Rob glanced at me. “And the nobles. His only power is that which they grant him.”

My mouth opened to tell him I were one of those nobles, more than he knew, but I said, “And then we made our way up here. And he—he found me in Oxford,” I told him soft, looking round to make sure there weren’t others listening to me.

“Prince John?” he asked, leaning to me.

I nodded.

His hand gripped the cutting knife. “What did he do?”

I shook my head, putting my hand on his. “Nothing, Rob.”

Rob looked at David. “He wanted to hurt her,” David said grave. “But no one would watch him do it. And she herself turned him away.”

The tears were in my eyes again. “Which is why he came here,” I whispered. “He must have left me and come straight to do this. To kill you. To kill our people.”

He looked full at me. “He didn’t get me, Scarlet. And this wasn’t something he did because of you. He did it because he’s a vindictive, evil man. It wasn’t something you could have stopped, my love. Not ever.”

My shoulders raised up. “Your turn,” I told him. “Tell me what’s happened here since I left.”

He nodded, but looked at the food. “Come,” he said. “Let’s get everyone fed, and maybe we can steal a moment to speak.” He glanced at David. “Alone.”

David frowned.

Chapter 16

Rob and I worked with the rest of the people of Nottinghamshire until well after dark. Within a few hours we weren’t finding any more bodies, which were a relief.

Rob opened the castle to anyone without a home to return to, and we brought as many blankets and pallets as could be found and stuffed to the Great Hall, feeding everyone what we could. It were strange listening to Rob give orders. He’d grown comfortable as the sheriff. He were born to it.

And I didn’t tell him that those orders were now mine to give. I liked listening to him do it, confident in himself and his role.

I were sitting with Bess and some girl she knew, playing with the other woman’s daughter, a sure-footed tot named Molly. The girl stomped around us with glee, reveling in her newfound ability to walk, and Bess tensed, hissing breath out over her teeth.

“Bess?” I asked, lurching forward.

The pain passed, and she laughed. “Just a rather hard kick,” she said. “I swear, he’s stronger than his father.”

“He?” I asked.

Her shoulders lifted. “I don’t really know. Some days all I wish for is a little boy, with John’s eyes and shoulders, and every day he grows, it will be a little less like John died,” she said, her voice hushing on the last word. “Then other days, that sounds like torture. And I hope for a girl.”

Her friend squeezed her hand.

“Much wants a girl,” she said, sniffing. “He’ll be thrilled, either way, but he wants a girl. Some days—I know he looks at you lot, and wonders how he can be a good enough man if he’s not like John, or Robin Hood. And that’s not fair,” she said, wiping a sudden tear from her eye. “It’s not. He’s a wonderful man all on his own.”

I nodded. “He is.”

She nodded hard. “Good. You tell him that, will you? He loves you.”

“I will,” I promised. “Come—you should rest, and I won’t let you sleep on the floor in your state.”

She nodded again, wiping away more tears, and her friend and I both conspired to pull her up gentle. I went and found an empty room—though a boy came in and I kicked him out, so maybe the chamber hadn’t been very empty—and even with my awkward hands, I untied her dress and served as her maid to change her for bed.

“Thank you,” she said when I were done.

I nodded, my mouth opening. I frowned, not sure how to say the words. “I’m sorry, Bess,” I managed. “I’m so sorry. I got him killed.”

Her shoulders jumped a little. “On my worst days, Scarlet, I blamed you. And Robin, and Much. Everyone there. But it’s not your fault. Prince John killed him. That’s all.” Some pain came to her again, and I eased her onto the bed. “I’m just lucky he didn’t take Much this time around. It was him that burned the city, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I doubt we’ll be able to prove that, but I know it was.”

“That’s what I thought. So now . . . now I just pray he won’t have the chance to hurt my baby, Scar.”

Unsure, I touched my fingertips to her belly, and she pressed them there. I felt something move, and I shut my eyes. “No one will hurt that baby, Bess. I promise.”

Tears leaked out the side of her eyes. “Is that a promise you can keep?” she whispered.

I nodded. “Yes.” I tried to smile. “If nothing else, John will haunt me all my days if I don’t.”

She gave a tiny half laugh and nodded. “Will you tell Much where I am?” she asked.

“I will,” I said.

She relaxed onto the pillow, as much as she could in such a state, and I left her, closing my eyes. God, I prayed that were a promise I could keep.

I found Much and told him, and he quit the hall in a breath, telling me Rob had gone down to the treasury. Smiling after him, I went down there. It weren’t much—just a heavily locked room deep in the rock the castle had been built on. But the door were in splinters on the ground and the room were empty, not including Rob, sitting in a chair. The other chair and the table were broken too.