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Page 61
First he allied with Richard to destroy Henry. Now, Simon knew, even if Richard did not, Philip of France would seek a way to destroy Richard. The south coast of England would need to be carefully watched.
Sir Andre watched Simon's face grow bleaker and bleaker as the miles of beaches and inlets unfolded. "It is not as bad as it looks," he suggested after a while.
"How so?" Simon asked testily. "A child could land a boat on these shores."
"True enough, a child could land a boat. From time to time a band of sea rovers does succeed in putting in, and thus a fishing village is burned and a few fishermen die, but many men cannot land many boatsnot unless the fisherfolk are willing to turn blind eyes to them."
Simon turned his head, his graying red, short-cropped hair ruffled by the sea breeze. He was mailed and carried both sword and shield, but helmet and hood had been thrust back to leave his head bare for the sake of coolness. On the demesne lands, Sir Andre assured him, there was very little danger of attack.
"That sounds as if it has a meaning, but I do not spell it out," he rumbled.
"Fisherfolk are different in a manner from the inland serfs. They are not so tied to the land. Their livelihood is in their craft, and those are not easy for an armored knight to reach nor, being what they are, easy for a great ship to find or catch."
"They have the name of serf and the ways of free men. I see."
"More," Sir Andre continued soberly, "here they have the minds and wills of free men." He watched Simon's face and when nothing more than thoughtful consideration appeared there, continued, "You might think it a weakness in Lord Rannulf and my Lady Alinor that they have condoned this freedom, but it has paid them well."
At that Simon snorted with contempt. "You mean

 
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