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that she was not garbed in the latest style. Except for riding out, when it had some purpose, Alinor did not wear a wimple. Her grandfather had scornfully called that headgear a chinstrap to support old ladies' jowls. In deference to him, Alinor had kept the simple headdress of a light veil. The one she wore this day was a misty rose held by a jeweled chaplet. Also, she was not unaware that the old style, which left her round white throat, flat little ears, and smooth skin bare, was more flattering than the wimple, which showed only the front of the face. |
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Her dress too, although of the newest, most handsomely brocaded cloth, was cut in a style now largely abandoned except by older women. She wore a silk tunic of a color like old gold, worked in gold embroidery at the neck and up the bottoms of the sleeves. These were of the new styleAlinor knew a flattering thing when she saw ittightly laced from the wrist almost to the elbow. Over this was her bliaut, of deep rose shot with thread-of-gold. The bliaut was cut deeply open at the neck and was sleeveless to show the richly embroidered tunic. Unlike the new style cotte, which was loose and bloused over a low belt, the bliaut was laced tight to the figure from the breast to where the hips began to swell and fell in full, graceful folds from the hips to the floor. |
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It was not impossible that surprise at seeing a young woman, mistress of a keep commanding a busy port to France, dressed so unstylishly might make a courtier stare, might even account for the faint expression of wonder in his eyes. Such a surprise might make him stare once, but not more than that. Even in his bemused state, Sir Simon's manners were polished. It could not be otherwise in any man closely associated for many years with the Queen. Alinor was aware that his eyes were drawn to her more often than the two times she had actually caught him. So, in spite of the dearth of conversation, she was not bored. Indeed, she had a very interesting puzzle to muse upon. |
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