She watched her brother’s face as he held it to his ear.
‘No,’ he said in a little while. ‘It’s Mother and Father—and Mother crying again.’
‘What’s the matter with her now?’ asked Anne.
‘Oh, it’s that old money business again,’ said her brother. ‘Things are worse than ever, it seems. They’re talking of selling the house to pay Father’s debts. And they’re wondering what is to become of us with no roof over our heads. Now they’ve stopped speaking of us and the shell’s gone cold again.’
‘Oh dear!’ sighed Anne as Giles ended. ‘I do wish we’d caught Agnes here today.’
‘Listen, Anne,’ said Giles. ‘Do you know whom I think we ought to take the shell to? Piers Belmont, the Duke’s Chamberlain. You say he knows everyone. Well, a man with so many friends would be glad of such a thing. And he’s rich. He could pay us well for it.’
‘Why not, better still, the Duke himself?’ said Anne.
‘Humph!’ growled the lame boy. ‘And best of all, the King.’
‘The King?’ gasped Giles in a hushed voice. ‘How could I dare—how could anyone like me reach the King?’
‘It would not be much harder than reaching the Duke, maybe,’ Luke went on. ‘From what I hear, the King is by far the pleasanter gentleman of the two. He’s well liked, this young King. Not much more than a boy himself. Nineteen years old. Set around by a lot of scheming relations and nobles, he should be glad of your shell—if it will work the way you say it will. It might help him in his business. The Lord knows, he has a big work cut out for him in governing this great land. Who in all the world has more folks talking of him, night and day? And for whom in all the world is it more important to know what’s being said about him—and his affairs—than it is for a king?’