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

to her alone, speaking with animation and at length of that which men rarely discussed with womenHe explained why he thought the bishopric of St David's should be independent of Canterbury, why he wanted a Welsh-born bishop for the See of Bangor. He was in the process now, he confided, of codifying Welsh law, that which had been passed down from the tenth-century Prince of blessed memory, Hywel the Good.Not that he thought Hywel's code to be sacrosanct, come down from Mount Sinai carved in stone. Laws needed to be flexible, to reflect the changing needs of changing times. For example, under the old laws, an act of violence was a crime against only the victim. If the offender made proper restitution to the victim's kin, he was absolved of further liabilities. That was no longer enough; Llewelyn would have the man held accountable to his Prince, too. In that way, society could be better served, made safer for those dwelling under the law. But he was encountering some resistance. There were those who clung mindlessly to the old ways. As it was once done, so must it always be done, till the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, he said, and laughed ruefully.Joanna listened intently, awed by the realization that Llewelyn was even more ambitious than she had first thought. But his ambition went well beyond what most men sought, power and land, entailed no less than a transformation ofWelsh society. She'd never before met anyone who dared to dream so big, and she found herself hoping that he'd not be disappointed, that his dreams would indeed come to pass.She was no less interested in personal than in political revelations, listened with fascination as he talked of his mother, with such obvious affection that she felt a rush of empathy, thinking that his abiding love for Marared was very like her own love for her father. He spoke bu briefly of Marared's death, saying only that he thanked God she'd Hved to see him in sovereign control of all of Gwynedd, and then he gave Joanna a deliberately lighthearted account of the rebellion begun at four teen"just your age, lass." It seemed perfectly natural to Joanna to -e him, in turn, of her own life, to tell him what she'd never before tol

209but John, of her mother's despairing last days, even of that bru-3ny° . ctjOn in the solar at Middleham Castle. Llewelyn reined in r tlv a'tnat/ w^ an exclamation of incredulous outrage.''Christ of the Cross! He turned his back upon a child, his own sis' flesh and blood, not knowing or caring what evil might befall you?" fef hook his head."These d'Arcys, where are their lands? Are they Uar'the Welsh border?""No, in Derbyshire, I think.""A pity/" he said, flashed her a sudden smile. "If ever there were ople who do deserve a little trouble in their lives ...""Almost, you sound as if you do mean that!" Actually, it mattered1'ttle to Joanna whether he meant it or not. It was enough for her that he'd said it, that his first impulse had been to avenge her wrong, to inflict punishment for her pain. It was, she thought, as great a gift as anyone had ever offered her."Know you what Eryri does mean? 'The Haunt of Eagles.' Apt, is it not? Tell me, Joanna, what think you so far of Wales?"Joanna hesitated. It was indeed a beautiful country, but awesome, foreboding, not a land to submit tamely to man's control. Stark grandeur it had, butJoanna yearned for a softer harmony. "Everywhere I look, I see a sight to take my breath, see mountains that might in truth serve as stepping stones toHeaven. But . . . but it makes me feel very small, Llewelyn, as if I do count for naught."Llewelyn nodded. "Yes," he said approvingly. "But in time you'll come to see the splendor of it, too." Glancing back over his shoulder, he gave the signal to halt. "Rhys, hold the men here. I want to show Joanna Rhaeadr Eywnnol."The sudden coolness of the air took Joanna by surprise. The woods were shaded with summer green, suddenly hushed and still as Llewelyn led her forward. She could hear the river now, glimpsed the fall of white water through the trees.But she hung back, no longer following as Llewelyn moved toward the edge of the cliff."I... I have an unease of heights," she said apologetically."So I've noticed," Llewelyn said and smiled at her. "But I'll not letV°u fall, do assure you that not one princess of Gwynedd has everDowned in Rhaeadr Eywnnol. That's it. . . lean back against me.See°w much better the view is from here? This has ever been my favoriteP'ace. And Dolwyddelan is but nine miles to the south; we'll pass the'ght there and return to Aber on the morrow."Joanna was no longer listening. She felt no fear, for she was obliv-s to the surging cataract, the wind-driven spray. Llewelyn was hold-° er back against his body; she could feel his encircling arms pressing° lnst the undersides of her breasts, feel his breath upon her cheek, the

220soft tickle of his mustache against her temple, his hand warm on wrist.her"You can let me go, Llewelyn. I am all right now," she said, but h voice was so muffled that he at once drew her back from the cliff."You're trembling, Joanna; were you as fearful as that? Your face flushed, too..." He put his hand to her cheek, and Joanna gasped wrenched free of his embrace, stumbling in her haste to put space between them.Backing away, she leaned against the nearest tree. "I... I'm sorry but I... Iwas afraid . . .""Yes, so I see," he said, and the coldness in his voice brought her eyes up to his face in utter dismay. As flustered as she'd been by his touch, that was as nothing to the way she felt now, with the wretched realization that he'd read fear into her confused recoil. She opened her