Here Be Dragons - 1 by Sharon Penman (best inspirational books txt) 📕

was, how preoccupied with Gwenwyn wyn's border raids.Gruffydd was wild, as wroth as I've ever seen him But he dared not say anything to her, not after Lord Llewelyn warned him to mend his manners, to show her respect. So you did touch a raw spot with him, and that's why he flared up.""But why did her remarks anger Gruffydd so? It sounds as if she meant well.""Mayhap she did. But there were others around, and Gruffy^ thought she was deliberately calling it to our attention, that his father had forgotten him.And I know he much resented her offering apologies in Lord Llewelyn's name, saying she had no right, that his father did not need her to make amends for him. I can understand that, Hywel, in truth I can. Would you want our lady stepmother to make excuses to us for Papa?""No," Hywel admitted. "I would not. If Gruffydd Tudur? You hear the dogs?"Tudur nodded, and turning, he yelled, "Gruffydd! I think your lord father has ridden in."Gruffydd was already moving eagerly toward the door. But Joanna was closer and, as Llewelyn strode into the hall, she reached him first, flung herself into his arms. Gruffydd stopped abruptly, watched as Llewelyn and Joanna embraced, watched as Joanna then took Llewelyn's arm, pulled him toward the cradle. As if he had no other children, Gruffydd thought bitterly. Joanna was claiming most of Llewelyn's attention, holding up their baby for his inspection, and Gruffydd's sisters, Marared and Gwladys and Gwenllian, were clamoring, too, for notice. It was some moments, therefore, before Llewelyn missed his son.He found Gruffydd leaning against one of the wooden screens that blocked off the side aisle, moved toward the boy with a smile. "Have you no greeting for me, lad?""Indeed, Papa. Welcome home," Gruffydd said, quite coolly- But when he saw his father's smile fade, he was caught up in a welter of painful and confusing emotions, no longer sure why he'd wanted to punish Llewelyn, for having forgotten his birthday or for loving King John's daughter."Are you angry with me, Gruffydd?" Llewelyn studied his son/ and then grinned."I see. You think I did forget your birthday again. NO this time, lad. Come, see for yourself."Men with torches stood outside in the bailey, and when Gruffyd

265,vhat was evoking their admiring murmurs, his breath caught in his oat The stallion was young, a pure milky white, the luckiest of col-and bred for speed Gruffydd whirled to face his father, entreating, °5a'y he's mine, Papa'""You surely do not think he's for Elen, do you7 But he's newly bro, fl to the saddle, so take it slow " Llewelyn's cautionary words were , st Gruffydd was already reaching for the reins The stallion bucked halfheartedly under his weight, and Gruffydd guided him in a semicircle/ grinned back over his shoulder at Llewelyn"He's begging to run, Papa1""Do not give him his head till you reach the shore And rememberI paid a fortune for him, so if you have to break a neck, better yours than his1" Llewelyn laughed, and the wind carried back to him the answenng echoes of his son's laughterStill laughing, Llewelyn reentered the hall, looked around for his wife "Where did Joanna go7""To put your little Elen to bed " Ednyved pulled a chair closer to the hearth, and Llewelyn sank down gratefully in it, pushed away the more importunate of his dogsHe'd been gone for a fortnight, a guest of his cousin Madog ap Gruffydd, Prince of Upper Powys, and because Powys shared a border with Cheshire, Llewelyn was at once bombarded with questions about the two topics currently dominating English conversations the threat of a papal Interdict and William de Braose's fall from favor"I heard nothing new about John's quarrel with the Pope It does seem to be a standoff, the Pope's man wears the mitre of Canterbury, but dares not set foot in England " Llewelyn accepted a cup of mead, drank, and said, "But I did hear something interesting about de Braose His friends and family have prevailed upon John to grant him an audience, they are to meet at Hereford on the twenty-fifth of April Not that I think it'll do him much good There are few ruptures so bitter as a falling-out amongst thieves ""What do you think be behind it, Llewelyn7 It cannot truly be the money, deBraose has owed that for years ""This is just a guess, Rhys But I think de Braose pushed his luck °nce too often The more John gave him, the more he wanted I heard "e d been pressuringJohn for an earldom, and I think John finally ran °u' of patience Either that or de Braose went too far, moved from imP'led to explicit extortion, mayhap made an out-and-out threat about "tat he knew of Arthur's death ""I've never been able to understand why they did not give Arthur Ven a sham trial," Adda confessed "Men might not have liked it much, "* John had the law on his side By resorting to a secret killing, he

266played right into Philip's hands. John's silence just gives credence to th more lurid rumors put about by the French: that Arthur was tortured blinded, even slain by John's own hand. It was a stupid way to rid him self of a rival, since none can be utterly sure the boy be dead, and I d not see John to be a stupid man.""He may not be stupid, but he has no liking for the light, has a natural affinity for shadows and silence and deeds done in the dark " Ednyved said dryly."Do you want to know what I've always suspected?" Llewelyn set down his mead cup, pausing instinctively for dramatic interest. "That Arthur's murder was an act of impulse, was not premeditated. I think John confronted the boy, and they quarreled; we know they'd done so in the past, that confinement had not broken Arthur's spirit. It is my belief that Arthur said or did something which