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Page 10
Chapter One
Lady Alinor, heiress of the honors of Roselynde, Mersea, Kingsclere, Iford, and enough other estates to make her one of the wealthiest prizes in England, leaned forward to stroke the neck of her sidling and curvetting mount. The gesture did not calm the mare. Dawn continued to dance, and Alinor had to curb the desire to shriek at her. Since the animal was merely reacting to Alinor's own concealed fear, that would have set the fat in the firea not uncommon result of first impulses with Alinor. Controlling herself, she added a soothing murmur to her patting.
Above her own murmur, Alinor could hear a tuneless whistling. It was a sound to which she was well accustomed, yet it set her teeth on edge. When Sir Andre Fortesque, the chief of her vassals, whistled between his teeth like that, he was worried. And he has not even criticized my handling of Dawn, Alinor thought, her throat tightening with fear. Then why did he not permit me to close my keeps and fight?
But Alior knew the answer to that. Sir Andre had been quick enough to call up the other vassals to defend his lady against all threats from her neighbors or any other magnate who wished to snap such a tasty (and wealthy) tidbit into marriage. He had fought endless skirmishes and two minor wars in her defense over the past year. this was different. This was a matter of the King's writor, at least, the Queen's writ. Lord Richard, soon to be crowned King of England, was still busy in Normandy, but his mighty mother, the legendary Alinor of Aquitaine, was ruling as Regent in his stead.

 
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