He would recover. His war was elsewhere: his duty was across the Solent with the king in Carisbrooke Castle. He should never have thought of her. He had been mad to look at her just because she was beautiful, to feel tender towards her because she risked her own safety to rescue him. He would confess the sin of desiring her, and be forgiven for having gone so close to temptation. He must take Mrs. Miller’s spiteful slander as a timely warning and pray that the madness was over, and this greensickness of love would pass quickly too.

“You’re so white—are you sick?” Alys asked her mother.

“Something I ate at the Millers’,” Alinor replied.

“Envy? She serves a lot of that,” Alys suggested. “Is that why you left early?”

Alinor nodded. “I’m fine now.”

“But wasn’t it the most wonderful harvest home ever? Not even she could spoil it. Richard said . . .”

“Richard said?”

Alys flushed. “He said I am as beautiful as a real queen.”

“Nothing but truth! You looked beautiful, and you danced beautifully.”

Alys beamed. “And it’s nice to see Rob.”

“Yes.”

“They were all mad for his tutor, Mr. Summer, weren’t they? Mary couldn’t eat her dinner for making eyes at him. Jane Miller couldn’t speak a word.”

Alinor forced a smile. “He’s a handsome gentleman. And a novelty. Did you dance with Richard Stoney again, after I left?”

Alys ducked her head down. “I didn’t dance with anyone else. I just couldn’t. And he wouldn’t ask anyone else. I love him, Ma, I really do.”

Alinor took a little breath. “My little girl in love?”

“I’ll always be your girl, but I do love him. And he loves me.”

“He’s said so?”

The girl flushed a dark rose. “Oh, Ma, he’s spoken to his parents. Weeks ago, he spoke to them. He wants to marry me! He asked me last night, Ma. He’s given me his promise.”

“He should’ve spoken to me before he said anything to you. You’re not yet fourteen. I was thinking of meeting his parents and asking for a long betrothal and—”

“He’s been courting me for weeks,” the girl said proudly. “That’s long enough for me to be sure. And I liked him from the first. But anyway, they want a girl who’d bring them some land, who has furniture, her own pewter plates, who’s got an inheritance. Things I’ll never have.”

“We can save up,” Alinor said bravely.

They both looked around the little cottage, the sparse worn goods, the wooden trenchers on the plain cupboard, the table and stools that Alinor had inherited from her mother, the hanging bunches of drying herbs, the treasure box containing the tenancy paper, and the red leather purse, filled with nothing but old tokens.

“We have no savings but dried leaves and faerie gold,” Alys pointed out.

“I could talk to them,” Alinor said.

“My father should go,” Alys said resentfully. “It shouldn’t be you, on your own.”