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Page 353
two hostages and not need to trust to honor to keep Ian, Geoffrey, and Adam passive.
He sent out a strong enough force to overpower Simon's guard, but told Roger de Cantelupe on no account to show the troop at Kingsclere. Only Sir Roger himself was to enter there, and he was to discover which road Simon and Rhiannon had taken toward Wales. They should be easy enough to overtake. They would go slowly because of the woman, and they would have no suspicion that they were being followed. Every attempt should be made to convince them to return quietly. Any lie that would be useful would be absolved without penance, and any promise at all could be made in the king's name.
It was almost dark, but Sir Roger rode out anyway to satisfy the bishop's eagerness. It was some time before he discovered that they had taken the wrong road in the dark. Sir Roger sensibly told his men to stop and make camp. At dawn he found a village and asked directions, but Kingsclere was not an important keep. Some honestly said they did not know; others, either fearing punishment if they confessed ignorance or out of self-importance, made wild guesses so that Sir Roger's troop went even farther astray. About the time that Simon and Sir Harold were being welcomed with somewhat restrained cordiality at Highclere castle, Winchester's messenger, cursing futilely, was still trying to discover whether Kingsclere keep was north, south, east, or west of him.
Actually, Sir Roger was not completely lost. When they came to Henley they finally obtained directions Sir Roger felt he could trust. It was past dinnertime by then, and he and his troop had had no breakfast. Although he said nothing to his men, Sir Roger blamed Winchester. Had he not been so impatient, they would have waited until dawn to leave, and none of this would have happened. The resentment Sir Roger felt impelled him to give permission for his men to stop and rest,

 
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