He stopped sharp, looking away from me.
My heart cracked. “Oh, Rob.”
He looked at me. “I’ve been playing by all the rules, Scar, and I don’t think I’ll ever have any of that. Maybe he deserves it more than I do. Maybe he does. Because even if you were to get an annulment, even if”—his throat worked—“even if I get to marry you, I’ll never be able to stop fighting. I will never be free of this burden, and I hate him that he can lay it down.”
I stared at him, drinking him in till I felt tipsy with the sight of him, and pulled him closer to me, wanting to touch him. His arms came round me and I pressed my face to the crook of his neck. “We’d never be happy without adventure,” I murmured to him. “But we’ll be happy with each other. We will have that chance. I promise.”
His arms shifted, wrapping round my shoulders and head, and it felt like he were shielding me from the world. “I hope so, Scar,” he said in my ear.
Sighing, I pressed closer to him. “We should look…” I reminded him.
He moved over a bit, tugging me with him, to peek. “They’re gone.”
His arms began to loosen, but I fast whispered, “Kiss me, Rob.”
Like any good gentleman, he didn’t deny me. He picked me up a bit and held me against the wall, kissing me and making heat and courage flow from my toes to my hair.
He let me down and his mouth left mine. His forehead touched mine, and I couldn’t bring my eyes to open just yet.
“These schemes may benefit the people, Scarlet, but I fight for you.” His hands squeezed my waist a little bit, and it made my blood run fast. “I will always fight for you.”
I opened my eyes, pressing my hand to his face, making him look me in the eye. “Rob,” I murmured. “I will do everything I can so that you don’t have to fight anymore. For me or anyone else.”
He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Come on, my love.”
It were short work to get the cart over to the food store. It were terrible hard work to load the thing up, especially where only one of my hands worked and I got shouted at when I tried to use the bad one, and Much had a stump for only a bit more use than me.
We couldn’t close the doors, neither, so it were a fair messy business, and it weren’t long before a guard came over, shouting at Rob and Godfrey.
“Stop! What are you two doing? Guards!” he roared.
I heard quite a clatter and put the cheese wheel wedged under one arm on the cart.
I just hoped that being a noblewoman had as many nice bits as it were meant to.
“What is taking you so very long?” I asked, stepping out of the food store. “Guard. Perfect. Where are the rest of your men, you were meant to be here ages ago.”
“M-my lady?” he asked, looking at my coat that Rob had given me, made of peasant’s felt.
I raised my chin. “Lady Leaford,” I snapped. “Perhaps I should send one of these men to tell the prince his orders are being ignored.”
“The prince didn’t give no orders,” he said.
“He most certainly did. Were you aware that the food dispensed earlier to the people was rotten?” I asked.
“No, my—”
“Well, the prince caught wind of that in more ways than one, sir. And he isn’t pleased. His Highness has ordered this food to be brought to the people at once.”
“It’s the dead of night—”
I fought to draw myself up higher. “The same time of night that our Lord Jesus Christ overcame death, sir.” I sniffed. “Now will you and your men do as you’re told or must I wake the prince?”
The man grumbled but turned his back and shouted to several guards for help, and I watched, breathless, as they looked to me for instruction on what to take. They wheeled the cart to the gates and called to their fellows to open it while I followed behind with my friends.
There were still some of the rioters outside the gates who rallied when they saw them open, and some people ran fast from the square, though I weren’t sure if it were for fear or to spread word. I saw Allan doing tricks for some children, and he turned to me with a solemn nod. The guards hung back, and I walked forward, looking back to Rob and the others. Rob nodded me forward.
“This food isn’t spoilt,” I told them. “I promise. It’s safe for you and your children. We won’t let you starve, and monks have already been sent for the ones that took sick. Please. Take the food.”
“Who are you?” one man said, spitting at my feet. “Why the hell should we believe anyone from that godforsaken castle?”
“I’m not from the castle,” I said.
“That’s Lady Scarlet,” said Allan, coming beside him with a smile. “And that’s Robin Hood,” he said, pointing to Rob.
I went back to Rob’s arms as the people trusted his name enough to come forward, and soon the square were filled with folk taking their share of flour and grain and cheese and dried meat.
Hidden amongst the crowd, I pressed a dangerous kiss to Rob’s mouth. “You should go. The prince will figure this out soon.”
“Come with me,” he said. “They’ll punish you for this, Scar.”
I shook my head. “I won’t break my bargain. Go.”
His hand slipped from mine, and he faded in the crowd.
I caught Godfrey’s arm before he passed. “Godfrey, you may not have the stomach to fight Rob the way John does, but you damn well keep him away from here when the trouble starts, you understand?”
His nod were lost on me as the crowd started to move, and Much yelled, “Scarlet!”
I turned toward the castle; Gisbourne were coming out of the castle on horses, with a force of knights and lords alike. “What the hell is going on?” he roared.
The crowd were flung into chaos as everyone grabbed fast for the food and Gisbourne spurred his horse to them. I ran out, ducking as he reined in his horse hard so not to trample me. Before I could even straighten, he were off his horse and charging toward me. “Goddamn you, Marian! You’re behind this? You!” he bellowed, drawing his sword and running for me.
I ducked under his swinging sword to grab the knife in his boot, angling it at him.
“Really!” he laughed at me. “You want to fight me with naught but a knife in your hand?”
I glanced at the cart, where the food were almost all gone. “I don’t need long.”
Gisbourne swung and I ducked. He lunged and I twisted away, trying to figure out where to stab him that it would get through his thick leathers and chest plate.