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Page 374
Alinor laughed. "No, I said that wrong. I meant you and Geoffrey between you must find some reason for Geoffrey to accompany you south to my lands rather than, as would be natural, to go to his. Ian must go north again to sit on the hotheads there and I do not wish to leave the coastlands without a leader who can rally the men. There is a real danger Philip will invade"
"In midwinter?" Joanna protested.
"Word is spread that Philip is expending much gold to buy cardinals who will urge Innocent to declare John deposed and name Philip God's instrument for this purpose. If what he desires happens, Philip will not dare wait because the order could be countermanded and Philip knows as well as anyone else that John has envoys in Rome. If they can convince the pope that John is in earnest, Innocent will be only too willing to change his mind about deposition. It is a bad precedent."
"John must know all this. Why is it necessary to whisper in secret that Geoffrey and I will go to Roselynde?"
"That need not be secret, only the reason for itthat Ian rides north. He goes to save the king, but will John believe that? So far his behavior is perfect, but who knows what little thing will overset him?"
Anger thinned Joanna's generous mouth. "We will do it, of course," she said, "but I tell you plain I think it hard that Geoffrey and I must first be put on show like wares at a fair, and insulted by the queen, all for the sake of And poor Geoffrey must be set to hard labor so soon. Even a serf is granted holiday after his wedding."
"As your state is higher than that of a serf, so must your burdens be greater," Alinor reminded her.
"And if Philip should come," Joanna murmured, more to herself than to her mother, "instead of being at Hemel and coming to battle as one of a great army, Geoffrey must bear the first brunt of the attack."

 
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