Here Be Dragons - 1 (30 page)

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brup* lurch forward, and with bewildering suddenness she found an if standing before Geoffrey de Muschamp, Bishop of Chester, holding hands with a stranger
Alm°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 by
Isabelle, Ela, and the Countess of Chester But it was Llewelyn now, not
Chester, who led her into the church, for with her marriage she had passed from her father's control to that of her husband
As 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 what
Rachel, 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 impersonal
CHESTER 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 that
Cension Day had been chosen for the wedding, men who'd care little
°ut breaking the King's Peace might think twice before breaking

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God'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 in
Rouen, sitting on John's lap. Now she sat between Llewelyl and the Earl of
Chester, 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 Normandy, she would be deep in Wales, utterh isolated from those she most loved.
Across the great hall, voices rose suddenly. Joanna saw both Llewelyn and
Chester stiffen. Sharing a trencher and wine cup with Llewelyn, she was not long in becoming aware that her husband was not drinking Joanna was puzzled;
such abstinence was highly unusual at a wedding feast, where male guests seemed to feel a social obligation to drink themselves into oblivion. Her unease grew as she realized that Chester, too, was cold sober.
The voices were growing louder. A bench was tipped over; a woman screamed.
Joanna gasped as a man pushed away from the table, fumbled for the hilt of his sword. Llewelyn was already on his feet, shouting in Welsh. The man turned, reluctantly let his sword slide back down its scabbard. By then, Llewelyn had reached them, with Chester right on his heels. A brief angry exchange followed, with Llewelyn tongue-lashing the Welshman and Chester berating the
Norman. The offenders lapsed into a sullen silence, but tension gripped the hall spread by murmurs of discontent, voiced in two tongues. Joanna bit her lip, watched as Llewelyn took Chester aside, spoke in an urgent undertone.
Chester nodded, stepped back, and sent a servant hastening from the hall.
Joanna gave Llewelyn a questioning look as he resumed his sea but he said only, "I thought it time for a diversion."
Joanna was not long in finding out what he had in mind. Ser
$ were entering the hall, carrying several huge baked pies. As all V3 tched, they cut carefully into the crusts, freeing more than a dozen IV 11 birds. The birds soared upward, circling and swooping over the *bles as tf*e men anc*
women below laughed and cheered, eagerly
13 airing the finale, the release of three sleek sparrow hawks. What re-
2 Ited was utter chaos, with dogs barking in berserk frenzy, and men iaIT1bering Up on benches to better view the kills, laying tipsy wagers pon the outcome, animosities forgotten in the excitement of the hunt.
"That was indeed clever, my lord," Joanna said approvingly, and Dewelyn laughed.
"It was my man's fault. There is a hamlet across the Dee called Hanbridge, but it's been taken so often by the Welsh that we call it Treboeth, 'the burned town.' It is one thing to do so amongst ourselves, quite another to do so midst a hall full of Normans ... as Rosser should have known."
"I see." Joanna watched as a feather wafted slowly downward, came to rest in a tureen of sorrel soup. If the Welsh had such a hatred for Normans, how would they ever accept her as Llewelyn's wife?
ONCE the trestle tables were cleared away, there was dancing, but after there'd been two spills, caused by overexuberant dancers whose coordination

was rather the worse for wine, Chester signaled for less risky entertainment:
jugglers, a man with trained marmosets, several minstrels eager to sing for their supper. The song requests were becoming increasingly bawdy, and Joanna was once more growing tense. It was not that she found the suggestive lyrics objectionable in themselves, but that they reminded her of what still lay ahead, the bedding-down revelries and the consummation of her marriage.
Turning away from a group clustered around the wittiest of the "unstrels, she collided with Maude de Braose, spilling some of her drink upon the sleeve of
Maude's gown.
"I am sorry, Madame. I did not see you." It was a listless apology, indifferently offered, but the best she could do under the circumstances.
"Obviously." Maude's voice was tart, her eyes unfriendly. "You've
"Wn wandering about the hall like a ghost. Can you not at least make a
P^tense that this marriage be to your liking?"
The unfairness of that took Joanna's breath away; she'd been trying
50 hard to hide her true feelings. "I assure you this marriage is very ^Uch to my liking, Madame." Even had she believed Llewelyn ab lorer*h to be the veritable Antichrist, nothing on earth could have inuced her to admit that to
Maude. But she was never to know what imp
!hen took possession of her tongue, was even more startled than Maude

ifher than Auto deb nwrey de NWIara. He ,Wj when Llewdm totulaelyn tool»k
Castls «s y whilst waibn^tor Hioljag for hiss ranson | /l>d. He did inWtHttefcieed thir-nk of th« &d ^ssed hs wediing to! jib ding to s a girl h(
*/
.Reminiscing olUireildof Mireb»-eau. He ^ fining all she mid obterould of the ma( '^T j interested, ttaetoiotortierefore^ -, in whai ^ ^d attenhvely^HiuHd as Hugtt li Cortoi **vgs Shropshire ffl'horld boyhoo«»d. Hugl £ ^ new; the matlacttdjwe fact tlhat he'i| J^ywelyn^lthoiiElikisiiltjugh his vs*vife, D«
f*tr.^as to Joaruuieascsus^a reasonm for n
*?, Thomas CoW, ,]*> orbet, n j-iot at all
,-W^e ^fo
'kt/jo make suchmaBmn remarkOss in h(, $& xnply that shetas iiws was igrrznorantij Ktr, sband, and stooocoHii.he soon madejt| k^
^ady on his fa thaalttset that he con(
^ Vist the wall. SkJ HWShe'd be^een inb, 8rr > ^mbered him s* b yto only be-aecause \
*t/ < expected to id a^U find at I her wq
S-X on who'd leduia^ritxd an abooortivei
%/v capitulated sued bsi',-, sued f»ifor Join
)y^j gotten it. Tliiiseessltrliat seerncMned to I
\\y^ rather incotoenfclnrf*herent s speech,(
is whether hemspiqw was pras-aisingli,t iv'^^iving him re,f ssuiefuge.
"15 ved; themanttsoojw was so CD obvion]
'Jflt^n several ofbcoiomf his comrnnpanw, VW They, too, yea:£)k*\ad earlltrlier irt
|"ll - .nd, Stephen»dBBli a and BajsSaldwim rVV)gies, they sofkt nttrcought nomow to«i
;?sWc^ ? obstinacy cite iijllof the inrrinebri4
^'16 Vd conversata«tr«orion witHJ-th Joan^
^"tsHjy the best foife tt ulr-i her, tMtthat Put.
'"'i^^hen, to Joani,h»jl!inmna's hoio^orror, 1^
'% / lord husbadto dlmnd to ti the b^
fat*
,oice was ove+toujjijilisrly loucfcjjd, car, ^

190
to hear herself add, "Your advice I can well do without, Madame. [ j however, need a fresh cup of wine."
Maude's eyebrows shot upward. "You want me to fetch it for y0u>, she demanded, openly incredulous.
"Yes." But Joanna had never in her life given an order to a man woman of rank, and there'd been a brief hesitation, a hesitation that $A not escape Maude.
"I think not," she said coolly, and turned away.
"Lady de Braose!" Joanna's voice had carried; others were looking her way.
Still not sure how she'd gotten herself into such a predicament she stared helplessly at the older woman, knowing neither how to enforce her command nor how to extricate herself without loss of face Maude was looking at her mockingly, and she crimsoned, going hot with humiliation and impotent anger.
She opened her mouth, having no idea what she was going to say, and then saw
Maude's face change, saw her smile splinter into frozen fragments. Joanna spun around, to find Llewelyn standing just behind her.
"What are you drinking, Joanna? Hippocras?"
She nodded, watched wide-eyed as he held the wine cup out to Maude. "Lady
Maude, if you will," he said, smiling. Maude was of a sudden as deeply flushed as Joanna, but she managed a stiff smile of her own.
"As it pleases Your Grace, it would be my pleasure."
"No, Lady Maude. As it pleases my wife."
Joanna wanted nothing so much as to sit down in a quiet corner; she felt as if her knees had turned to butter. She drew several uneven breaths, nerving herself to look up into Llewelyn's face. No matter how harshly he might treat her in time to come, she'd ever be grateful for what he'd just done, would never forget it. But what must he think of her, that she would make such a fool of herself? If he was furious, she could scarce blame him, and she said, very low, "Thank you, my lord. I'm so sorry, in truth I am. I did not mean to make a scene. I just wanted to . . ."
"To settle an old score?" he suggested softly, and as she raised her eyes to his, she saw in them only amused understanding.
IF the Normans were indifferent and the Welsh aloof, there were wedding guests present who were absolutely elated by the marriage, the Marcher border lords with Welsh holdings. One by one they sough' Joanna out, to wish her well, to express the hope that she'd soon bear Llewelyn a son, to praise her father's wisdom and foresight in making0' Llewelyn an ally. She was surrounded now by a group of these men-

191
t whom was, to her delight, none other than Aubrey de Mara He
°n. faiien into Prince Llewelyn's hands when Llewelyn took Castle
I Id some years back, he explained, and whilst waiting for his ransom
. paid, a mutual regard had developed He did indeed think of the ce as a friend, would never have missed his wedding to a girl he emembered with such fondness
Joanna had no interest, however, in reminiscing of Mirebeau Her ncern was more immediate, was in learning all she could of the man whom she was now wed
She was most interested, therefore, in what Llewelyn's Corbet km had to say, listened attentively as Hugh Corbet obligingly related anecdotes of Llewelyn's
Shropshire boyhood Hugh gave her more comfort than even he knew, the mere fact that he'd remained on such friendly terms with Llewelyn, although his wife, Llewelyn's mother, was five years dead, was to Joanna reason for reassurance
But she did not like Hugh's nephew, Thomas Corbet, not at all, she'd been greatly offended by several snide remarks he'd made, revealing a deep-seated dislike for Llewelyn To make such remarks in her hearing was in the worst of taste, was to imply that she was ignorant of the most basic loyalties a wife owed her husband, and she soon made an excuse to escape the Corbet company
A man lurched toward her, so unsteady on his feet that he could not stop in time, shoved Joanna back against the wall She'd been introduced to him earlier in the evening, remembered him only because he was surely one of the last men she'd have expected to find at her wedding, Fulk Fitz Warm, the Shropshire baron who'd led an abortive rebellion against her father He'd eventually capitulated, sued for John's pardon and, to the surprise of many, had gotten it That seemed to be what was on his mind, he launched into a rather incoherent speech of gratitude, although she could not be sure whether he was praising her father for pardoning him or Llewelyn for giving him refuge
Joanna was more amused than affronted, the man was so obviously besotted She was glad, nonetheless, when several of his companions, slightly more sober, came to her rescue They, too, had earlier introduced themselves as friends of her husband, Stephen and Baldwin de Hodnet, with extravagantly elaborate apologies, they sought now to distract Fitz Warm But he, with the peculiar obstinacy of the inebriated, Was determined to continue his disjointed conversation with Joanna, assuring her solemnly that he wished only the best for her, that Prince evvelyn was indeed a lucky man, and then, to Joanna's horror, that Was surely time to escort her and her lord husband to the bridal chamber
Joanna stared at him in dismay His voice was overly loud, carried