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Page 381
ing foul," Alinor said, carrying the branch of candles she held closer to the wall and holding it so that the light fell upon the painted scene that hung there.
Simon glanced at what she was exposing, and then cast down his affronted eyes. There was no need to reprimand Alinor. She was taking no pleasure in these scenes. She was not even looking at the hanging upon which couples, trios, quartets, and quintets cavorted in lewd images of sexual abandon and torture.
"They are all the same, or worse," Alinor remarked distastefully, gesturing around the room.
"Have them removed," Simon ordered. "I do not know whether the King plans to use these chambers, but this will not be to his taste. And if he wishes to set the Lady Berengaria here See if they can be replaced with something decent. If not, the bare walls will serve."
Other chambers were less offensive. They found sufficient hangings to replace those presently on the walls of the Emperor's bedchamber. They came last to the chapel where Simon stared and shrugged his shoulders. He found the murals depicting a Christ bedecked with silks and jewels almost blasphemous. In the end he shook his head and admitted he found the grandeur oppressive.
"I am too old," he sighed. "I cannot come to like the blazing sun, the air that is so clear that each crack in the earth appears a chasm, the silks and lush fruits, and the houses and palaces with their wide doors and windows that make me feel I must be armed and girded so that I cannot rest. I long for the soft air of England, for an honest half-sour apple, for a warm woolen tunic and a cool wall chamber where I can sleep in peace. I am tired of new sights, Alinor. I am sick for home."
"I too," Alinor agreed softly.
There was nothing more she could say to comfort him. Far from having any hope of turning homeward,

 
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