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

own grieving would be beyond hope, beyond healing. The loss of her father she could, in time, accept. She could even learn to accept the loss of her husband. But not her children. Not Davydd. Not Elen. Not ever.More than four weeks had passed since she'd come to the priory, six weeks since she'd ridden away from Dolwyddelan. Soon after her arrival at Brewood, she'd dispatched a man with a stilted and terse letter for Llewelyn, asking his permission to keep Elen in England beyond the month's grace he'd given

her. In the weeks since, there'd been numerous sleepless nights when she'd labored over a second letter to her husband, a letter in which she sought his understanding, his forgiveness. Come dawn, she'd gather up her splotched and futile handiwork, feed it into the fire.She was no less homesick than Elen. Her yearning for Davydd was like a physical ache, one that no herbs or ointments could ease. Her need forLlewelyn was no less intense; her body's thwarted cravings robbed her of sleep at night, and her memories wreaked havoc upon her daylight hours. But as much as she wanted to return to Llewelyn, she was terrified of doing so, terrified of having to face him and hear him say that their marriage was over. It was easier to do nothing, to cling to her shreds of hope and tell herself that all would somehow work out if only she gave them enough time.In her despair, she'd convinced herself that Richard would have the -"iswers she needed. But Richard had failed her, and she knew she was nd HI* rustles and muted trills. Joanna stopped under a maple tree, e wind rained russet leaves down upon her. One leaf spread its

402HT^403wings, revealed itself to be a butterfly mottled in black and gold >, butterflies at Aber were the color of the sky; from May to Septg u^ they hovered over wildflower and marsh grass, flickering blue flam be extinguished at the first frost. Joanna leaned back against the t° gnarled trunk and closed her eyes. Did Llewelyn, too, lie awak$ dawn? How was he dealing with his grief, his guilt? Had he learned live with his ghosts? °"Madame!" The scream was shrill, fraught with fear, utterly out place in a setting of such peace. Joanna tensed; the cry came again she turned toward the sound. She soon saw a blur of white, found woman on her knees beside a fallen log. She looked up as Joarm reached her, and Joanna recognized one of the young novice nuns He habit was torn and dirtied, her face scratched by her flight into the woods, and she had no breath for speech, not even when Joanna grasped her shoulders, shook her frantically."Has my daughter been hurt? For God's sake, tell me!" "Oh, Madame, thank JesusI found you!" The girl was on her feet now, but had to lean on Joanna for support. "They took us by surprise, rode into the priory as bold as could be.We thought it was a raid, and Sister Avelina tried to hide your Elen in the chancel. But one of the men called to her and she ran to him, Madame, ran right to him. He de manded to see you, my lady, and then our Prioress. We were so very frightened, Madame; all know how godless the Welsh are. But... but they did not hurt us. They talked to Prioress Alditha, then rode away, and . .. oh, Madame, they took with them your daughter. They took away your little girl!"THE quarter hour it took Joanna to reach the priory was the most terrifying time of her life. Running through the woods, she caught her gown repeatedly upon protruding branches, tripped over exposed tree roo and rocks, fought her way free of the thickets looming up in her pat , seemingly set upon entrapping her forever in the midst of this o cursed forest. By the time she was in sight of the priory walls, snew scratched and bruised and thoroughly disheveled, her ears echoing the sobbing sounds of her own breathing, to the cry of "Elen!tna^ to her lips of its own volition, that went unanswered in the stra g lence that had enveloped the priory. d*The guest house was to the north of the church, set aPartchaninuns'dormitory and infirmary. It was there that Joanna share^ ber with Elen.It would, she knew, be empty. She reached for t ^f just as the door opened, and she all but fell into the room, into lyn's arms.i_i put his hands on her waist to steady her, said, "Are you hurt?"She shook her head, and he released her. She was suddenly dizzy, I aned back against the door. There was a sharp pain pressing t her ribs, cutting off her breath. "Elen . . . where is she?" agal"On her way back toGwynedd."Joanna was too appalled for anger. "Jesus God, Llewelyn, did you have to do it like that?""I was thinking of her safety. I did not want her here should word get out that I'm at the priory."The common sense of that could not be denied; some of Joanna's ic began to subside. But then Llewelyn said, "I made a mistake in1 rting you take her, Joanna. I thought she would be safe because of her sex But the more I thought on it, the more uneasy I became. The risk was just too great. I'll not allow her to leave Wales again."Pride had always been of paramount concern to Joanna. But not now. "I know you have the power to take Davydd and Elen from me. I can only beg you not to do that, to remember how much I do love them""Whatever happens between us, I'd not deny you the right to see our children.I would still provide for you, would allow you to remain in Gwynedd to be nearDavydd and Elen if you did not want to return to England. How could you