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"I do not need such advice before all men," Geoffrey said angrily, and when he came to the stables mounted quickly and rode away, keeping well apart from Ian. |
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An hour later when the chase had spread the huntsmen well over the forest, Ian's gray destrier shied a little as Geoffrey's Orage breasted a thicket just ahead and stopped, blocking his path. "What is wrong?" Geoffrey asked anxiously, and then when Ian did not answer immediately, he frowned. "Did I read you amiss? As soon as my head cooled, I was sure you meant us to talk in private. Surely you cannot really think I used Joanna harshly." |
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Ian gestured sharply for him to be still, listened a moment, then shrugged and indicated that they should ride back through the thicket and out into a little clearing where no one could come upon them by surprise or overhear if they talked softly. Then he smiled. |
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"I did want private speech with you. Joanna would have clawed you elsewhere for defense rather than pleasure." Ian laughed, but blushed darkly. It was still very hard for him to accept the idea of his little Joanna writhing with pleasure under the servicing of a man. It was best not to think of that at all. "There is nothing wrong," he went on, "but I have interesting news from a source John would not approve. I have been in treasonous communication with Llewelyn." |
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Geoffrey smiled at that. However much Ian loved his clan brother, he was not the man to commit treasonexcept in John's warped imagination. Then he looked puzzled. "It must be very interesting news for Llewelyn to risk your neck to send it. Good God, surely he does not intend to come against England!" |
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"No, no. Llewelyn is most content with what he has. In fact, he is rather well disposed toward John just now. After all, it was John's mismanagement that dropped all of Wales into Llewelyn's hand with little effort or loss on his part. No, the news concerns Philip." |
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For a moment, the memory of twenty-eight bodies, some of them very small, on gibbets darkened Geoffrey's eyes. Did the Welsh forget so easily? Or was their pain less be- |
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