Lionheart A Novel - By Sharon Kay Penman Page 0,68

those who knew him well were not deceived, and the Duke of Burgundy could not resist sauntering over to make mischief. “Our king and your sister seem right taken with each other, even smitten. Passing strange, the ways of fate. Who knows, mayhap there might be a double wedding in the future, you and the Lady Alys and my cousin Philippe and the Lady Joanna.”

Richard had long borne the Duke of Burgundy a legitimate grievance, for Hugh and the Count of Toulouse had joined forces with Hal in his attempt to lay claim to Aquitaine, hastily abandoning that sinking ship once Hal had been stricken with a mortal ailment. Richard had not called the duke to account, but he rarely forgave a wrong and never forgot one. He was not about to give Hugh the satisfaction of seeing his barb had drawn blood, though, and refused to take the bait, saying only, “Passing strange, indeed. Life is filled with turns and twists and we never know what lies around the next bend in the road.” All the while thinking that Hugh would one day find an unpleasant surprise awaiting him on that road, and thinking, too, that he’d see Joanna wed to Lucifer himself ere he’d let her marry Philippe Capet.

“JOANNA, WE NEED TO TALK. I think it is only fair to tell you that under no circumstances would I consent to a union between you and the French king. The man is sly, craven, and untrustworthy—” Richard got no further, for Joanna had begun to laugh.

“Philippe and me? Good Heavens, Richard, the thought never crossed my mind!”

Richard felt a surge of relief. “I am very glad to hear that, lass! The way he was doting upon you, I half expected him to make an offer for you then and there, and I was not the only one who thought that. But if you had no interest in him, why were you encouraging his courtship?”

“I was flirting with him, Richard, not inviting him into my bed! What was I supposed to do—publicly humiliate him by rejecting his overtures? Not only would that have been the height of bad manners, it would have been foolish, too. Offending a king is never a wise move, especially when that king is supposed to be my brother’s ally.”

He looked at her in surprise, for few people dared to speak so forthrightly to him. “You are right, of course,” he conceded. “Since Philippe can vex me merely by breathing, you can imagine how much I enjoyed watching him pant over you like a lovesick calf. I’d not trust him with the lowliest of sumpter horses, much less my sister!”

“I am glad that you value me more than a sumpter horse,” she said, seeking to match his playful tone, although she’d not been misled by it. She found it troubling that he was trapped in an alliance with a man he scorned; that did not bode well for their success in the Holy Land. But there was naught she could do about it. Even if Philippe was truly smitten with her—and she very much doubted that—it would change nothing. According to Richard, their father had saved Philippe’s kingship repeatedly in the early years of his reign, protecting him from his mistakes of youth and inexperience. And yet he had turned upon Henry without hesitation when the opportunity arose, hounding him to that wretched end at Chinon. A man so utterly incapable of gratitude was not one to be swayed by lust.

“You need not worry, Richard. Philippe let his guard down this afternoon, and I daresay he is already regretting it. I am sure he quickly realized that my charms could not compensate for the misery of having you as his brother-in-law.”

Richard blinked and then it was his turn to laugh. By God, she was her mother’s daughter. “I hope you are right. It would be awkward if he actually made an offer for you. To save his pride, I’d have to tell him you were already spoken for, and then I’d need to find a husband for you in such haste that any fool with a pulse would do.”

“It is reassuring to know you’ll have my best interests at heart, Brother,” Joanna said wryly. “But I’d rather you not be in such a hurry to marry me off. I do not know what the future holds for me. I am eager to find out, though.”

“I want to talk with you about that, Joanna. It is my