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Page 295
Now they came to the meat of the matter, Joanna thought, knitting her brows. But what favor could they extend to the city of London? A few pounds which they would willingly contribute to help rebuilding would certainly not be essential enough to call an alderman away from more important duties. Joanna braced herself to curb Geoffrey's instinctive generosity, fearing that these blandishments would preface an inordinate demand. In a way they did, but not in the way Joanna feared.
"My lord," the alderman continued, his voice breaking and tears rising in his eyes, "we are ruined. The city is destroyed, the workmen injured and scattered. The very tools of our rebuilding are reft from us."
"I believe you," Geoffrey replied. "I would weep for and with you in good faith, but I do not see what I can do to help. I am not rich enough to raise the city from its ashes."
"Nor is any man," the alderman agreed, to Joanna's relief, "any man except the king. My lord," he went on hastily, as if he feared Geoffrey would interrupt him, "the marks of the fire are on your face and hands. The king is your uncle. He knows you would not lie to him. I beg you, plead with him for us. Tell him how we are bereft. Tell him we cannot give the men and money we agreed to contribute to the war."
"Good God, I had forgotten that," Geoffrey exclaimed.
"My lord, we promised in good faith," the man continued desperately, "but God has seen fit to lay this curse upon us at precisely this hour. You know our state. If the king were here he would understand, but words upon paper are poor, pale things and . . . and the king has' been so . . . so exigent of late"
A faint chill washed over Joanna. As little as she liked John, she knew that normally he would have been sympathetic to London's troubles. Disasters usually brought out the best in the king and woke in him a fierce energy for setting things aright. She remembered that even her mother had words of praise for him after the great storm that had devastated England when Joanna was ten. John had been

 
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