Read King's Man for Free Online Page B

I must keep my temper: I could not afford to offend the man. Robin’s plan depended on his goodwill and he must be encouraged to act as Robin desired for the plan to succeed.
    ‘My lord will attack Murdac’s camp tonight,’ I said calmly, ‘with all his men, at midnight.’
    ‘Will he now?’ said William. ‘And how many men does he have left at his beck and call, I wonder? I heard there was much slaughter in Outremer, that the Great Pilgrimage was a failure, and the long, difficult journey home … well, such distance bleeds away men like good liquor leaking from a pricked wine sack.’

    ‘He has half a hundred doughty men-at-arms yet,’ I said, gritting my teeth. The man was infuriating.
    ‘Fifty is far too few to attack Sir Ralph Murdac,’ William pronounced. ‘The fellow has three, maybe four hundred soldiers out there. If it had not been for my aid, they would have overrun this castle weeks ago.’
    ‘And Robin is most grateful. He also has a scheme, a clever trick, that he believes will sap the courage of the enemy and cause their legs to turn to jelly, their spines to water. With your help, he believes …’
    ‘With my help, you say? Yes, undoubtedly he wants my help. When did he not need my help! Even as a child he needed my aid, and then when he was cast out from all decent society and became an accursed footpad, running around Sherwood playing his silly games, I offered him my help then, too …’
    I was beginning, despite myself, to get very angry with this baron, this lounging, purple-clad blockhead before me. Fearing that my anger would show in my eyes, I looked away and caught sight of Tuck standing by the wall of the hall. Beside him, watching me, were two enormous wolfhounds, giant beasts named Gog and Magog for their terrible destructive abilities in battle. One of the beasts yawned, a huge jaw-cracking gape that showed every one of his spear-blade teeth.
    And my anger faded a little. Even the dogs found this man a pompous bore, I thought, and smiled inside.
    ‘… tricks and schemes, schemes and tricks, that is what my little brother has been relying on since he was a stripling. If I had a shilling for every time …’
    I interrupted him then: ‘My lord,’ I said, aiming for humility and missing by a good English mile, ‘the Earl of Locksleyrequests that when he attacks the camp at midnight tonight, you will sally forth with all the forces at your command and help him to sweep these enemies before us. He trusts you will come to his aid once again in this matter. Your help is vital to the success of his carefully laid plans.’
    ‘Can’t be done, it simply can’t be done,’ said William grumpily. ‘He has too few men – fifty, and the handful of men in here, against the whole of Murdac’s force. He’ll be crushed. We’ll all be killed. No. It’s arrant madness. No, no, what we must do is wait. Wait here for reinforcements. I have sent letters to many of my friends begging them to come; and come they will, too, in vast numbers. And the King – our noble Richard – must return soon to his kingdom, and he’ll set things a-right. No, young man, you must return to your impetuous master and bid him to be cautious; bid him to wait till the time is ripe.’
    I could see why Robin was not close to his brother: the man was deliberately obstructive, long-winded and – most surprisingly for a knight, a nobleman of Norman lineage – he appeared to be supremely cautious, even a little timid.
    ‘My lord,’ I said, as slowly and clearly as I could, ‘the Earl will attack at midnight tonight. I cannot return to him and, even if I could, he would not change his plans. You must support him tonight. You must.’
    ‘Must? You impertinent puppy! You do not tell me what I must or must not do! I am the master in this castle and you – you are dismissed. But I tell you one thing before you leave my presence: I will not risk my life and the lives of my men in this foolish venture. Now get out