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

gown, a much paler shade of green for the tightly laced bliaut, delicately threaded through with gold. Since Joanna would wear her hair loose and flowing down her back, to proclaim she came to her marriage bed a virgin, there was no wimple, but merely a thin, circular veil, as light as air, to be held in place by a gold circlet.Joanna smoothed the skirt of her gown, remembering another outfit of green and gold, laid out at the foot of John's bed that first morning she'd awakened inRouen. She stood for a moment, staring into the mirror Blanche was holding up for her inspection, and then turned toward Isabelle and Ela. "I am ready."Custom decreed that a bride's father or guardian be the one to lead her mount to the church. Since both John and Joanna's Uncle Will were in Winchester, theEarl of Chester had offered to act in John's stead, and it was he who liftedJoanna up into the saddle. The mare, a glossy/ small-boned chestnut, wasLlewelyn's bride-gift to Joanna. She'd never had a horse of her own before, and such a gift would normally have transported her into a state of high excitement. Now, however, she felt nothing. The prancing mare, the crowds lining Bridge Street, the sunlight so bright upon the banners above her head, all lacked reality for her. There was a strange, dreamlike quality to the day, as if she were watching from afar as a girl very like her rode to her wedding with a Welsh Prince.The precincts of the abbey of St Werburgh were already filled to overflowing with the people of Chester, eager for the spectacle of a roya' wedding.Llewelyn was awaiting Joanna by the south door of t°e church, for it was there that their wedding vows would be exchange* weddings were traditionally performed out in the open before as many witnesses as possible. He came forward to meet her, smiling. Time too"

187brup* lurch forward, and with bewildering suddenness she found an if standing before Geoffrey de Muschamp, Bishop of Chester, holding hands with a strangerAlm°st before she knew it, Llewelyn was pledging her his troth drew a deep breath, said in a clear, carrying voice, "I, Joanna, do , mee, Llewelyn, m holy Church, as my wedded husband, forsaking II others, in sickness and health, m riches and poverty, m well and in Oe till death us do part, and thereto I plight thee my troth "The Bishop having blessed the ring, Llewelyn took Joanna's left hand, slipped the ring in turn upon each of her fingers, saying, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost " Sliding it then upon her third finger, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze "With this ring, I thee wed "The crowd was cheering, surged forward as Llewelyn and Joanna dipped into the alms dish, scattered coins in their midst Joanna was then embraced in turn byIsabelle, Ela, and the Countess of Chester But it was Llewelyn now, notChester, who led her into the church, for with her marriage she had passed from her father's control to that of her husbandAs little as she remembered of the wedding ceremony, Joanna remembered even less of the Mass of Tnmty that followed It was cool and dark within, pleasantly scented with incense At one point she heard the Bishop intone, "Let this woman be amiable as Rachel, wise as Rebecca, faithful as Sarah," and she realized, with bemusement, that he was speaking of her She was shamefully ignorant of the Scriptures, could not for the life of her remember whatRachel, Rebecca, and Sarah had done She could think only of RuthRuth, who'd gone forth into an alien land, who'd said, "Whither thou goest, I will go, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God "Llewelyn was approaching the altar now, to receive from the Bishop the kiss of peace And then he was back at her side, lifting her veil She raised her face obediently for him to transmit the kiss to her, felt his lips upon hers, a light, warm touch, almost impersonalCHESTER had always suffered a reputation as one of the most violence-Prone cities of the realm, Cheshiremen were notorious for their thin swns, their ready swords The Welsh were no less renowned for the°uchiness of their tempers, for the ease with which they took affront It as a volatile mixture, and Llewelyn and the Earl of Chester had done nat they could to minimize the dangers It was for this reason thatCension Day had been chosen for the wedding, men who'd care little°ut breaking the King's Peace might think twice before breaking

188^189God's Peace, as well. For the same reason, the wedding feast was serv immediately upon their return from the church, in hopes that men wi wined and dined would be lulled into goodwill, be less likely to yieu age-old antagonisms.Joanna had never before eaten from the dais, except on that Ion ago day inRouen, sitting on John's lap. Now she sat between Llewelyl and the Earl ofChester, did her best to feign interest in the food bein offered her, venison and roast partridge, fresh herring, each course crowned with an elaborate sugared subtlety. She was grateful that th conversational demands being made upon her were minimal. Llewelyn was being monopolized by Isabelle, seated at his left, and Chester a dour, taciturn man, already balding although only in his thirties, was not much given to small talk. Joanna knew he'd only recently been restored to her father's favor; John had suspected him of conspiring with the Welsh Prince, Gwenwynwyn of Powys. If it was true, he could not be deriving much pleasure from playing host to Llewelyn, Gwenwynwyn's chief rival. But mayhap it was not true; Papa's suspicions were not always grounded in fact. Pray God his campaign would go well Joanna laid down a tart, untasted. How would she even know? Whilst he was fighting a war in