‘Mitchell is looking quite handsome tonight,’ Elizabeth pointed out.
Alice forced herself to concentrate on those around her. Wearing a mask, but still recognisable, Mitchell was laughing with other merchants. There was a sense of pride about him again. She was all too happy to see it.
‘He should be looking tired,’ she said teasingly.
‘Oh, you’re not turning into a tyrant, are you? You know you are lucky Mitchell has the temperament he has. Not many men would allow such industry with a woman.’
Mitchell was gracious, but he was also desperate. She and her sisters knew they were lucky that their father cared for no industry at all. Mary most of all, because she thrived on it when she lived at home. But Elizabeth and she also had an understanding, since they’d grown up with the farms and the sheep.
Although Alice cared more for helping those less fortunate, she couldn’t help but be excited by the project. Despite the weather and the season, they had been able to get more carpenters and tradesmen. The barn restoration was coming along nicely, and supplies for the Great Spinning Wheels were soon to be delivered.
‘I’m surprised you’re not exhausted,’ Elizabeth said.
Shewasexhausted—which didn’t help with her restlessness or her anxiety. She wanted to spend time with William, with the barn and the families it would help.
Instead she was scanning a Great Hall, with anxiety fraying her every nerve.
‘Iamtired,’ she said. ‘But thrilled. You should see the barn. They are repairing the west wall and adding a fireplace, and I’m thinking we need another fireplace on the other side, too.’
‘With all that wool and wood? I can’t imagine the damage if a spark is let loose!’
‘But in the winter the women may argue on who sits near the fire.’
‘Why will the spinners argue?’ Mitchell said, joining them.
Alice moved to make room and gave him a smile. ‘In the winter, with only one fireplace, they’ll all have to take turns to sit near it.’
‘You want more fires in the building?’ Mitchell shook his head. ‘The workers have several fires lit and the supplies are lying near. Already we’ve had near misses. Can’t imagine what that would do inside a closed building.’
‘Is there something you can put between the sparks and the spinners?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘I’ll see if it’s possible,’ Mitchell said. ‘But these men have been gathered hastily, and most haven’t worked together before. Their differing opinions only increase in the worsening weather. Something happened today I’ve been wanting to tell you about.’
As Mitchell launched into a surprisingly humorous story, Alice couldn’t help laughing. Elizabeth was right. He was looking handsome tonight; he was also quite charming. How easy it would be to fall in love with him. They would have moments like these to share. They both knew the wool trade, and with his ideas and partnership, they could be successful.
Except, as handsome as he was, her heart didn’t stop at the mere thought of him. He wasn’t, nor could he ever be, Hugh.
* * *
Over the din and overly bright laughter, the sight of Alice stunned him. Hugh stood thawing from the cold in Lyman’s Great Hall, but it wasn’t the fires or candles warming him—it was her.
He had expected the crowds to hide Alice’s petite form, or her mask to cover her turned up nose, but his eyes unfailingly found her.
Her golden-brown hair gleamed in the candlelight. Some elaborate confection that curled and framed the face that he had never forgotten, but which had changed since he’d left. She was even more exquisitely beautiful to him than before. Tonight it was painful.
The heat of the crowd and the room had brought a flush to the creaminess of her cheeks. Her grey eyes danced behind the light blue mask more brightly than the flickering candles.
The gown she wore was a blistering bright yellow that skimmed over curves that shouldn’t be noticeable under the acres of cloth covering her, and yet the style and ties of her surcoat tightened the blue chemise beneath, accentuating what every man coveted.
There was no denying her form, no stopping his body tightening in recognising it. And he wasn’t even close to her. God, he needed to be close to her.
Ever since their meeting at the market, lust, need and raw want had haunted his days. It wasn’t because of her words, or the fact she could be the King’s mistress, but how she was with the children and workers. He’d tried to look at her as only a pawn in this game he played, but couldn’t. With her so lovely, and knowing her heart was still kind, he could barely breathe.
‘It’s hasn’t changed, has it?’ Eldric said.
He pretended to look around, though he didn’t want to see any of it. Too much reminded him of a past he wanted to forget. The fact that the town of Swaffham had become wealthier since he’d left did little to improve his mood.
‘It’s prospered since I left,’ he said.
