BooksBarbecue
Back Nottingham Save as PDF
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

Why William had bothered to save Ferrers’s life, he couldn’t say. The man was responsible for so much of the grief that defined William’s past. Fifteen years ago, Ferrers had answered another call to war, to fight for Henry the Younger in his attempted rebellion against King Henry. William often wondered how different his life would be if not for that one selfish act. The rebellion had failed, Ferrers’s siege of Nottingham Castle was unsuccessful, so nothing would be different for most of the world. But his brothers would be alive. William probably would have married Arable de Burel, and her family would have escaped ruin.

Selfish acts and their unknown consequences, they tugged at William’s fingertips. Returning to his bedroll, he caught Robin’s gaze across from him, eyes wide open, giving solemn approval of his suggestion that spared Ferrers’s life. But William could only wonder what his own father would say of this tiny act of mercy, and chose better than to linger on it.

This war would have consequences, too. And William knew that if things went poorly, King Richard would not lose any sleep over them. Power was worse than any wine at dulling the senses. William knew exactly why his king had tried to casually send an annoying earl to his death, and exactly why he had taken a messenger’s life for a petty mind game.

Because he can.

William could only hope that, given the same power, he would make different choices.

FIVE

ARABLE DE BUREL

NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

OF COURSE ARABLE WAS still awake when they came through the kitchen. Their voices carried right through to the maids’ chambers loud and clear, even though they thought they were whispering. And of course they found it necessary, as all young men do, to touch everything they walked by. She could tell precisely where they were by the number of times the soup lid rattled open and crashed down again in disappointment. Each one slapped the side of the wide stone archway that split the kitchen in half as he walked through it. Each one clattered his hand against the line of hanging spoons above the cutting table. Four tonight. Then the soup lid again. Good thing you checked, your friends may have not looked hard enough. Five.

There was no point in following them. It was past midnight and she was tired. Her hands were sore from scratching wax trails off of candleshelves and something wasn’t sitting well in her stomach. She’d already visited the cold castle privies several times to relieve herself and was likely to need another, judging by the strange crackles in her belly. That was why she had left her stockings and shoes on, in case she needed to go again. Not so she could follow the errant Guardsmen when they returned tonight. Following them would be dangerous, and pointless. Better to roll back to sleep, and let them about their business.