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Page 7
sion of the man who might become her husband had taken place. She had listened with interest, of course, but without anxietyin which she was different and more fortunate than most girls. In general, marriage was not a matter of liking or loving but of political alliances and transfer of property. The options and desires of the women involved were seldom consulted. Sybelle, however did not fear being forced into a hateful and terrifying marriage. She had, in fact, already refused many matches that had been suggested.
Nonetheless, during the past year, Sybelle had noticed that the expressions of relief her parent had worn when she first turned away suitors had changed to concern. She began to realize that, at sixteen, it was overtime for her to be married. It was also true that she had found Walter de Clare attractive. This had puzzled her a little, for she was surrounded by very handsome men and Walter was not especially handsome.
Not that there was anything distasteful in Walter's appearance. He was as tall as Simon or Ian and as heavily built as her uncle Adam. Still, compared with Simon's breathtaking beauty, which he had inherited from Ian, and even Adam's superlative good looks, Walter was plain. As Sybelle thought the word, Walter's face appeared in her mind's eye: a strong, square chin; a wide, mobile mouth, which looked good-natured and always smiled at her but which she thought could be both hard and cruel; a high-bridged beak of a nose; blue eyes. Sybelle's thoughts paused. The eyes were really nice. They glinted with humor and intelligence.
"Oh, I believe so, too." Alinor laughed, agreeing with Ian's description of Walter's strict honesty. "He is as bad as you, Ianand I do not say that as a compliment. No, really, he is worse. He is like SimonI mean my first husband," Alinor said to Sybelle, who had looked surprised. "My Simon was a great one for being so honest he would run his head into a stone wall."
But Sybelle had not looked surprised because she had confused Alinor's son with her first husband, both of whom were named Simon. She was surprised because she realized for the fire time that Walter de Clare was, from what she had heard, like the grandfather she had never known. Her mother's father had been thirty years older than his wife and had died when Joanna was nine years old. Much as Joanna loved her stepfatherand she adored himshe had been determined

 
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