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turned to her. She was almost afraid to speak, afraid to move, lest something she should do or say would throw him back into the pit in which he had lain so long. |
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"Tell me what?" she faltered. |
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"The king is dead," he said breathlessly. "John is dead!" |
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"Yes," Joanna replied, "I think he did, but" |
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Geoffrey laughed, seized her around the waist, and began to whirl her around the room in a wild dance, which was made even wilder by his limping step. Joanna could not help laughing also, but she was frightened too. |
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"Are you mad?" she cried, and there was a note of genuine question under the laughing protest. "Will this not destroy Us utterly?" |
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"No! No, it is salvation." |
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"Do you mean that now all resistance to Louis will die?" Joanna asked hesitantly. |
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Ian had had little strength and Joanna had done her best not to let him talk, but he had muttered something about Prince Henryno, poor child, he was King Henry III now. Joanna knew without being told that Ian would fight for the prince's right to the throne. |
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"No, of course not," Geoffrey laughed. |
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"But Geoffrey," Joanna said fearfully, "that the king has died will not discourage Louis." She kept watching his face, dreading to see the light die out of it. Nonetheless she had to continue. It would hurt more if he glowed longer and then faded. ''The war will go on." |
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"Yes, of course," Geoffrey agreed with enthusiasm. "Yes! Yes!" Then he began to laugh again. "How very glad Roger will be to be rid of usor, at least, of me. Poor man. He knew when he accepted this place that this would be my home and he little more than your Sir Guy, a hired knight. Still, he has had it to himself for so long. And then I came to stayand in such a mood! Joanna, Joanna, we are saved!" |
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Joanna stared at him. One thing sure she had been wrong about, Geoffrey's injuries had bred no fear in him. He was |
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