I lifted my shoulders. “Little does.”
“I was sorry to see you leave Oxford so quickly,” Essex said to me. “I hope your wound is much improved.”
Rob’s eyes cut sharp to me at this, and he crossed his arms.
“Yes,” I said flat. “Thank you. Come along, we will feed you and get to work,” I said.
They nodded, leading their men into Nottingham. I went toward Rob, but he turned to Essex and began speaking with him.
Winchester offered me his arm with a gentle smile. “My lady,” he said, dashing his head.
I took it, though I felt silly. “Your aid is very much appreciated,” I told him.
He shook his head as we started to walk up to the castle. “Think nothing of it,” he told me. He lifted a shoulder. “Besides, the queen told me to alert you that she will come as soon as she can. I figured it was an excellent way for me to see Margaret again.”
This made me smile. “Why haven’t you married her already? You’re an earl; surely her father would agree. And you both are absolutely terrible at hiding it.”
He grinned like a child. “I know. She has asked me not to ask for her hand until her brother returns from war. She believes—correctly, as I understand it—that her father would certainly agree, and press for a quick marriage as well. She doesn’t want to be married without her brother, if she can avoid it. And I confess, I would do just about anything she asks.”
I looked at Rob. “You’re a very good man, Winchester.”
He smiled at me, but we began walking through the worst of the city, and his smile left him. “This is Prince John’s handiwork?” he asked.
“Not that he will admit it, but yes.”
His throat worked, and we were quiet for the rest of the walk.
CHAPTER
That afternoon, the knights were making fast work in the city, and Winchester, Rob, Much, and I talked about what to do about the tax.
“We can’t tell them,” Much said. “It will break the people after all that they’ve lost.”
“They won’t be surprised,” Rob said. “We had barely a quarter of the amount we were called for. But that’s all the people had, and now that’s gone too.”
“I would give it to you,” Winchester said, “but not even I have the kind of coin you’re talking about. Not after covering for the people of mine that couldn’t pay. It took everything I had.”
“I’ll sell my property,” I said.
Much frowned. “Leaford? But then you’d be putting people out of jobs and robbing yourself of any income that comes in. Not to mention that I think the Lord and Lady Leaford would have a few concerns about that, which even if they aren’t actually your parents, I would think you’d consider. And set all of that aside, no one has the kind of money to buy something like that. No one.”
“She’s not Lady Leaford anymore,” Rob said sharp. “She’s Huntingdon. She has all the Huntingdon lands, Much.”
Much blinked, looking between us. “Oh.”
“Maybe Eleanor will help,” I said. “She’ll stop here on her tour.”
“Marian, she’ll have already put every spare cent she has to bring Richard home,” Winchester reminded me.
I sighed, leaning on the edge of a table. “It was much easier when we could just steal things,” I said.
“No one left to steal from,” Rob reminded. He raised his eyebrow in my direction, and I frowned.
“Sheriff!” a page yelled. I turned to see Will Clarke run into the room in the garb the castle servants wore.
“Yes, Will?” Rob asked.
“The prince is coming, Sheriff! He sent word that he’s returning Nottingham’s knights.”
“Get everyone into the castle,” Rob ordered. “Immediately. Will, start spreading the word. Winchester, take half your knights to the city gate and have the rest guard the castle. Tell Essex the same. Much, go out to the towns and warn them.”
Much and Will left, but Winchester hung back. “You’re the only one with the power to send him away, Marian,” he said.
“I know. And I will. He has no right to be here.”
“Whatever you do,” Rob warned me, “keeping you safe is the most important thing now. If anything happens to you, he can lay claim to the shire again.”
I raised my chin. “Then don’t let anything happen to me.”
“Don’t ask that from me, Scar, unless you mean it,” Rob told me, his eyes dark.
I drew a slow breath, looking at him. Wondering if my being a noblewoman would mean constantly putting him back in this place.
“No one will let her be harmed,” Winchester said, nodding at Rob.
Rob nodded once at me.