[He loves her enough to admit that. And maybe for the sake of trust and acclimation like everything else thus far while all the others are away, he finds he has to ask:]

The rest all had plenty to admit about their own hungry hearts, come to think of it— but not you. [Oh no, not his clever, clever Dal.] So either you're smart enough to know to keep quiet about whatever longing you've got locked away inside that skull of yours, or my decision to risk my neck and livelihood over this has to seem like the craziest thing in the world to you.