Scarlet

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A. C. GAUGHEN

Walker & Company New York

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Copyright © 2012 by A. C. Gaughen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in the United States of America in February 2012

by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc. www .bloomsburyteens .com

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

ISBN 978-0-8027-2346-8

Book design by Donna Mark

Typeset by Westchester Book Composition

Printed in the U.S.A. by Quad/Graphics, Fairfi eld, Pennsylvania 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc., are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing pro cesses conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. 212-47765_ch00_1P.indd iv

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This book is dedicated to my mum.

You taught me what it means to be strong—

and how to make up my own vocabulary.

I love you.

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C H A P T E R

N
o one really knows ’bout me. I’m Rob’s secret, I’m his in formant, I’m his shadow in dark places. No one ever takes me for more than a knockabout lad, a whip of a boy. They never really see. And I don’t mind that they don’t see. Like, when you walk through a room full of big men drunk off their skulls, it ain’t so bad to be ignored.

I opened the door to Friar Tuck’s and the air fair slapped me ’cross the face. It were too hot and stank of beer and men, and I smiled. It were rough, but none here would turn me out for being a thief and a liar. I slipped in the door and moved quiet past Tuck, the innkeep, and went into the barroom. It were heaving with bodies, laughs, and mugs slinging ’bout. The lasses pushed through the lot, using a smile or slap as needed to get their own way.

I went through the big room to the small room Tuck keeps 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 1

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for Rob. It’s got a few secret passages and Malcolm, the big Scot that keeps bar, lets us know if anything’s amok. Which comes in handy seeing as, though I’m the least moral minded of the bunch, I ain’t alone in doing things contrary to the law. One door went out the side of the big room, and then the door to our little room were down the hall a bit, so we could still look out a touch and see who were coming. John were sitting there, at the end of the bench, watching like he always is. Rob looked at me, and as were fair usual, I felt my heart jump. He has a way of looking at me in par tic u lar that I’m none too pleased ’bout. I like slipping around and not being noticed. But Rob sees me. He even saw me before I knew he were looking.

“Scarlet, fi nally. ” That were Rob’s version of a greeting.

“Rob. John. Much, ” I muttered. I sat down next to the last of the three, part because it meant I could skulk in the corner and part because Much didn’t look to anyone but Rob. Much had some bad luck as a lad and he were the sweet sort, so most people just gave him their pity like scraps to a dog. He were the youn gest of us, too, bare sixteen, which didn’t help none, but Rob knew what Much were capable of in true. It meant Rob were his hero, above and beyond, and I could understand. If I were the sort that had heroes, I’d have pegged Rob for it straight. Twenty-and-one and the oldest of us, Rob were the natural one to lead us, but more than that, Rob tended to see the bit of bright in all of us.

John passed me a tankard, and I took a deep swig of the ale.

“What word?” Rob asked. He kept his hood up, most 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 2

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because the sheriff were hiring new mercenaries all the time and just a bit because the people loved it. They called him the Hood— the least he could do were wear it.

“Two words. First, Freddy Cooper were arrested, ” I said, looking round. It weren’t good news.

“Fred?” Much repeated. “He’s just a boy. ”

“Old enough to poach for his family, ” Rob reminded. John crossed his arms. “He’s the oldest son. We should have made it clear that he could have come to us, Rob. ”

Rob looked at him. “First sons think they can provide best for their family, John. They don’t ask for help. You know that better than most. ”

“Well, ” I cut, “it weren’t quite for poaching. ”

They all looked at me. “What for, then?” Rob asked.

“Mistress Cooper went to the sheriff today. Asked for more time to pay her taxes, and he said no. Then he took Freddy and said if she can’t pay, he’ll swing. ”

The lads stared, and I scraped my nail into the wood table

’stead of looking back.

“The sheriff is taking collateral now?”

“Collateral?” Much asked.

“He’s holding people ransom for debts, ” Rob said, lowering his hood and rubbing his hands into his hair. His eyes looked up under his hand and he nabbed me looking. His eyebrow drew up, but I looked at the table again, hoping it were dark enough to hide cheeks that went red without my say-so.

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have a lot of children strung up from Nottinghamshire, ” John said.

“He shouldn’t. Unless, of course, more people let him think they can’t pay, ” Rob said.

“Which they can’t, ” Much said.

“The sheriff doesn’t know that. And scooping children up without cause would incite a riot, which isn’t his intention. Fear is much more eff ective. It does mean, however, if anyone can’t pay come tax day, the people of Nottinghamshire will feel the burden in horrifi c ways. ”

The lads settled quiet as we all considered that. Things were fair rough already; we’d be fi xed if they got worse.

“I’ll get him out, ” I told them. “I found a new way to sneak into the prison today. ”

“What?”

“What?”

“What?” All came at me at once.

I blinked. Honestly, they all heard me. I’m not in the habit of repeating myself.

“This your idea, Rob? Send her into the
prison
?” John growled.

So I’m a girl. Most people miss that ’bout me. The boys’ll call me Will Scarlet if other people are ’bout; a few people know it’s just Scarlet, but most think I’m a Will.

“The fi rst thing I’m concerned with is Scar’s safety, John, ”

Rob said, his voice low enough that it made me look to him. A muscle in John’s jaw bunched, but he didn’t say nothing. 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 4

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“Scarlet, what on earth were you doing inside Nottingham Castle, much less inside the prison?” Rob asked. I took out one of my daggers. It were a little rough, but I had fi led the blade down sharp. It made me feel a little bit easier, having all these eyes on me, if I had a knife in my hand. “I were bored. I went for a lookabout. ”

“Scar, you can’t just—” Rob started.

“Neither you,
Your Grace
, nor you, John Little, can tell me where to go or not go. ” Much leaned forward and I glared at him. “Don’t even think it, Much. ”

John’s mouth tightened. “You’re not going back to the prison without me. ”

“You can’t quite squeeze into my entrances, John. ”

“And you can’t quite take a punch, Scarlet. ”

“No one’s been able to catch me to try it. ”

“You caught the rough end of something one time, ” he reminded, pushing his thumb over the thin scar that ran the length of my left cheekbone.

Fury pounded behind my eyes and I grabbed his wrist, twisting it and pressing my dagger to his vein. He pulled his hand away slow, his mouth twisted in a bit of a smile. “I’ll go with her to get Freddy, Rob. ”

Rob were scowling. “Fine. Just get him out of there, and look after Scar. ”

“Honestly, ” I spat. I could look after myself, after all.

“And Scar, you look out for John. We look out for each other, ” he reminded me. “That’s what a band does. ”

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I frowned. “You blackmailed me into this,
remember
? I’m in no one’s band, ” I told him. Every time I said that, he looked like I kicked his kitten.

“Thought no one made you do anything against your will, ”

Rob said, crossing his arms.

“They don’t. I can choose what ever I wish. I just chose to help you instead of being sent to prison. ”

“And you’ve been choosing that for the past two years. ”

My mouth drew tight. “Yes. It ain’t like I can’t leave anytime I want. ”

His blue eyes caught some of the candle fl ame and fl ickered it back like his eyes were wicks. His head bent forward and the blue of his eyes felt more like a riptide. A rakish smile slipped over his mouth. I sucked in a breath, trying not to notice.

“Then it’s not blackmail, is it, Scar?”

My mouth tightened.

“We look after each other, ” he repeated. He looked to the others. “Much, get over to Freddy’s mother, make sure she’s calm. I’ll get them enough food for a while.

” Rob

looked out the door, toward the tavern. “It won’t answer the larger problem, though. First, we’ll have to hide the other Cooper children too. ”

“Whole family, ” I said.

Rob nodded. “And we have to make sure that every other family can pay. We have less than a month before tax day, and how much do we have stockpiled?”

Much sighed. “To cover the villagers’ taxes for them? Not 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 6

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near enough. And what we do have is needed already— the people barely have enough food and money to survive, much less be taxed on. ”

“It’s stupid to do this every time, ” I said. I crossed my arms and leaned back. They looked at me like I were Satan. “It is! We scramble to keep everyone fl oating and then the sheriff just sinks us harder. ”

John rolled his eyes. “Sorry you have to work so hard, you lazy thief?”

“It ain’t getting us nowhere, ” I snapped, glaring at him.

“She’s right, ” Rob said. “We’ve seen already it takes more to stop the sheriff than just to protect the people. ”

“Don’t see why you don’t just go blazing in there, ” I said.

“You’re the rightful earl. You grew up as such. All the people still think you’re their lord. ”

“I was, ” Rob reminded. “But now I lack the right and the army to take it back, Scar. ”

I shrugged. “I could kill him. ”

“You wish you could kill him, ” John said with a snort. I kicked his shin and he gave a low grunt.

“Killing him wouldn’t restore my right. Not after Prince John named my father a traitor— after he was already dead and while I was away and unable to defend his name, ” he said, pausing as his fi sts went tight like bowstrings. He shook his head. “Prince John stripped that right and
gave
it to the sheriff , so unless the prince has a change of heart, killing this sheriff will just allow a new one to rise. Regardless, ” Rob said. “We need 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 7

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to grant the people some kind of reprieve. They cannot endure this oppression. ”

“Sheriff stands on money, guards, and meanness, ” I said.

“Money he taxes back, ” Much reminded.

“Guards he pays with the money, ” John said.

“A perfect problem, ” Rob said. He sighed. “And one we can’t be concerned with right now. We need to focus on getting the people enough money to survive tax day— and enough meat to survive the night.

” Rob nodded and stood, and I

raised my eyebrows.

“Not so fast. It ain’t the only information I have. There’s more. And it ain’t good. ”

“What is it?”

“Nottingham’s bringing in a thief taker. From London. I didn’t catch the name, but I’ll get it. ”

John looked round. “Why should we worry about some mercenary who catches thieves?”

Much turned to him. “John, we all could very easily be tried and hung as thieves. We steal things. ”

“Do you know of any thief takers?” Rob asked. I nodded. A thief in London learned quick who to avoid.

“You’re right as rain, unless it’s Wild. Or one or two others. ”

Like Gisbourne. Though really, it’s me that will be in serious trouble if it’s Gisbourne.

“How much will he get in our way?” Rob asked.

“Enough. And while we’re thinking after other things, like protecting people and getting coin, he won’t. He’ll be looking 212-47765_ch01_1P.indd 8

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