Chapters (76)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART I
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- PART II
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- PART III
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- INTERLUDE
- PART IV
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- INTERLUDE
- PART V
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART VI
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- INTERLUDE
- PART VII
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- PART VIII
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- EPILOGUE
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
“It’s my fault, all of it.” Roger stiffened and straightened his hair, looking at the other version of himself hanging on the wall, which looked back with derision. “I’ve made many mistakes, you know. Anything that has happened, I am solely to blame.”
“Has anybody seen this?” Wendenal asked, and then, noticing the two guards behind Roger, “Wait outside.” They closed the door, and he repeated the question.
“Nobody else has read it.”
“Not Gisbourne?”
“Gisbourne’s still in Bernesdale, as far as I know.”
Arable’s face was pale. “That man is a monster. He can’t be given so much power.”
“He will be,” Roger confirmed. “He has.”
“He’ll spend the entire coffers searching for those outlaws,” Wendenal thought aloud. “The county will be bankrupt and your people will be living in fear.”
“I’m working on that. I’ve done a poor job of managing all this, I see that now. I should have been more decisive. But I have a few final acts I’ve set in motion today, and one or two more before this night is over. I may be able to salvage something from this … debacle.” He hesitated before the final word, realizing that he was describing his own career.
“One night? That’s not enough time.”
“It’s all I have.”
Wendenal snatched the parchment and held it over a candle.
“What will that accomplish, William? Another would come in a week, along with the men to enforce it. Do I want to be remembered as the sheriff they had to drag out of his office by force?”
“A week is all we need.” Wendenal’s eyes were bright now. “Do you want to be remembered as the sheriff who gave up, or the sheriff who brought peace to Nottingham? You know as well as I that Gisbourne’s raids will do nothing to change the outlaws in the Sherwood. If anything it will embolden them further.”
“Oh I know,” Roger felt the anger in his veins, “but I could think of nothing else. Oughtibridge wanted the appearance of action, and this at least did not involve violence.”
“But it gives you the public display you wanted,” Wendenal shifted, “so why not come to a truce with them at the same time, secretly? If we simply meet with the outlaws—”
“You and your peace talks again.” Roger turned away. “I told you. We cannot bring them here, we cannot—”
“We don’t bring them here. We bring you. To them.”
He stopped. It was a left turn he had not expected. The idea bounced about his skull for a bit, searching for a jagged line. “If you’re about to tell me that you’ve known how to find them this entire time…”