Here Be Dragons - 1 (86 page)

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she leaned over the bed to kiss her daughter, Elen clung to her, for the first time since agreeing to the marriage.
"It will be all right, darling," Joanna whispered, but there was nothing more she could do. She and Llewelyn had made this bed, and now it was for Elen to lie in it.
The wedding party trooped back toward the great hall under a cloudless, star-studded sky. Traces of the first snowfall still lay unmelted upon the bailey ground, and some of the younger men began to pelt one another with snowballs, to chase the women, who fled into the hall, shrieking with laughter. Joanna was enveloped in a fur-lined mantle of Lincoln wool, but she could not stop shivering, not even after reaching the huge center hearth. She was soon joined by others, found herself in the midst of a boisterous, bawdy argument as to who felt the greater lust, men or women.
Joanna was in no mood for ribald jests, for jokes about bitches in heat and rutting stags, and she turned away, pushed toward the edge of the crowd, only to stop abruptly at sight of Will. She spun about, but not in time; she knew he'd seen her blush. She brought her hand up to her cheek, felt the heat burning her face and throat. She could still taste Will's kiss. It was a disconcertingly intense memory, even though she was sure she knew whyshe had never been kissed before by any man but Llewelyn. Damn you, Gwilym Ddu, she thought, fighting the urge to cry the words aloud. Damn your arrogance and your audacity and your mocking grey eyes, damn you, damn you!
"There you are, Joanna." Llewelyn was smiling at her. "What are you doing so far from the hearth?" Catching her hand, he shoved his way through the crowd, into the coveted inner circle. There was some grumbling, which stilled as men recognized him, grudgingly gave way. Joanna followed reluctantly in his wake.
She'd seen very little of him all night. Where had he been when she truly needed him? If he'd been more attentive, Will would not have dared to follow her into the stairwell. Llewelyn knew how she felt about the de Braoses. Why in God's name could he not have found other husbands for his daughters? Why could he not have put her needs first, just once?
The sexual argument was still going strong. Hubert de Burgh had claimed center stage, was insisting that it was not open to dispute/ women were more lustful because they were imperfect. As the imperrec always yearned for union with the perfect, it only stood to reason tna woman's desire was greater. Undaunted when the women in the au ence hissed good-naturedly, he said complacently, "You cannot de y what is set down in Scriptures. 'All wickedness is but little to the wi edness of a woman,' Ecclesiasticus. The noted theologian Tertullia11
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,t even plainer Woman, he said, is the gate of the Devil, the first deserter of Divine Law, responsible for the loss of Eden "
Joanna had never liked de Burgh But never had he seemed so odious to her as he did now In truth, he looked like a sleek, well-fed cat, insufferably well-pleased with himself The braggart And who in the \vorld was Tertulhan7
"But the final word ought to go to the great Aristotle He proved conclusively through his writings that the female state is one of deformity, albeit a common one When the man's seed is perfect, it produces a male child, when flawed or imperfect, a female You might even say," he quipped, "that the female is merely a misbegotten male1"
Joanna had not meant to speak out But with that, the same imp that had once beguiled her into defying Maude de Braose again took possession of her tongue
"I do hope, my lord, that you will at least grant us poor 'misbegotten males'
one small virtue You will admit that without women, your Aristotle and
Tertulhan would never have been born7"
There was laughter, and some of the women cheered, spirited debates were always a favored form of entertainment
Hubert de Burgh was smiling, quite unperturbed "Indeed I will, Madame But even as a breeder, woman is of secondary importance in the divine order All know that the child belongs more to the man than to the woman, since the fetus forms from the male's seed You need only think of a tree sending forth roots
The father is like the tree, the mother like the earth that nurtures it Whilst it cannot exist without the two, it clearly belongs more to the tree from whence it sprang than to the earth where it was planted "
It may have been the smugness of his smile It may have been the memory of a bloody birthing chamber, those endless hours of agony and fear It may only have been the proverbial last straw in a day of ernotional turmoil Suddenly
Joanna was trembling, as angry as she'd ever been in her life But Llewelyn had been alerted by her first outburst, had known at once that this was no game
Now he saw how her eyes narrowed, saw the pupils contract, like the eyes of a cat about to Pounce, John's eyes in a blazing Angevin rage, and he said swiftly, with Us* enough sardonic inflection to be insulting, "You surprise me, my °rd de Burgh Surely you have not forgotten the Lady Mary, mother of r
Saviour7 If Our Lord Jesus was not ashamed to be born of woman, V should you be7"
De Burgh's smile froze "I never said I was1" Mayhap you should learn to choose your words with greater care,

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then," the Earl of Chester observed coolly, "for I, too, took that as your meaning."
The crowd had fallen silent. Even the most politically naive among them were aware that the conversation was heading for deep waters, pushed by currents that had nothing whatsoever to do with the Virgin Mary or the failings of women.
De Burgh had reddened, but he was too well manneredand too intelligentto provoke an open row while a guest under Chester's roof. He could wait. "It grows late," he said tersely.
He heard someone in the crowd, one of the Earl's partisans safely cloaked in anonymity, mutter, "Later than you think," and there was some scattered laughter.
It was Joanna's Uncle Will who acted to defuse the tension, to avert a confrontation. Will was not as friendly with Chester as he'd once been, and he had yet to forgive Llewelyn for that scene in Worcester Abbey. But Joanna was still his niece, and for her sake he raised his wine cup high, saying loudly, "It is indeed late, and for certes we want this evening to conclude upon a cordial note. Let's drink, then, to the happiness of the bride and groom. To
John the Scot and the Lady Helen!"
The ploy worked; others took it up, until John and Elen's names rang from the rafters. People began to make ready to depart, those who were not bedding down in the castle. Llewelyn and Chester were talking together; Joanna heard them laugh. So, too, did Hubert de Burgh.
"Mama, that was wonderful, the best part of the whole wedding!" Davydd was grinning. "I was so proud of you."
"You should not have been, Davydd. If not for your father, I'd have caused a scene that they'd have been talking about for the next twenty years."
"Really? I wish you had! Hubert de Burgh went red as a radish; it was so hard not to laugh. Why do he and my lord Chester hate each other so much?"
"The usual cause, Davyddpower. Chester was on crusade when the old Earl of
Pembroke died, and when he returned, it was to find that de Burgh was now clinging closer to Henry than a limpet. Chester feels that he was shunted aside, that de Burgh usurped his rightful place as Henry's chief counselor.
And because de Burgh feels threatened by Chester, he is beginning to side with
Llewelyn's foe, the Earl of Pe"1" broke. Does any of this make sense to you?"
Davydd nodded. "Oh, yes, Mama. You have to counter your oppO" nent's moves, try to guess what he'll do ere he does it. Just like chess.
Llewelyn was coming toward them now, and Joanna moved meet him. "Ought I to thank you?" she murmured, and he shook head.

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"No neM.^ l eiWed mXself thoroughly!"
"Y d i/alve on turmoil, I'H grant you that. Llewelyn, I want to go
, rV?ey. If this night does not end soon"
^a //]S, jei. I've a surprise for you." Ignoring her protests, he put
' YA her waist and escorted her across the hall, into the solar, his a ,t stairwell. As she followed him, still objecting halfheart-
tovvar a ine , herself thinking of her stairwell encounter with Will de edry/ n Wondered how long it would take for that memory to
Braose, and sh ° y
A th /ched the top of the stairs, the door swung open. "Mor-
, re/as utterly baffled by now. "What are you doing up here?
gan. J0^, **% broke off, gazing about her in wonder. The chamber
M . ^4 light, with scented wax candles. The floor rushes were vvas . ... A across the bed coverlets were scattered the last flowers fresn y / an .arjgolds, lilies of the field, even a few Christmas roses.
of the season- r °, . , , , , T, , , , . , , "T 1 k ' *)'e a bridal chamber, Llewelyn, Joanna exclaimed, and
,,r j />rd, it is! This is the chamber in which we passed our then, Good L/, r
We 11 I 'as 'au8hing. "I decided it was time to rectify a wrong.
-ro we neglected to get the nuptial blessing for our bed.
ef ^ , ,e over here with me, breila, Morgan is prepared to remBut if you II cor>
^ Llewelyn's hand, knelt with him by the bed as Morgan
' . . ° ^ the cross, rapidly intoning a brief prayer to God Eter-
ma e , . , c blessings upon His servants, Llewelyn and Joanna, that nal, seeking Hi# 5 , . . ,. . , , ., . ., . ,, ' ht I 'n 8°°" accora m s divine love, and that their off-
i_iVe-tease till the end of the ages. He then sprinkled holy spring might jj/
*>.*,. r °, . je a discreet departure, water about, mr
. , . , , , . , ,.,->*
.. . as. started to help Joanna to her feet. Breik? Are you
Llewelyn t(> r
, ,a shaken laugh. "Hold me," she entreated. "Just hold
Joanna gav . ,, . , . u - v /n i i \, «mme could not have been better. You 11 never know me close. Your v e u i- tu rfans to me, never . . .
how much thjs r , , ... . . , . .
T. , jjed off her veil, began to loosen her hair. It was not a
Llewelyn pf °
, . . . , ^ j was jf?"
good night for v , , , . , /

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"Joanna?" Llewelyn propped himself up on his elbow "r not sleep?" ' an you
"I was thinking of you, of our belated nuptial blessing i A know you as well as I thought I did, never suspected you had a r n°' streak." mantl<:
"Just make sure no one else suspects," he warned. "There ar secrets to be shared only betwixt man and wife, and only in the d ^ only in bed."
Joanna laughed softly. "Ah, Llewelyn, you do know how much love you?"
"I might have an inkling or two." Her hair was caught under h arm and he shifted so she could pull free. "But you were not thinking f me, breila. You were worrying about Elen."
"Yes ... I was. How did you know?"
"Because," he admitted, "so was I."
LUDLOW CASTLE, ENGLAND
July 1223
T
1 HE Earl of Pembroke had been attending to his Irish estates since November of 1222. Early in the new year, Llewelyn took advantage of Pembroke's absence and struck at the Earl's alliesiin Shropshire, capturing castles from Fulk
Fitz Warin and Baldwin de Hodnet. Hubert de Burgh persuaded the young King to mount a punitr>« expedition into Wales, and by March 7 they were assembling an army ^ Shrewsbury. But the Earl of Chester now interceded upon Llewe yn^
behalf, persuaded Henry that Llewelyn's dispute with Pembroke co be settled by peaceful means. . ^^
The Earl of Pembroke thought otherwise. Arriving back'nrdlgan Wales in mid-April, he laid successful siege to the castles of a' , and Carmarthen, which Llewelyn had held since the winter cal^ffyd

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rrny south After taking and burning the Norman town of Kid-
1 Gruffydd and his men clashed with Pembroke at Carmarthen , vVhat followed was a bloody day-long battle in which many men "I"/but neither side could gam the advantage
At this point Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, mter-
. Henry was now in his sixteenth year, and although not of a
^e I nature, he had his share of Angevin ambition But his dreams of uest centered upon the recovery of Normandy, not all-out war with
C ister's husband, and he was quite willing to heed Langton, to act as cemaker While Llewelyn was skeptical, he yielded to Henry's re-
est agreed to attend a July council at the border castle of Ludlow.
IN an upper chamber of the castle keep, Llewelyn was meeting with Henry, Stephen Langton, and Hubert de Burgh, while Joanna awaited tos return in the great hall Although Henry had welcomed them with genuine warmth, Joanna was not comfortable at Ludlow This was unfnendly territory, the great hall filled with hostile Marcher lords, men with extensive Welsh holdings, with very strong reasons for wishing Llewelyn ill
But Joanna was not alone for long Within moments her young sonin-law approached, holding out a wine cup She smiled, touched that he should feel the need to look after her in Llewelyn's absence "Thank you, John Did I telloh, no1"
John swung about, but could see no cause for alarm "What is amiss7"
"Across the hall Ralph de Mortimer and Thomas Corbet just walked up to
Gruffydd " Seeing that he did not comprehend, Joanna added impatiently, "I
know Thomas Corbet He's up to no good, means to bait Gruffydd into a fight And believe me, it'll not take much!"
"You need not fret, I'll see to it," John assured her, but then he smiled "It seems the Bishop of Winchester has the same idea," he said, and they watched as Peter des Roches adroitly herded the malcontent 'archer lords safely away from Llewelyn's son lhank Heaven for Peter's sharp eye," Joanna sighed "My father ^ en )°ked that
Peter might not be as innocent as the dove, but he was h* y as guileful as the serpent1 John, tell me I could not help but notice ha7 C°rdlal Peter suddenly
1S toward your Uncle Chester The Welsh ,f p Pr°verb The enemy of my enemy is my friend I was wondering e « might not be taking that to heart "
re]Uct 6re Was surprise in the look that John gave Joanna, a startled and jf a wa reaPpraisal It had baffled him that Llewelyn would make use
°man for delicate diplomatic maneuvenngs, that Joanna so often

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acted as his envoy to the English court. But her questions sh
'Owed shrewd perception of political undercurrents, and suddenly T a presence here at Ludlow did not seem so inexplicable after all u9 S much, he wondered, did she cull from careless male speech? How °W
many men would think to guard their tongues, to be wary of a
} comelv woman?
"Peter des Roches is not the only one with a sharp eye," h ceded. "You are quite right. Des Roches is a man quick to tend t h° own pastures, and he suspects Hubert de Burgh of grazing on th$ wrong side of the fence. There is no love lost betwixt them these d But de Burgh still holds the ear of the one who matters most, our yon King." "8
Joanna nodded. "John ... I do not mean to interfere between a ma and his wife.
But I've gotten a disturbing letter from Elen. She wrote that you forbade her to visit us" She stopped in mid-sentence. "You did not?"
"Indeed not," he said indignantly. "I would never act to cut Elen off from her family. I did tell her that I did not want her to go into Wales this summer, but only because war seems imminent. I know how homesick she is, but I had to put her safety first."
"Yes," Joanna agreed slowly. "Of course." If this youngster was not speaking the truth, he was as skilled an actor as any she'd ever seen at Christmas mummeries. And Elen had ever been capricious and headstrong. But however
Joanna sought to rationalize, one fact still stood out starklythat some seven months after her marriage, Elen was not happy with the husband they'd chosen for her.
At that moment there was a sudden stir; Henry and Llewelyn were reentering the hall. Joanna hastened toward her husband. Gruffydd and Ednyved were also converging upon Llewelyn. He met with all three ot them in the center of the hall, gave them the bad news they could already read in his face.
"Shall I tell you their terms for peace? I am to yield up the castles took from Fitz Warin and de Hodnet. But Pembroke gives up nothing, gets to keep my castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen." y, Gruffydd swore under his breath. "What did you tell them, Papa^
"What do you think I said?" Llewelyn paused, looked directly^ Joanna. "You'd best go and bid your brother farewell. I told him we leaving Ludlow within the hour." r^g{[
Joanna was dismayed, but she knew better than to argu Llewelyn sounded like that. She nodded, did as he said. ^ ^er
Henry gave her no chance to speak, took her arm an j toward the window recess. "Joanna, you must talk to your must get him to see reason."