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husband whether Ian was tainted with King Richard's perversion. Simon had assured her that it was not so, that Ian was a fine young stallion, and he had warned her seriously not to tease the young man. |
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Alinor had been careful because, in spite of being thirty years her senioror, perhaps, because of itSimon was no jealous husband. Indeed, he had no cause to be jealous; he kept Alinor fully occupied. Thus, if Simon warned her against flirting playfully with Ian, it was for Ian's sake. Alinor acknowledged the justice of that. It would be dreadful to attach Ian to her, dangerous too. There was violence lurking behind the young man's hot brown eyes and, although Alinor loved Simon and was content with him, she never denied that Ian was a magnificent male animal who could be very attractive to her. Ian had been careful too, seldom touching Alinor even to kiss her hand in courtesy. |
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Nonetheless, they had been good friends. Alinor knew when Ian was carrying a burden of trouble. Ordinarily she would have pressed him with questions until he opened the evil package for her inspection. Alinor had never feared trouble. Simon had said sourly more than once that she ran with eager feet to meet it. That was because she had never found a trouble for which she or Simon or both of them together could not discover a solution. Trouble had been a challenge to be met head-on, trampled over or slyly circumvented. Now, all at once, there were too many troubles. Alinor could not, for the moment, muster the courage to ask for another. |
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The afternoon light flooded the antechamber with brightness, but the inner wall chamber was dim. Ian hesitated, and Alinor tugged at his hand, leading him safely around the large wooden tub that sat before the hearth. To the side was a low stool. Alinor pushed Ian toward it, grasping the tails of his hauberk as he passed her and lifting them so he would not sit on |
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