• Пожаловаться

Sharon Penman: Prince of Darkness

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «Sharon Penman: Prince of Darkness» весь текст электронной книги совершенно бесплатно (целиком полную версию). В некоторых случаях присутствует краткое содержание. категория: Исторический детектив / на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале. Библиотека «Либ Кат» — LibCat.ru создана для любителей полистать хорошую книжку и предлагает широкий выбор жанров:

любовные романы фантастика и фэнтези приключения детективы и триллеры эротика документальные научные юмористические анекдоты о бизнесе проза детские сказки о религиии новинки православные старинные про компьютеры программирование на английском домоводство поэзия

Выбрав категорию по душе Вы сможете найти действительно стоящие книги и насладиться погружением в мир воображения, прочувствовать переживания героев или узнать для себя что-то новое, совершить внутреннее открытие. Подробная информация для ознакомления по текущему запросу представлена ниже:

Sharon Penman Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «Prince of Darkness»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

Sharon Penman: другие книги автора


Кто написал Prince of Darkness? Узнайте фамилию, как зовут автора книги и список всех его произведений по сериям.

Prince of Darkness — читать онлайн бесплатно полную книгу (весь текст) целиком

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «Prince of Darkness», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Шрифт:

Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

“Actually,” she said, “I wanted to give them some time alone with their little one.”

“Ah… so it will be a painful parting?”

“I think so,” she said, and then amended that to “Certainly for him.”


Claudine had followed Justin to the door and was watching as he untied the cradle from their packhorse. But after a moment, she realized that the chill was not good for the baby, and she hurriedly retreated toward the hearth. Aline hiccupped, and she patted the infant gingerly on the back as she’d seen Sarra do. To her surprise, it worked and Aline burped.

Justin came in, then, with the cradle. Once it was set up, Claudine relinquished the baby and went to pour a cup of ale. Justin was leaning over the cradle, murmuring to Aline. Returning with the ale, Claudine smiled when she was close enough to catch his words. “What did you call her? Butterfly?”

“The swaddling looks like a cocoon to me.” When Claudine studied the linen bands binding the baby’s body, she saw what he meant; only Aline’s head and hands were visible. “Sarra assured me that it is necessary to keep her warm and make sure her limbs develop properly. She says an infant’s body is so soft and pliable that it needs special support, and I daresay she is right, but it does not look comfortable, does it?”

“This is the way it is always done, Justin.” Reaching over to straighten the pannus, the cloth covering Aline’s loins, Claudine wrinkled her nose. “Not again!”

“She does leak a lot,” Justin agreed, grinning, and went rooting for a dry cloth in Aline’s coffer. Neither one had fully mastered the skill of diapering a baby yet, but between the two of them, they managed to get Aline into a clean one. Claudine retrieved her ale cup while he continued to play with their daughter. She watched him for a few moments before saying,

“Justin… I have a favor to ask of you.”

He glanced up, and although he smiled, she thought he looked faintly wary, too. “It may be months before the queen and King Richard return from Germany. Since I need not be in attendance upon the queen, I have decided to pay a visit to my family, first to my cousin Petronillla in Paris and then home to Poitou. Will you escort me to Southampton?”

“Of course I will,” Justin said, doing his best to conceal his relief that she had not asked him to accompany her to France. If she had, he’d have felt honor-bound to accept. His own mother had died giving him birth, and the midwife had told him that Claudine had come fearfully close to trading her life for Aline’s. Had he ever loved Claudine? He remembered how much it had hurt to discover that she was John’s spy, and how troubling it had been to discover, too, that he could still desire a woman he could not trust. When she’d told him that she was pregnant, a very ugly suspicion had surfaced; had she been John’s concubine as well as his spy?

Claudine was a distant kinswoman of Queen Eleanor, and ostensibly this was why the queen had been so willing to help with Claudine’s pregnancy. Or was it that she’d wondered if Claudine could be carrying her grandchild? Justin had never discussed this with the queen. He’d had difficulty even admitting the suspicion to himself. He had no proof, after all, that Claudine had ever lain with John, much less that she’d been sharing his bed when Aline was conceived. The doubts had remained, though-until the first time he’d held Aline in his arms. But if he’d given his heart utterly and willingly to his baby daughter, it was far more complicated with Claudine.

“Justin…?” She was watching him intently. “What is it? Your words do not match your face. Surely it is not too much to ask?”

“Not at all! I’ll gladly take you to Southampton, Claudine.”

“I’d ask you to come with me to France, but I dare not-you understand.”

He did. She could hardly invite him to meet her family. How would she introduce him? As her lower-class lover? She was the daughter of one highborn baron, widow of another, and he was the bastard son of a bishop. Her father was not likely to be impressed that he was also the queen’s man. They were the queen’s kindred.

Claudine had wandered to the door. Opening it a crack, she turned to face Justin with a radiant, relieved smile. “Sarra and her husband are coming back, with a flock of children trailing after them. We ought to leave whilst there is still daylight, Justin.”

“I suppose.” As he reached over to make sure Aline’s blankets were securely tucked around her, she opened her eyes. They’d been blue at birth, but they’d been darkening daily, and Sarra had told him that they might eventually become as brown as Claudine’s. When he touched her hand, her tiny fingers clamped on to his thumb. “I have to go, Butterfly,” he said softly. “But I’ll be back.”


Winchester was on the Southampton road, and Justin suggested that they stop there for the night in order to visit with his friend, Luke de Marston, the shire’s under-sheriff. Claudine had met Luke during one of his London trips and they’d gotten along very well, so she was amenable to the idea. Reaching the city at dusk, they were made welcome by Luke and the woman he loved, Aldith. But within an hour of their arrival, Claudine sensed that they were sharing their cottage with trouble. It lurked in the corners, flitted about in the shadows, hovered in the air, and she was worldly enough to recognize that this was the age-old war that men and women had been fighting since God breathed life into Adam’s rib.

Justin was not oblivious to the tension, either. He caught the oblique glances that Aldith cast in Luke’s direction when he wasn’t looking. He felt the heaviness of the silences between them. He noticed how often Luke reached for the wine flagon. He noticed, too, how uncomfortable Aldith seemed in Claudine’s presence; Aldith usually made other women feel uncomfortable. But she knew Claudine was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of England while she was a poor potter’s daughter of dubious reputation. Her unease told Justin that she’d learned Luke was under pressure to end their liaison, and he was sorry, for Aldith was his friend, the most seductive, shapely of friends, but a friend, nonetheless.

The only one who was enjoying the stay in Winchester was Justin’s dog, Shadow, for he was utterly and enthusiastically smitten with Jezebel, Aldith’s mastiff. Rescued by Justin from drowning in the River Fleet, Shadow had finally grown into his long, rangy frame, but he was still dwarfed by the enormous mastiff, who was not receptive to his wooing. He continued his high-risk courtship, though, until a snarl and yelp told them that Jezebel’s latest rebuff had drawn blood.

“Poor sap,” Luke said unsympathetically. “I have to make one last sweep of the town tonight. Come with me, de Quincy, and we’d best bring your besotted hound with us ere Jezebel bites him where it will hurt the most.”

Claudine and Aldith shared a common expression for a moment, one of dismay at the prospect of being left alone together. Justin snatched up his mantle, hoping he did not appear too eager to escape the stifling atmosphere of the cottage, and he and Shadow followed the under-sheriff out into the night.


They ended up in a tavern on Calpe Street. As usual, Luke insisted upon being the one to order a flagon of heavily spiced red wine. An under-sheriff could run up charges indefinitely, for no alehouse or tavern owner would be foolish enough to push for payment. Justin coaxed Shadow under the table where he’d be in no danger of being stepped on and then apologized for showing up at Luke’s door with no warning.

Читать дальше

Шрифт:

Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «Prince of Darkness»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «Prince of Darkness» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё не прочитанные произведения.


Sharon Penman: El hombre de la reina
El hombre de la reina
Sharon Penman
Sharon Penman: Time and Chance
Time and Chance
Sharon Penman
Sharon Penman: Devil's brood
Devil's brood
Sharon Penman
Sharon Penman: The Queen Man
The Queen Man
Sharon Penman
Sharon Penman: Cruel As the Grave
Cruel As the Grave
Sharon Penman
Sharon Penman: Dragon's lair
Dragon's lair
Sharon Penman
Отзывы о книге «Prince of Darkness»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «Prince of Darkness» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.