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Page 538
against the invasion. Then Roselynde must be stuffed and garnished. They should be able, counting on fish from the sea, to hold out for a year of siege. There must be pitch and tar and oil for the walls. There must be stones and leathers and timbers for the catapults. There must be shafts and feathers for arrows, metal of all sizes for swords, arrow heads, bolts for crossbows, axes, pikes, rings for mail, bands for helmets. There must be hides for shields and corselets for the, men and for all other uses for leather. And there must be food, and food, and food.
The young men of Roselynde town who could fight must be warned to be ready to come up to the keep with the valuables of the town; the women and children and oldsters must have carts ready and be prepared to flee to the woods. Doubtless spring came to England sometime in late March or early April. Joanna did not see it. She rode and counted stores and added up figures until she could not see, and then she slept. Over all she did, however, was a black pall of doubt and fear. Where was Geoffrey? If he had held so great an anger against her all these monthssince early Novemberwas it possible she would ever redeem herself in his eyes? Worse yet, had his knowledge of his own weakness ended by killing his soul so that, even though the body walked and talked, Geoffrey was a dead man?
All was ready in Roselynde. Joanna waited only for Alinor's coming, which she expected that day or the next. Then she would leave for Mersea on the excuse that Sir John was by no means convinced that Louis would be a worse king than John. Actually, she did not think she could endure to stay and see the love between her mother and Ian. For want of something better to do at the moment, Joanna was going over the clothing she would take to Mersea. She had found that she dared not sit down to sew or embroider. A task must have something to it that would fix the mind, like counting.
"Lady!"
She looked up at the manservant who had interrupted her and made her lose count. Harsh words rose to her lipsthey

 
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