{"product_id":"2940013693951","title":"The Queen's Caprice","description":"The tall man stood alone under the tattered, wintry tree. A mist wrapped\u003cbr\u003ethe high-seated city between the palace in the east and the castle in the\u003cbr\u003ewest. When he moistened his lips he could taste the salted vapours which\u003cbr\u003ecame from the sea. On his frieze coat were drops of moisture, the linen\u003cbr\u003eround his neck was limp. His thoughts tormented him, like malignant\u003cbr\u003efingers plucking at his heart. He had come to this desolate place to be\u003cbr\u003eaway from the thriftless chatter of the Abbey.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut his perplexities crowded about him in the barren solitude. He stood\u003cbr\u003eso still that a hare limped through the circle of dim light which bounded\u003cbr\u003ehim, and the creature's bulging eyes fixed him for a second. He was\u003cbr\u003estartled, and forgetting how long it was since he had been a priest,\u003cbr\u003eraised his hand to make the Holy Sign. As his fingers dropped to his side\u003cbr\u003ethe hare limped away. There seemed a sigh in the thick vapours that began\u003cbr\u003eto be shot with darkness. Behind the castle, the unseen sun was\u003cbr\u003edeclining, leaving him in gloom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe thoughtful man moved slowly from under the tree. He was afraid of\u003cbr\u003edevilry, and his strong mind chafed at his fears. He longed to be free of\u003cbr\u003eall superstitions, yet he moved always warily, in terror of spells and\u003cbr\u003ethe diabolical enchantments of the unknown world that pressed so close\u003cbr\u003eabout the senses. As he went sullenly towards the Abbey, squares of\u003cbr\u003ecoloured light showed the windows. He was irritated with himself because\u003cbr\u003ehis problems were unsolved even by his intense meditation. He had\u003cbr\u003eendeavoured to understand himself, his ambition, his faith, his desires,\u003cbr\u003ehis hopes, but he had failed, because unacknowledged lusts and\u003cbr\u003etreacheries stirred and, like devils, put themselves between him and his\u003cbr\u003eearnest thoughts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne fact, splendid and hideous, stained the fabric of his fortunes. He\u003cbr\u003ewas a King's bastard, and one of noble birth, even by the unwed mother's\u003cbr\u003eside. This irony was underlined because he knew himself possessed of\u003cbr\u003eroyal qualities, and very capable of government.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs he entered the gardens, the outline of the Abbey appeared vaguely dark\u003cbr\u003eagainst the blurred light. The well-kept gardens with wattled beds,\u003cbr\u003etrellis work, summer-houses and gravel paths were neat and barren as a\u003cbr\u003eset-geometric design; the bare trees made a brittle tracery against the\u003cbr\u003evanishing fleeces of the mist, that curdled as the upper wind from Leith\u003cbr\u003edrew them away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe man paused; he was vexed by his own indecision. He wanted all that a\u003cbr\u003eviolently changed world had to offer, but, so rapid was progress, so\u003cbr\u003eeager was his desire to be in the forefront of all that was new, that he\u003cbr\u003escarcely knew what this was. He took off his hat impatiently and, twisted\u003cbr\u003eit in his hand, allowing the transient light to fall over his strong\u003cbr\u003eface, with the eyes slightly swollen from overwork, the pale, healthy\u003cbr\u003ecomplexion, the sullen lines round heavy jowl and mouth.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47069095952624,"sku":"2940013693951","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013693951_p0.jpg?v=1763597309","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013693951","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}