i'd rather trust a country man than a town man

Sometimes he voices these thoughts aloud. Sometimes - most times - not.

Today, it's a careful regard of the jut of Addam's chin and the plane of his ears, the guileless tip of nose. Anybody could have a face like that, and they aren't exactly the biggest ears he's ever seen, but they're not the smallest, either.

Would he still spring for the not-so-disgraced bastard prince if Addam didn't like it better that way? Would he still feel safe and (mostly) unencumbered by the affectations of a statesman, rather than the affections of a farmer?

Maybe. And maybe he just likes cows.