The city gate weren’t near as well fortified as the castle, but if Prince John were ever to transgress against us, we’d make it hard as we could. We shut and locked the city gates and Winchester and I sat mounted on horses, the knights around us. Rob were on the city wall behind me, an arrow in hand, true to his promise to keep me safe. I even wore a dress for the occasion, taken from my old things, which Rob had fetched out of the room for me.
I wanted to look every inch a formidable lady like his mother when I faced down Prince John.
Because of the rain there weren’t much dust to rise, and we just felt the trembling in the ground as Prince John rounded the bend with a legion of Nottinghamshire knights. I held my breath, and a breeze kicked up, flapping my cloak to the side.
Prince John signaled his men—my men—to halt, riding a few paces up. My stomach curled hard when I saw his companion—de Clare, the cruel bully who’d taken great joy in hurting me the winter before.
But it were spring now, and this were my castle and my shire and for the first time in my life, I had the right to defend those things. “Lady Huntingdon,” de Clare greeted me with an oily smile.
“My lord Prince,” I said, clear and loud over the quieting roar of horses’ hooves. “Welcome to Nottinghamshire.”
“Lady Huntingdon,” he said, glaring at me with a sick, pleased smile. “Winchester, Essex,” he said, nodding to each. “Marian, don’t you just have a stable of men about?”
“Earls,” I corrected, lifting my eyebrows. “And yes, I’ve found the nobility to be most supportive of my new role.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure an unmarried woman with a significant amount of land would become very popular,” Prince John sneered.
“And a widow at that,” de Clare said, his eyes skipping over me. “No need to be concerned with maiden honor.”
There weren’t a sound.
Prince John chuckled. “Well. I’ve heard you had trouble here,” he said, all innocent. “I heard the town was sacked.”
I glanced round. The gates were shut and unharmed; you couldn’t see the burned town beyond. “No. You must have been misinformed.”
He sniffed. “I can still smell smoke.”
Smiling, I glanced at Rob. “We had a feast and a bonfire to celebrate my creation. It was quite the affair.”
His smile grew more tense, widening to show his teeth. “My mother thinks she’s very clever too, Marian, but she ended up in a tower for sixteen years for annoying my father with her willful mouth. You would do well to remember there are punishments for even the highest of the nobility.”
I drew in a breath to speak, but Winchester were faster. “Before you dare to speak of punishment to her, I suggest you look to your own actions and wonder what the king might have in store for you when he returns. Besides, you may be a prince, but with the loss of the Nottingham lands, your holdings are less than hers—and, I would remind you, mine.”
The prince lowered his gaze like a dog, glaring at Winchester and baring his teeth. “Those are bold words, Winchester.”
“Bold, perhaps,” Essex said. “But true.”
The prince sniffed. “Holdings come and go, but royal blood is inalienable.”
“Yes,” I said, raising my chin. “Royal blood is inalienable, isn’t it?”
“And where is the dashing sheriff?” Prince John asked, a smug grin coming over his face. “I’d heard he didn’t fare well in the troubles.”
My blood roared in my ears. No such thing had happened; it could only mean that Prince John had ordered it so.
He wanted Rob dead.
“Forgive my failure to greet you, your Highness,” Rob called from his spot on the wall. I didn’t turn to look, watching Prince John’s snarl instead.
He didn’t say anything for many moments. “Very well. Congratulations, Lady Huntingdon, on your incredibly swift rise from bastardy. If you can simply deliver the tax for your shire, I will be on my way.”
“No,” I said.
His horse pawed closer. “What was that?” he growled.
“No. You are not the overlord responsible for this shire, and considering our history, I will deliver our tax to the queen mother, or straight to London. The servants at the Huntingdon holdings have been alerted to the change and any personal items you may wish to recover, please write to me and I will handle it as I see fit.”
His chest rose. “May I remind you, nobles whose shires fail to pay are held responsible,” he said.
“We’ll be sure to remind Eleanor of that. For now, I believe you are needed elsewhere, my lord Prince. Anywhere but Nottinghamshire, in fact. You may retain de Clare, but I require these knights.”
Prince John’s lip curled. He looked at each of us in turn. “This has been a very memorable visit,” he said. “Rest assured I will treasure it for a long, long while.”
He spurred his horse, and de Clare hesitated a moment, then followed along behind him.
When we couldn’t see their horses anymore, Winchester’s men began banging their armored hands on their chests, clattering with noise in a knight’s version of a cheer.
The rest of the men didn’t quite know what to do, and I called for the gates to be opened so we could be let in. I sent Essex and Winchester on ahead, and saw Rob watching me as the knights filed in.