Here Be Dragons - 1 Sharon Penman (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📖

feet, and his companions swore in startled sympathy His face was already swelling rapidly, bloated and bloodied, his mouth so distorted and puffy that it resembled nothing so much as the grotesque gnmace of a scarecrow He bent over, spat into his hand, stared incredulously at a bloody tooth With that, he lurched toward GruffyddFor a moment he stood over the boy, looking down at him And then he grabbedGruffydd's tunic collar, struck him across the face You hear that hammering in the bailey7 They're building a gallows for you and the other hostages The King wants the lot of you to hang ere he dines And you, you misbegotten Welsh bastard, you shall be the very first to die, I'll see to that1""No, my lord Salisbury said we're to wait with this one, that he's to be last"The man swore, discovered another loose tooth, and hit Gruffydd again, this time in the stomach "Mayhap that is even better This way he 11 have time to think on it, to imagine how that rope'll feel about his neck, how it'll feel to be choking for air, and not getting any1"Gruffydd could not breathe, each breath was more constricted, more labored than the last It was partly the blow he'd just taken, but mainly it was panicNot only was hanging a dishonorable, shameful way to die, but it was, he knew, also a particularly painful death Only if a man was hanged from horseback did the fall break his neck, otherwise he slowly strangledNever had Gruffydd known fear like this, terror made all the more intense by his utter helplessness He strained against his bonds, tried frantically to free himself, while the men watched and laughed at his futile efforts Out in the bailey, the hammering continued'°HM stood at the window of the great hall, watching as the Welsh hos-ages were hanged Some tried to fight, had to be dragged cursing and eking up onto the gallows Others, especially the younger ones, were ° stunned to offer resistance A few wept, a few pleaded Richard3 seen executions before, and had not thought he was particularlyBeamish But this had been too much for him, he'd turned away, un-able to watch

374PP375The hangings were still going on when dinner was served. The cooks had prepared one of John's favorite dishes, stewed lamprey eels in saffron sauce.It was a favorite of Richard's, too, but he found he could not swallow more than a mouthful. Some of the hostages being hanged were no older than the young pages serving the lamprey and roast peacock. He laid his knife down, did not pick it up again.The pages were bringing in the subtlety, a spun-sugar creation sculptured to resemble a flame-breathing dragon. On their heels came the marshal of the hall. Kneeling before John, he said nervously, " thought it best not to wait till the meal's end, Your Grace. A courier has just ridden in from Wales, bearing an urgent message from your daughter, the Princess Joanna. Shall Isend him in?"John nodded, and a moment later a young Welshman stumbled into the hall. He was unshaven, his clothing stained with sweat and the dust of the road, and at first Richard thought he was drunk; his eyes were glazed, slid blankly pastJohn without seeing. But then he saw how the man's gaze kept coming back to the window, and he understood. Not drunk, in shock.When prompted by the marshal, the Welshman knelt, held out a folded parchment."My lady entrusted me with this. She said . . ." He swallowed, tried to remember, to blot out for a moment what was happening in the bailey. "She saidI must give it into your hands and yours alone, that none but you must read it. . ."John reached for the letter, made sure that the seal was indeed Joanna's and had not been tampered with. Only then did he break it open, begin to read.When he glanced up, he had paled noticeably."Someone give this man a shilling for his trouble. My lords of Chester andPembroke, you stay. Will and Richard, you stay, too. The rest of you, out. . . now."Men set down their wine cups, stared at him in astonishment, mouths full of unchewed food. But after taking one look at his face, they pushed resentfully away from the tables.Within moments the hall was cleared. John rose, but he was suddenly reluctant to share the contents of Joanna's letter. He hesitated, and then said abruptly, "Joanna has written me that some of my own lords are plotting withLlewelyn and the other Welsh Princes. She says that they mean to rebel once we're in Wales, either to kill me or to turn me over to the Welsh."As he spoke, his eyes moved intently from face to face, assessing the impact of his words. He did not truly suspect Chester or Pembroke. but he was relieved, nonetheless, to see that their surprise was un feigned. At least these two could be eliminated as suspects. But that s left so many, half his court. How could he trust anyone? How could he ever be sure, ever be safe?"John, what mean you to do?""I do not know, Will," John admitted. "I need time, time to think." He began to pace. "Christ, it could be any of them. De Vesci has always been a malcontent. De Clare never wanted me to be King; he thinks I've forgotten that, but I have not. Derby is de Braose's blood kin, and Huntingdon"The Earls of Huntingdon and Derby were Chester's brothers-inlaw, and he interrupted hastily, "My liege, this serves for naught. We need more than suspicions. First of all, we must look to your safety. Thank Jesus for your daughter's warning."John nodded. "My God," he said softly, "I'd have walked blindly into their trap. If not for Joanna ...""She saved your life, Papa," Richard said, and again John nodded."Yes, lad, I think she did."

"Then give her a life in return, Papaher stepson's life."John frowned. "Joanna has reason