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"Why not?" Joanna asked. "She will not dismountat least . . . No, Geoffrey and Ian would never permit that, nor even William, young as he is. Only that Simon . . . Oh, well, she will be well guarded. She will not come to any hurt." |
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"It seems that in some things Sybelle is more daring than in others," Walter remarked. He was not accustomed to women hunting boar. |
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Joanna looked at him with a touch of surprise. "I hope so," she said, raising her brows. "You would be ill-suited as a husband if she were as venturesome in love as on the hunting field." |
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The bluntness was startling, but Walter accepted it without a blink. "As to that, yes, but I am not sure I am so well pleased with her being on a hunting field at all." |
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"We all hunt," Joanna stated flatly. "My mother, old as she is, is out today, and the only reason I am not is that I must see what I can do to amend the menu of these Welsh cooks. I like leeks, but not in everything, and they will put them in the sweets if they are not restrained. I must also tell you plainly that Sybelle will laugh in your face if you bid her not to hunt. Sir Walter, think well. Think whether you wish to take to your bosom such women as we. We are not to hold nor to bind where our lands are concerned. On other matters, if you win her love, Sybelle will try to please youbut she is not the kind to sit by the fire sewing a fine seam." |
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"I suppose I should have known." Walter smiled wryly. "After all, she did not hesitate to ride out with her men to drive off what she thought were reivers. And you may rest assured that I will deny Sybelle nothing that gives her pleasure. I was only concerned for her safety." |
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"You will have sufficient to concern you." Joanna sighed and then shook her head. "Come, sit with me by the fire for a few minutes, and I will try to explain." |
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She led the way around the bulge of the fireplace to some chairs set to one side by the hearth. Most everyone had gone to take part in the hunt, so the hall was nearly empty except for a few servants clearing the last of the food and wine from the tables. Walter winced as he followed Joanna. His knee had stiffened with standing, and he smiled gratefully when she drew over a footstool and lifted his leg to it. He thanked her and then waited while she seated herself also. |
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"It is all that madcap Simon's fault," Joanna said. "While |
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