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When Anne was near him, he gave her a smile of welcome, as if nothing was wrong in Sir John’s world. Anne frowned her suspicion, then seemed to remember their roles and gave him a small, nervous smile.

“I tried to wait to break my fast with you, Anne,” he said, “but I was hungry.”

She eyed his chest. “You must need a lot of sustenance.”

He grinned. “Sometimes it never seems enough. Would you like to eat with me?”

When she tried to sit opposite him, he took her hand and pulled her to his side. He felt the stiffness of her fingers, sensed her struggle. He hated hurting her, but they both had to keep up the masquerade.

“Forgive me,” he whispered, leaning close to her. The wimple brushed his face, and he found himself wishing it were her hair. How was he ever going to learn to control his desire for her, when he had to pretend to court her? “We must keep up the pretense.”

He saw her slight nod, and she took a piece of bread from his plate and began to pick it apart again, just as she’d done yesterday when she was nervous.

“I ate with Lady Elizabeth,” she said awkwardly.

“I guessed you might. You must have had much to talk about.”

She only nodded. He wished he could ask her the results outright, but there were still too many people in the hall, mostly servants cleaning up after the meal. And to his surprise, they didn’t seem to want to leave. Were these people, who seemed to ignore Anne most of the time, now playing chaperone?

“We have to return to Hillesley today,” he said. “Master Milburn told me it was time to collect the rents.”

“He could not possibly trust you, when he’s known you so short a time,” she said impassively.

Was she also speaking for her mistress?

“That’s why he’s sending soldiers with us today,” John continued. “He told me it was to provide protection against theft.”

“You do need money,” she said dryly.

She’d landed a particularly accurate blow, he thought. His lack of fortune must not have impressed Lady Elizabeth. “Come walk with me outside.”

To his surprise, she leaned toward him, and even touched his arm. His body responded far too quickly.

In a low, intimate whisper, she said, “Still courting me?”

“I must.”

“I won’t make it easy.”

“I know.”

And she didn’t. Outside, she offered to help him down the stairs from the great hall to the ground, but he declined. She waited patiently at the bottom for him, looking up with a deferential interest that made him even more suspicious. They walked side by side across the inner ward, past the soldiers’ barracks and the stables, and he knew that they were the objects of curiosity. How would these people feel when they discovered that he was their future lord, not a bailiff courting a maidservant?

But as if Anne knew what he was thinking, she took his free hand, as a friend would, but still too intimately. They stopped at the tiltyard to watch Bannaster’s knights and soldiers train. One young soldier was bearing the brunt of two men attacking him.

“Is that necessary?” Anne asked in dismay.

“It is a normal training procedure.”

“Their swords aren’t blunted.”

“I noticed,” he said tightly.

“That poor young soldier is one of Alderley’s own.”

That explained the vehemence of what should be a training exercise.

“There are only four of our men left,” she continued. “Are they to bear the brunt of this training?”