The Fifth Kingdom by Jane Frances Amler

Author:Jane Frances Amler [Amler, Jane Frances]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781462052981
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 1969-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Juan Sanchez de Sevilla was riding a pure white stallion through the verdant hills of Andalusia. The rolling land was dotted with olive trees, and the peasants, their heads wrapped in colorful scarves, brushing the smooth green fruit with long wooden paddles, bowed to him as he passed; for though they did not know who he was, they recognized the dress of a rich cavalier and all admired the magnificent animal that carried him. He had been traveling for several weeks and was looking forward to his return to his villa in Ciudad Real, where he often entertained the wealthiest Castilian families. His mind had been spinning visions of the beautiful Inés Lucena. With her raven hair, soft gray eyes and lips so red against her white skin, she was the most exquisite woman Juan had ever seen. Her father was a wealthy printer, and Juan felt he had finally found his perfect match, except for the one serious flaw-her father was a new Christian. Since the Jews had been exiled from Seville and Córdoba, the Inquisition was intent on rooting out the secret Jews, heretics hiding under the protection of the Church. Would it be wise to marry a girl whose family could come under investigation within the next few months? Not that he had anything to fear, for it was well known that Juan Sanchez de Sevilla had been high treasurer to King Enríque III, Isabella’s grandfather. What had been lost, long ago, was the fact that Isaac’s grandfather had fled Castile in order to revert to Judaism, a heretical act. Although Juan felt safe from the madness which was sweeping across the land, to marry a new Christian was something to seriously consider. It was clear that Señor Lucena was anxious for the match, and Inés encouraged his courtship, for what beauty in Andalusia did not dream about the rich and handsome Juan Sanchez de Sevilla?

As he rounded the bend in the road, his heart stopped short at the sight of the red glow that spread before him. His first thought was that a fire was rolling across the hills, but then the vision of thousands of fire red poppies, poppies as far as the eye could see, caught his breath. He turned his horse off the road and wandered through the natural garden. It was as if God, like a painter gone wild, had suddenly splashed this valley with the color of passion. The color was so vibrant that it beckoned Juan off his horse to touch the petals, soft as velvet, almost too delicate for such vivid color. Juan sat down and opened his leather pouch to lunch on some ham, olives, and rich red wine. The sun beating down on the field made him feel drowsy. He threw himself back against the flowers and drifted into a trance-like sleep. Inés appeared before him, her full red lips, the color of the poppies slightly parted, calling to him. The flowers rustled in the soft afternoon breeze, and though Juan tried to rouse himself, he seemed locked in a drugged-like trance.

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