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Page 546
"Geoffrey has only gone down to the town to see about the ships," she said. "He will be back to dinner."
Joanna's body stiffened as if to resist a blow, but her mother did not question her or offer her sympathy. She began to speak about certain problems, which Joanna had left unsolved for Alinor to settle, explaining in detail to her inattentive daughter what decisions she would make and the reasons for these decisions. Ian was slower to see Joanna's misery. It took him another day or two to determine its cause. Then Alinor had to drag Ian off to Iford before he murdered his son-by-marriage. Mercifully, the ships Geoffrey had chosen were readied in a short time, and he sailed off to add them to the fleet the king was assembling in Thames mouth and the Dover roads.
There were a few weeks of quiet, not expectant and eager as the period of waiting for invasion had been in 1212, but sullen and ominous. On May 18, a new disaster struck. A violent storm swept in and destroyed the fleet. England lay naked to the invaders. Four days later they came. John's army was in the right place. The trumpets sounded, the troops were drawn upand the king ordered them dismissed and rode off to Winchester.
Geoffrey returned to Roselynde. With a face of stone, he told Ian that his father had parted company with the king. He gave no reason for it, only said that he would go and see to his lands and stay upon them. Joanna went at once to pack her things. He had kissed her when he came in and called her "sweet heart" and somehow she had choked down the scream in her throat and prevented her body from shuddering and shrinking away. It was no light thing to be embraced by a corpse.
Ian followed her into the women's chambers and begged her to let her husband go and to stay with them. Numbly, Joanna shook her head.
"I love him," she said simply. "I never wanted to. I knew that love is only suffering, but it is too late now. I love him."
They did a round of Geoffrey's properties and then went and shut themselves into Hemel. In their travels they had

 
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