“Some women do, my lord,” I agreed, bowing my head as I were meant.
“I will tell the steward to seat us together at supper, my lady. There is much I would like to discuss with you.”
“Your Grace,” I said, curtsying.
“The prince will see you now,” he said, gesturing us forward.
The room weren’t the same—weren’t nothing the same round here. It looked lovely and warm, covered in coffers and fabrics and servants. The pink-cheeked princess sat in a chair by the fire, and the prince were lounging in a chair beside her, picking at a plate of food.
Gisbourne pulled me in front of them like he were presenting me, and I stood there, looking from the prince to the girl and back. “Your Royal Highnesses, may I introduce Lady Marian of Leaford,” he said.
“It’s traditional to make obeisance, young lady,” the prince said.
I swept into a curtsy, the heat of the fire on my back making me sweat.
“Very good,” he said. “Gisbourne, I see you’ve been disciplining her.”
Gisbourne nodded his head. “My prince.”
“So, you’re the girl who is helping Huntingdon cause so much trouble.”
I eased up on my knees, starting to pull up.
“Did he say you could rise?” asked the princess. I stopped, frowning at her.
The prince chuckled.
“Yes, your Highness,” I said to him.
“Yes, what? Yes, you acted as an outlaw? Yes, you betrayed your loyalty to your country, to your king? Yes, you defied the sheriff, my sworn representative?”
My knees set to burning. “Yes,” I repeated.
“Yes, what?” he said again. “Are you sorry for your actions?”
With a grunt I stood straight, rubbing my aching knees. “No,” I snapped. “I ain’t never going to be sorry, neither. The sheriff were a sorry excuse of a man and I’m more ’an happy he’s dead.”
The prince’s face folded into a sneer. “You’re an impudent thing,” he told me. “Perhaps you should be on your knees as you beg my forgiveness.”
He nodded to Gisbourne, who swung out with his boot to kick the back of my knees. It were a hard target in skirts and I jumped away. “I ain’t begging,” I snapped. “I never did nothing wrong.”
“Kneel, or you will gravely insult the Crown,” the prince growled at me. Gisbourne stepped forward to make me, but the prince snapped, “Gisbourne, heel.”
Gisbourne’s face twisted, but he retreated back to give me room to kneel before the prince.
I could kneel, but I weren’t about to beg. Slow, and fair awkward because of my skirts, I took to my knees, staring the prince down. “Your Highness,” I grunted.
“Let’s try that again. You acted as an outlaw and disrespected the Crown in so doing. Do you admit this?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “I defied laws to be sure, but I acted for the people and that is always meant to be in respect for the Crown.”
The prince sighed. “Good Lord, Gisbourne, how on earth do you suffer this? Lady Leaford, you hadn’t the right to take action, and acting as an outlaw will always be unlawful, naturally.” He sniffed. “That said, in marriage your sins fall to your husband, and I have absolved him of them. You are free to earn my good graces.”
“Grace may well be beyond her grasp, my lord,” Isabel said soft to him. It weren’t near soft enough, and I glared at her.
The prince chuckled. “Perhaps indeed, my love.” He took her hand, playing with her fingers before drawing them to his mouth to kiss them. “Gisbourne, isn’t my princess very wise?”
“Yes, your Highness.”
“And beautiful too, isn’t she?”
I couldn’t much see Gisbourne, but Isabel were looking at him, and her face didn’t look so pinched and catlike now. She blinked her eyes wide.
“Always, your Highness,” Gisbourne said, and his voice were rough.
The prince sniffed again and waved his hand, leaning forward a little to meet my eyes. “Now, Lady Marian. This is my land, and as such, I will be the one to act for the people, do you understand?”
I stared back at him.
“You are a noble lady, and a wife. If you continue such flagrant disregard for my royal authority, I will punish you and my forgiveness will be beyond your reach. I strongly encourage you to cleave to your husband, be a good little girl and be dutiful and pious in all things. And Gisbourne, you might want to think about how the behavior of your wife reflects on your authority. Particularly the authority provided by certain positions?” he said, raising his eyebrows.
Gisbourne made some kind of a grunt.
Prince John smiled. “Now, Lady Leaford, you may kiss my ring and go.”
Kiss my ring—like he were the damn king. He weren’t even his brother’s heir, only third in line to the throne, and he could sit here like a monarch. I stood still, but Gisbourne’s fingers caught my elbow to drag me up and were grinding the bones like he were trying to make bread with them.
Finally I stood and stepped forward, kneeling before the prince to kiss the Angevin seal imprinted in gold.