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Under the circumstances, Walter had done no more than send letters to the castellans of Foy, Barbury, Thornbury, and Knight's Tower announcing that he had succeeded to his brother's honors. He had not appointed any time for the men to do homage, nor had he suggested making any visit to the strongholds that were technically his. Thus, although he had not taken possession, neither had he provoked the castellans into rejecting him. Walter would not mind at all if they didonce he had a strong enough force to smash them immediately upon refusal. He did not particularly wish to avoid battle; all he wished to avoid was theappearance of pettishly demanding what he had no power to seize at his will. |
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Walter also wished to keep his dealings with his brother's castellans a private matter. He did not want to owe his control of his property to the favor of the king or even to men he trusted far more, like Richard of Cornwall or the Earl of Pembroke. But this was no problem. All he needed to do was to marry into a family powerful enough to provide him with the strength to overawe or, better, overpower the castellans. Since the marriage would be a blood bond, there could be no question of favors given or received. |
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There was no need to search his mind for a suitable family, either. Walter had been squire to William Marshal, the previous Earl of Pembroke, when Simon de Vipont came as a page to the household. Everyone loved Simon; it was impossible not to do soexcept during the frequent times when one wished to kill him for some outrageous piece of mischief. But even the mischief was loving and harmless, a result of liveliness and good humor rather than spite, so one forgave Simon readily. Nonetheless, he had to be punished, and as senior squire, Walter was often the instrument of that punishment. Yet, despite this and all the castlefolk to choose from, Simon had attached himself to Walter. |
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A natural result of Simon's predilection for Walter's company was that Walter had heard a great deal about Simon's home and family. At the time, Walter had paid the tales little heed, but they had left a deeper impression on his mind than he realized. When the successive deaths of his parents and his eldest brother had stripped him of a familysince he did not consider any closer relationship with his brother Henry than was forced on himWalter had often thought of the turbulent |
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