Here Be Dragons - 1 (38 page)

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mouth on December 12, he held court in the fortnight that follow^ at
Beer-Regis, Clarendon, Lugershall, Marlborough, Winchester, and Farnham.
This constant, almost compulsive movement set most tempers on edge, for roads were bad, the weather was worse, and accommodations hard to come by for those dragged along in John's wake. Joanna was one of the few to accept the chaos and inconvenience in good humor. For the first time in her life she had money to spend, and she did so with abandon, purchasing bolts of the finest Lincoln wool for Catherine, a magpje and a wicker cage for Gwladys, dolls with dyed hempen wigs for Marared and Gwenllian, wooden tops for Tegwared and Anghared, the twins she'd yet to meet, a sachet of orris root and anise for Enid. She'd even selected an ivory-handled eating knife for Gruffydd, although she felt herself a hypocrite for doing so, knowing she had bought the knife not for the boy, but because she did not want Llewelyn to know she disliked his son. But her greatest joy was in choosing gifts for Llewelyn: a chess set of jasper and crystal, ivory dice, a pellison of soft vair to wear over his tunic. She had even, with some misgivings, purchased two pairs of chamois-skin gloves; gloves were still something of a novelty, were worn only by men of the very highest rank, and she was not altogether sure that Llewelyn would be willing to adopt this new Norman fashion.
The Thursday after Christmas found the court settled at Guildford in Surrey, some thirty miles south of London. Joanna was delighted, for Guildford was a noted center for the cloth trade. With Richard in patient attendance, she'd lingered over the wares so eagerly spread out for her inspection, eventually selecting a ruinously expensive length of Spanish cotton, a deep russet velvet, sindon linen fine enough to see through, and, despite his token protest, a rich Coventry blue for Richard.
Richard watched in amusement as the merchants all but fell over themselves in their zeal to please his sister. "You shall have to buy additional pack horses to get all your purchases back to Wales, you know," he gibed, moving forward to help her mount her mare. "But are you still set upon departing on the morrow, Joanna? We thought sure you'd stay through Epiphany, and I do not doubt Llewelyn did, too."
"Wales is not at the back of beyond, Richard. I'll come again."
"I just do not understand your haste. Nor does Papa, I'd wager."
"No, he does not. And I confess I am surprised, Richard. I'd have thought Papa would be pleased that I do miss the husband he chose for me. But when I told him I was leaving, he did give me the strangest look. As foolish as this is going to sound, I suddenly felt guilty, although why I do not know."
A light snowfall was powdering the ground by the time they

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ched the King's manor Hastening into the great hall, Joanna came to r uncertain halt Something was amiss, she sensed it at once So, too, a. , gjchard He took her arm, followed her toward the dais Isabelle was ndmg at John's side, her face turned imploringly up to his, speaking oftly/ placatmgly He did not seem to be listening, but as she per-
ered, ne shook her hand off his arm, snapped, "Be still, Isabelle I'd Ot have you meddle in that which you do not understand "
Isabelle recoiled "I did only mean to comfort you," she said, sounding hurt
But John had already turned upon his heel, men hastily moved aside to let him pass
"Isabelle, what has happened7"
"I've never seen him so angry, Joanna When he first read the Pope's letter, he went so red I truly feared he might be stricken with a palsy And then he blistered the air itself with his oaths I'd have begged him not to blaspheme, but I had not the courage And when I did say"
"The Pope has given his decision, then7" Richard interrupted, with such urgency that Isabelle forgave his rudeness, nodded bleakly
"I cannot believe what he has done, Richard He declared Reginald's election invalid, just as he earlier repudiated Bishop de Grey's election But then he instructed the monks to elect a man of his choosing, Stephen Langton, cardinal priest of St Chrysogonus, a member of the papal court They did as he bade, of course, and he now writes that John must recognize Langton as Archbishop of
Canterbury, says that since the election was held in Rome, there is no need for John to give his assent1"
Richard was stunned "Chnst Jesus help us all," he breathed, and turned away
Joanna followed, clutched at his arm
"Richard, I do not understand What does this mean7"
"You truly do not know7" He stared at her in such surprise that Joanna blushed
"No," she confessed, "I do not I knew, of course, that the Archbishop of
Canterbury had died, but to be truthful, Richard, I thought of little last year except my own troubles I was, after all, facing a marriage I dreaded And
I've been in Wales since May Will you tell me what has happened7"
"The trouble began last year, with Archbishop Walter's death A 'action of the
Chnstchurch monks held a clandestine midnight meeting, elected Reginald, their subpnor, as Archbishop, sent him secretly to Korne to secure the Pope's confirmation When Papa got word of this, he ^as understandably wroth The King has ever had the right to have his °Wn man as Archbishop, for more than a hundred years, so has it been Japa confronted the monks at Canterbury, and they repented their

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folly, disavowed Reginald's election. Last December they did choose a
Archbishop more to Papa's liking, John de Grey, Bishop of Norwich "
Richard frowned. "This past March the Pope declared Bishop 3 Grey's election invalid, ordered the monks to send a new delegation t Rome. And now he has dared to handpick his own man as Archbishon of Canterbury! Papa can never ratify Langton's election, never. No En glish king would."
"Oh, dear God!" Joanna sat down suddenly in the window seat staring up at her brother in dismay. "The Pope will not back down either, Richard. If Papa will not recognize Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, he may well lay England under Interdict!"
Joanna bit her lip, remembering how the innocent had suffered when the Pope laid France under Interdict six years ago. Few papal weapons were as effective, and few were as unfair, inflicting pain upon the many to punish the few, denying to the faithful all Sacraments save the Last Rites, denying them
Mass, confession, burial in consecrated ground. Philip was a monarch noted for his inflexible nature, his unimaginative obstinacy. He had capitulated in seven months. But Papa will not, Joanna thought with sudden certainty. Even if the Pope does lay all England under Interdict, he'll not yield. And then the
Pope will have no choice. To compel earthly obedience, he will sacrifice
Papa's immortal soul, will lay upon him the anathema of excommunication.
Joanna had been present when the Bishop of Lincoln excommunicated a baron who'd run afoul of Church law. She'd never forgotten it. The church had been hung with black tapestry. Moving with a slow, measured step, the Bishop and priests had entered the chancel, each holding aloft a flaming candle. And then the Bishop had cried out in a truly terrible voice, a voice that carried to
Joanna the shiver of thunderbolts and the smell of sulphur, "Gilbert de Remy!
Let him be cursed in the city and cursed in the field; cursed in his granary, his harvest, and his children; as Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up by the gaping earth, so may Hell swallow him; and even as today we quench the torches in our hands, so may the light of his life be quenched for all eternity, unless he do repent!" An appalled silence had fallen over those watching, and then they had flung their candles to the ground, casting the church into darkness.
"Papa will not yield, Richard. You know he will not. And if he does not..." I
"If he does not," Richard said bleakly, "God pity England." ,1
f

20
ABER, NORTH WALES
JflMwary 1207
"i
T
J.s Aber much farther, Madame?" Alison's face was hooded by her mantle, but her voice was slurred with fatigue. Joanna felt a prick of remorse, for she was responsible for their punishing pace, having overruled Dylan and insisted that they push on for Aber instead of passing the night in comfort at Aberconwy Abbey. She knew she was being unfair to the others, especially to Alison. But she'd had six weeks to nurture her hopes, to hone her expectations to a fine edge.
Moreover, there was an element of calculation in her insistence; she wanted to arrive at Aber after dark. It was well and good for Isabelle blithely to advise her to lure Llewelyn to her bedchamber, for Isabelle's shyness had not survived her first glance into a mirror. But Joanna did not think she had either the experience or the self-assurance to carry off an amorous ambush, to play the coquette with such obvious intent. If she were to reach Aber at night, however, what would be more natural than that she'd go to Llewelyn's chambers to let him know of her arrival? If he responded as she hoped, her journey would end in his bed; if not, she could at least protect her pride, would be able to make a dignified departure for her own chambers. The more
Joanna thought on it, 'he more foolproof it seemedand the more appealing, a private reunion in soft firelight, with a bed so invitingly available for more intimate conversation.
Winter travel was always a dubious proposition; men who might easily cover thirty miles of a summer's day in June would find themselves lucky to make half that distance come January. But Joanna had ^'ovved for that, felt sure they would still reach Aber soon after dark. ^nat she had not allowed for was the snowstorm. It slowed them to a

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walk, for a time halted them altogether, and when at last they rode
«tt0
Aber, it was well past midnight.
Joanna's disappointment was not as acute as it might otherw1 have been; by then she was so tired and so cold that she yearned on] for sleep, and as soon as a fire was lit in her chamber, she and Aliso fell, shivering, into bed. She awoke just before dawn, to find Aliso already up and dressed; when she offered apologies for the harshness of Alison's introduction to Wales, the other girl said with a grin, "If those mountains are as fearsome as you said, Madame, I
think it was probably a mercy that I was spared the sight of them!"
Joanna grinned, too, remembering her first glimpse of Penrnaenmawr Pass. "I
daresay you're right!" Alison was a genuine jewel she thought fondly, blessing her luck in having thought to mention Blanche's sulks to Isabelle. In one brief afternoon Isabelle had resolved the problem, finding Blanche a position with the Countess of Surrey and finding Alison for Joanna. A Yorkshire knight's younger daughter, Alison was ambitious enough to jump at the chance to serve in a royal household, and plucky enough to look upon a sojourn in
Wales as an adventure. She was, Joanna now saw, holding out the most becoming of Joanna's new gowns. Joanna had been dubious of the color, a dark wine red, but Isabelle had brushed aside her qualms, and as always, her fashion sense was flawless; when worn with a rose-colored bliaut, the effect was pleasing even to Joanna's hypercritical eye.
"You seemed so eager to be back with your lord husband, my lady, that I
thought you would wish to go to him upon waking."
Suddenly Joanna was wide awake. She stared at the gown; it glowed with soft, seductive color, and her pulse began to quicken. "Yes," she said, "I do."
Dressing with nervous haste, she fidgeted as Alison combed out her long, dark hair; she'd made the daring decision to leave it unbound, flowing free down her back. And then Alison was holding out her mantle, saying with a smile, "How pleased Lord Llewelyn shall be to see you, Madame."
The snow had ended in the night, but the bailey was blanketed in drifts and a chill, damp wind was sweeping off the sea. Clutching the most elegant pair of
Llewelyn's new gloves, Joanna cautiously made her way toward her husband's quarters; never had the Welsh partiality for separate buildings seemed so ill advised. The sky was just beginning to lighten, but the mountain peaks were crowned with clouds, warning that the sun's sovereignty was likely to be brief.
She knew Llewelyn was an even earlier riser than most, but this morning he seemed to be lingering abed, for his squires were still asleep, bundled under blankets in the outer chamber. The guard, too/

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dozing/ but he jerked upright as Joanna closed the door, blinking at ^a s if sne were an apparition. "Holy Jesus, Madame, where did you from?" he blurted out, with such a guileless disregard for protocol S Joanna had to laugh.
"You're dreaming; I'm still in London," she said teasingly, and ved past him into her husband's bedchamber. The room was in semi, frfiess, shutters drawn and candles as yet unlit, and she paused in the doorway, hesitant until she heard Llewelyn's voice. There was a mokv sound to it, a lazy languor that warmed her like a physical touch. She'd never before realized how musical a language Welsh was; it had a lilt and cadence all its own. The bed curtains were partially pulled back; she took a step forward, saw the woman first. She was propped up on an elbow, her face in shadows, but as
Joanna watched, she leaned over, spilling dark-honey hair onto Llewelyn as their mouths met. He said something that made her laugh, kissed her again, and started to sit up. As he did, he turned his head, saw Joanna standing frozen in the doorway.
"Joanna?" He sounded utterly incredulous, as if doubting his own senses, and that broke the spell. Joanna spun around, fled into the antechamber, out into the snow. She fell twice; the second time her ankle twisted under her and she lost Llewelyn's gloves, but she regained her feet before any of the startled spectators could come to her aid, at last reached the refuge of her bedchamber.
"My God, Madame, what happened?"
Joanna pulled the bolt into place, stumbled toward the nearest coffer. Her ankle had begun to throb. Raising her hand to her hair, she found it wet with snow; so, too, were the skirts of her wine-red gown.
"Madame, you're trembling so! Can you not tell me what be wrong?"
"No," Joanna said. "No."
At a loss, Alison did what she could, cleaned the snow from Joanna's gown, removed her mantle, poured her a cup of wine. Joanna set it down untouched.
She seemed oblivious to Alison's awkward attempts at consolation, but she jumped to her feet at the sound of footsteps in the antechamber.
"Joanna, we do need to talk."
Alison was reaching for the bolt when Joanna shook her head vehemently. "But
Madame, he is your husband!"
"Joanna, open the door."
Alison looked helplessly to Joanna for guidance. Joanna said nothmS' staring at the door.
In the outer chamber, Llewelyn, too, was staring at the door. His err>ands for admittance were accomplishing nothing except to attract