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mistress and that the first two did not even use whores when they were separated from their wives. Probably, Simon thought, he would be like Adam, who relieved his sexual urge as he would relieve his bladder or bowels, but surely Rhiannon did not mean thator did she? |
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Rhiannon was strange and did not think like other people. Still, he could not understand her doubts. To his mind, "everyone knew" that the men of Roselynde did not look elsewhere once their affections were fixed. Having achieved the goal of nearly fifteen years of longing, Ian truly had no desire for any woman other than Alinor. Geoffrey had been soured very young by a licentious court; he was no womanizer by nature and was too fascinated by the bright, exquisite "sun" of his life to think of deceiving Joanna. Adam loved his soft, seemingly submissive Gilliane, but he was no fool; he was aware of how often things went the way Gilliane desired rather than the way he had planned. He trusted his wifeyesbut he had no desire at all to give her a reason not to trust him. He had not forgotten that she had pushed her second husband out of a high window of Tarring keep. |
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What had begun quite naturally had hardened over the years into a fierce pride, partly as a result of ribald comment by other men and regretful admiration of women. The men of Roselynde might play in their youth, but once they chose a woman they were as faithful to the vows of matrimony as they were to their oaths of homage. Simon had been born into this atmosphere and had grown to manhood in it. He could not understand Rhiannon's doubts, and he wished he could talk over the problem with someone. |
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As he entered Llewelyn's presence, Simon wondered whether the prince could help him, but he remembered that Rhiannon's father had told him from the beginning that he did not understand his daughter. Simon hesitated and smiled. Rhiannon's father might |
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