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Page 468
but that was silly. He looked back at William. "None," he said bleakly.
"Lord John is no Richard," William commented with twisted lips. "If we fight him, he will never forgive or forget. There is no chivalry in him."
"I pray every night he will die of a bloody flux."
William grinned. "There we differ. I pray he will die of a festering pox." Then he shook his head. "Sometimes I feel so, but in truth I do not pray for John's death. If I were sure Richard was alive and would stay alive, that would be different. But I would rather have John than Arthur. You know what will befall us if a child should be seated on the throne. I pray for Richard's well doing, but if Richard dies my choice will be John."
At first Simon looked puzzled. Finally, however, he nodded his head. "Yes, I see. He will make himself so hateful that the barons will combine against him. William, there is sense in that. All together we could curb him. He has not Richard's recklessness. I think"
A page came scurrying in to say there was a messenger for Simon. He began to rise, but Lady Isobel said, "Let him come up, Simon, unless you wish to be private." And Simon sank back into his chair.
To their surprise the messenger was not a page from the Queen but a man-at-arms none of them knew. Yet he knew Simon, for it was to him that the letter was tendered. Simon looked at the seal, looked up at the messenger.
"From whom do you come?"
Doubt showed in the man's face. "You are Sir Simon Lemagne? Husband to Lady Alinor?"
William had started to raise a hand to scratch. The movement checked very slightly and then continued. Lady Isobel's needle hung for a brief instant idle. The news of the marriage had not yet been spread. Quite reasonably, Simon desired that his new vassals and castellans hear of it one at a time in his presence so

 
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