*SALAMANCA MARKETS, TWO WEEKS LATER*
Delphi chatted to the butcher, who she had been shopping with daily. "Are you sure the Emperor's visiting today?" she whispered behind her hand to the man, pretending delight.
"Yes love, they give us stall keepers advance notice, but we're not supposed to tell anyone," he winked at her. "I'm giving you this choice information because you buy the choicest cuts from me, sweetheart," he laughed at his own joke.
Delphi smiled as best she could at the lame joke.
"I'm so excited to see him, thanks for the heads-up. I'll tell my husband we need to do a bit more shopping so we can catch sight of him."
"You women and your shopping, I tell you… You never seem to tire of it. If only you had the same stamina for other things us men like," he winked at her again, and Delphi looked for Alton, starting to feel uncomfortable with this man's forwardness.