“I’m alone,” Gisbourne assured. “I called for Robin to speak to you, in fact.”
“Speak.”
“No pleasantries? Haven’t you missed me, wife? Everyone at court was quite devastated to have missed the wedding. I accepted their best wishes on your behalf, naturally.”
“Tell me what you did to my father, Gisbourne!”
“You needn’t worry about him,” Gisbourne said. “Lord Leaford is quite unharmed. I only meant that when I married you I assumed the land and title that were promised in our contract—something, you’ll be delighted to learn, that gave me the right to petition the prince for the position of sheriff.”
My heart went to lead in my chest. I hadn’t thought of that.
“Which he is coming to Nottinghamshire to give to me, within a few days. And when he arrives, you will be living under my roof like a proper, dutiful wife.”
“Like hell I will!” I roared.
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ve missed this, sweeting. Witty banter. Well, I needn’t remind you of the cruelty I can inflict upon your people as sheriff. Clearly it’s even entered your mind what I could do to your parents, your home, and dependents as the rightful landholder. But I won’t force you with violence, my love. I will entice you.”
“I doubt that,” I snapped back.
Even through the dusk, his dark eyes glittered fierce. “We can play these games all I want, Marian, but we both know you don’t want to be married to me. You married me to save Robin’s life, and I will offer you a bargain—perhaps the Devil’s bargain, as it were.”
He took a breath, still smiling at me.
“I’ll annul our marriage as soon as the prince leaves if you live with me while he is here.”
Hope rushed fast like a flood into my chest. An annulment? I could live with Robin without the cloud of sin over us. I could marry Robin.
“You’d kill me,” I said. “There’s no trusting you. The second I was close enough you’d gut me like a deer.”
He shrugged. “My temper can get the better of me, of course, but I don’t intend to kill you. Besides, I recall you telling me you were rather difficult to kill, yes?”
“Why would you even want this, Gisbourne?” I asked. “It’s a fool offer.”
“You have my word that I won’t kill you, and that once the prince leaves you will have your annulment. Should you accept, you will dress, speak, act, and be fully disarmed the way a lady befitting your station should. These are my terms, and if you would accept them, you need only come to the castle and join me in my chambers.”
“Tell me why.”
“Why isn’t important,” he told me, smiling a little. “The only thing you need to consider is what you’re willing to do to marry your dear hero. Because trust me, love, you’ll never get an annulment from me otherwise. And if this doesn’t go the way I want and you are not under my roof, when I become sheriff I will have no guarantee for what blood my displeasure will purchase. I’m being—what’s the word—kind.” He smirked at me in the darkness. “You’re looking quite fetching these days. I can see your scar from here. Lovely.”
I turned from him, hiding behind the ridge of the roof. He laughed, and it were ghoulish and echoed round me in the dark.
“Feeling shy, love?” Gisbourne taunted.
“She gave you her answer,” Rob said. “You can go. Unless you would like for us to entice you.”
“Think about it, Marian,” he called. “All the red ribbons you could want. Though I imagine your hair is a little too short for them since our last encounter.”
Frowning, I pushed my hair off my face. It were wild, never staying tied back since Gisbourne had thought he could use it to hold me and I’d cut it off to be free of him.
I reckoned he left then. I didn’t hear nothing more, but I didn’t move from the roof none.
John called up to me but it were Robin that climbed the roof, taking my hand. “You’re not going anywhere near him, Scar. We’ll find another way.”
I nodded and sniffed, and he tugged my hand and we climbed down, side by side. He held fast to my hand the long way back to the monastery, and I loved it. I wanted him near me more than anything.
He showed me the vial the monk had given him as we took out the bedrolls and set them near the fire. “He said I’ll sleep sound,” he told me. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Scar.”
I tucked close along his side as he drank it down. “I weren’t never afraid of you, Rob,” I said. It were a lie, I think. But it were truth in the notion that the fear weren’t never what I chose to hold to. I loved him more than I feared his dreams.
When we laid our bedrolls out, I nudged mine closer to Rob, and he nudged his closer to mine till they slid together and looked like one bed. When we laid down, his arm slid over my hips and snugged me close, his chin hooked over my shoulder and his breath rushed over my neck, like every bit of him were slipping around me and binding us together. This were what two souls merging into one were meant to feel like.
I wanted to stay awake, to treasure this, to roll it over in my mind till I had picked up every little bit of it, like baling hay. But it were just moments before I fell asleep, safe in his heart.
Chapter Five
I woke in some strange form of hell. The fire weren’t all out; it were glowing and red and making red glow around me. But Robin weren’t behind me, he were on top of me and screaming. His fist crashed down over my face and I yelled too, finding my legs and bucking him off me. I reached for the knife I kept by my pillow when I saw it flash in his hand.
“Speak.”
“No pleasantries? Haven’t you missed me, wife? Everyone at court was quite devastated to have missed the wedding. I accepted their best wishes on your behalf, naturally.”
“Tell me what you did to my father, Gisbourne!”
“You needn’t worry about him,” Gisbourne said. “Lord Leaford is quite unharmed. I only meant that when I married you I assumed the land and title that were promised in our contract—something, you’ll be delighted to learn, that gave me the right to petition the prince for the position of sheriff.”
My heart went to lead in my chest. I hadn’t thought of that.
“Which he is coming to Nottinghamshire to give to me, within a few days. And when he arrives, you will be living under my roof like a proper, dutiful wife.”
“Like hell I will!” I roared.
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ve missed this, sweeting. Witty banter. Well, I needn’t remind you of the cruelty I can inflict upon your people as sheriff. Clearly it’s even entered your mind what I could do to your parents, your home, and dependents as the rightful landholder. But I won’t force you with violence, my love. I will entice you.”
“I doubt that,” I snapped back.
Even through the dusk, his dark eyes glittered fierce. “We can play these games all I want, Marian, but we both know you don’t want to be married to me. You married me to save Robin’s life, and I will offer you a bargain—perhaps the Devil’s bargain, as it were.”
He took a breath, still smiling at me.
“I’ll annul our marriage as soon as the prince leaves if you live with me while he is here.”
Hope rushed fast like a flood into my chest. An annulment? I could live with Robin without the cloud of sin over us. I could marry Robin.
“You’d kill me,” I said. “There’s no trusting you. The second I was close enough you’d gut me like a deer.”
He shrugged. “My temper can get the better of me, of course, but I don’t intend to kill you. Besides, I recall you telling me you were rather difficult to kill, yes?”
“Why would you even want this, Gisbourne?” I asked. “It’s a fool offer.”
“You have my word that I won’t kill you, and that once the prince leaves you will have your annulment. Should you accept, you will dress, speak, act, and be fully disarmed the way a lady befitting your station should. These are my terms, and if you would accept them, you need only come to the castle and join me in my chambers.”
“Tell me why.”
“Why isn’t important,” he told me, smiling a little. “The only thing you need to consider is what you’re willing to do to marry your dear hero. Because trust me, love, you’ll never get an annulment from me otherwise. And if this doesn’t go the way I want and you are not under my roof, when I become sheriff I will have no guarantee for what blood my displeasure will purchase. I’m being—what’s the word—kind.” He smirked at me in the darkness. “You’re looking quite fetching these days. I can see your scar from here. Lovely.”
I turned from him, hiding behind the ridge of the roof. He laughed, and it were ghoulish and echoed round me in the dark.
“Feeling shy, love?” Gisbourne taunted.
“She gave you her answer,” Rob said. “You can go. Unless you would like for us to entice you.”
“Think about it, Marian,” he called. “All the red ribbons you could want. Though I imagine your hair is a little too short for them since our last encounter.”
Frowning, I pushed my hair off my face. It were wild, never staying tied back since Gisbourne had thought he could use it to hold me and I’d cut it off to be free of him.
I reckoned he left then. I didn’t hear nothing more, but I didn’t move from the roof none.
John called up to me but it were Robin that climbed the roof, taking my hand. “You’re not going anywhere near him, Scar. We’ll find another way.”
I nodded and sniffed, and he tugged my hand and we climbed down, side by side. He held fast to my hand the long way back to the monastery, and I loved it. I wanted him near me more than anything.
He showed me the vial the monk had given him as we took out the bedrolls and set them near the fire. “He said I’ll sleep sound,” he told me. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Scar.”
I tucked close along his side as he drank it down. “I weren’t never afraid of you, Rob,” I said. It were a lie, I think. But it were truth in the notion that the fear weren’t never what I chose to hold to. I loved him more than I feared his dreams.
When we laid our bedrolls out, I nudged mine closer to Rob, and he nudged his closer to mine till they slid together and looked like one bed. When we laid down, his arm slid over my hips and snugged me close, his chin hooked over my shoulder and his breath rushed over my neck, like every bit of him were slipping around me and binding us together. This were what two souls merging into one were meant to feel like.
I wanted to stay awake, to treasure this, to roll it over in my mind till I had picked up every little bit of it, like baling hay. But it were just moments before I fell asleep, safe in his heart.
Chapter Five
I woke in some strange form of hell. The fire weren’t all out; it were glowing and red and making red glow around me. But Robin weren’t behind me, he were on top of me and screaming. His fist crashed down over my face and I yelled too, finding my legs and bucking him off me. I reached for the knife I kept by my pillow when I saw it flash in his hand.
