Lionheart A Novel - By Sharon Kay Penman Page 0,133

was not sure that she’d want to say no. Shocked by her own thoughts, she forced herself to wrench her gaze away from his. Because of her discussions with Joanna, she no longer worried that she’d be imperiling her soul by finding pleasure in her husband’s embrace. But she knew that what she was contemplating now was most definitely a sin.

He still held her hand and she found herself staring at their entwined fingers, imaging his clasped around a sword hilt. What he’d done this day was both exhilarating and terrifying. As much as she’d feared for his life, she’d been thrilled, too, for would Almighty God have blessed him with such lethal skills if he were not destined to be the savior of Jerusalem?

“I am truly sorry that you both had to endure so much,” he said, glancing from one woman to the other. “But I promise you that you’ll never face danger like this again.”

While Joanna did not doubt his sincerity, that was not a promise he could keep. Not even Richard could exert royal control over the forces of nature, over another Good Friday storm or a plague stalking the siege camp at Acre. She would never point that out to him, though, and said lightly, “As long as you keep riding to our rescue in the nick of time, we will have no complaints.”

Spying a flagon of wine, Richard strode over and poured wine for them. “My little sister is too modest,” he said to Berengaria. “I’d wager that she’d have been more than a match for Isaac. For certes, she had Stephen de Turnham quaking in his boots.” Seeing her lack of comprehension, he grinned. “Ah, she did not tell you about that?”

Returning with the wine, he took obvious pride in relating Joanna’s ultimatum to Stephen. He brushed aside their questions about the fight on the beach, insisting that it was more of a brawl than a genuine battle, an argument that would have been more persuasive had they not been eyewitnesses. He told them that Philippe had safely arrived in Outremer, for they’d encountered a dromon from Acre after they’d left Rhodes, and he expressed concern that the city might fall ere he reached the siege, saying, “God forbid that Acre should be won in my absence, for it has been besieged for so long, and the triumph, God willing, will be so glorious.” And when they asked him why only part of the fleet was with him, he said he’d sailed against the wind after hearing that a large buss had been spotted off the coast of Cyprus, revealing how seriously he’d taken the threat posed by Isaac Comnenus. But he asked few questions about their own ordeal. They were glad of it, though, not wanting to add to his burdens.

When he suddenly rose and bade them good night, they were caught by surprise. Joanna protested, sure that he’d not had a proper meal all day, and he allowed that was true. “But I cannot spare the time. My scouts told me that Isaac has committed yet another astonishing blunder and his army is camped just a few miles to the west of Limassol. The fool thinks he is safe there, for he also thinks that we have no horses. So I plan to unload some of them tonight and pay him a visit on the morrow.”

Leaning over, he dropped a playful kiss on the top of Joanna’s head, then pulled Berengaria to her feet. But while his mouth was warm on hers and he took care to not to embrace her too tightly, murmuring he did not want her to be scratched by his hauberk, she sensed his distraction; his mind was already upon that moonlit beach and the surprise he had in store for the Cypriot emperor.

And then he was gone, as quickly as he’d come, leaving the two women to look at each other in bemusement. Berengaria wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed; some of both, she decided. “I know,” she told Joanna, with a rueful smile of her own. “I know . . . hold tight and enjoy the ride.”

UNDER RICHARD’S SUPERVISION, fifty horses were unloaded from a tarida and exercised upon the beach to ease their stiffness and cramped muscles. He then returned to the army camp they’d pitched on the outskirts of Limassol and got a few hours’ sleep. Early the next morning, he inspected their defenses, wanting to make sure that they were safe