Lady Thief: A Scarlet Novel (2 page)

“Good thing,” the first knight responded, heaving back to pull up the full pail. “We’d show them what a few good English knights can do to lawless rebels.”

“Is it true the king himself ordered you to come look after us?” she asked.

“King’s away,” the first knight reminded her. He weren’t quite noticing her game.

The second knight knew what she were about, and she arched her back from the well. He grinned. “The prince sent us. The castle, the wood, and the whole county falls back to his care without a sheriff. And we promised to take very good care of it in his absence.” He stepped closer to Aggie, looking shameless at her chest as she smiled at him. “Have you good ladies missed having your men about?” he asked.

It were meant to sound saucy, I’m sure, but it were all I could do not to spit. Honestly, all the knights were pigs and Aggie were a damn fool. Not many women in Nottinghamshire—specially the married ones without their husbands—had slept peaceful and safe with their men forced to work for the Crown. And Aggie may have giggled when he touched her, running his hand up her arm, but I stepped forward.

“Morning, Aggie,” I called. “Sirs.”

Aggie’s face dropped, and her body fell back against the well. She crossed her arms. “Imagine meeting you here.”

The second knight took in Aggie’s change and turned back to me, sauntering closer. “Why aren’t you at the wall, lad? All able-bodied men were called—even small, rather flimsy-looking ones.”

“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, she’s a girl in pants.” Aggie pouted.

The knight took new interest in me, looking me over. “Well I suppose that’s lucky. Look, one for each of us. I’ll even let you have the pretty one.”

Aggie looked wounded as the first knight put the pail down.

“Don’t put your hands on her,” I warned him.

The second knight grinned. “Jealous? I’ll keep you busy, pet. Though it looks like you’ve already had a man’s hands on you.” His eyes hooked on my neck.

I put my hand over it, swallowing under the pain. I knew it were swollen, but it must have bruised up overnight.

“I’m right glad Rob finally taught you a lesson,” Aggie told me with a sniff. “That’s what you get for being so meddlesome.”

The mood changed quick, and the first knight grabbed Aggie’s arm. “Rob?” he asked. “Robin Hood?”

“The vagabond?” the second knight said, and took quick steps toward me. I stepped to the side.

Aggie had the sense to be sorry, even if it were late and little at that. “N-no,” Aggie lied quick. “Her husband. Robert of Gisbourne.”

“
Lord
Gisbourne,” I snapped, and the knight halted his advance.

The knight laughed. “There’s no way in hell you’re Lady Leaford.”

His fellow coughed, though, and the second knight looked back to see the first one leaving Aggie be. “We should go.”

“She isn’t Lady Leaford!” the second said.

“Didn’t you hear
any
of the stories?” the first knight muttered to him. He shook his head and prodded his fellow farther down the lane.

As the knights disappeared, Aggie stomped her foot and turned on me. I frowned at her, going to the well and tying a scarlet ribbon to the hook. “How could you?” she snapped. “How am I ever supposed to get a husband with you interfering?”

“Go home, Aggie,” John said, coming from behind a house with the others. “Or I’ll tell your father what you’re angling for.”

She crossed her arms. “Oh, I’ll tell him what you angled from me right back, John Little.”

John frowned at her like he were losing patience. “Yes, Aggie, I’m sure you’re eager to tell your father
that
.”

“Go,” Rob told her, bare glancing her way. “And don’t speak to Scar like that again, Agatha.”

“I didn’t mean to let it slip—” she started.

“No,” he said sharp. “You meant to be cruel to the girl who saved your father’s life. Who fed you when you were hungry. That’s what you meant. Go home, Agatha.”

She turned heel and left, and Rob came close to me and let his fingers brush over mine. My heart caught the sunlight and tried to tuck it in so close I felt near to bursting. I beamed at him, remembering again—
he loves me
.

He gave me a soft, small smile, but it blew off like smoke when his eyes dropped to my neck.

Rob turned from me, my fingers going cold where they had been warm, and I pulled my collar up tight against the bruises.

“Come on,” Rob told us, and we continued on to Lord Thoresby’s manor.

Thoresby’s loyal guards let us pass unbothered, and we went to the barn. It were warmer in there, full of animals and horses and wide-open space in the middle. There were three little people waiting for us.

Jack and Will Clarke came over to us, trailed by the littlest Morgan girl, Missy. She came and stood beside me, quiet, in a way that always made me want to tuck her under my coat. Jack went over to Rob and started yapping at him, and Will drifted slow to me.

“Hullo, Scarlet,” he said.

“Morning, Will.”

His cheeks threw up a red flame, and he looked at me and then away. His small chest puffed with breath and he looked at me again, his face turning angry and sour. “Did someone hurt you?” he demanded, his voice loud. “Was it a knight? I’ll kill him! I’m a much better shot now!”

At twelve, he weren’t much shorter than me, but I felt a need to kneel down. “No, no,” I told him quick. “My coat snagged on a tree and yanked me back, that were all.” I saw Rob turn away from me at the lie. “Besides, who would hurt me when you’re around to protect me?”

He looked at me, very solemn, and said, “I’ll cut down the tree if you show me which one. And if it’s not too tall.”

Trying to swallow my smile, I shook my head. “We can let the tree live.”

The barn door opened, and a few more of the children and women from the town came in. Will went to his brother, and Rob slipped up beside me.

“I hate to make you lie,” he whispered, his breath rushing over my ear and making shivers trickle down my spine like water.

I shrugged. “I’m a liar. Besides, he wouldn’t understand.”

“Are
we
supposed to understand?” John asked, glaring at Rob and not looking at me. “Because I don’t.”

“Shut it, John,” I told him with a frown.

“Will definitely wouldn’t. All he’d understand is someone that claims to love Scarlet is hurting her. He’d probably kill you, Rob,” John said, coming close. “Or happily die trying. I think the young man has a crush on Scar.”

“You would know what that looks like, wouldn’t you, John?” Rob asked, his voice iron hard.

“Rob!” I snapped.

But John just chuckled. “Well, who could blame me. I mean, you’re the love of her life, but I’m the one who knows what her kiss tastes like, right?”

The boys were glaring at each other, not paying a lick of mind to me. Which were fair fine with me, for John didn’t see it coming when I kneed him in the bits. He didn’t fall, but he howled and twisted away from me.

“What the damn hell, Scar!” he roared.

“You are my
friend
, John Little, you do not wag your chin about any bit of me like that,” I snapped. I whirled around. I wanted to slap Rob, but I didn’t. “And you. John’s trying to protect me from
your
dreams,
your
nightmares, something none
of us fair well understand, so don’t bait him like that. It’s cruel and you know it.”

He swallowed, and he looked at me, his face open and worn. “I am cruel, Scar,” he said, like it were a confession. His eyes fell to my neck, and he shook his head. “Come,” he called loud, his voice rougher. He stepped away from me. “Let’s practice with the bows. John, are you well enough to help?”

John coughed and nodded to him. My heart twisted like a scrap of cloth, and I took the stairs two at a time to the hayloft. I sat on the edge, watching as the nine children and two women what had come lined up to listen to Rob teach them to defend themselves, and their homes, and their families.

Much came and sat beside me with a sigh.

“You have to know, with John—”

“I know,” I said. “I know better than you think.”

“He just wants to protect you.”

“I know he does. And I’ll always love him for it and many more reasons. But he and Rob are so awful to each other sometimes.”

Much gave a soft noise, and I turned and took in his sad and mournful face. He saw me looking and shrugged. “They may be awful to each other, but only because they know they’re brothers. And brothers can fight.” He paused a long stretch. “They don’t fight with me,” he said.

“We’re all family,” I told him. “They just think of you like the baby.”

He frowned. “I’m not a baby. I’ve grown a few inches, I think.”

“I know.”

He scowled. “You know?”

I laughed. “All your pants are short.”

“Scarlet?”

I turned and looked to the stair where Missy Morgan stood, hanging back. She were as pretty as milk and sun, more short and quiet than her two sisters, but she were the jewel amongst them. She crowded the rail, her shoulders sunk in.

“I don’t want to learn the bow so much. Can we practice more with the knives?” she asked.

Nodding, I stood from the ledge and pulled Much up with me. Looking at her, making herself small even in this place where she knew there weren’t nothing to fear, my breath caught. “I reckon so. Much, will you run and snatch a few?”

He looked at my vest where I had at least three, but I met his eyes full and he nodded. He went past Missy, touching her arm a little, and she raised her eyes to him and held her breath till he passed.

Were Missy sweet on Much? That would be a match to be sure—though I weren’t the sort to know if a love could survive with so much shy and kind in it.

I waved her closer, and she drifted up to me. “Did something happen, Missy?” I asked her.

A wash of color went all over her face, splotches of pink and red like fast-blooming roses. “Y-yes,” she said. “Sort of. I was at market, and a man, he put his arms on my waist and he said something—something awful,” she said, her gaze falling to the wooden floor and her hands shaking.

“Oh—” I started, but she weren’t finished.

“And I did what you said. I stepped on his foot, and I hit him with my elbow,” she said, wrapping her arms tight round herself. “And he let me go, and I ran. But I think I’d feel better with a knife.”

My heart filled up hard and fast, bits of happiness spilling over the edges and slopping around inside my chest. Most nights it felt like God himself were punishing me, but seeing a girl protect herself instead of asking someone to do it for her felt like some kind of redemption. “Then we’ll get you a knife,” I told her.

It were late in the afternoon when Thoresby came in, two servants with him carrying food for the children. He nodded to us and came closer, leaving the children—and John, the big hungry thing—to descend on the food.

Thoresby weren’t a big man. He weren’t an overstrong man, or clever, or young. But he were always fair, and I liked that about him.

“Have you heard anything?” Rob asked. His body turned a bit, leaning toward mine, like everything in him were pulling him closer to me and stopping just short of touching.

Thoresby nodded. “The prince is coming to Nottinghamshire. They’re speeding up progress on the wall to be ready in time—a fortnight at the most.”

I sucked in a breath. “Will he name a sheriff?” I asked.

“If he’s decided, he hasn’t let me know.”

“But he received your petition for it?” Rob asked.

Thoresby sighed. “The messenger assured me he received it. Robin, I warned you not to rest too much hope on this. It’s a very political appointment, and he has nothing to gain from appointing me.”

“Nonsense,” Rob said, waving this off. “You’re well thought of at court.”

“If I’m ever there,” he said. “It’s unlikely at best, Robin.”

“He’ll appoint you. Who else could he choose?”

“There are still unclaimed lands,” he said. “Most of your old Huntingdon properties are still unentailed. He could easily bring someone into the county to make them eligible. And many minor landholders are eligible. There are a surprising number of possibilities.”

Muscle in Rob’s jaw flickered and bulged out. “Then gain his notice. Persuade him. Do
something
, Thoresby,” Rob snapped.

“I know how much you want me to be sheriff, but you must prepare yourself—” he said, clapping his hand on Rob’s shoulder.

Rob pushed it off. “No. No. What I must prepare myself for is defending the people again, because clearly I’m the only one willing to stand up for them.”

Thoresby heaved a great sigh and looked round at the barn. “Things seem to be going well here, Robin. It was a good idea.”

“It was Scar’s idea,” he said, flat. “Good thing they’re learning to protect themselves—those children are growing up in a
world where not
one
of the people who are duty-bound to honor and shelter them care for their well-being. Or don’t you remember what they have suffered under the last sheriff? They were taxed and tortured within an inch of their lives, Thoresby. Have you forgotten?”

Thoresby looked at me. I shook my head and opened my mouth to defend Thoresby, say something to allow for Rob’s short words and shorter temper, but Thoresby’s eyes went to my neck.