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Page 296
thoroughly for a third time. That night, deprived of Rhiannon's company, he awakened in the dark to the irrational fear that she had gone to court alone and had been seized and hidden away from him. One part of his mind knew perfectly well that this was ridiculous. His mother would never permit such a thing; also, Henry was not perfect, but he did not abduct women. The other part of his mind insisted the fear was an evil omen.
Perhaps if Simon could have ridden directly back to Oxford in the morning or could have discussed the matter with someone, the whole thing would have shrunk back to its real proportions. However, he was extremely aware of his father's haunted eyes, of Geoffrey's haggardness, of the fact that even Adam was deeply worried. There were those who had particular fears of or hatreds for the Welsh. They were his burden, and when a group of them asked him to join a hunting party, he could not refuse. He had, of course, shaken off the stupid notion that Henry would seize his betrothed, but he was left with an even stronger distaste for another court appearance.
The day was hot and the long hunt led them even farther from Oxford. Simon's companions elected to stop for dinner atof all placesone of his mother's properties. Had it been anywhere else, Simon would have excused himself and ridden back alone, but he could not offer such a gratuitous insultwhich might even be taken as a mark of dissatisfactionto a faithful servant. By the time Simon was free to return to Oxford, he was half-mad with the frustration of needing to seem interested and absorbed in the problems of his companions, which in fact meant very little to him.
Over the period of separation, Rhiannon's mood had changed. Until this day, she had been busy every moment with movement and distracted by new experiences. After the menfolk left, however, a second stage of female activity began. At home, she would have

 
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