The Reckoning - 3 (68 page)

422
"Because," he said, "I'll not let Edward rob me of laughter, too " Glancing toward his brother, he said, "Go on, Davydd. Say what you win "
There were some startled looks, for few could remember the last time he'd addressed Davydd so affably. But if Davydd was surprised too, he hid it well.
"I could set forth my grievances in just three words: Reginald de Grey. But the truth is that he's merely the puppet, doing the bidding of the royal puppeteer at Westminster. They've harassed my men, cut down my woods at
Llyweny and Caergwrle, and refused to make good my losses. Nigh on four years ago I agreed to an exchange of manors with my wife's stepson, provided that I
would be compensated for the difference in value, but I've yet to receive so much as a farthing. And then there are the vills in Dyffryn Clwyd. They were held for life by my aunt, Gwenllian de Lacy. I never met the lady, for
Llewelyn Fawr had wed her to one of the de Lacys ere I was even born, and she lived out all her days in Ireland. But I hold Dyffryn Clwyd now, and when she died last month, those vills ought to have passed to me. Instead Edward claimed them, proving once again that thievery and statecraft are but two sides of the same English coin."
He had their attention, but Davydd could see thinly veiled satisfaction on some faces, a so-what skepticism on others. "When I learned that outlaws were lurking in the woods near my castle at Caergwrle and preying upon travelers,"
he said in sudden anger, "I had them hunted down and hanged. My reward was to have de Grey accuse me of harboring them all along and warn me that my sons could always be held as hostages until I mended my manners!"
There were murmurings at that, and even a few glances of surprised sympathy.
"Yes," Davydd said, still angrily, "at the moment I wanted to kill him, I
admit it. But for what? For doing what he's told? To hear men talk today, he might well be the true Prince of Darkness. But he's not; he's merely Edward of
England's lackey. And when he strews sundried straw about and then saunters by with a lit flame, if s because Edward bloody well wants him to!"
Davydd checked himself with an effort, ignored the others, and gave Llewelyn a probing look. "Is it your wish to speak now?" he asked, with a deference that was not entirely free of challenge. "Why did you summon us to Dolwyddelan?"
"To talk," Llewelyn said, "of war."
There was a stir among the men, but no real surprise, for that was what they were expectingeven hopingto hear. Rhys Wyndod made an emphatic, involuntary gesture of assent, balling a fist and driving i* into the palm of his hand, while the aggrieved Lord of North Povvy8 nodded in grim satisfaction, and his brother sat up straight in his chair*

423
squaring his shoulders with an odd mixture of bravado and resignation. Goronwy looked somber but approving, a few looked dubious, a few more, pleased. But no reaction was as spontaneous or as revealing as pavydd's; he gave a loud, ringing laugh in which triumph vied with relief.
"I knew it," he exulted, "knew you'd come to see that there is no other way, that we have to fight!"
Llewelyn regarded him impassively for a moment. "I doubt that there is a
Welshman breathing who does not know war is coming," he said. "But not yet.
Not until we've done our part, for this will not be a war to leave to Fortune or Fate or even the manifold mercies of the Almighty. Against a foe like
Edward, we shall have to make the most of every advantage, to turn to our benefit time and weather and random chance itself, and even then we'll still need the luck of the angels, the blessings of every Welsh saint in martyrdom, and the prayers of all our people, both the living and the dead."
That was not what they'd wanted from him. Llewelyn saw it on their faces, saw their disappointment, and a stray, subversive thought came shooting from the back of his brain, came perilously close to escaping into speech: Just where were all these firebrands four years ago when an English army was starving
Gwynedd into submission?
Davydd was frowning. "That was eloquently said, vividly expressed. But what does it mean? That we continue to let the English treat us like serfs and bondsmen? How much offal can we swallow ere we choke on it? I'm not saying I
do not understand your caution, Llewelyn. But if a wolf was raiding your flock, would you comfort yourself that he was only taking one sheep at a time?
No, by God, you'd put a stop to it whilst you still had sheep left to steal!"
Llewelyn lost all patience. "In case it has escaped your notice, we are not facing a lone, marauding wolf! One of the worst mistakes a man can make is to hold his enemies too cheaply. Edward Plantagenet is one of the greatest soldiers in Christendom, and we forget that at our peril. You'd best bear in mind that he not only out-fought Simon de Montfort at Evesham, he outwitted him first. And this 'wolf' of yours, Davydd, has all the resources of the
English Crown at his command, wealth and men we cannot hope to match. Lastly, we need to remember that he fruly believes he is doing God's work in bringing
Wales under his control, and a man with a sense of divine mission is a very dangerous foe, indeed."
"What are you saying, that we are bound to lose?"
"I am saying, Davydd, that we can make no mistakes, none at all. e cannot afford to plunge ahead heedlessly, to be rash or reckless, n°t with so much at stake. We owe our childrenand their children better than that, for they, too, would have to pay the price for our failure, a price higher than most of us could imagine."

426
posure. "I could not help noticing that Uncle Llewelyn's spirits vver soaring sky-high this past week, but I never suspected . . . No one els knows yet?"
"Very few, just Juliana and Dame Blodwen, the midwife. Oh, and Hugh, for he was my escort, but he swore he'd tell no one, not even Eluned."
Caitlin thought that was a prudent promise, for confiding in Eluned was the quickest way to get word out and about; it was her private conviction that
Hugh's wife could not have kept a secret unless she was bound and gagged. But she said nothing, for even with Ellen she was circumspect, resolutely denying herself the dubious comfort of snide slurs and gibes, as much to safe-guard her own self-respect as to spare Hugh's feelings.
"Caitlin, I would like you to have this length of topaz velvet. It would suit your coloring perfectly, and we still have a few days, can make it into a dazzling Christmas gown. No, lass, do not thank me, not until you've heard the bad news, too. You know that Rhys Wyndod has stayed over for the festivities.
Goronwy will be coming back, as will Dai, and the Abbot of Aberconwy is expected, and so is Brother Gwilym and Tudur's son and numerous others . . .
including Davydd and Elizabeth."
Caitlin's fingers froze upon the velvet folds, then clenched into a small fist. "I suppose I ought not to be surprised," she said, "for he delights in thrusting himself into places where he is not wanted."
"In truth," Ellen admitted, "I am no longer sure that is so. Llewelyn was rather vague about it, which leads me to wonder if this invitation might not be his doing. I doubt that there could ever be a true reconciliation between them, but having said that, I do sense something different when I see them together. I cannot pretend that I'd understand or approve if Llewelyn did choose to make peace with Davydd, but I would accept it, Caitlin, for his sake."
Caitlin knew what was being asked, ever so subtly, without the risk of words, and she felt a flicker of envy, wishing she had just a portion of Ellen's tact. "So would I, Aunt Ellen," she said quietly, "so would I."
Just then, the door swung open, letting in a rush of frigid air. "K is only me," Juliana said cheerfully. "But Eluned is on her way up, too. She wants you to meet her brother, Ellen."
Eluned's brother was living, breathing proof that her beauty was no fluke, for
Hywel ab lago was handsome enough to turn most female heads, and Ellen, Juliana, and Caitlin all eyed him appreciatively & Eluned made the introductions. But his polished courtesy was devoid of charm, for it was devoid of warmth, and he cut short the amenities with the brusque assurance of a man accustomed to getting his own way. "I am here, Madame," he said, "to take my sister home."

427
Ellen was surprised, for Hugh had said nothing to her of these plans. But she was heartily in favor of a Christmas visit to Eluned's fatuity' hoping this was an indication that they were finally thawing toward Hugh. "By all means,"
she said, and smiled at Eluned. "Take as much time as you like. Shall you be leaving as soon as Hugh gets back from Beddgelert?"
Although the question was directed at Eluned, it was her brother v^ho answered. "You do not seem to understand, Madame. Eluned will not be returning. This marriage of hers was a great mistake. My sister sees that now, and she wants to end it."
Ellen stared at them. "Eluned, I fear you have been misled. The process of dissolving a marriage is very lengthy, very expensive, and such pleas are rarely granted. The Church will not end a marriage. It will declare one void from the outset, but only if there existed a prior plight troth, kinship within the fourth degree, or the sort of spiritual consanguinity that results from acting as godparent. Eluned, you can claim none of those impediments, so how can you hope to end the marriage?"
Hywel did not interrupt, heard Ellen out, but with obvious impatience. As soon as she was done, he said, "You are not one of us, Madame, so it is to be expected that you'd be ignorant of our ways. Whether the Church agrees or not is immaterial, for Welsh law provides a number of grounds for dissolving a marriage, one of which is mutual assent of the husband and wife. If the
Englishman is as chivalrous as he would have us believe, he will do the decent thing, let my sister go."
"I think you are the one who should go," Ellen said icily. "So far you've done all the talking. Now I would hear Eluned speak for herself. You may wait in the great hall whilst we talk."
Hywel was furious, but he was not so foolhardy as to defy his Prince's wife.
As soon as he had gone, Ellen swung about toward Caitlin. "What he said of
Welsh law ... is it true?"
"Yes," Caitlin said, "it is. A wife can divorce her husband if he brings his harlot under their roof, if he is incapable in bed, is stricken with leprosy, or ... Well, this is not the time for a lesson in Welsh law. But Eluned is quite within her rights as a Welshwoman in seeking to end her marriage."
"I see," Ellen said grimly. "But is this what you truly want, Eluned? I know your family opposed this match. If they have put pressure upon you to disavow
Hugh, you need only say so."
Eluned had yet to meet Ellen's gaze. But now silky, sable lashes fluttered upward, revealing eyes of a remarkable lavender-blue. "It is n°t like that, my lady. Hywel and my other brothers have always been Protective of me, for I was the youngest and the only lass . . . like you. But they want only what is best for me. I ought to have heeded them

428
T '
429
when they warned me that it was folly to wed an Englishman," she said, quite ingenuously, for her insults were always unintentional "Once I abandoned the pretense, admitted how miserable I was in this marriage, Hywel came to fetch me home."
"I thought you loved Hugh." This from Juliana, who could no longer hold her indignation in check.
"I thought I did," Eluned said simply.
"Eluned, listen to me." Ellen often found herself talking to the girl in the overly patient tones one would use with a child, but now she was hard put to keep her anger from surfacing. "You have only been wed a brief while, little more than a year"
"Seventeen months, my lady."
"Seventeen months, then. But that is not very long, not in the life of a marriage. If you and Hugh commit yourselves anew to each other, I am sure you can find contentment together. Wait a while, do not do anything rash."
"Wait till what, my lady? Till I get with child?"
"I think Eluned is right," Caitlin said suddenly, ignoring the withering, warning look Ellen shot her way. "Marriage is a sacred trust to us, too, Aunt
Ellen. We take it no less seriously than do other Christians. But we understand that men and women are flawed, often impetuous, not always steadfast. We can make mistakes, our needs can change. Why yoke a couple for life if they'd both rather be free of each other? No sensible person would drink from a salted well, but a marriage gone sour is just as poisoned, and our laws merely recognize the reality of that. In truth, I could never see the logic in the Church's insistence that marriage must last from the altar to the grave. Why is it that there is forgiveness for sins, but not for mistakes?"
Eluned was favoring Caitlin with a dazzling smile, grateful to have an advocate who could plead her case so persuasively. Ellen was considerably less pleased with Caitlin, but her niece met her eyes with studied innocence.
Turning back to Eluned, Ellen said abruptly, "And what of Hugh? Does he, too, want to end your marriage?"
Eluned shook her head. "No ... he is being very stubborn, very English, with his talk of duty and honor and binding vows. I've tried to make him understand, my lady, truly I have." She sighed, looking/ for that moment, quite forlorn. "I thought . . . hoped that you might talk to Hugh, my lady, make him see it is the only way. Hywel has written him a letter, and if you could give it to him . . . ?" Ellen blinked. "Hywel wrote it?"
"Well, I told him what I wanted to say. I do not know how to write myself."
Eluned was eager to be gone, uncomfortably aware of Ellen s disapproval. Not sure how to extricate herself, she looked to Caitlin for guidance, and the other girl stepped forward, saying:
"If you like, Eluned, I can help you pack?"
"Yes, please." Eluned made a hasty, graceful curtsy to Ellen, looked apologetically at the stony-faced Juliana, and then said softly, "I want Hugh to be happy, too, my lady. He is a good man, and I wish him vvell. This is for the best, you'll see."
Juliana had been seething, and as the door closed, she snatched up a cushion, flung it across the chamber. "That bitch," she said succinctly.
Ellen watched glumly as her dog pounced on the cushion, began to drag it through the floor rushes. "I suppose we ought to be thanking God that Hugh no longer loves her. It will still leave a lasting scar, though. And the blow to his pride will not be the worst of it. I think he is bound to feel a secret sense of relief, and he's sure to be guilt-stricken over it. He's likely to forgive Eluned long ere he forgives himself. . . ."
Juliana called Eluned another harsh name, rescued the cushion from Hiraeth.
Ellen sat down on the settle, beckoned the disappointed dog up into her lap.
She understood now why Llewelyn was so often at odds with the Bishops of