The man shrugged, his face worried, his skin glistening from the misty rain. “I do not know, my lord. I do nay think she would, but none of the men went with my lady.”
Will drew in a slow breath. Marian was not that much of a fool. Either she had something planned with Locksley or she found some other way to ensure her safety. She would not have gone alone. He believed that.
And her plans aside, Will had sent men to patrolling the forest even more heavily since Marian’s experience with the outlaws who had attacked her. None of his men had seen a sign from that group of bandits.
Mayhap Locksley had sneaked her from her chamber late in the night while Will attended to the prince.
“How do you know of her disappearance?”
“Her maidservant ha’ told us just this morning.”
Will allowed himself to relax a bit. ’Twas possible that his last guess was correct: Locksley had helped her slip from Ludlow late in the night while the maid snored on her pallet.
And then he wondered if having Marian with him would keep Locksley from attending the archery contest. John would be most annoyed if things did not go as planned and Robin Hood did not end up in the Ludlow dungeon.
He would soon find out. Will’s attention was drawn beyond the walls of the bailey to the faint sound of horns calling the competitors to appear.
“Send word to me if you learn anything further,” Will said. “But I do not believe she is in any danger from Robin Hood-most likely he will hold her for ransom in order to fill his cup. He dare not harm a noblewoman.”
Harming Marian was most definitely not what Locksley had in mind.
Striding through the bailey, Will took up Cauchemar’s reins from his waiting squire and launched himself into the saddle. Beyond the walls, against the dreary gray sky, he saw the colorful pennants raised over the covered stands that had been erected in the last few days. They sagged flat and limp beneath the incessant damp. John’s raised platform was in the center with a clear view of the targets that had been arranged along the tree line.
Placing the circular targets near the forest had been Will’s suggestion, for he explained that it would make Robin Hood overly confident of his escape, should he think it necessary. John and Will had made other plans, however, to thwart such an attempt.
Yet Will didn’t believe that Locksley would leave without his golden arrow, regardless of the danger he might find himself in. He would wait to claim his prize, and then make some bold escape.
And, as always, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire would be unable to stop him, and appear to all as inept and slow.
As he drew closer, Will eyed the contestants that had begun to gather. Men of all ages and social classes, from noble to freeman to villein, held longbows and adjusted quivers over their shoulders. They milled about in small clusters, their boots and hose dark at the ankles from the damp grass.
He meant to ride down to the green where the match was to take place, but one of John’s pages hurried up and caught his attention. Still high atop Cauchemar, Will found it necessary to look far down at the boy when he delivered the message that the prince required the sheriff’s attendance.
Gritting his teeth, certain that John merely wished to review once again the plan to capture Robin Hood, Will turned and directed his mount off toward the tallest of the stands, at the center of the field. The prince had required chairs to be brought for himself and a few of his closest companions, and the oiled fabric roof tented high enough above the seats that he could walk fully erect beneath it-but not so high that the sting of rain angled through.
“Aye, my lord,” Will called, bringing Cauchemar to the front of the stand, which stood as high as his head. “How may I serve you?”
“Where is Lady Marian of Morlaix?” John replied. He rose from his seat to come toward the edge of the stand. “ ’ Tis my wish and desire that she join me here. I have a seat prepared for her. Bring her to me before the match begins.”
Will’s face froze in the pleasant but emotionless expression with which he always faced the prince. “I have not seen Lady Marian, my lord. Is she not with the other ladies?”
“No one seems to know where she is,” John said, looking down at Will. His unfriendly eyes fixed on him darkly. “Find her. I wish to have her company whilst I watch the proceedings.”
“I have not seen her since supper yesterday,” Will replied. “Mayhap she is ill in her chamber.”
“Nay. I have sent for her, and I know for certain there is no one in her chamber.” John’s eyes gleamed maliciously. “You do not know where she is?”
“My lord, I truly have not seen her since last evening’s meal. As you recall, you and I spent the remainder of the evening planning for today’s events,” Will said in an effort to redirect the prince’s attention to the matter at hand: capturing Robin Hood. He did not care for John’s sudden and overt interest in Marian’s whereabouts.
