BooksBarbecue
Back Nottingham
Chapters (76)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART I
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. FIVE
  11. SIX
  12. SEVEN
  13. EIGHT
  14. NINE
  15. PART II
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. PART III
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. INTERLUDE
  35. PART IV
  36. TWENTY-SEVEN
  37. TWENTY-EIGHT
  38. TWENTY-NINE
  39. THIRTY
  40. THIRTY-ONE
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. INTERLUDE
  45. PART V
  46. THIRTY-FIVE
  47. THIRTY-SIX
  48. THIRTY-SEVEN
  49. THIRTY-EIGHT
  50. PART VI
  51. THIRTY-NINE
  52. FORTY
  53. FORTY-ONE
  54. FORTY-TWO
  55. FORTY-THREE
  56. FORTY-FOUR
  57. FORTY-FIVE
  58. INTERLUDE
  59. PART VII
  60. FORTY-SIX
  61. FORTY-SEVEN
  62. FORTY-EIGHT
  63. FORTY-NINE
  64. FIFTY
  65. FIFTY-ONE
  66. FIFTY-TWO
  67. PART VIII
  68. FIFTY-THREE
  69. FIFTY-FOUR
  70. FIFTY-FIVE
  71. FIFTY-SIX
  72. EPILOGUE
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  75. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  76. Newsletter Sign-up

William could not imagine how difficult it must be for her to live in the city. Her family name was a danger to her in Derby because of his own father, but here it bore an insulting history as well. Ferrers had become synonymous with treason in Nottingham, and the names of those that aided the earl in his revolt fared little better. Nottingham had a long memory, and a cruel one, but Arable endured that prejudice for the protection de Lacy alone offered her.

A protection which would not last. And William had yet to offer any real alternative, despite his promise to her. She had mentioned the hope of searching for her family in France, but had nothing to follow but rumors. Only a single idea had come to William’s mind, but it was risky. His father was the world’s expert on the location of Burels in the world. He could write home in the hopes of getting such information, but if his father suspected William’s motives, it would put her in greater danger.

Arable touched the stone gently. The marker bore no actual significance, but the emotional poverty of that action chilled William to his core. He had no words to help her. He wished her grief could stand and scream at him, could pull steel that he could fight it like a real enemy. He had no idea how to kill something that refused to be touched. It was the same impotence he felt by de Lacy’s side unable to do anything besides comment. Nothing that amounted to progress.

“I’m sorry,” he said, because they were the words he was supposed to say.

“Don’t be sorry.” Her eyes pierced him, begging him to be more than he was. “Our sorries are long over. I didn’t bring you here to make you feel guilty. This boring rock in the ground is the only thing I have left of my family, William, and it’s not even real. And why? Because my father did as he was expected. He knew it was wrong to march on Nottingham, but he didn’t know how to say no. Your father was right to refuse the call. Don’t learn the wrong lessons from the past, promise me that. You’ll be gone a week from Sunday.”

There was a small accusation there, as if it were his choice to return to the war. But he and Robin had made their plans, and failed.

“You know I don’t want to leave you.”