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marry was a common occurrence, to be satisfied with a finesmall or large according to the king's temper and the wealth of the perpetrator. |
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It was now obvious that Henry intended to use Bassett as an object lesson. Richard of Cornwall had arrived, but he and Geoffrey could not move Henry. The king had the bit well between his teeth. He cried furiously that he was not a babe to be governed always by other men, that he would rule as a king or not rule at all. If Cornwall's and Geoffrey's remonstrance had any effect upon him, it was a bad one. The next move Henry made was to send more messengers hastening out with a demand that hostages for the good behavior of his barons be brought to him before the first of August. |
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Hard on the heels of this news, Richard Marshal arrived at his sister's house. He had come by the main road with only a few men-at-arms. The small troop served the double purpose of making him inconspicuous and of marking his "trust" in the king's goodwill. Simon had missed him on the road, but by chance they rode into London the same day and Simon arrived at Cornwall's house to ask whether Richard was there only an hour after he had come. |
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Isabella had already told her brother of Adam's suspicions, but Richard only laughed and kissed her and called her a nervous goose. Thus, when Simon's name was brought to her, she bade her maidservant bring him into Richard's bedchamber, where he was soaking off the dirt and sweat of travel in a tub. |
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"Tell him I am not making it up," she cried, as Simon stepped in and the servant closed the door behind him. |
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Simon bowed, a little embarrassed by the look of surprise on Richard's face. The Earl of Pembroke was a big man, as tall as Simon but broader and heavier, his shoulders and arms seamed with the scars of combat. The room was warm, redolent with the scent of the herbs Isabella had strewn in the bath water. Somehow a sense of urgency and discussion of plots seemed |
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