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usually for what they mistakenly thought was her own good. |
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Then let them speak the truth of what they sent to their lady. Alinor herself had kept the records for many yearsher grandmother's idea, not her grandfather's, who considered learning unnecessary for a woman. And, Alinor thought, as she had thought many times before, the more fool he. Her grandfather might have been more lovablebut her grandmother was wiser. It would be easy to fix those recordsAlinor fought back a smile and curtsied to the Queen. She did not mean to cheat the King of his rightful due, but she did not intend to allow him to rob her either. |
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"If you will permit me, Madam, I will leave you to sleep." |
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The voice was deferential, the face free of trouble now. The Queen had an uneasy feeling that that was wrong. Alinor might fly into a rage or a tempest of tears over a small thing and as quickly forget, but she did not seem the type so easily to put aside a serious matter. Yet Queen Alinor could not keep the girl beside her every minute of the day. And she was very weary. |
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"Very well, my dear, I will let you go." |
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All that was necessary now was to avoid the eyes of the men in the Great Hall. Not so hard. Alinor hurried across to the smaller chamber where the clothing was stored. She removed the wimple that had protected her throat and hair from the sun and dust of the road and cast off her riding dress. She did not trouble that her tunic should match the simple gray bliaut she drew over it. It would be necessary to change to grander dress to do honor to the Queen for dinner anyway. Thus attired she did not look so different from the women servants of the keep unless one were close enough to notice the embroidery of the bliaut or the fact that the cloth was much finer. |
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Alinor need not have taken even as much trouble as |
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