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to speak to him privately on the very afternoon he arrived, but Richard turned her away brusquely; and when she insisted, saying the matter was urgent and of great importance, he laughed. |
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"Nothing a woman could say could be urgent or of great importance now," he stated. "Do not plague me, or I will send you back to Pembroke just to keep you out of my way." |
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Marie turned toward Gervase, but she shook her head as she drew her sister aside. "If he sends us to Pembroke," she murmured, "you will have lost all chance of revenge. Wait until his plans are made. Perhaps there will be a time of quiet before he is ready to leave." |
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Angry as she was, Marie recognized the truth in what Gervase said. To work off some of her spite, she attached herself to Sybelle and Walter, although there were now plenty of men who would have been glad to be in her company. To both, her speech was honey-sweet, but filled with sly innuendos for Sybelle and long, languishing glances at Walter. Sybelle missed neither; now that Walter was safe, her mind was able to focus on what was going on around her. However, she was uncertain of what it meant, and there was no one with whom she could discuss the problem because Simon and Rhiannon left Abergavenny at dawn on the twenty-eighth to join Llewelyn. |
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There was, Sybelle felt, no real reason for jealousy. Plainly Marie was trying to revive the love affair, and equally plainly Walter did not wish to do so. He made answers that changed the meaning of the innuendos to comical or innocent; he did not return the glances cast at him; he clung to Sybelle, unless he was surrounded by men talking war, as if she were a lifeline and he dangling off a cliff. On the other hand, he made no effort to drive Marie away or to discourage her. He was unfailingly polite, and not coldly but pleasantly. |
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Although there were two obvious reasons for such behaviorWalter might be sorry for Marie, and Marie was the Earl of Pembroke's sister-by-marriageSybelle did not think either of the reasons wise or compelling. To be kind at the termination of a love affair might be more cruel than a sharp rebuff; it was apparent to Sybelle that Richard was unlikely to take offense if Marie complained of insult. However, Sybelle was not a hasty person unless her temper was aroused or her |
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