It had been a few weeks since the incident with the armor, and Guy had finally gotten over his embarrassment at his reaction to his near-drowning. The Sheriff insisted in continuing to use the armor, however, and Guy was in charge of training the guards. He was up and out of the house early every morning, waking me long enough to make love and then leaving me to sleep a few more hours.
One night I asked him where the training was taking place, and discovered it was near the clearing we had gone to not long after we were wed. My mind was full of that afternoon, how we had been so comfortable with each other, and my cheeks grew warm as I remembered how I had acted. I decided to surprise him the next day and bring him lunch.
The next morning was spent preparing for the surprise, but mostly remembering what else we had done and anticipating repeating those actions. I finally set out on my horse, feeling the warmth of the sun on me and raising my face to it, smiling. I didn't get far into the forest, of course, before Robin stepped out in front of me from behind a tree.
Sighing, I stopped Lady and greeted him warily, noticing the serious expression on his face. He bowed with a flourish and straightened up, one of his grim smiles taking the place of his seriousness from a moment before. He inquired where I was headed, and I told him. He nodded once, and then took a deep breath.
"Marian, I know you're mad at me for not telling you about my history with Guy..." he trailed off, as if waiting for me to deny it, but I just sat there, waiting for him to continue. He must have talked to my father. I was interested to hear what excuse he came up with. After a minute, he reluctantly did so. "Can we talk about it? Can you get off the horse and sit with me for a little bit?" I wanted to get to Guy, but I nodded curtly and dismounted.
We found a fallen log and sat in the dappled sunlight, him carefully keeping his distance. He reached as if to take my hand, but then thought better of it and moved his hand back to his leg. I was glad he did, because I would have pulled my hand away. Yes, I was thankful that he had helped save Guy's life, but it didn't change what he had done to try to hold on to me. He took another deep breath and met my eyes, his earnest.
"Marian, I know there is no excuse for my keeping that information from you. I should have told you. But I honestly thought it was best that you didn't know." Here I cut him off, my anger finally urging me to speak
"That was my decision to make, Robin. Not yours, or my father's. All I see from your decision is the selfish desire to keep me from seeing how you really were. Believe me, I see it now." He flinched as if I had hit him.
"That's not fair, Marian! Everything I have done, I have done with you in mind." I shook my head, and now he did grab my hand. I pulled it away and stood up.
"Robin, I look up to you for all you do for the poor, those who cannot do for themselves. But you are also selfish, and I don't know if I can get over that. Not yet, anyway. I don't know if, had I married you instead of Guy, I would have been happy. I loved you, but I don't think it would have been enough, in the end." He looked down, and then back up at me, his expression regretful.
"So the very thing I tried to keep from happening has happened," he said softly, and I nodded.
"It happened before I knew the history. It happened despite the information I didn't have. It happened because of who you and Guy are at your cores." This time I took his hand. It was warm in mine, but he let it lay there limply. He had made the final concession, given me up for good, in that moment.
Neither of us seemed to have much else to say, so I got back on Lady and we parted ways. My excitement, which had dampened during my talk with Robin, ramped back up and I urged her on, cutting off the path and through a few more small clearings. We exited into a large meadow, in which I saw forty or so guards skirmishing with the new armor on. I scanned the crowd, and my heart sped up when I saw him striding through the melee in his black leather.
I found a tree to tie Lady up with, and she contentedly started nibbling at the grass. Grabbing the bundle that held our meal, I started toward him. I was about halfway to him when he glanced in my direction. Stopping, he stared at me, that sideways smile spreading across his face. He strode toward me, quickly covering the remaining ground, and stopped in front of me, his hands finding mine.
"What brings you here, Marian?" he asked softly, and I smiled up at him, shaking the bundle lightly.
"Lunch, my Lord," I responded, and he raised an eyebrow. "I remembered that this meadow is near our clearing, and I thought it would be nice to visit again." Now his eyes raked up and down my body, and the smile grew wider.
"Why, my Lady, what an excellent idea!" He held out his arm, which I took, and barked out orders to the guards to take their lunch breaks. He led me through the trees to the clearing, and we sat down, him leaning against the same tree.
We ate our bread and cheese while I told him about my encounter with Robin. His eyes narrowed when I told him what Robin had said, and softened when I told him what my response had been. He was glad when I told him Robin had seemed to fully understand, finally, that he and I were over. When we were done eating I settled against him, my hand toying with the string holding his shirt closed.
His hand came up to my face, caressing my jaw, and he gently urged me to look at him. When I complied, he dipped his head to kiss me. I whimpered and brought my arms up and around his neck. When he broke off the kiss a few minutes later, our breathing was labored. He moved to nibble at my neck and asked me a question, his breath hot in my ear.
"Do you remember the last time we were here?" he murmured, and I shivered. Moving so I had access to his ear, I murmured back.
"Oh, Husband, it is all I have been able to think about all morning." He chuckled softly and urged me to sit astride him, his arms surrounding me as he renewed the kiss. Where it had been soft and gentle before, now it was hungry and full of passion, and I met it head on, my fingers running through his hair.
His hands came up between us and I felt him untying the strings to my bodice, which he quickly pulled down to expose my breasts. His mouth found a nipple, already hard, and I moaned. One hand found the other nipple while his other hand made its way down and between us. It moved up my leg under the dress, stopping to cup between my legs. I moaned again and he dipped his finger in, growling when he found it wet.
"Lord, Marian, I love how much you want me," he said hoarsely before claiming my mouth with his own. My hands finally started working, moving to his shirt and pulling on the strings to open it, and running down his chest. Down to the bulge straining to get free from his trousers. My fingers deftly unthreaded them, surrounding him as he sprang free from the constraining material.
I moved so I was over him, his hand retreating back out and over my dress. My slow descent was hurried on when he grabbed onto my hips and pushed me down onto him. I sat for a moment with him buried fully in me, both of us moaning in delight. His hands urged my hips up and back down, and I started moving. I brought his face down to kiss him again, and his hand found its way back under my dress to caress me until I exploded, moaning into the kiss. He wasn't far behind, and I thought that perhaps he had just been waiting for me to finish so he could too.
We sat like that for a while, as he slowly slipped out of me, our foreheads together, breathing heavily. He finally lifted his head and smiled at me, which I returned. My fingers moved across his chest, caressing skin and lightly smattered hair. He kissed me again, tenderly, and straightened up my shirt. I broke off the kiss but stayed on his lap, neither of us making a move.
"I loved doing this before, even though I didn't yet realize I loved you, and I wanted to do it again now that I know," I explained, and he chuckled again.
"You don't have to justify it to me, love," he said softly. "I'm happy to comply with your wishes no matter the reason." I punched him playfully in the arm, and he brought me in for another kiss. We stayed like that for a while, and then reluctantly disengaged and finished straightening our clothing so he could go back to training.
He walked me back to Lady and left me with a kiss, striding off and shouting to everyone get back to work before I had made it back into the forest. I turned and watched him go, my husband. I smiled at his retreating back; even more so when he turned and waved. I waved back, and then turned Lady into the forest to start the trek home.
He came home exhausted, as he had every night for a week; he barely had enough energy to eat dinner before I helped him upstairs. He fell onto the bed, and I got him out of his boots and clothes. He was snoring by the time I crawled into bed next to him, but he rolled onto his side when he felt me, pulling me close and pressing a kiss to the back of my neck.
I snuggled back into him, smiling at the thought that in a few hours he'd be whispering in my ear and waking me up in a delightful manner. He sighed contentedly and his arms tightened slightly around me, one hand moving down to my stomach to say goodnight to the baby. I drifted off to sleep wondering whether it would be a boy or a girl.
Robiin came over the next morning, trying to apologize again. He did seem honestly contrite, so I agreed to let it go. In the end, I was happy, and there had been no lasting damage. I warned him not to keep anything like that from me again, and he agreed. He told me some stories of his and Guy's childhoods, how they had grown up together, especially after Guy's father left for battle and was thought to be dead.
"He really did try to help me, but I didn't want any of his help," Robin admitted. "I was having fun and there were no consequences for my actions -- at least not for me. I truly did regret that Guy was blamed for my mistakes. I was too scared to tell the truth. I thought they might do to me what they were doing to him." I sighed and reached for his hand.
"I'm glad you two are working together now, and I'm glad you have made your peace with my marriage to Guy." He looked down at his feet, and then back up at me, a pained expression on his face. "I know it's tough now, but I think you are being mature about it, and I'm glad to see that." I smiled at him reassuringly, and he attempted to smile back.
He left after promising to talk to Guy about it and I told him also how hurt Guy still was about his father leaving. Robin agreed to be sensitive about it, and I told him he might want to come over for dinner one evening after Guy was done with training. Perhaps they could talk about it between plans, thinking to myself that it might help with Guy's nightmares a little, even though they happened sporadically now.
I brought up the subject at dinner that night, and Guy tiredly agreed, but was unsure when training would be over. I looked at him worriedly, hoping it would be soon. He was running himself ragged for a man he hated, and I wished I could do something about it. I did what I could - I was there for him, making things at home easier. I visited the tenants without him and made sure everything was running smoothly. I fussed over him when he was home, made sure he got enough to eat, and brought him lunch when I could.
Six weeks went by before he heard from the Sheriff; a message to come back to Nottingham. We packed what we needed and made our way back to the castle. The dinner with Robin would have to wait.
When we got to the castle the Sheriff was talking with his scientist, Joseph, and told Guy to join them, leaving me to go to our room alone. After almost an hour Guy came through the door, a concerned expression on his face. I rushed to him, feeling the dread creep in as he pulled me close and held me tight.
"What is it?" I whispered against his chest, and he sighed.
"Joseph is conducting an experiment, starting tonight. He is poisoning the residents of Pitt Street and blaming it on the Pestilence." I gasped with horror.
"What kind of experiment? Just to test this poison?!?" He nodded, and I strode toward the door. "This is madness! He must be stopped!" He grabbed my arm and spun me back around to face him.
"Do not do that, Marian!" He hissed. I saw the concern in his face and stopped trying to free myself. "I don't know what he will do to you if you do." I followed his train of thought.
"Or to my father." I collapsed into his arms and he held me again. "What can we do?" I looked up at him pleadingly. We couldn't just let all those people die.
"We have to figure out if there is an antidote. If Joseph is right, it will take more than a few hours to kill the people, so we have probably a day to figure it out. I will summon Allan so he can share the news with Robin. Maybe they can discover the antidote faster." He framed my face with his hands and bent his head to give me a tender kiss, and then strode out of the room to have someone fetch Allan.
I folded my arms over my chest, a cold, sick feeling invading my stomach. What kind of man was the Sheriff, that he would come up with a plan to put the people of Nottingham, who he was supposed to protect, in danger? This knowledge terrified me more than anything else he had done. It was one thing to attack those who didn't agree with you, but those who depended on you for survival?
I was now afraid for Guy, as well. If the Sheriff ever found out what he was doing to work with Robin....I didn't even want to think about it. I suddenly realized just how much Guy was putting on the line to keep me safe, and I respected him on a whole new level because of it. I waited for him to return, trying to be patient. When I heard the door scrape open I rushed toward it, only to stop short when the Sheriff entered instead of Guy, followed by two guards.
He sneered at me, and I hated him so much in that moment. He knew he had me, and Guy, and my father, under his thumb, simply because we felt emotions he seemed unable to. Our love and concern for each other made us easier to get to do his bidding, and he loved that. Thrived on it, and the misery of others.
He walked right up to me and raked his eyes over me. I felt the derision in his gaze and it took everything in me not to flinch away from it. Instead I raised my face to meet his gaze head on. He was an inch or two shorter than me, so I was almost looking down at him, which I was sure would have irked him.
"Where's lover-boy?" he asked shortly, and I shrugged.
"I thought he went to help you set up for whatever it is you have planned." His eyes narrowed.
"Do you actually expect me to believe that he doesn't tell you every little thing? A clue...no. You two are attached at the hip these days. Where is he?" I was saved from having to answer by Guy walking through the door. He raised an eyebrow, and I smiled with relief. The Sheriff turned and strode back to the door, telling Guy to join him as he left.
With one quick apologetic look to me he left; the guards trailing behind him. I sighed; it was going to be a long night.