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Page 478
You too, my lord. You make a most excellent corpse."
Simon did not reply. He was too tense to see the joke. He pushed away Beorn's hand, saying gruffly that nothing ailed him. Until Alinor was safe in his arms, nothing would amuse or interest Simon. He ordered the men curtly to arm themselves from the stores in the outer chamber and turned to climb the stairs again. Sir Giles hurried after him, but Simon said he would go alone. One man in the women's quarters might be that filthy lecher John; more than one would raise an outcry. He did not know whether that was true; he simply could not endure that anyone should see him if harm had come to Alinor, or see their meeting.
Halfway up the stairs he stopped. If Alinor was not in the chamber she had been given when he was last at Kingsclere with her and he walked in upon Lady GriselHe freed the knife from his belt sheath. That would be a pleasure.
There was no question, however, of what chamber Alinor was in. A huge, makeshift bar had been fastened across the outside of one door. Simon stood there for a moment, so shaken with rage that he could not command his body. Then it was a torment to inch it up bit by bit so there would be no sound. The weight startled him. Did they fear that slender child would burst through the door? The thought brought a vivid picture of Alinor flinging herself helplessly against the unyielding wood, and Simon had to wait for the trembling of his body to subside again.
If she bore a bruise, a single bruise, he would take Kingsclere Keep down stone by stone if needful to get at those within. Slowly he lifted the latch, slid inside, and closed the door again. In the doorway he needed to stop to bite back a sob of relief. She slept peacefully, drawing deep, even breaths. Simon trod swiftly across the room and placed a hand gently over his wife's lips.
Both of them had cause to thank God that he came

 
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