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Page 130
last, her immediate reaction was laughter. It was ridiculous that these bejeweled and scented and even painted ladies of wide experience should be sighing and spitting over Geoffrey in this way.
Fortunately, it was not until Joanna was alone and really had time to consider all the aspects of what she heard that a second wave of emotion rolled over her. It was only when she was lying in bed that she felt again the warmth of Geoffrey's mouth and the cravings awakened by the sure touch of his hands. Then it did not seem so funny that he should be able to arouse such feelings in others. Rage and spite roiled in her; tears rose in her eyes and hot words came to her lips. She hissed like an angry snake, so that Brian leapt to his feet from where he lay beside the bed and rumbled growls. Hushing him, Joanna had time to think of what she had muttered beneath her breath. The words were horribly familiar. More than once she had heard her mother fling them at her stepfather.
Whether or not Ian was guiltyand Joanna did not think he was, being better able than her jealous mother to judge the mingled bewilderment, exasperation, and amusement with which he defended himselfwas not the point. The quarrels never reached into the past. Alinor did not blame Ian for love affairs engaged in before they were married. Calm returned to Joanna. It did not matter whose bed Geoffrey had warmed before they were betrothed; how could he be faithful to her when he never knew or expected to be her husband? Sure as fate, he had warmed no woman, except perhaps a casual whore, since then because Joanna knew where he had been and what he had been doing every day after the betrothal. The clincher made her smile. If Geoffrey were still involved with one of these court bitches, he would not have ridden two hundred miles to Roselynde when a letter could have given him ten more days in his mistress's bed.
Contentment restored, Joanna snuggled down into her bed and closed her eyes, which promptly opened again on a double thought. The first part of it smelled suspiciously like bad cheese set out to trap a rat. Mistresses eager to keep a

 
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