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It was no wonder that all eyes were fixed on Geoffrey and Joanna. Everywhere else disaster threatened. It was far better to talk and think and jest about the marriage of the king's bastard nephew and the daughter of the lady who had sent John scurrying with his tail between his legs. That old story, which Alinor had believed known only to her present husband, her dead first husband, and one other faithful vassal, had suddenly become current. |
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Furious but helpless, Alinor could only deny with spurious amazement that she had ever resisted the king's attentionsor had any reason to resist them. All that denial accomplished was to make some scandal-loving fools look significantly from the king's eldest son, who was as fair as his grandfather and his Uncle Richard, to Joanna's red head. If the queen and the king were both dark and their son golden fair, was it impossible that John had succeeded with Lady Alinor, and Joanna also took after old King Henry? The old king had had red hair some said. Like mother, like daughter said others, reviving with pleasure the scandalous rumors of the preceding spring about Joanna and young Braybrook. |
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Two bastards and consanguineous too, the rumors ran, and both lecherous from both sides. Had the times been less precarious, there would have been dead men in the court. Salisbury, Engelard d'Atie, and William de Cantelu had to remove Geoffrey by force from the great hall one day, and it had not been easy to revive the young fool whom Geoffrey had near choked to death. Another time only the king's personal intervention had saved the elder Braybrook from being torn apart by Ian. Shorter than his tall vassal by more than a head, John was nonetheless as strong as a bull. Perhaps he could not have bested Ian in a fight, but by interposing his own body between the men and wrapping Ian in his powerful arms the king had provided the few minutes needed for Braybrook's escape. |
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"I beg you to let him be," John pleaded, when he had finally quieted Ian enough to lead him into a private wall chamber. "Doubtless you know the truth of that tale. Lady |
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