It was his turn to lower his voice, and he bowed his head to whisper in her ear. ‘Why are you so concerned, Alice?’
She darted her eyes around—perhaps, as he had, to see if anyone was listening.
‘Concerned? I’m merely pointing out the facts. Isn’t that what you did with me? I see no point to this conversation.’
Crisp and direct, with no hint of unease. Perhaps he had imagined her unease. If so, whatwashis point in talking with her?
Because a king demanded it. But a monarch didn’t require him to notice the light flashing in her eyes. To see some glimmer of the Alice he’d used to know. Not the one who held court in her sister’s house or garnered the attention of a king.
He wasn’t here to feel the knife-tip of jealousy either. He only needed to find useful information for the King. It clearly couldn’t be the true owner of the Seal. So he needed to provide something else to appease his silver-hungry sovereign.
While he was here he’d do what he was good at: spy.
Raising his voice just enough to be overhead, and to plant the seeds so he could report half-truths to the King, he said, ‘Tell me—how is your family business? Is it as profitable after the heavy rains that have occurred over the last year?’
Alice frowned, her eyes casually sweeping over the dinner company. She’d always been clever, and probably didn’t want this conversation overhead.
‘As well as ever, I assure you.’
Now he needed to solidify for her the fact that someone around this table was desperate enough to be a traitor. ‘That is good to hear. I’ve heard there are many who have suffered, and have become almost desperate to do anything to make ends meet.’
She nodded, as if in concern, but her grey eyes spoke only of retribution. If they’d been alone, other words would have been exchanged.Thiswas the Alice he remembered—the one who fought for causes. Who righted wrongs.
But what or whose cause was she fighting for? Other families’ or her own? He gave no regard to the King’s request for him to find the spy who bore the Seal; he gave even less in watching the Fenton family, since it never did his soul any good to torture himself with Alice’s presence. But therehadbeen rains here, and he knew at least one family around this table had suffered. When he returned to Court without the Seal, perhaps his king would be satisfied with information.
‘Yes, the weather has been hard on most families,’ she said. ‘It is good that those in Swaffham stand together as an industry.’
This would be of interest to the King, whose need for coin almost outpaced his need for power. ‘Work together? Doesn’t it help that your family owns most of the lands and almost all of the sheep?’
‘Having sheep and land is useless without someone to spin the wool and put it through a loom.’
But working together was something different. He was here to pretend, to find information for his King, but what she said interested him, too. What changes had taken place here since he left?
‘Lamb could be used for many purposes, but the spinners and weavers have no other purpose.’
‘Only those who have been gone too long would have such a view.’
‘Or those not born here?’ he said, and almost bit his tongue. This wasn’t abouthim.
‘I never thought that mattered,’ she answered softly, for his ears only.
Fool.He didn’t need her words—didn’t need confirmation or reminders of his past or hers. Talking of his belonging to this town wasn’t the way the conversation should be going.
He kept quiet and watched her lift her goblet and take a sip. The rose of the wine coloured her full bottom lip until she licked the drop there.
Despite his knowing better, his body reacted.
He lowered his head, perhaps to exchange further words for her ears alone, perhaps to kiss her. When it came to Alice, he constantly fought the battle in him to stay away.
Her eyes widened taking in his response, his closeness. Suddenly bitterness scraped across his heart. He’d seen women do such things at Court. Alice must have picked up the habit there.
He straightened. ‘No, apparently not. John wasn’t born in Swaffham, and yet he’s now Mayor. Of course heismarried to your sister. Very convenient for your father.’
She shifted her seat. ‘My father stepped down as mayor.’
‘Recently?’ He raised a brow. ‘During the rains, perhaps?’
‘He is older now, and too tired to work. The council voted for John.’
