Guy had to come back when it got dark, telling the Sheriff that there was no point in searching for Robin when he couldn't see, if he couldn't find the hideout during the day. After getting upbraided by the Sheriff he came back to our room, scowling. I rushed over to help him get undressed and urged him onto the bed for a massage. His shoulders were tight with frustration, and I worked on them as best I could. He sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying my ministrations.
"I'm not sure what's more difficult...helping Robin or the Sheriff yelling at me for my 'ineptitude' at not being able to get him, when it's actually because I'm helping him!" I made little noises of commiseration, and bent down to kiss the nape of his neck.
"I hope your reward helps you overcome your disappointment," I whispered, and resumed kissing. He moaned softly.
"With you as a reward, my sweet, I would walk through fire," he murmured, and turned under me so he was facing me. He raised his hands to untie my nightgown, slowly running them over my skin as he pushed it back over my shoulders, guiding it down to pool where our bodies met. It brought back memories of our wedding night, when he had helped me with my dress. I had a lot less concern about what was happening now than I had then. Placing my hands on his chest for support, I lifted up so he could pull it out from between us, and he smiled crookedly up at me.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered reverently, his hands cupping my breasts. My nipples hardened under the brush strokes of his thumbs, and I let out a barely audible whimper. He caressed down to my hips and then flipped me to the bed, kissing me with abandon as he entered me. I gasped with delight, and gasped again as his lips moved, seemingly everywhere at once...my jaw, my throat, and back to my lips. We were feverish in our coupling, wanting to show each other the depth of our love and attraction, and it wasn't long before our cries reached a crescendo as we found our release. We lay together afterward, him cradling me in his arms, my hand running over his chest and his over my stomach.
"Your stomach seems a little rounder," he said softly, and I moved my hand down by his. It did feel...fuller, and I thought about it for a moment. When was the last time I had gone through my monthly cycle? Not since before our wedding, I thought, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. He looked at me curiously.
"I think that might be because I am with child," I answered, and his expression changed to shock and then pure joy.
"You are going to have a baby?" he could hardly contain his excitement when I nodded.
"I think so. It has been a few months since my last cycle." His boyish exuberance at the news made my heart swell. Just a few short months ago I wanted nothing to do with him, and now he was my whole world. To know that he was as happy to have a child as I was filled me with joy.
He gave me a tender kiss, and then pressed a series of kisses along my stomach, returning to my lips and moving his hand back to my stomach to caress it. The rest of the evening was spent making plans for our baby, and he decided that tomorrow he would tell the Sheriff we were going back to Locksley for a while. I was overjoyed at the thought of leaving the castle, and seeing my father again.
"I did stop in and see your father while I was...looking for Robin," Guy added, and I smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, Guy. As always, I love your thoughtfulness." I traced his jaw with my fingers and he closed his eyes, smiling slightly.
"Robin has put some guards in the forest around your father's house. They are well hidden, so he should be safe." I nodded in agreement and snuggled closer, my ear in contact with his chest so I could hear his heartbeat. Laying my head on his shoulder, I yawned, the long day catching up with me. He held me tight and pulled the blankets up to cover us. My eyes drifted closed and I fell asleep without much further ado.
We left mid-morning, eager to get back home. The Sheriff actually made it easier by ordering Guy to do whatever it took to find Robin, and Guy told him it would be easier to search from Locksley. So off we went. It took longer than it normally would have thanks to Guy's concern that the baby not get overly jostled. He kept the horses at a slow pace, and had a hard time concentrating on where we were going because he kept looking at me to make sure I wasn't too exhausted.
We finally reached my father's house in the early afternoon, just in time for lunch. Before we ate, Guy took me around and showed me where the guards were hidden, under the guise of stretching our legs after sitting on the horses for so long. We strolled slowly, my hand on his arm, enjoying the peaceful chirping of the birds and rustling of the wind through the trees. We turned back after just a few minutes, after my stomach announced, quite loudly, its desire to eat something soon.
As we ate, I shared the happy news with my father, who was quite pleased to hear it. He hugged me tightly, whispering in my ear how happy he was that my marriage was going so well. Then he shook Guy's hand, and told him he was glad to have Guy for a son-in-law. Guy and I both smiled in response, and Guy put his arm around me and told my father that he was honored to have me as a wife. I leaned into him and laid my head against his chest. Then Guy and I told him about the guards and explained the reason for them being stationed outside. His face darkened when I told him what the Sheriff had said to me, and I rushed on to tell him that it was probably just an empty threat.
"Are you ok, Marian?" He asked, and I nodded. He looked at Guy, who smiled grimly.
"Fortunately the Count was not interested in bedding another man's wife," Guy explained tersely, and I laid my hand on his arm. He took a deep breath and I felt him relax a little under my fingers. My father was glad to hear it, and our conversation moved on to safer topics. We stayed for another hour, and then made our way to Locksley Manor. Just as slowly as before. I almost fell asleep in the saddle, lulled by the horse's gentle motion. I was glad to see our house finally show up in the background, and urged the horse a little faster, much to Guy's dismay. He sped up too, and kept pace with me.
We left the horses with the stable lad, and made our way into the house. I went straight upstairs while Guy met with the rest of the servants. After the dusty ride I decided to take a bath, which two of the servants prepared for me. I stepped into the warm, fragrant water and sighed with pleasure as I lowered myself into the tub. I lay there for a long time, eyes closed, enjoying the quiet. After some time, I heard the door open softly and smiled, knowing who had entered.
"Is there room in there for one more?" he asked quietly, and I nodded. I heard him take off his clothes, and sat up when I heard his bare feet cross the floor. He eased into the water behind me and I laid back on his chest. "I thought you might like some time to yourself before I joined you." He wrapped his arms around me as the water lapped around us.
"As usual, Husband, you know me so well," I responded, my heart swelling with love again. He lowered his head to kiss my forehead softly, and whispered endearments in my ear. We lay like that, the water slowly growing cooler, relaxing together now that we were out of the castle. I even dozed off for a short while as he held me. I woke when his hands found my stomach and reverently caressed it.
Once again I compared Guy with Robin, this time on how they would be as fathers. Guy had already shown that he wanted to be a father, and he wanted this baby with me. I felt that he would love his child fully, and want to give him or her the life he wasn't able to have as a child. I still thought of Robin as childish, and couldn't imagine him raising a child at this point in his life. Yes, I thought, Guy won another round. How did I miss it before? Because he was only showing me what he wanted me to see, and I only saw what I wanted to see.
Some time later I felt his movements change. He brought his lips to my neck and inhaled, and then pressed soft kisses from my ear to my shoulder. I moaned softly and moved my head to give him better access. His hands roamed up to my breasts, cupping them, and I arched my back to press them against him. My nipples pebbled at his attentions, shooting sensations down over my stomach, stopping between my legs. I felt him grow hard beneath me, and the responding familiar ache in my core.
One of his hands changed direction, going back under water to find the center of my pleasure, and rubbing lightly until I was gasping and pleading softly. Finally his other arm released me and I sat up a little so I could position myself over him, placing my arms on the sides of the tub. He brought his arm back around my stomach to hold me in place. I sank down onto him and rode him slowly as his fingers brought me to the edge and over. He wasn't far behind, and moaned as he came. I lay back down against him while we caught our breath. Guy's arms tightened around me, and he sighed softly.
"I never imagined I could be this happy," he said huskily, his voice vibrating with emotion, and he nuzzled my neck. "I haven't been this happy since my parents were alive." I turned so I was facing him, his arms still around me, and smiled contentedly. The blue of his eyes pierced me, and the emotion I saw there took my breath away. I felt the emotion welling up in my throat, and my eyes filled with happy tears.
"I never imagined I could be this happy with you," I responded softly, and traced his jaw with my fingers. The stubble was already growing in since he had shaved that morning, and I reveled in the soft bristly feel of it. "Did you think all of this would come to pass?" He smiled back and shook his head.
"I thought I would be lucky if you were to get past hating me. Honestly I didn't think much past the wedding." Here he paused to press his lips to my forehead, and then continued, his hands beginning to caress my back of their own volition as he spoke. "I wanted you so bad that I was willing to force you into a marriage you didn't want, but not stupid enough to think I'd ever win your heart." At his words my heart lurched, because I knew how likely it had been that he would never feel any love from me.
"You did everything right, dearest, aside from forcing me into this marriage. But now I am glad you did, for I never would have been able to face my feelings for you if you hadn't." We smiled at each other at these admissions.
"Did you have feelings for me?" he asked uncertainly, and I nodded slightly.
"I thought it was just a physical attraction, which I didn't want to have. Now I realize that it went a little deeper than that. I think I was intrigued by you, but it wasn't until I saw the side you have shown me since we wed that I realized how much deeper. And it has gotten even deeper as I get to know you more." He smiled faintly, but a worried look had crept into his eyes. "What's the matter, Guy?" I asked softly, and he shook his head.
"Not yet. I will tell you soon, but not right now. Let's get ready for dinner. The water is cold and I'm famished!" As I moved to stand up he cupped my buttocks in his hands and drew me close for one last kiss before we exited the tub.
We made our way to the bedroom to dress, shivering slightly. Guy kept giving my stomach goofy grins, and I couldn't help but smile back. My shivering stopped once my dress was on and I was dry, and Guy came over to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around me and placing his hands on my stomach. We stood like that a few minutes, enjoying the intimacy, neither one talking. I laid my head back against his chest, and he touched his chin to the top of it. I couldn't wait too long to eat, though, and gently pulled out of his embrace so we could go downstairs. Once we sat down at the table, I discovered I was ravenous, and ate more than usual, finally sitting back and complaining about how stuffed I was.
That was the time Robin chose to arrive. I hugged him and congratulated him on his haul, and he told us that Count Frederick had given him even more when they met in the forest. I was happy to hear it, knowing that even more families would be able to eat with that money. Then I told him that we were officially here because the Sheriff wanted Guy to find him and bring back the money, so we had a week to make more plans. Robin looked at me a little more closely, as if trying to figure something out.
"You look good, Marian," he finally said, and I blushed. Guy draped a posessive arm around my shoulders and I rolled my eyes inwardly. Even after I had explicity chosen Guy, he was still a little jealous of the friendship Robin and I had always had. Robin noticed it too and I saw his eyes narrow for a few seconds. He glanced at me apologetically and looked at Guy with a bland expression.
"I think that I am with child, Robin," I responded. He looked shocked, but recovered quickly and congratulated us. It was less enthusiastic than my father's had been, but seemed free of animosity. I breathed a sigh of relief, and thanked him for posting guards at my father's house. He responded that no thanks were necessary; that of course he wanted my father to be safe. We sat down and made some plans, but Robin seemed distracted. It wasn't hard to figure out why -- he kept glancing at my stomach. I knew it was futile to hope that Guy wasn't noticing -- he noticed everything. His hand lay on my leg, but felt relaxed. I looked up at him and saw why -- his expression wasn't giving much away, but I could see the exulation barely peeking through in his eyes.
I wasn't as tired as I should have been after our journey, perhaps because we hadn't left at dawn. As it grew dark, however, Robin got more and more unsettled, and finally he stood up. We followed suit, and he said he had to prepare for something he was doing tomorrow. I hugged him again, and he shook hands with Guy. We walked him to the door, and he said good night and left us to each other. We stayed up a bit later, drinking wine and talking about the baby. I leaned against him as he held me in his arms. After my second glass I was feeling a little drowsy and suggested we retire upstairs. Grinning, Guy swept me up into his arms and carried me up to bed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his chest.
He carefully navigated the stairs, climbing slower than he had on our wedding night. I suddenly remembered how he had surprised me -- the first of many surprises -- by sweeping me off my feet that night. I had been ready to lay down, and probably wasn't that far from collapsing, and whether he had noticed or not (I suspected he had, knowing as I did now that he noticed everything) he had carried me into the house and upstairs. I had been frightened, really, of what would happen in that bedroom, but being in his arms had kept my fear at bay somehow. Now I sighed and snuggled in closer, secure in the knowledge that I had nothing to be afraid of from this man.
He set me on my feet and helped me out of my dress, after which I returned the favor with his clothing. His eyes burned my skin where they touched it, just as if it was his fingers I felt. I gazed back at him as he stood less than a foot away from me, a smile touching my face. He sank to his knees and pressed his ear to my stomach, his hands on either side, and then kissed it softly. Returning to his feet, he took my hand and led me to bed.