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

“He’ll hang soon enough. But I wanted to see—no offense now, Simon—if you’d fall for it.” At that, his friend’s features turned hard. “I’m sorry to use you. I knew this trash wasn’t an option. But what if I hadn’t? If we talked to another man who gave the same pitiful story, perhaps we’d both fall for it. Just because they’re arrested for something small doesn’t mean that’s the worst they’ve done. Crime begets crime, and then we’ve brought a murderer into our ranks. You think Ludic or Marshall would be safe, when the men they cage eat at their table in the dining hall? Everyone we talk to is going to beg for forgiveness, tell us they’re innocent, and lie and lie and lie. They might even lie. This is how we’re inviting danger into the Nottingham Guard. These are the sheriff’s orders, and I say they’re reckless and arrogant. So. Simon. Do you still prefer to shake your head and say you have no complaints?”

“THAT WAS IN APRIL,” Guy finished, still staring out over the Yard. “We’ve pulled prisoners every month since, thrown them into training. The Simons and I conceal their pasts, and they’re under strict orders not to reveal anything themselves. They receive only a fraction of the normal payment, enough for the barest of necessities.”

Jon Bassett’s eyes were full of judgment, but not blame. “Any problems with any of them yet?”

“Not yet.” But its potential was in each of their faces.

“Why’d you tell me?”

“Because at the rate you’re going, you’ll be captain someday,” Guy answered. Upon seeing Bassett’s surprise, he added, “Not soon, mind you. Don’t get any ideas. There may be grey in my beard but I’m a long ways from dead. But it can’t hurt to start thinking like a captain now.”

His protégé pursed his lips, but wisely said nothing.

“Besides. I could use someone aside from The Simons and the Sheriff to complain about it with.”

That earned a dry laugh, and the two of them returned their attention to the training in the Yard below. The recruits were running physical exercises, while Guy instinctively categorized each of them into tiers based entirely on how useless they would be. Between the war and Sheriff de Lacy, it was hard to guess which had been more disastrous to Nottingham’s safety.

After some time, Jon Bassett clicked his tongue. “What happened to Gerold of Nowhere?”

“Hanged as scheduled,” Guy answered.

FOUR

WILLIAM DE WENDENAL

ENGLISH WAR CAMP, ACRE
MONDAY, 1ST DAY OF JULY 1191

WILLIAM DE WENDENAL POINTED his index finger and retracted it, again and again.

It was, inarguably, fascinating.