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Page 17
blushing. Although she did not lie, it was not unknown to him that Joanna could bend the truth to suit her purposes with all, or more than, her mother's skill. He had wondered which part of what she had said to him should be subjected to severe examination, and then he had almost laughed. When Joanna shifted the emphasis on facts so that they added to a new and different sum, she always looked as innocent as an angel. It was then, as Joanna's eyes dropped, that Geoffrey connected the flush, the momentary unwillingness to meet his gaze, and Simon's wedding. All anxiety left his face, and he chuckled softly.
"I think I am going to enjoy this trip to Walesif I survive," he teased. "If thinking of a wedding has this effect on you . . ." He rose suddenly and limped to the back of her chairlong step, short stepand put his hand on her neck. "We do not need to wait for the journey," he said, and the laughter was gone from his voice, which had deepened and thickened.
There was a palpable hesitation before Joanna shook her head slightly and tilted it back so that she could meet her husband's eyes. "They are setting up the tables for the evening meal already," she murmured.
"After the meal, then, O shamefaced maiden? And shall we go up separately to our chamber so that we do not shock the castlefolk?" Geoffrey was teasing again, but his lips were fuller than usual and his eyes were bright.
Joanna laughed. "After the meal," she agreed. "It would be too much to think of them all staring at the food on the tables and waiting for us." She lifted an eyebrow. "I do not like to be rushed."
"I promise not to do that," Geoffrey said softly, and ran his fingers over the back of her neck as he removed his hand.

 
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