John shook his head, but out of confusion, not refusal.

“We were trying to effect change from the bottom, pushing up, John. But by marrying William, I can do it from the top, pushing down. That’s where the power is.”

His brow was full of questions.

“Wendenal wants peace. He does.” William was a sharp man, and not so enamored with politics yet as to behave like a politician. “He has a better chance of putting Nottinghamshire back together than anyone else who would claim the title. But he has no backing. His father is notable, yes, but his influence ends at Derbyshire’s borders. Lord Gisbourne challenges William’s authority daily, and has the ear of powerful men who don’t care whether there is enough grain to feed the needy. We cannot suffer anyone but William to hold the Sheriff’s seat. I’ve promised him I would do everything in my ability to help him.”

John’s bloodshot eye glistened. “By marrying him?”

“By marrying into my family, yes. My father is the castellan of London, my grandfather a baron and the Earl of Essex. And of course my cousins John and Richard, but they’re only royalty.”

John Little smiled at that. His will had at last softened.

“He needed allies, and I am valuable at that. A bit controversial, I’ve come to realize, but valuable nonetheless. Our betrothal will stay the hand of those that would seek to destroy him before he begins. It will give him the chance to strengthen his position, to make himself unrootable.”

“So then,” John struggled, “it’s just for show?”

“A bit. But I will marry him.”

“But why?”

“John, this helps me, too!” Marion flinched, trying to unfold his confusion. He only knew her through Locksley, through their time in the Sherwood. None of them ever truly understood the other half of her life, her struggles for agency in London’s courts. This marriage was no punishment, it was opportunity. “I’ll be able to actually make a difference. With more powerful connections, I can influence policy. I can protect you all much better from here than anywhere else. The answer was never to get rid of the Sheriff, the answer is to work with him. And that’s what I’ll be doing.”

“Work with him?” John asked. Whatever hideous image he had built in his mind that defined William, he could not seem to let go of it. That was precisely the type of thinking that led Will Scarlet to kill de Lacy. “You don’t honestly think he’ll listen to you?”

Marion sighed. “He does listen to me. He already has. He came to me in Sheffield, John, for advice in this. William knew he couldn’t keep his position for long. He assumed he might only have power for a week, two if he were lucky. So he asked me for advice on what he could accomplish in that time.”