She dealt calmly with a dispute between a pair of crofters, a complaint by one of the dairymaids, a crisis in the kitchens over tallow for candles, and the discovery that mice had gotten into the linen closet. No one reacted oddly to her or treated her any differently, so they likely didn’t see the profound change within her, or the conflict tearing her apart. Whether he knew it or not, Sir Thomas was laying siege to her heart, and she feared he wouldn’t have to fight very hard to win command of it. She didn’t know what to do about that. It felt both wonderful and agonizing at the same time. Aside from her silly days back when she was eleven or twelve and had a crush on her stepfather’s squire, no man had ever captured her interest this way. She had long yearned for someone to love her in the way she’d heard of in stories told by minstrels and bards. Like most young girls, she’d adored listening to the tales of brave, handsome knights performing valiant deeds and rescuing lovely maidens who won their hearts.
