by N B Dixon
Tuck regarded him. “Is that why you went on Crusade? To make a difference?”
Robin’s face tightened. “That was a mistake, and one I will regret for the rest of my life.”
***
It was several days’ ride to Dover. The journey passed uneventfully. They slept at inns where they could and by the roadside when no hospitality was forthcoming. By the time they reached Dover, they were all sore and weary.
Marian had held up better than Robin had expected. He had avoided speaking to her unless absolutely necessary, but he had watched her. Like the other women, she had done her best to hide her femininity as much as possible. All four of them wore tunics and hose as the men did, with hooded capes under which their hair was concealed. They spoke as little as possible. Marian rode apart from them and sat alone when they stopped to rest, but she never once complained.
Dover was crowded. Many of those loyal to the king had flocked here. Robin and the others waited at a tavern while Lewis, Henry and Roland went searching for news of the king. As outlaws, Robin was not entirely sure what their reception would be, and he judged it better to keep a low profile. The three lords returned after an hour.
“The king arrived this morning,” Henry announced. “He is at present in council with his closest advisers. I have left word that we are here. I think it’s best if we find somewhere to stay as close to the quayside as possible.”
“Reports suggest that many castles have surrendered on hearing of the king’s return,” Roland said.
“John will not,” Lewis said. “He’ll hold out when everybody else buckles under.”
They found a suitable place to stay. Robin and Will were forced to sleep in the stables. Everyone else managed to get a room. Tuck found a bed at a small priory on the outskirts of the town, and Marian was forced to sleep in the kitchen with the other servants. Again, she made no complaint. Edward, too, chose to sleep on a pallet in the kitchen.
Robin slipped him a few coins and sent him in search of a blacksmith. Two of their horses had loose shoes, which would need tending to before they made the return journey to Nottingham.
Robin’s body was tired, but his mind was too restless for sleep. Lewis, Henry and Roland had returned to speak with the king. All nobles loyal to Richard were expected to present themselves and swear fealty. Under ordinary circumstances, Robin would have gone with them, but he had no title, no lands. He was a wolf’s head and possibly not welcome.
Will, John, Alan and Much passed the time by playing a game of dice. Robin sat watching for some time, but the close atmosphere of the inn stifled him. He had barely stepped outside, however, when he saw Lewis hurrying towards him.
“The king wants to see you, Locksley.”
Robin raised an eyebrow. “What on earth for?”
Lewis shrugged. “You fought alongside him in the Crusade. You tell me.”
“He knows I’m an outlaw?”
“As we agreed on the journey, I brought him up to date on your situation. I also apprised him of his brother and Gisborne’s doings, although I’m sure he already knew. It didn’t seem to come as news to him.”
Robin wasn’t surprised. Richard was a resourceful man, with many informants. It was why Robin had judged it best to lie low while Lewis and Henry spoke to King Richard on their behalf. If Richard was kindly disposed towards them, they would stay. If not, they would make themselves scarce as soon as they could. Robin had inconvenienced many a noble and member of the clergy, as well as flouting the king’s laws—something Richard might not look on too favourably. But if Richard wanted to see him, Robin supposed that meant he was at least allowed to enter the king’s camp without having his head removed on sight.
He ducked quickly back inside and sought out Will and the others. One look at his face, and the dice game came to an abrupt halt.
“What is it?” Will asked.
“The king wants to see me.”
“You can’t go alone,” John protested at once.
“I can and I will. If I’m not back within an hour or so, get everyone out and leave Dover as soon as you can.”
He didn’t wait for any more arguments, but headed back outside where Lewis was waiting for him.
“You suspect trouble?” Lewis asked.
“I learned long ago that where Richard is concerned, anything is possible. He is just as likely to have me killed as welcome me.”
***
The king was waiting for him. Robin bowed, sweeping a surreptitious glance around the tent. They were alone. There wasn’t a single guard, nor even the minstrel Richard could never seem to be without. This was to be a private conference then.
“You wished to see me, Sire?”
The king waved him to a chair at the opposite side of the table. Again, Robin was surprised, but he took it without a word.
“Wine, Locksley?” King Richard did not wait for Robin’s answer before pouring him a cup. “No point in standing on ceremony.”
Utterly baffled, Robin took the proffered cup and sipped. He had no idea where this was leading.
“You’re wondering why I wished to see you.”
Robin set down his cup. “I will serve in any way you ask, Sire.” He heard the stiffness in his voice, and hoped Richard did not.
“We have not always been on good terms, you and I, but I know you for a skilled warrior. I have heard of your exploits. It seems that while I have been languishing at Henry of Germany’s convenience, you have been waging a war of your own. I wish your report. What is the relationship between my brother and this Guy of Gisborne?”
“You may remember, Sire, that Guy of Gisborne was originally part of the rebellion that tried to assassinate your father and set John on the throne several years ago. It was Guy of Gisborne who sent an assassin after me while we were out in the Holy Land. When I returned to England, I discovered that Prince John had appointed him Sheriff of Nottingham in your absence, as well as giving him the Locksley estate. He murdered my father, and he hoped, by murdering me, to remove any future threat to his possession.”
“Yet you did not report to Longchamp as I asked.”
“I was an outlaw, Sire, a wolf’s head. I could no more have got an audience with the chancellor than a peasant could. In fact, a peasant would have had more chance. At least they would not have been hanged the moment they showed their face.”
“True enough. You say Gisborne murdered your father?”
Robin hesitated, but he saw no sense in withholding information. “It seems that Guy is, in fact, the son of my father and Lady Amelia, wife of Sir Benedict of Gisborne. My father never acknowledged him. I don’t know how or when Guy learned the truth, but since then, he has done everything he can to claim what he sees as rightfully his.”
“What else can you tell me about him?”
“He is a man high in Prince John’s favour. As well as the Locksley and Gisborne lands, he has also been awarded the earldom of Huntingdon. Lady Marian Fitzwalter, the heiress to that estate, is a Ward of the Crown.”
Richard bristled. “Then this Gisborne possesses the Huntingdon lands unlawfully. Only the king may decide the disposition of both the lady’s hand and her estates. It seems my brother has indeed got above himself.”
The king regarded him for several seconds. “I will admit, Locksley, that I have had my doubts about you. You have an unhealthy tendency to challenge authority, but then, so did I. I supported my older brother Henry in his bid to take the throne from our father.
“As for your transgressions since returning to England, how do you plead?”
“Guilty, Sire.” Robin waited for the heavy hand of the law to descend on his head. Richard seemed in a benign mood, but Robin knew his quicksilver temperament only too well. He spoke before Richard could.
“It’s true I have broken laws, Sire. I have poached deer in your royal forest, both to fill my belly and the bellies of those who were starving. I have robbed those who could afford it and given to those less fortunate. I have s
tolen taxes from your brother and from corrupt members of the Church whenever I could. Punish me if you like, but let the others go. They did what they did in order to survive, and because they follow me.”
Richard’s gaze was unwavering. The silence stretched between them for several uncomfortable seconds before he finally spoke.
“By rights, I should hang you from the highest tree. However, since I cannot deny that your antics have caused no small inconvenience to my treacherous brother, I must take that into account. Serve me well in the coming battle. Help me reclaim my throne, and I shall consider your fate and the fates of those who follow you.”
He made a gesture of dismissal and Robin left before Richard could change his mind.
***
Will was having difficulty keeping his mind on the game. Fear for Robin formed a tight knot in his chest. He should have gone with him, not let him enter the lion’s den alone.
His gaze strayed again and again to the inn door, and he let out his breath in relief when it opened.
Robin stood framed there, looking around. He saw Will, and beckoned. Will followed at once.
“So, what did His Highness want?”
“He wanted to know exactly what his brother and Gisborne have been up to. He also wanted to discuss my doings in Sherwood.”
Will tensed. “What did you tell him?”
“I admitted to everything. There was no point in denials. I asked him to punish me and leave the rest of you in peace.”
“Damn you!” Will exploded. This was so typical Robin, taking everything upon himself. “We aren’t dogs who followed their master blindly. Every one of us has a choice.”
“Calm down.” Robin held up a hand. “Nothing has been decided yet. Richard will consider our situation when all this is over. If John is defeated, I expect all will be forgiven. Maybe he will restore Locksley to me.”
“Locksley is gone,” Will pointed out.
“I don’t care what he does, as long as he allows the rest of you to go free. John and Daphne, Alan and Jane, Much and Lara. They deserve a chance to rebuild their lives.”
“What about me?” The words came out as a whisper.
Robin leaned into him. Will sucked in a startled breath. His entire body froze. He was afraid if he so much as twitched, the moment would shatter. Robin’s hands came up to cup Will’s face. His fingers trembled slightly. Then he closed the final distance between them and their lips met.
At first it was tentative, a brush of contact, but then the pressure increased. Robin’s mouth opened, letting Will in. Will’s arms rose, pulling Robin hard against him. For a few heady seconds, the inn, the town, the entire world vanished. Nothing mattered but the man in Will’s arms, the man kissing him in a way he never had before.
A voice split the night air, singing loud and drunkenly. Will and Robin broke apart, both of them breathless.
Roland came staggering into sight, one hand tugging at the drawstring of his hose.
“What are you doing out here?” he slurred. “There’s plenty more ale to be drunk.” He gestured shakily at the open inn door, then proceeded to relieve himself against the wall.
“I’ll kill him,” Will growled under his breath. Robin’s answer was a soft chuckle.
***
Marian tossed and turned on her straw pallet. It was tucked into a forgotten corner of the pantry. A door stood between it and the kitchen. Through the thin wood, Marian could hear the bustle and clatter of the serving maids. It prevented her from falling asleep, though her body ached with exhaustion.
Fruit, vegetables and dried meat were stacked in barrels, on shelves and hanging from hooks on the wall. Their smells mixed in the air she breathed.
The stuffed bag of straw on which she lay was prickly and the blanket scratchy. Marian picked a stray piece of straw out of her hair and flicked it aside. She reached out to where her short hunting bow and quiver stood propped against the wall and pulled the bow to her. She wanted something familiar beside her. She held it for a moment, caressing the wood with her fingertips.
It was a spare from Robin’s weapons supply. Just as these weren’t her clothes. She had nothing left, no future to look forward to. She was surrounded by people who despised her. Marian could not ever remember feeling more alone in her life.
Her thoughts kept straying to Robin. He had ignored her on the journey from Sherwood. She hadn’t expected anything else, but it still hurt. Seeing the easy way he talked and laughed with his men and flirted with Jane, Lara and Daphne, made her realise more than ever that she had never had a chance with him. Why was it that she always loved the things she couldn’t have? Robin was beyond her reach in so many ways. He would rather romp with Will Scathelock in Sherwood than lead a civilised life.
Marian stood and attempted to brush straw from her tunic. It seemed she was destined to wait until the servants ceased their infernal clattering before she could get any sleep. That being the case, she may as well get drunk. Oblivion was what she needed.
Pushing open the pantry door, she stepped into the heat and bustle of the kitchen. The serving maids barely glanced at her as she pushed her way through into the main part of the inn.
She was surprised to find nearly all her travelling companions had gone. Only Much sat by himself at a corner table, enjoying a final mug of ale. Marian made her way over to him. Of everyone, Much and his wife Lara were the kindest to her. Marian needed company just now. She sat opposite him.
“Where is Lara?”
“She was tired, so she turned in for the night.”
“What about Robin?”
“He went to see the king. Then he and Will disappeared off together somewhere.”
Marian struggled to banish the image those words conjured up. “What will you do when this is over?”
Much looked surprised at the question. “I will return to Sherwood. If I’m lucky enough to be pardoned, Lara and I will find somewhere new to live. Locksley is destroyed.”
“When King Richard is on the throne once more, surely he will restore the land to Robin. Robin can rebuild Locksley.”
Much drained the last of his ale. “I don’t know if Robin will ever return to Locksley. He never wanted to be lord of the manor. He was always happiest in the forest or working the land.”
This was not what Marian wanted to hear. Her tone was sharper than she intended. “How can you be so sure what he would do? Do you know him so well?”
“Since I was twelve. Robin saved my life when a tree fell on me.” He indicated his twisted leg. “He took me to Kirklees Abbey where the nuns cared for me. He also turned a blind eye to my father’s poaching in Sherwood Forest.”
“That was kind of him.”
Much smiled. “Well, he was courting my sister.”
Marian gaped at him. “He was courting your sister?” She only just stopped herself from saying ‘a peasant girl?’
Much watched her reaction, his own gaze steady. “Status means nothing to Robin. He doesn’t care about things like who your father was. When Lucy found out she was with child, Robin threw away everything—land, title—in order to marry her. His father disinherited him for it.”
It was scarcely believable. What man would throw away everything for a peasant girl? There was only one conclusion. He must have been deeply in love.
“What happened to her?”
“She was murdered. Lady Katrina Gisborne, Guy’s sister, wanted Robin for herself. When he rejected her, she took her revenge on Lucy. She poisoned her.”
That sounded like the sort of thing Katrina would do.
“Robin left after that with Will,” Much went on. “We heard nothing of him for four years. Robin doesn’t love easily, but when he does, he gives his whole heart. Will knows him better than anyone. They’re like brothers. There’s no breaking a bond like that.”
Marian returned to her pallet. So, Robin had loved a woman once. He wasn’t entirely lost. Maybe he was keeping her at arm’s length because he feared losing her as
he had this Lucy.
Much had said Robin and Will were like brothers. Was it possible Will’s feelings were one-sided? Had she read Robin wrong?
Richard was the key. She needed to see the king, if not now, then after the battle. Perhaps there was hope for her and Robin after all.
Chapter 26
The king and his forces set up camp outside Nottingham’s gates. Their ranks had swollen considerably as more and more flocked to Richard’s banner. When they arrived, it was to find the gates shut fast, despite the fact that curfew was still a couple of hours away.
“This will be my brother’s doing,” King Richard remarked. “No matter. I have men hidden in the city who will ensure the gates are opened for us.”
“What is your plan, Sire?” Lewis d’Ambray asked.
“The castle is heavily defended. The upper bailey is surrounded by walls, and if my brother is any kind of general, he will have posted men in the watchtowers there. They will attempt to pick us off. We shall be concentrating on the outer bailey. Breach that, and we may be able to convince the defenders to surrender.”
“We have archers, too, Sire,” Robin said.
“Then I am putting you in charge of them, Locksley.”
“Sire, what if your brother and his forces will not surrender?” Henry Runeville asked.
Richard’s mouth set in a grim line. “Then they will feel the wrath of their king. I would sooner burn Nottingham to the ground than leave it in my brother’s hands.”
Robin knew Richard was more than capable of carrying out his threat. He wouldn’t care how many innocent people perished so long as he achieved his goal. Prince John and his forces had all the advantages. True, the king could launch a prolonged siege of the castle. Eventually, the defenders would have to give in, but that could take days—weeks, even, if the castle was well stocked—and there were the townsfolk to worry about.
The king’s face relaxed into a smile. “Go and enjoy yourselves. Tomorrow, we shall celebrate our victory.”
