|
|
|
|
|
|
who cannot bear to wait but is afraid to speak. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Out on the hill," she said, answering the question in his eyes, and began to ask whether Simon wished to eat before he wentbut he was gone, and she laughed at her own silliness and opened Llewelyn's letter. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In spite of the official-looking seal, it was friendly in tone rather than imperative, and it contained some matters of considerable interest aside from the message Kicva had expected. Llewelyn had found over many years of difficult dealings with King John that the best unofficial ambassador is a woman. First of all, nine out of ten men dealing with a woman are at a grave disadvantage by thinking her stupid and of no account by nature. Then, when pleading is necessary, a woman would go down on her knees and rain tears without shame. Provided the woman was clever, she could obtain more information more quickly than most menshe would not be suspect; a man would. And most men, particularly King Henry, who had chivalric dreams, found it much harder to imprison, punish, or threaten a woman, even if she were taken as a hostage. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For many years Llewelyn had thus employed his wife Joan. Now that was impossible. What he had proposed to Kicva was to use Rhiannon instead. At first sight the idea was ludicrous. Rhiannon had no knowledge of a complex, corrupt court like that of Henry of England and had no connection with it. Joan had been King John's daughter and Henry's half-sister, but Rhiannon was no relative at all. Nor was she famous for tact or likely to become a favorite with the women of the court. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
However, when taken in context with the proposal of marriage to Simon, the idea suddenly began to look possible, even promising. Llewelyn gave Kicva a brief summary of Simon's family. Kicva knew Ian; in fact she had considered him as a father for her child before she fixed on Llewelyn. It seemed as if |
|
|
|
|
|