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

Joanna had no answer for him, for she could not explain her fear even to herself, an instinctive, elemental fear that had nothing whatsoever to do with logic or even love. She drew several shaken breaths. 'Are you saying that our marriage is over?""I do not know, Joanna," he said, and there was in his voice a sadness that she found far more chilling than anger.'Is it not dangerous for you to be here, on English soil?" she asked abruptly, and he shrugged.Probably. But I have no plans to tarry longer than necessary." He MW that she was not reassured, and added, "The borderland is quiet at Pr«ent. John has ordered his army to disperse." ^ e was close enough to touch; Joanna's fingers brushed his sleeve, *ere h° feSt UP°n h'S arm' //Richard told me that twenty-eight hostages !her>an§ed at Nottingham, all those who were being held at my faharujt ,°Urt ' 'save only Gruffydd. But there were others, mayhap a P^mise'd^0 were beins held elsewhere, and they still live. Richard ^tiori t me ^f, Would seek out their identities, then pass on that infor-Shsh Kin ' 6 a ^orm'8ht ago. A curious letter, Joanna, for an En-Dr°mises^h S°nt° Wdte f° 3 Welsh Prince- He was cautious, made no at might compromise him, but he implied, nonetheless, that

404he would speak for my son if he could." Llewelyn reached out, tra the path of a scratch that marked her throat; at the unexpected touch like a caress, Joanna began to tremble. "He told me, too, that your vva ing saved Gruffydd's life.""And do you believe him?""Yes," he said, "I do.""Then . . . then can you not forgive me?""It is not a matter of forgiveness, Joanna. I would that it were ' For a moment longer, his fingers lingered on her throat, and then h stepped back."Did you see John? Did you see your father?""No! I swore to you that I would not. I did not lie to you.""We have to talk about him, about John. I have to know what you feel toward him now. Joanna, I have to know."She twisted her hands together, gripping her wedding ring as if it were a talisman. "I loved him, I believed in him. I married you to please him. And now . . . now I think of that little boy in Shrewsbury, I think of our Davydd and . . . and I know that I could not face him again. I cannot love the man he is, I cannot. But I remember how much I loved the man I thought he was . . .and it hurts more than I can bear. If he'd died, I'd still have had memories.But now even my memories are false. They do not comfort, they only torment..."She closed her eyes, and then felt Llewelyn's fingers on her face, slowly wiping away her tears. She sobbed, and moved into his arms. She'd lost her veil, and he stroked her hair, smoothed the untidy ebony braids, brushed back stray wisps from her temples."You must not ever think," he said, "that I do not feel your pain." She made a wordless murmur, pressed closer. He caught the familiar fragrance of her perfume, felt her hands sliding up his back, and damned himself for a fool, for an unwary moment in which he'd almost believed that he meant only to comfort her, to hold her as she wept.Joanna had raised her head from his shoulder. Her eyes no longer shone with tears; they were luminous, filled with sunlight, with such naked need that he caught his breath. Taking his hand in hers, she kissed each finger in turn, bit down gently on his thumb; her tongue circled his palm, and his free hand tightened on her hair.For a moment that seemed endless to Joanna, he did not move. An then he lowered his head, brought his mouth down hard upon hers, ending the kiss until they both were breathless. He'd begun to fum with her clothing, swearing when the lacings of her bliaut resiste impatient fingers. She raised her arms so he could pull the gown her head; the chemise quickly followed. He kissed her again, cares her belly and thighs until she moaned, arched against him.Pushing down upon the bed, he unbuckled his scabbard.

405When he lowered his body onto hers, he was not gentle, but neitherJoanna. That was not what she wanted from him now. For more^3 two months she'd slept as chastely as a nun, and her body had i, fire with the first touch of his fingers on her throat. She had no d of prolonged foreplay, and she entwined her arms tightly around n. as j^ parted her thighs. "Now, love, now . . . oh, yes, now ..." She axed almost at once, with his third thrust, and then again when sheIt him tense, groan, and jerk convulsively, gasping "Siwan" against her ear.After a time, Llewelyn raised himself up, rolled over onto his back, loanna was not yet ready to move. She knew it was a common belief that woman's lust was greater than a man's, and for the first time she wondered if there might not be truth to that folk wisdom. She could only marvel now at the fevered urgency that had so utterly consumed her so short a time before. But she knew that she had given Llewelyn pleasure no less intense than he had given her.His breathing was still uneven and shallow, a pulse was beating rapidly in his throat, and his body glistened with perspiration. She leaned over, touched the tip of her tongue to a droplet of sweat trickling toward his chin. He did not respond, and a moment later he rose from the bed, reached for the clothing scattered about the floor.Joanna's sense of languid well-being dissipated in the span of seconds, in the time it took Llewelyn to turn away from her. She was suddenly