The books were not that heavy, although he almost dropped them when he noticed the one on top. The picture on the front depicted a misty forest in the background, peaks of a castle peering through the treetops. In the foreground was a tree with a woman plastered up against it, her head flung back, her hands braced on either side of her, and the bodice of her dress hanging indecently low-- no mean feat, since the rest of it clung to her torso. One of her legs was exposed, her foot drawn up and braced against the tree trunk. Leaning over her was a large man without a shirt, one hand braced above her head, the other clutching a bow. Scrawled across the top in gold was the title, Lord of the Forest.
She had not been lying. And she had apparently found a story that was closer to home than he had expected.
When he glanced up at her in surprise, the movement sent the top two books sliding onto the floor, and Lord of the Forest landed facedown, displaying something written on the back. Picking it up, he was surprised to see their own names, as well as mention of the Sheriff and Gisborne. He was pleased to note that neither apparently figured very well; still, to say he was shocked was an understatement. Not in a bad way, but it went against what he had thought he knew about Marian.
He would not bring it up now. He would wait for that moment.
If he could figure out what to say.
After restoring the pile of books, he said, "I can carry more than this. Want me to get those bags?"