TWELVE

“MY... MY LORD?”

He looked up. “Yes, Adalene?”

“Can... can I seat near you? So I will not have to... shout when I talk to you?” She cringed after she asked, almost sure that he was not going to be pleased.

But to her surprise, he smiled. “I would like that, too.” Then he called the maidservants and ordered them to bring her plates and cutleries to a seat to his right. He stood up and helped her up, then escorted her the length of the table to her new seat.

She felt relieved sitting on her seat with him just a reach away. They could talk.

And they talked.

She was hesitant at first, but when he started the conversation by asking her a few questions about life on the farm and how the farmers were, they were soon talking well. The subject, at least, was something she knew. She was surprised to find out he knew of more details about how farmers do their trade before the produce even went to the borders than she expected. He answered her questions when she got more intrigued after he talked