Epilogue

The King's Court at Westminster

April, 1194

“I wish we hadn't come. What if he recognizes me? This may prove to be a terrible mistake.”

Sebastian reached down and took his wife's hand in his as they entered the great reception hall of the royal castle in London. Usually unflappable and composed, Gillianne was trembling. “Don't be worried, my love. It's been nearly two years since those handful of days in Palestine. Much about you has changed, save your stunning beauty.”

Gillianne smiled at his praise, her pale ivory cheeks flushing as pink as the brow of the sleeping babe she cradled in her arms. She had borne Sebastian a son just two months ago, and motherhood suited her well. While her tan had faded along with her accent since she had been living at Montborne, there were certain aspects of her life before that she had maintained.

She was still every bit as fierce and stubborn as the tigress that had so captivated Sebastian, always ready to debate with him about philosophy and faith and the finer points of shatranj . She had fire and wit in equal measure to her beauty, and Sebastian never tired of the pleasure of her company. She charmed and fascinated him, and he was the proudest man in the room to have her on his arm.

“Relax, my love,” he whispered beside her ear. “Now that Richard is returned to England, he will expect to meet the lovely lady I wed while he was indisposed.”

Indisposed was something of an understatement. Richard had been waylaid by his enemies on his return from the Holy Land, abducted and held for ransom in Austria for these past two years. His ransom had been steep, paid in part by taxes and levies, and a rather sizable donation from the Earl of Montborne in exchange for license to marry a beautiful but dowerless orphan he had fallen quite in love with on his return from Crusade.

Sebastian's brother, Griffin, and his wife, Isabel, along with their growing brood, had accompanied Gillianne and him from Montborne to bestow their praises on the king and renew their pledges of support. Together the group of them took their places in queue to await their approach to the dais where Richard and his venerable mother, Queen Eleanor, sat greeting their subjects.

The court was full to bursting with nobles and courtiers, but one gaze reached Sebastian's through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. It belonged to Sir Cabal, the knight Sebastian could no longer think of as Blackheart, his formidable nom de guerre . The two men exchanged glances, and Sebastian gave him a knowing nod.

The dark knight returned the gesture, but then his attention was snagged by a lovely blond lady who stood at his side, her belly big with child. She clung to his arm the way Gillianne clung to Sebastian's, her gaze as loving and warm as that which Sebastian enjoyed each time his wife looked upon him.

Curious, Sebastian leaned over to his brother. “Who is that woman there with Sir Cabal?”

Griff lifted his head and peered discreetly in that direction. “Ah, that is Emmalyn of Fallonmour.”

“Fallonmour?” Sebastian asked, taken aback as he looked again at the love shared between them. “The earl's widow?”

Griffin's lady wife spoke up in answer. “Garrett's widow,” Isabel confirmed, smiling, “but more recently, Sir Cabal's bride.”

Before Sebastian could express his astonishment, he and Gillianne were escorted to stand before the king. He bowed low; beside him, Gillianne dipped into a deep curtsy. “We thank God you are back, sire. Your country has missed you.”

“Rise, rise,” said the king. “Let me have a look at you, and this lovely treasure which I understand you found en route from the Holy Land.”

“My lord,” said Sebastian, helping Gillianne up when she was slow to stand. “It is my honor and my great pleasure to introduce my bride, Lady Gillianne of Montborne.”

The king's grunt of acknowledgment seemed more a leonine purr of appreciation. “Well met, my lady,” he said, his blue eyes glittering with unsuspecting interest. To Sebastian he said, “Your wife pretties up this court like a gem, Montborne. I do hope you will bring her here often.”

Sebastian cleared his throat and pulled Gillianne a little closer to him. “All due respect, my lord, but Gillianne is a treasure I intend to hoard selfishly for all my days.”

He looked at her and she smiled, and the king and queen and the throng of hundreds in the room faded away to nothing, as was always the case whenever Sebastian was looking into his lady love's eyes.

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Black Lion’s Bride - Behind the Story

Author’s Note

(from the original 2002 print edition of the novel)

What would you think of a book set in the Holy Land during the crusades, where the heroine is a Syrian assassin sent to kill the king of England, unless the hero can stop her?

That's what I asked my editor, as I pitched my story idea to her at the 2000 RWA National conference.

“I love it,” she said. “It sounds like a fun book to write.”

And it was . . . until the unimaginable happened on September 11, 2001.

I was putting the finishing touches on the manuscript when a friend called to tell me to turn on the TV. Like everyone else who sat in their living rooms or at work, transfixed in horror, I could not believe what I was seeing. Some days, I still can't believe the attacks actually happened. But they did, and while we will rise above our sorrow and fear, we will, as a nation and as individuals, be forever changed. It is my hope that we will emerge a stronger, more unified community, and that peace can still, one day, be ours.

I'm a hopeful romantic; I have to believe and trust wholeheartedly that love truly does have the power to conquer all. That message is at the core of all romantic fiction, and is a large part of what I find so appealing about it, as both a reader and a writer.

With regard to Sebastian of Montborne and his assassin bride, I hope you enjoy their love story in the spirit in which it was intended. I would like to share with you some of the interesting things I discovered in my research for this book, many of which found their way into the story.

The mysterious clan of the Assassins did, in fact, exist. A radical Ismaili sect, they first gained notoriety among the crusading Christians with the murder of King Richard's sometime ally, Conrad of Montferrat. Their leader at that time was Rashid al-Din Sinan, a reclusive man of great power, who commanded his agents from a mountain fortress called Masyaf. It was said that Sinan's grasp on his followers was so strong, men would willingly fling themselves to their deaths off the ramparts of the castle upon his command.

Some early scholars believed that The Old Man of The Mountain bewitched his agents with hallucinogenic drugs, such as hashish, from which the name “assassin” is purportedly derived. This hypothesis has earned its share of doubt, skepticism I tend to share. The Ismaili doctrine is essentially one of authoritarianism; to the believer, there is no individual right of choice. He must follow the teachings of his leaders without argument or sway. It is not so hard to imagine—particularly today—that Sinan's followers, steeped in the fanaticism of his preaching, would be perfectly willing and able to carry out their covert, and often prolonged, missions without the aid (or the potential hindrance) of mind-altering drugs.

While the Assassins generally targeted non-Christians, they did occasionally reach beyond their established enemies, as evidenced by the alleged revenge-based murder of Conrad of Montferrat, then King of Jerusalem. Historical sources have never confirmed that Richard the Lionheart was ever in danger from Sinan's agents, but there were rumors of animosity, and I have taken the liberty in this novel of saying, “What if . . . “

I was very impressed, and quite often surprised, to find that the Arab nations of the twelfth century enjoyed many technological advances over their English counterparts—things like plumbing, irrigation, architectural advances, and an appreciation for intellectual pursuits. Perhaps you recognized the ancient Arabic game that Sebastian and Zahirah played in this book. The strategy game of shatranj is better known by its popular European incarnation, chess. It is believed that the checkered game board and miniature warrior pieces were first brought to England and France by the soldiers in the Third Crusade—as I am sure Sebastian and Gillianne would have done upon their return to Montborne. Chess became a popular form of entertainment in the Middle Ages, enjoyed by both men and women of the noble classes. The pieces underwent some changes from the original Arabic version, making it more Anglicized and giving certain pieces more freedom and power.

The most significant changes were the addition of the Queen and Bishop, replacing the Arabic Firz (prime minister) and the Alil (elephant), respectively. For the sake of simplicity and reader understanding, I used the more widely recognized European pieces in my story. I also changed the game board from its Arabic red-and-black squares to the black-and-white battlefield you see in chess today. One other interesting bit of trivia: Shah mat , the Arabic declaration of victory in shatranj eventually became the more English, if less relevant, “check mate” we still use after the execution of the winning move today.

I hope you enjoyed this book, as I hope you will enjoy all the rest still to come.

Tina St. John

May 2002

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PLEASE HELP WITH A REVIEW

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Thank you for reading Black Lion’s Bride . I hope you enjoyed it!

While most readers know me best as the author of the Midnight Breed series—dark, sexy contemporary vampire novels with a gritty, urban fantasy edge—I actually got my start as a published author writing medieval romances. Years before Lucan, Dante, Tegan and the rest of the Order’s warriors first stormed into my imagination with fangs bared and guns blazing, there was Gunnar and Cabal, Griffin, Braedon and a few more dark knights in not-so-shiny armor who’d leapt from my keyboard and into my heart.

The book you’ve just read, Black Lion’s Bride , satisfied my creative itch to write a medieval romance set somewhere more exotic than the usual locations of England or Scotland. What could be more enchanting than an Arabian Nights-inspired romance between a deadly seductress from a faraway land and a courageous, noble warrior pledged in service to King Richard the Lionheart? It was fascinating to learn about the Middle East during the time of the Third Crusade. Little did I know that my research and the writing of this book was taking place just months before the September 11 attacks on the United States. Nevertheless, it remains a very special story to me, and I hope you enjoyed the romance and intrigue between the Black Lion, Sebastian of Montborne, and his beautiful enemy bride.

All of my books, no matter their settings or time periods, feature strong alpha heroes who are dark and dangerous on the outside, but loyal and true when it comes to the woman who eventually scales his forbidding emotional walls and conquers his heart. I’m excited to bring you these long out of print titles from my backlist, and I can’t wait to introduce you to all of the other new characters and stories still to come in my future releases.

If you liked this book—or any of my other titles—please consider posting a review, even if it’s just a line or two. I value your time, and I appreciate your feedback and support.

If you liked this story, you might like some of my other books too. You can join my mailing list by dropping by my website ( www.LaraAdrian.com ) or if you have any comments, drop me a line at ( [email protected] ). I am always happy to hear from my readers! 3

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