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Joanna's attention fixed; her heart began to pound. ''Yes, I am." |
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"I have a message for you if you will let me see your hair." |
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Any other time, Joanna would have been furious. Now, trembling with eagerness, she undid her wimple and exposed the bright braids beneath her headdress. The only reason for such great need to be sure of her identity must be to avoid any chance of news of this message coming to the wrong ears. Then the message must be from Geoffrey oror about him." |
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"The message," she urged with burning eyes, "what is your message?" |
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Instead of replying, the priest drew a roll of parchment from the bosom of his gown and handed it to her. Joanna broke the seal without even looking. It was too easy to take the ring from a dead man's hand, and if the seal was someone else's the priest would tell her. What she saw within the roll in a single glance made her clutch the senseless skin to her breast and cry aloud. |
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"He is alive! Thanks be to God, he is alive!" and then, tremblingly to the priest, "Thank you, oh thank you, Father, thank you." |
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"Perhaps you had better read what is written before you are so full of thanks." |
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The color that had rushed to Joanna's face drained away again. "But it is in his hand," she stammered, "in his own hand! Is he not alive?" |
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"Yes, yes. I did not mean to frighten you. Lord Geoffrey is alive and well cared for and whole of limb and wit," the priest assured her kindly, "but" |
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Back came Joanna's color and she laughed aloud. "Then I care for nothing else. All else I can contrive for, even if it be to move the earth, so long as he lives and is safe." She seized the priest and kissed him and then she kissed Sir Guy. But when Joanna tried to question the priest about Geoffrey, she received little satisfaction. He had seen her husband only twiceonce, when Geoffrey was first |
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