of his boyish good looks. Scars marked the right side of his face, ugly welts of purple that traveled down and vanished under his high collar. “He has been accused and convicted of highway robbery and poaching, my Lady. This is no place for you—allow my men to escort you back to Edwinstowe Manor and I will visit you when I have finished here.”
He was already turning and gesturing to the two men on the end, and Marian stepped forward swiftly. “Sir Guy,” she said firmly, “I know this man. He is the brother of my own maid. There has been a mistake. Who have you been sent to arrest?”
Gisborne strode over to the young man in the stocks, his stiff-legged gait giving the sound of his steps an uneven quality. He ripped the hood away, ignoring the grunt of pain that emerged when the ties caught against his captive’s jaw. “You are William Scarlet, are you not?”
Marian was unprepared for the shock of hearing his name. There’d been no mistake. Gisborne had been sent for Elena’s brother. Will lifted his head, and Marian’s heart sank. He’d been badly beaten, and his eyes were swollen shut. He turned his face toward her, but Marian couldn’t tell if he could actually see anything through the bloody ruin of his face.
He didn’t answer Gisborne but spat a mouthful of blood and saliva into the dirt at his feet. Gisborne stepped back, glancing down in distaste.
“You see, my Lady,” said Gisborne, “he has no respect for the laws of this land.”
Marian wanted to shout at Will—his disregard for Gisborne’s authority wasn’t going to make her job any easier. But she calmed her thoughts, imagining Robin standing there instead, imagining how he’d handle this situation. If he were here, this situation wouldn’t exist. She inhaled sharply. “And so you are to execute him? There is no room for leniency? What evidence do you have?”
“My Lady,” Gisborne replied patiently, “please leave this to me. These matters are too upsetting for someone of your gentle upbringing.”
“Sir Guy.” Marian took another step forward. If nothing else, they wouldn’t behead Will while she was standing near enough to be spattered by his blood. “Please. I am begging you to spare this man’s life.”
Gisborne gazed back at her, expressionless. The moment stretched, and then abruptly he turned away and signaled to the man with the ax. “Unlock him.”
“Oh, Sir Guy—thank you. I will not forget your mercy.” Marian moved forward as the executioner dropped his ax and unlocked the stocks. Elena’s brother staggered to his feet.
“We will only take his hand.” With a cold, metallic scrape, Gisborne drew his sword. He still carried the sword he’d worn in the Holy Land, as a soldier in the King’s army, before he’d managed to get injured enough to be sent home to England.
Marian’s heart froze. Before she could think, she was running forward, putting herself between Gisborne and Will Scarlet. She took Will’s arm, lending him her support. They were almost of a height, and he was battered enough that he leaned heavily against her.
“Sir Guy!” she barked, summoning every ounce of command she could. “I demand that you release this man into my custody, pending a fair trial. He will be punished, but on my terms.”
Gisborne lowered his sword, but his grip stayed firm. He was backing down only in deference to her presence, and Marian knew that the second she moved, Gisborne would exact his punishment.
“By what right do you lay claim to this man’s fate?” Gisborne asked.
“He is from Locksley town, has lived here his whole life. He cannot have traveled far—the crimes will have been committed on Locksley lands. Though the new laws place these crimes under the Sheriff’s jurisdiction, traditionally he must concede to a lord’s right to try his own men.” Marian tried to keep her voice from shaking. She knew it was improper for a landowner’s daughter to have studied such things, but she’d learned some from Robin when they were children, and then from her father, who had never tried to convince her she didn’t need to know about the law.
Gisborne frowned, but to Marian’s relief, his face bore none of the shock that most gentlemen would display at a lady’s familiarity with matters of jurisprudence. “Lady Marian—”
“I will be Lady Locksley,” she continued, speaking over him and pitching her voice to carry, “the day Robin returns from the Holy War. In his absence, I demand the right to preserve the spirit of