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

once followed in war Llewelyn, however, did not share her selfconsciousness He was indifferent to the stares of the townspeople, had been amused that they should be staying in the very abbey guest-house once fired by Welsh arrows As they turned onto the street called Altus Vicus, he nonchalantly pointed toward theHigh Cross, telling her that was where he'd accepted the surrender ofShrewsbury"Of course, that wall was not there then," he said, gesturing toward the structure in progress, stones were being mortared in horizontal layers under the supervision of masons, while men hoisted buckets of rubble up onto the scaffolding to fill in the space between the inner and outer faces of the wall"The citizens of Shrewsbury can thank me for their new wall In the past, the crown was never willing to put up the money needed to wall the city in ""So you're saying you did the townspeople a favor by attacking fhem?' Joanna was delighted by Llewelyn's laughter, for she'd heard it50 seldom in the past month, not since Gruffydd had left the court "Ias so proud of Davydd yesterday," she confided, seeing again in her md s eye the ceremony in which Henry formally took his nephew un-r the protection of the English crown, acknowledged Davydd as Lle-/n s heir "Henry seemed to enjoy it, too He has quite a liking for feltr^' cannot walt feH nis coronation on the seventeenth I think he cheated before, not being crowned at Westminster like our otherKiiigs"),e lr other kings, if you please, Madame," Llewelyn objected, but s sirulmg "Should you like to attend the coronation, Joanna7"

528"I would indeed!" Joanna guided her mare closer to Llewelyn "May I take Davydd and Elen?" And when he nodded, she experienced a surge of heartfelt happiness."I'm very fond of Henry. There's sweetness about him, a vulnerability that can be quite touching. I see j him Isabelle's extravagance and generosity, her love of surprises and compliments and secrets. But I can find in him nothing of my father. Tell me, Llewelyn, what sort of King do you think he'll make?""I agree with you that he's a likable lad. But he has two traits that do not augur well for kingship. He is rather timid, and yet inflexible, too loath to compromise. In truth, I do not think he'll make a good King for the English.He may well, however, prove to be a very good Kmg in. deed for Wales."Joanna joined in his laughter. "I suspect," she said, "that you intrigue even in your sleep. I know you truly do like Henry, but you're deliberately cultivating his goodwill, too. Sometimes you look at him as if he were a fallow field, just waiting for your plow!"Llewelyn grinned, did not deny it. They had just crossed through the arched gateway into the inner bailey of the castle, and Llewelyn himself helpedJoanna to dismount. "I do not tell you nearly as often as I ought," he murmured, "but you hold my heart." She gave him so loving a look that he almost kissed her right then and there. "Come on," he said, taking her arm, "lest these English think I'm besotted with my own wife!"Davydd was waiting for them upon the steps of the great hall. He had spent the night with Henry at the castle, and Llewelyn's smile faded at sight of him, for he could not help thinking of his other son, the son who would have socialized with the English King only at swordpomtDavydd looked troubled. "Something is wrong," he said.AS they entered the great hall, Llewelyn paused to greet Pandulf, who d recently replaced Guala as the papal legate, and Stephen Langton, K stored to favor by the new Pope; as Archbishop of Canterbury, it was he who would crownHenry eleven days hence. Llewelyn addressed w prelates with marked respect, as genuine men of God. He did not ^ the urbane, luxury-loving Bishop ofWinchester in the same esteem/ Peter des Roches was deserving of notice, too, if for altogether d« reasons. With Pembroke dead and Chester still on crusade, P£'er ^ Roches was undeniably the most powerful man in England, with the most influence upon the young King. ^ j|,amPeter was flanked by Hubert de Burgh, the Justiciar, and ^. Marshal, who'd succeeded his father as Earl of Pembroke. HIS &^$. to Llewelyn was noticeably cool; the Pembroke holdings in Sou

T529Were extensive and it was inevitable that the youn* Earl wh the statesman his late father had been shouW f , ,u W3S not Llewelyn's growing power.L] ^S^ ^-d by before saying to Peter, "My son tells mP a V7 u ln return'from the Queen." 7 * me a dlst^bmg letter has comePembroke was affronted that Llpwph Ki j <in affairs of the crown. But he was noHn h f * S° *"t0 med* he'd been one of those lord whol^n?;*^'5*' for Llewelyn was brother-in-law to the Kine H J f°rL°Uis' while prised, therefore, when Peter desR^' ^ aggrieved but not *ura right to know. R°CheS reSP°nded if Llewelyn had.H^^^n^zzs^^*^?^^^^^^^:^ frthe Hoiy L- h-eldest son and Joanna's half-b'Lr Sef a^t?' ^ ?Uin°y 9nd his^^^^::^^^"^^^«^^£^^*;' ** said. ", ter's betrothed!" 8 Lusignan's son, her daugh-.oi."^::^"1 iust in" "> « ^ tap-*-* ,.5^53^?^^^: ;^5?i^£Ss^it3s5N ^°"y would have been l"t Wh y°UrKand °Ur lands in Poitou"^ssaS^^^is:arcne, and let Heaven witness that we did this

530rather for your benefit than for our own. Wherefore we ask you, as our dear son, to be pleased with this, as it greatly profits you and yours.'" Joanna raised her eyes from the letter, saw her husband struggling not to laugh, and she smiled ruefully. "She is not very convincing, js she? Isabelle, the martyred mother, bravely sacrificing herself for her son's sake. The rest of the letter asks Henry to give them her dower castles of Niort, Exeter, andRockingham, and three thousand five hundred marks she says my father bequeathed to her." "Does she mention her daughter