Innocence Unveiled
Flanders, The Low Countries—Spring 1337
Shadows hid the stranger's face, but over the pounding of her heart, Katrine heard the threat in his voice, as casual as a shrug.
'You decide,' he said. 'I can get you the wool you need, but if you let the opportunity pass…' the slight lift of his shoulders blocked the morning sun streaming into her weaving room '…there are many other willing buyers.'
'Every weaver in Ghent is willing.' Katrine fought the tremble in her tongue.
It was no secret. Deprived of the wool that was its lifeblood, this city of clothmakers was starving. So when a stranger had claimed he could find fleece for her looms, she had recklessly agreed to listen. He didn't need her, but she needed his wool. Desperately.
Arms crossed, the smuggler leaned against the wall, filling the space as if he owned it. 'Decide, mistress. Deal with me or go hungry.'
Backed against the loom, she felt the wooden upright press against her spine like a martyr's stake. She stroked the taut warp threads for comfort. They quivered beneath her fingers. Looking up, she tried to read his eyes, but the sun cast him in darkness. She must not yield ... read full excerpt from Innocence Unveiled ebook
