The Elephants of Norwich

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‘Elephants?’ she said in astonishment. ‘You brought elephants back to England?’

‘Yes, my lady. Two of them.’

‘Where did you find them?’

‘That‘s a secret,’ said the other with a quiet smile.

‘But I thought that you were visiting your estates in Normandy.’

‘My search took me further afield.’

‘Search?’

‘For the two elephants,’ he explained. ‘When I set my heart on something, I’ll move heaven and earth until I possess it. That’s why I hunted them down with such patience. You’ll not see two such beasts in the entire kingdom. Those elephants will make a perfect wedding gift to my bride.’

Richard de Fontenel gave a confident grin. He was a big man in his forties with the build and rugged features of a soldier. Time had thickened his waist, thinned his hair and lent him a florid complexion but he could still be accounted a moderately handsome man. Ten years younger, the lady Adelaide had retained the beauty and poise that made her such a desirable prospect as a wife. The great wealth she had inherited from her late husband only served to intensify desire.

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