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Page 188
berries. Those grew wild and could not have all been picked, but they would not sustain an army.
"Then they will try assault, and we will beat them back," Richard said. "Then what?"
The question was not addressed to Simon, of course. Richard might ask his advice about Prince Llewelyn, whom he did not really know, but he would not ask it about war or English affairs. Simon stood silent, waiting for the earl's mind to survey the possibilities. Finally his eyes fixed on his companion again.
"If I make truce with King Henry, will Lord Llewelyn feel I have betrayed him?"
"I cannot say for sure, but I think not. You did invite him to join you, but he made no answer. This may make him more cautious about committing himself in the future, should you ever desire such an alliance, but Prince Llewelyn respects a reasonable man."
Simon was rather relieved at the turn things had taken. If Henry had not brought matters to a head and he had been sent back to Llewelyn to negotiate a firm alliance, he would have had to warn his overlord that Richard was not really determined to prosecute the war and only wished to act defensively. Simon would have hated to do anything to increase Richard's troubles, but Llewelyn was his overlord and his first duty must be to him. This way it was unlikely Simon would have to give any opinion; he would only need to relate facts.
At first the king's party made noises as if it would be war to the death. The insults Henry's herald flung at Richard when the army finally arrived at Usk two days later were disgusting. Many of Richard's men were incoherent with fury, but Richard himself only laughed. Such insults, he pointed out to his angry supporters, were designed to get them out of the keep so that they could be cut to pieces by a superior number of men.
To Henry's frustration, Richard replied gravely and

 
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