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She watched him with an expression of calh she had a knife she ht pull

"They love you," she said

"Who loves les The soldiers The common folk It’s you, the bastard, they look to, to save theitimately born child There are a feho do love me, my dear retinue, but they are a trifle compared to the ones who love you"

Since there was no answer to this, he said nothing

"They stare at you so, Sanglant I suppose I do, too" Her smile sharpened her expression "I know better, yet I can’t help myself I’m no different than they are I believe you can save us, if anyone can"

"Perhaps I ath of the duchies and the ed him "Fallen to Sabella and Conrad’s aress marches west You are steady, Theophanu I need you at my back"

She had their father’s height and the robust build co and eyes and the unnatural opacity of her expressiongifts

"Always at the back" There came a spark of enation, aer, or soh, but in truth, he did not know her well

Footsteps warned them of Hathui’s return She appeared in the door, looked from one to the other, and said, "The horses are saddled and ready, Your Majesty Your Highness"

Theophanu indicated the door "I follohere you lead Let us make sure that Ekkehard does not escape his duty"

"So are we all what our father made of us," he said to her

She cocked her head to one side, lips thinned, the h" She was both aot what he wanted Even when it killed hi chilled skin and round that had never dried out because there was no sun to bake it dry On the whole, the hed on everyone and runtled silence Why must Ekkehard act like such an idiot?

"Some questions cannot be answered, Your Majesty," said Hathui, and Sanglant realized he had spoken out loud

The guards at the gate had pointed north At a ha to her testiht because of the particular ache in her hip that ony, had heard a troop of horseht hours before dawn A nervous peddler pushing his cart along that narroay had seen and heard a dozencloser," said Captain Fulk "See, here Hoofprints at the verge Still fresh"