Free The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux Page A

wire. There are to be lions—a lion and his lioness, and there are to be scenes in the manner of lions hunting together, at the kill . . ." Ranulf stopped, feeling embarrassment before this solemn little man.
    "I understand. Now what of colors?"
    "The male lion is to be enameled in the blackest of black and in the gold eye is to be a black pearl. The lioness ..." Ranulf closed his eyes for a second in delicious memory. "The lioness is to be the true tawny gold of a lioness, and the eye is to be set with an emerald." Ranulf paused, remembering Lyonene's emerald eyes. "It is to be links, each link containing a scene, and no longer than my finger to the first joint, no wider than my thumb. Can you do such delicate work?"
    "If I am paid enough gold, I can do anything."
    Ranulf stiffened. "There will be gold aplenty."
    "What size is the lady? How many links?"
    Ranulf was puzzled. He held up his hands, forming a circle. "I can span her waist with my hands."
    The jeweler made some mental notes. "Ten and five lengths. Now the clasp. Of what is it to be made?"
    Ranulf considered for a moment. "A black pearl and an emerald." They talked for a few moments of price and set a date to have the completed piece. He returned to the inn satisfied. Geoffrey had spent the day in a more leisurely fashion and was now ready to leave. The two brothers prepared to leave. Geoffrey parted from his brother to return to his duties as squire to Sir Tompkin.

    * * *
It took two long, groeling days to reach M alvoisin, and Ranulf again marveled at the even, gray stone walls as they towered before him. He and his men made their way through the west barbican into the outer bailey amid cheers and hallos from the many castlefolk. They dismounted as they entered the maze wall that protected the private inner bailey. His steward, chief falconer, mas ter cook and head stableman lived with their families in the apartments in the quiet inner bailey.
    The Black Guard went to their own abode while Ranulf made his way to Black Hall.
    For the entire time he was at M alvoisin it rained, and although he judged many cases in the hundred court, too often the people could not venture out in the deep mud. .
    The rain kept him inside the stone walls of Black Hall. A few times he had joined his men, but they had their own women and were content. He was anxious, and the constant pounding of the rain made him more so.
    He sat before the fire, another cup of strong wine in his hand. The house was silent, for it was late and the servants abed. He tried to remember the two days he had spent at Lorancourt but could not grasp a clear picture. Too long he had had no reason for laughter, too many years he had been haunted by the words of a dying woman.
    A flash of lightning lit the room briefly. It had been raining that night, too. She, the -woman who was called his wife, had come home late,- the little three-year-old Leah, her daughter, trying hard to keep pace with her mother.
    He had been married to her for three years and had never once bedded her. At first he had been awed by her, green young boy that he was and she years older. She'd laughed and said Ranulf might love her when he was worthy of her, when he had become the strongest knight in all of England.
    M en thought he trained now, but in those days he had rarely slept or eaten, so determined was he to please his wife. He had not protested when he knew a child was to be born, and later the little girl had been a joy to him, a balm against his evil, adulterous wife.
    By the time he realized she slept with other men—many other men—he was too attached to Leah to think of sending the child's mother away.
    Ranulf stood and walked closer to the fire, his head on his hands against the stone mantel. He had not thought 55

    she hated him enough to kill the little giri he'd grown to love.
    When they'd returned home on that wet night, there had been a triumphant look on Isabel's face as she'd watched Ranulf lift the shivering child.