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Page 400
not you be a fool, Geoffrey. Your uncle has tried more than once to end your life, and he will never give over trying."
"Perhaps" Geoffrey shrugged. "But he seems much changed and chastened. Mayhap this reconciliation to the Church has gone deeper than we first thought. Ian says"
"I know what Ian says," Joanna interrupted impatiently. "I love Ian dearly. He has been a father to me, true and tender, but you know what he is. If the devil himself came to Ian with a sad story, Ian would soon be dropping tears over him and trying to help."
Geoffrey could not help laughing, but his frown returned. "In any case, this is naught to do with Ian or myself. It is true that if John attacked Philip now he would have a fair chance to win back Normandy and strengthen his position in the south. It is the best chance there has been or is like to be, yet the barons will not agree. They excuse themselves by saying that John is still excommunicate, but it is only an excuse. They do not wish to go to France."
"And why should they?" Joanna rejoined. "Perhaps a few who lost lands there might desire the return of their holdings, but most have no interest. Moreover, you should ask yourself whether Normandy will welcome King John. It has been told to me that when the Norman barons begged for the king's help in 1204 he could not be bothered to come to them. Another thing, to speak the truth, is that Philip is a better overlord than John. He is greedy, desiring to swallow all, but once the lands are his he is not unjust or unreasonable. It is my belief that the Norman barons would fight hard to repel John."
That was the truth. Geoffrey rose restlessly and paced the room, fingering the gold-embroidered curtains of the bed and adding a little more wine to his goblet. "All this is nothing to the point," he said irritably. "I said I was sorry for my uncle, and I am. This time he is right in the sense that it is the most favorable time to make war. If we went now, we might succeed; if we go later, when Philip has had time to regather his strength, we may not. Yet John will never give up the hope of retaking Normandy. That means that sooner

 
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