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

different than Papa, or Elen and Gwladys? They all tl^o ht Gruffydd was wonderful, that he could do no wrong. He was the onl one in all of Dolwyddelan who was sorry that Gruffydd had con1e uome.He heard his father say, "And you actuaU refused to write the letter? You turned John down?" He soundec) SQ amused, so proud, that Davydd felt tears prick his eyes. Never had ^e fglt SO alone. But at that moment he saw his mother. Joanna was stancjine by one of the hall screens. She, too, was watching Gruffydd a^j T jevvrelyn. Davydd's unhappiness had honed his insight, and the loc^ on his mother's face gave him sudden, surprised comfort. He was not: ai ne after all. Mama was sorry, too, that Gruffydd was back.

7"-Ji_ABER, NORTH WALESM/1215"Ishould you be at John's beTLT^Yn1? *? "" ^ SUmm°ns! WhJ a lackey of theEnglish King* * ^ °f N°rth Wales' «*It was suddenly very still in the hall T ii surprise, turned thoughtful brow "welyn swung around «I do not see myself as Ior,n'^77 T Uptm hJS e'dest Son' "For «t«, princes ofWaTe^a "stlsof fh /' r"! ** ^ b' ^^^ that the rights in summoning ^ to his^ourt to§ " ^ ^ John iS Within Ws is the price we must pav or th ""^ °Ur °aths of homage' Tha'^^.ni^^2r^^^Mfaftea»^I have to do it nonetheless" P d that J like if ^ But"I would not."GwyZ°dUd,WOUld'" UeWe1^ S3id -enly, "^ you were Prince of Pleas'"'8 ^flickered- "J ^uld think a Prince could do as he^S^-^^rs: ^^Jm?:^-^^;~---=-i:Xh *-«»r»^"rr^"'to ^ * -*>'£'"»<* o'SeS'To^r"-,

466drew farther back into the shadows of the window seat so none could read her face."Ednyved, I'll need you with me, and Rhys, too. Morgan? Have you any yearning to see Oxford?"The priest smiled, shook his head. "My bones are getting too old and brittle for journeys like that.""What about you, Gruffydd? Would you be willing to come with me?"Gruffydd raised his head. "The next time I cross the border into England," he said, "it will be at the head of an army."It had gotten very quiet again. But Llewelyn said only, "As you will." He turned away, crossed the hall, and stopped before Joanna."What about you, breilal" he said softly, and with so much understanding thatJoanna suddenly found herself blinking back tears."I cannot, Llewelyn. I just cannot face himnot yet."AS shadows began to spill out of the corners, John called for torches. Dusk was settling over the city, and the sight of that darkening sky filled him with dread. The pain was bad enough during the day, but at night it became intolerable. And there seemed to be little his doctors could do They mumbled that gout rarely struck in summer, admitted they knew neither its cause nor its cure, had no greater comfort to offer than their assurances that such an attack usually ran its course within ten days.With infinite care, John shifted position. He was among men he trusted: hisJusticiar, Hubert de Burgh; the Earls of Chester and Pembroke; his cousinWarenne. But even with them he was unwilling to show weakness, to reveal the full extent of his suffering. "It's been over a month since we met atRunnymede. In that month I've released hostages, dismissed some of my Poitevin captains, granted Hertford Castle to Fitz Walter, Fotheringhay to the Earl ofHuntingdon, Mountsorrel to that turncoat de Quincy. And what have they done?They've fortified their castles for war, defied officers of the crown, refused to give me a written pledge of their loyalty. And still they hold London!""We may be able to reach a compromise there, Your Grace. I"1 Archbishop ofCanterbury is sorely distressed by their intransigenc but he still thinks he can persuade them to yield control of the city' August, on the feast of theAssumptionprovided that all have ta oaths of obedience to their twenty-five by then, and that you have sa fied their claims for disputed castles." u"You call that a compromise, Hubert? By those terms they c°u^? justify holdingLondon till Judgment Day! Satisfy their claims, y°u ^

467fhere's no way on God's earth that I can ever do that. But what I can do is stop this charade."John picked up a letter, threw it onto the table. "This arrived at noon. ThePope has commanded all of Christ's faithful to support me, and he directsLangton and Pandulf to excommunicate the barons if they do not come to terms in eight days. Langton is balking, contending that the Pope's letter was written without knowledge of the Runnymede charter. But he'll not be able to make that claim for long. I've appealed to the Pope, advising him of the shameful settlement I was forced into making at Runnymede and formally requesting that he annul the charter.""John, I must talk" Isabelle was already in the room before she took notice of the other men. "I did not know you were in council. I will come back later..."John shook his head. "No, we'll continue this on the morrow." Her entry could not have been better timed, for his foot was beginning to throb again, and he was grateful that Isabelle had given him so plausible an excuse to cut the meeting short. All knew a pregnant woman had to be humored, and he'd far rather appear as an indulgent husband than as a crippled King.As soon as they were alone, John pulled aside the blanket, stared down at his afflicted ankle. It was swollen to twice its normal size, so discolored by a dark purple rash that his skin seemed covered with blotched, ugly bruises;even the veins were distended, protuberant. John covered it with the blanket again, sagged back in his chair.Isabelle placed a wine cup on the table within his reach, then lowered herself onto a nearby bench. This was the first of her five pregnancies to cause her so much discomfort. She felt bloated, her back ached all the time, and her queasiness was continuing although she was well into her fourth month.