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7b0727a Soldiers have many vices, but vanity is not amongst them. How could it be? What man is going to worry about his hair when he might lose his head? Sharon Kay Penman
ecd1f6e Statecraft and kingship were not for the faint of heart Sharon Kay Penman
c83483f Eleanor had followed Richard, marveling, as always, at the male inability to speak the language of the heart. "One day I hope to understand why men see sentiment as the ultimate enemy," she said dryly, "but I'll not be holding my breath until it happens." Sharon Kay Penman
25da8ed An intimate enemy, death, capricious and cruel, ultimately invincible. Sharon Kay Penman
b412911 What is a thing worth, if it comes with no risk? Sharon Kay Penman
1661133 He could not change his nature, could not help being cautious, deliberate, introspective, not traits to be scorned by any means, but traits that seemed dull, bland--even to him--when compared with Davydd's hell-for-leather dazzle. Sharon Kay Penman
d71c6d9 That may be infidel wisdom, but it is wisdom all the same. Sharon Kay Penman
e6c80df Henry did not lack for physical courage; his was a moral cowardice. Sharon Kay Penman
7314433 A man just realizing the fatal extent of his own folly was not likely to be all that rational. Sharon Kay Penman
5344121 There was even a small groundswell of sympathy for George, confined mainly among those who'd had no personal contact with him. Sharon Kay Penman
f687553 Mayhap not, but a king ought to be far-sighted enough to realize that if reforms are inevitable, better he be the one to carry them out. Sharon Kay Penman
7711aee And if Harry spun webs to make a spider proud, Eleanor could entangle archangels in her snares. Sharon Kay Penman
3dd8fdf Yes, but it can be no condescension for the son of a count to serve the son of a king. Sharon Kay Penman
b34a825 A man worthy of Eleanor of Aquitaine ought not to be susceptible to fluttering lashes, flattery, and bedazzled adoration. Sharon Kay Penman
e0f113f Eleanor's greatest grievance was not a simpering lass with flaxen hair and smooth skin. It was Aquitaine, always Aquitaine. Sharon Kay Penman
30b3e4b Apparently too much candour can become tedious, or so Lady Emma tells me. Sharon Kay Penman
f2a996c Here I was, rushing off to save my little brother from pirates, only to find that he fancies being a pirate himself! Sharon Kay Penman
6cd0851 A pity you were not born a woman in this life, Little King of Lesser Land, for you seek only to please and to be admired by all. Sharon Kay Penman
dafb41f He was dying as he'd lived, and that made it so much harder for those who loved him. But then she remembered what she'd been told about his father's wretched last hours. After learning that John had betrayed him, he'd turned his face to the wall and had not spoken again. Only as his fever burned higher had he cried out, "Shame upon a conquered king." An anguished epitaph for a life that had once held such bright promise. No, better that Ric.. Sharon Kay Penman
1c73b09 Brother Euddogwy did not know how to respond to that, for only the Angevins would see a rebellion as an opportunity for brotherly bonding. Sharon Kay Penman
2df4875 Sensible men were not eager to submit themselves to the Judgement of the Almighty, and a decisive battle seemed to prove that the victor had God on his side. Most people preferred not to put the Lord's Favour to such a stringent, conclusive test. Sharon Kay Penman
4c3cad4 And it is not in any of our interests to have the balance of power turned on its head like this. An overly mighty French king is no improvement over an overly mighty English one. Sharon Kay Penman
cc4493a Between the two of us, we've got a family tree rooted in Hell! Sharon Kay Penman
b42162d Yes, there were good memories, too, thirty-seven years of good and bad. Quarrels and reconciliations. Eight cradles and too many gravestones and Rosamund Clifford and power that rivalled Caesar's, an empire that stretched from the Scots border to the Mediterranean Sea. Sharon Kay Penman
9980cd3 Men always think God favors their cause. I am sure Ya'qub of Aleppo never doubted it, either. Sharon Kay Penman
a3ccd3e War was war and soldiers were the same the world over, although killing came easier to some than others. Sharon Kay Penman
50e3d90 For whatever reasons--which had never interested him in his youth but which he sometimes pondered as an adult--the Angevin House had always taken Cain and Abel as role models. Sharon Kay Penman
a65aaa9 in turn, had agreed to end the continuing Sharon Kay Penman
7b38e0c Rumors are the easiest of all crops to tend, Richard. You need only sow a few seeds about and in no time at all, you'll reap a harvest of hatred. Sharon Kay Penman
44a1fd5 Now our poor Gib never had a sense of humor to lose... Sharon Kay Penman
1f43857 Yesterday I heard some of the castle servants talking about a funeral for one of the stable lads. He went skating last week on the pond in the village, but the ice was not thick enough and he drowned. I like to skate on the ice,too, Papa, have my own pair of bone skates. I could drown crossing the Channel as Uncle Robert fears... or I could drown back in Angers, if I was unlucky like that stable lad." Geoffrey's mouth twitched. "God help me.. Sharon Kay Penman
03616e8 But such was her faith in Simon that it colored her faith in God; unable to conceive of defeat, she never doubted that the Lord, too, willed Simon to win, and falling asleep in Simon's arms, she did not dread the morrow, so secure was she in the strength of her yesterdays. Sharon Kay Penman
396983f If, like the Romans, he must make a desert and call it peace, so be it. Sharon Kay Penman
a9c03ec Edward Plantagenet is no man to hold cheaply. Far better to take him at his own inflated estimation! Sharon Kay Penman
9d567ee You asked what the Londoners wanted of you, and he...he said 'ballocks. Sharon Kay Penman
7021cbe They had gathered at Eastcheap to wait. At this time of day, the marketplace ought to have been thronged with people looking for bargains, moving from stall to stall, examining the fresh fish, choosing the plumpest hens, buying candles and pepper and needles. The stalls were open, but the fishmongers and cordwainers and butchers were doing no business, despite the growing crowd. The sun was hot, flies were thick, and the odors pungent; no o.. Sharon Kay Penman
2329a0b The scene in the great hall was a raucous one, a cheerful melange of knights, minstrels, servants, disreputable-looking women, and dogs, who were dicing, performing bawdy songs, responding to cries for wine, laughing shrilly, and barking. party Sharon Kay Penman
8c5df76 In the past few months, life had lost its sweetness and he'd lost his way. But no longer. Death was once again the enemy, his indifference and apathy drowned in a Cheshire pond. Sharon Kay Penman
60ba6f5 In my life, I've been both the besieged and the besieged, and I know damned well which I prefer! besiege besieged Sharon Kay Penman
4d3cd4b for he of all men knew how dangerously stubborn Henry Fitz Empress could be. There were faint bloodstains upon the tiles in Canterbury Cathedral testifying to that. Sharon Kay Penman
ce39113 QBLH(qabbalah) which means to receive. The Qabbalah is not handed down from generation to generation but something which requires receptivity in those who are initiated into the mysteries. Paul Foster Case
57e9e5e Engvall pulls his car into a gas station after his tire goes flat. Bill Engvall
859d36d Engvall and his wife are packing up their stuff to move, with a U-Haul sitting in their driveway. Bill Engvall
076b5ea Engvall and his buddy get off a boat with a big string of bass. Bill Engvall