White Boar and the Red Dragon, The Read Online Free Page A

can.’
    ‘I will, I will! Let’s start right now!’
    Richard heaved himself off the bed and hobbled slowly and painfully around the room, leaning on Anne and Francis for support. The effort made him grimace with pain, but he kept at it.
    And he went on working at his exercises, grimly determined to show everybody—especially his mother—that he would never be a cripple. Anne, Francis, or Robert came each day to help him, and he improved quickly—until the day came when he was allowed to leave his room and climb down the steep steps into the Solar, or the Great Hall, even to go out for short walks in the autumn sunshine.
    One day, early in December, when the weather was too bitterly cold to venture outdoors, he was sitting on a wooden settle in the Solar by a roaring log fire, feeling rather depressed because he could not go out. He hated being shut indoors, even in winter. Also, Lord Neville, Lady Ann, his wife, Francis and Robert, and Isobel, Anne’s elder sister, had set off a week ago for Warwick Castle, the earl’s most important residence, where he would hold Christmas Court for Edward the King and numerous relatives, friends, and foreign dignitaries. There was much to prepare for in advance at the great castle for the Christmas celebrations. The weather had been dreadful when they left, with intermittent snow and freezing fog, and it would take twice as long in such weather to complete the journey. So he had been left alone, apart from the Duchess Cecily, Anne, and just a few servants, as most of the household had accompanied Lord Neville, with many carts full of stores, furniture, bedding and other articles the Earl considered essential to take with them to Warwick Castle for his stay there with his family for Christmas and New Year. With so many guests to accommodate, they would need them all.
    But Anne had insisted on staying. Dear Anne. If it hadn’t been for her constant companionship and care over these last few difficult months, cheering and encouraging him with the exercises, and when the pain became too much, forcing him to continue anyway, he knew he would not have got better so quickly, in spite of her telling him it was his own determination which had done it, for her insistence that he kept to the regular exercises and massage had worked! He was almost back to normal, except for a little weakness still on the side which had been paralysed. This made him limp a bit at times, when he was tired; that was all. Anne had been an excellent nurse, though still so young! He was very grateful to her.
    She had refused outright to go to Warwick Castle yet with her parents and the others, insisting that Richard needed her so much she must stay with him. She knew he would only have his austere mother and the selfish George for company otherwise—if they chose to give it at all, that is.
    ‘Richard! Tomorrow you will accompany George and I to Warwick Castle! The Lady Anne will also be in my care on the journey. I do hope that Edward will definitely be able to join us for the Christmas festivities. We have not seen him for so long. But of course, he may be called away any time to deal with yet another Lancastrian uprising somewhere! Who knows?’
    Duchess Cecily was standing by his side, making one of her rare appearances. These days, she seemed to spend most of her time in prayer and had expressed an interest in following the Benedictine Rule. Somehow, Richard could not see her as a nun. She was too self-willed, too self-opinionated. Nuns were humble, self-effacing creatures, which his proud mother certainly was not!
    Richard had grown rather sullen and bitter since his long illness because of her neglect of him and made no answer.
    ‘Did you hear me, boy? Are you deaf as well as deformed? I feel you are sufficiently recovered now to make the journey, though a litter may be advisable.’
    ‘Never, Mother! I can ride! I am sure I can do that perfectly well!’ he shot out, angered by her cold words. It was as