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He had been some seventy miles from Whitechurch when he saw Ian and Alinor to their ship and had ridden two hundred miles and more to see her, only to ride all the way back after four days. Joanna did not draw away as Geoffrey reached across to take a dish of sweet tarts that was set out to round off the meal, and his hand brushed her breast. Neither remarked on it, neither murmured an excuse, but Geoffrey's color remained high and Joanna pushed away what she had not yet eaten. They did not linger long at the table after that. Geoffrey made a half-hearted suggestion about riding out, but Joanna protested that it was too hot and proposed instead that Geoffrey play to her. |
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The lute was fetched, the embroidery frame set comfortably out of the direct glare but in the full light of the sun. Joanna bent to her work; Geoffrey plucked the strings idly. What sprang first to his mind were the sweet love laments of the troubadours, but the idea was faintly disgusting to him. He had sung those with considerable success to a number of ladies of light virtue at court. Somehow he could not present such tarnished things to Joanna. He did not worship her. One does not put a halo around the head of a girl who has boxed your ears soundly for dropping overripe fruit on her head. He knew her puckish humor and her earthy good sense too well to develop visions of heavenly purity. Nonetheless, Joanna was clean and goodsolid gold compared with the tawdry tinsel of Queen Isabella's ladies. There would be love songs for Joanna toobut not those. |
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Almost afraid his tongue would trick him into the well-worn route, Geoffrey shifted languages altogether and sang the English lyric "Stella Maris." Joanna was a little surprised. She had expected a love song, but she was not really disappointed. As the song progressed, she felt rather pleased. It was, she agreed, not the time or place for sickly sweet sentiment. Yet the physical tension that had taken hold of her did not diminish much. It merely became mixed with an equally exciting sense of anticipation. The combination, however delicious, was unsettling. Joanna found she could not sit in silence and wait for Geoffrey to sing again, |
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