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At this point, Simon began to laugh. No one would believe this, no one! He was not sure he would have believed it himself if he were not riding a strange black horse instead of Ymlladd. Then, as soon as he thought of his destrier, he began to worry about whether the wagon had been attacked by one of the organized bands and, if so, whether Rhiannon had been able to manage the stallion. Fear for her woke anger again, and he fretted and fumed until the ridiculous aspects of the situation struck him anew. |
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Between this seesaw of emotion, he wondered how the devil he was going to find Rhiannon in the madhouse that Abergavenny keep must be, with loads of loot of all kinds coming in and ten times the number of men the keep was designed to hold accompanying it. Actually, Simon should have known better than to worry about such matters when both the Earl of Pembroke and Prince Llewelyn had remained at Abergavenny. By the time the rearguard reached the keep, everything was completely organized. As each man entered, he was asked his name and the name of his leader and directed to where his group was resting and reorganizing. Simon's name made the guard look up. |
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"You are most urgently wanted in the hall, my lord. Your men will be quartered and word sent to you." |
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Such a summons to a very junior member of the army could only have to do with Rhiannon, so Simon was not surprised to find her sitting with Llewelyn, Pembroke, and Gilbert Bassett. Although Simon's predominant emotion was outrage as he threaded his way through the bailey and entered the keep, the expressions on the four facesno, five, for Math was sitting in his mistress's lapwhen they saw him struck Simon so funny that he whooped with laughter and could barely walk straight. |
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Llewelyn's face became rigid as wood and his eyes were suffused. To Simon it was clear his overlord |
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