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The whole party rode north the next morning, and Rhiannon felt more and more at home. All the ladies bestrode their own mounts as she did. None, not even Alinor, who was old, traveled in a covered cart or sat pillion behind a man. Perhaps Joanna looked anxiously at her mother from time to time, but Rhiannon thought that was because of Joanna's nature rather than any real weakness in Alinor. They stayed at Kingsclere that night, and made much of old Sir Henry, who lost ten years off his age in his pride and pleasure. |
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On the day after, they came to Oxford. Geoffrey had a house there, the gift of the king, who often stayed at Oxford keep and wished his cousin to be near him. Henry would have preferred that Geoffrey remain permanently in his bachelor court, but he soon learned that Geoffrey would stay nowhere long without his enchanting wife. Henry would gladly have made room for Joanna also, but there was no female side to Henry's court. His mother had remarried in France and he |
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