Here Be Dragons - 1 by Sharon Penman (best ebook reader android TXT) 📗

"He got word ere he sailed for St Male." He sat down beside her again. "I'll not lie to you, Joanna; it's better that you know. Sentiment is very much on Llewelyn's side, even in EnglandMen feel he was justified in acting as he did, that Will de Braose welT649^served to die. More than eight hundred people g^ his execution, and not all of them Welsh. Will was to^ hered tO Wltness many bedchambers; even amongst his own family, U tim^r wlth to° have been much mourned." does not seem toJoanna linked her fingers in her lap. She founcj now, not of the man who'd brought disaster upon uherself thinking' Of the man who'd been her lover, but of the youngs* m both' nOt even her aid with boyish, good-natured gallantry, who'd j^r who'd CO1; to Llewelyn at fourteen. "To die alone and unloved/.Ut her in m of "What a sad fate..." she said softly-Richard shrugged. "It is your fate that concerns ri) was none too sanguine ere today ... ere seeing this," i now' *a about the bedchamber. "But I am beginning to believesaid' gestunn8 as I first thought." all is not as bleakJoanna bowed her head. "Llewelyn says ... he . him, Richard." V I am dead to"Yes, I know. But have you not noticed the sta*,, between what Llewelyn has said and what he has doxg disCrePancy to inflict further hurt, Joanna, but few men would t^? l do nOt mean wife as indulgently as he has so far treated you. I thi^at an unfaithful bodes well for the future. Whilst it is true that the £ his forbearance formally recognize adultery as grounds for divorce, Li"urcnoes no no trouble in-" Wlyn will have

"Welsh law does provide for dissolving a marriag. husband's infidelity,"Joanna interrupted, and de^ uPon a W e °r a could not help remembering the night Llewelyn had flte herself' she night they'd first shared a bed as man and wife. °ld her that' the"A husband's infidelity, too?" Richard echoed, s. most allowed himself to be sidetracked. But the oddjt.surPris legal system would have to wait. "Joanna, listen. I' les of the Welsh much thought. As I see it, Llewelyn has three choice^ e been glvlng U can continue to keep you here, at Llanfaes. He can corr, °pen to nunnery. Or he can banish you from his domains. )^1 you to ^nter a select the second alternative. You're something of ai)exPected hlm to you know . . . both to the Welsh and to the English embarrassment, embarrassment would fade more quickly from men and a clolste^ed now that I've seen your confinement, I think we migh^ memories- But for the best, that he might agree to your return to Eng| reas°nab y pe"Mayhap he might. I do not know, Richard. Nor . Joanna confessed, and Richard smiled. ° l muc care'"Not now, no. But even the most benign captivity .tivity. You need only think of our cousin, Eleanor of hls sti11 that/ cap"fittany, comfort-

650ably kept at Bristol and Corfe castles for nigh on thirty years. In time y0ll will care, Joanna, you'll care passionately."Joanna said nothing, and he reached out, patted her hand "y0u must be patient, though. It would be disastrous to pressure Llewelyn now. We can only wait, first for the divorce and then for his decision But Henry will not forsake you. You're family, and that matters more to Henry than scandal. I do believe that eventually you will be set at liberty, and once that happens, you'll have a home with my wife and me, a home at Chilham Castle.""Thank you, Richard," Joanna said, because it was expected of her. But his offer seemed no more real than did the future he envisioned for her. Rising, she moved to the table, opened a small casket."I've written letters to Elen and Davydd, to Henry and Nell. Will you take them, Richard? Will you engage couriers for me?""Of course. And I shall write to Llewelyn on your behalf, ask him if you cannot be allowed to leave these rooms occasionally. I think he might agree, if only for Davydd's sake.""I would like that," Joanna admitted, "to be able to walk on the beach." She hesitated, reluctant to make a request that might be misconstrued. "There is one thing more you can do for me, Richard. I would like to have Masses said for Will, for the repose of his soul." And when he made no comment, but merely nodded, she sighed, said quietly, "I cannot mourn him. I'm not even sure I can forgive him. But at least I can pray for him."14LLANFAES, NORTH WALESJune 1250IAJCHARD read Llewelyn correctly, and an order did arrive in due course, allowing Joanna the freedom of the manor compound and the nearby beach. Her guards objected to this new duty in vain, protesting that they felt foolish trailing after a lone woman and

652an agin§ spaniel. Lady Joanna could not swim; did Bran fear she could ,valk on water? But Bran remained adamant. Would any of them want to face their lord if she disappeared? Or if harm befell her? For so baffled yyere they about what their duties actually were, uncertain whether they were gaolers or bodyguards.It was a warm Sunday in late June, too warm for walking, and when Joanna came upon the debris of an ancient wreck, she sat down upon a salt-encrusted spar.The guard following at a discreet distance stretched out on the sand, began to doze. So, too, did Joanna's spaniel.Joanna spent many hours like this, gazing across the strait toward Aber. She knew Llewelyn was no longer there, so even this last tenuous link had been sundered, but she found herself drawn to the beach nonetheless. It was an uncommonly clear day; the wind was still and the Eryri Mountains had shed their cloud haloes. She was able to recognize individual peaks, Llewelyn's lessons in geography having at last taken effect, and she realized suddenly how much she