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Page 136
longer available. Certainly there had been an excessive interest in his property and the chance that Richard would help him take control of it. It seemed, in retrospect, that Gervase had done most of the questioning and urging. Perhaps Gervase wished to get her sister remarried and off her hands. In any case, a definite statement regarding his offer for Sybelle would clarify the situation beyond doubt. If Marie wanted a husband, she would turn cold.
"I would suggest myself," Walter said, "except that I will very soon be encumbered with a wifeand that makes some men very dull company."
"A wife!" Marie was plainly shocked, but she made a strong and rapid recovery and laughed. "This is very sudden," she said archly. "You were not promised when you came to Pembroke keep, and you were gone from us only a few days. Did you win your maiden on the battlefield like a savage? Or did Richard suggest the girl to you?" The last words came out in a bitter snap.
"No!" Walter exclaimed, and then he remembered how Richard had warned him against marrying Marie.
Walter and Richard had not been alone during that conversation. Could Marie have heard of it? Walter was appalled. Whatever Richard thought of his sister-by-marriage, Walter did not want her to be hurt. He was sick at heart, also, at the idea that he had misunderstood Marie and thought her flirting merely playful rather than serious. The least he could do was to take the blame on himself and remove any stigma from Richard. Also, he must not hurt Marie further by admitting he had been in love with Sybelle all along and had only been playing with her.
"No," Walter repeated. "I have long wished to ally myself with this girl's family, but I could not offer for her earlier because of the political situation. It was only this morning that I was able to speak to Lord Geoffrey and suggest myself as a husband for his daughter."
"You came to terms quickly," Marie said. "Perhaps you will make it a double wedding."
"Oh, no." Walter barely prevented himself from adding I wish it could be. Instead he said, "It was only the most preliminary discussion. I had to know whether I was acceptable at all. However, there is no written contract. We did not even discuss terms."

 
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