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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

“I just need you to get something to him, that’s all, it’s as simple as that.” Marshall twitched, matching her tiniest movements, apparently desperate to keep her here. “Nobody would ever suspect you. You could say you need to scrub the cells or collect laundry, them Derbymen won’t know the difference.” His hands trembled. “The key to each cell hangs on a ring just outside the block’s entrance. All you need to do is get it into his hands. He’ll get himself out. Just tell him to meet me at the Rabbit. I’ll be there waiting for him, after I get the key from Gisbourne.”

Arable’s thoughts reeled, trying to find some advantage to this offer. “You’re taking an awful risk in telling me this,” she said. “What if I were to turn you in?”

“As I said,” he gulped, “I’m out of options. Please, I can’t risk getting the key from Gisbourne unless I know you’re willing to help.”

Two more Guardsmen were within eyesight now. She lowered her voice. “I’ll think on it.” She hoped that would appease him. “Talk to me again in a week.”

“It has to be tonight,” he whispered, harsher now, his own eyes locked on the approaching men.

“Then my answer is no.” She peeled herself away. “I’m sorry.”

She bit into the wind and left, pushing past the two Guardsmen without even looking back to see if Marshall was following her. At the end of the walkway a stair led up into the bottom level of the barracks hall, where she risked a glance behind. Marshall had not budged, and his body had a defeated sag to it.

She ascended inside, her eyes numb from the sunlight. Nottingham was too dangerous for her now, with no allies. Marshall and the Guard, they were remnants of her old life, trying to entangle her, to keep her from leaving. She had to look no farther than the scars on her cheeks to witness the dangers this place held for a woman on her own. It was an option, her last option, to return to the kitchens and ask humbly for forgiveness. Mistress Roana would understand and take care of her, but Arable couldn’t do that. She only became Roger’s serving girl as a disguise. If she went back to the kitchens now she would be a servant in heart as well as in title. It was a smothering sort of obscurity—she would disappear into it and never crawl out again.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to.

A new life. She steeled herself, ignoring the foreboding weight of those words.