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

warm, so heavily sugared that she all but gagged."There are men who be born lucky. All their lives, fortune does favor them, does play the whore for them. My brother Richard was one such. Llewelyn ab lorwerth is another. And he is clever enough, ambitious enough, and ruthless enough one day to rule all of Wales if he is not reined in. Already he looks beyond Gwynedd, dares to send envoys to the French court, to treat with Philip as if they were brother sovereigns. Should he ever forge an alliance with theFrench ..."John had wandered to the window, speaking almost as if to himself. He turned now, back toward his daughter, gave her a sudden smile of coaxing charm. "Are you not pleased, sweetheart, that you shall be Princess of Gwynedd?"Joanna swallowed. "Indeed, Papa," she said tonelessly. "If it be your wish that I wed with Prince Llewelyn, I am content."LEAVING her father's bedchamber, Joanna stood for a moment in the , ened stairwdl, not knowing where to go. So caught up was she in er °Wn thoughts that she did not at once notice the young page. Lady . . . lady, will you come? The Queen does want you." Joanna looked blankly at the child. "Yes," she said with an effort.

280"Of course." But the summons was not all that unwelcome. Isaben might be the one person who could understand how she felt. eIsabelle was awaiting her in her bedchamber, welcomed her with perfumed embrace. "Ah, Joanna, how happy I am for you, love! Is it n' wondrous? Think, you shall be a Princess!""A Welsh Princess," Joanna said, and with that, tears welled in ho eyes, began to spill silently down her face.Isabelle blinked. "Are you as unhappy as that? Ah, Joanna Putting an arm around the younger girl, she led Joanna toward the bed"You just need time to accustom yourself to it. Do you not think I felt the same qualms when my father sent me to live in Hugh de Lusm. nan's household?Of course, that marriage was not to be, and glad I am for it. But if fate had decreed otherwise, I do not doubt I could have learned to be content as Hugh'sCountess. As you will be content with Prince Llewelyn. Once the surprise of it does fade, you'll be quite reconciled, you'll see."Now sit on the bed, and I'll tell you all about your husband, tell you whatJohn should have and likely did not, men having no sense for what is truly important. He is dark, of course, like most of his people, with blackest hair, brown eyes, and a smile no woman is like to soon forget. He is taller thanJohn, and well made, with truly beautiful hands I always notice a man's hands;do you? He is well spoken, and when he listens, he keeps his eyes upon your face all the while. And he has a wicked sense of humor. When I asked him aboutWales, he told me that his people were Druids, that they worshipped the oak and mistletoe and made virgin sacrifices!"Isabelle laughed. "In truth, love, there are many women who would envy you, and not just for that circlet of gold. Oh, but there is one thing you should know; he is clean-shaven!" She began to giggle again "The Welsh do keep their mustaches, but they shave off their beards. 1 confess it did look right strange to me at first. I wonder what it would be like to kiss a man without a beard. You must be sure and tell me, Joanna."Joanna turned away, rolling over and burying her face in the pillow Her tears had dried, but her breathing was still uneven, ragged, and she did not wantIsabelle to hear. She supposed she should be thankful fo' what Isabelle was telling her, but she was numb, unable to make sense of anything. What was he to her, this Welsh Prince she'd never even seen? There was no reality to this conversation, none at all."My marriage was in haste, with little ceremony. But we'll give y°u a lovely wedding, Joanna, a wedding to remember."Joanna roused herself at that, murmured a meaningless "Thank you." A year, Papa had said, not until she was fourteen. A year seeme*

252avvay, seemed in itself an eternity Time enough for Papa to s° j^g mind Or for the Welsh Prince to reconsider He might even Ckanfll betrothals did not end in the marriage bed She must hold on to d'6 tuought, must not despair not yetMuch could happen in a vear15CHESTER, ENGLANDMay 1206"WV VHIV YHICH brooch shall you wear, my lady7" Blanche was holding out an open casket, and Joanna turned, took it upon her lap Her choice was limited, she had only a few pieces of jewelry of any real value"The crescent brooch, I think " As she spoke, Joanna could not keep from fingering the other contents of the casket, the letters from the Welsh Prince she would wed on the morrow Four in eighteen months, polished and polite and utterly unrevealing If she were alone, she might have taken them out again, reread them for clues, so desperately did she need to know what manner of man he was But she was surrounded by inquisitive eyes Blanche, Isobel of Pembroke, her Aunt Ela, Maude de Braose, the Countess of Chester, and the Lady Lucy, Prioress °f St Mary's, the Benedictine nunnery where Joanna had been awaiting the arnval of her betrothedBlanche was positioning the brooch "There, my lady You do look nght elegantHow proud your lord father would be, how sad that he must miss the pleasure of seeing you wed ""It could not be helped, Blanche In less than a month's time, my atner will lead an army into Normandy He must, ot course, remain in e South, to make sure that the fleet will be ready to sail as scheduled "j°anna had told herself this so often that the words came quite naturally her tongue, sounded perfectly