved by the powers I went to over-

 
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