Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Hood. Vaisey, stop lying to everyone!

A/N: Wow, I got so many reviews that I feel that if I don't update someone will come looking for me! So, here's another update! Enjoy!

Marian watched the servants filing into the conservatory. No one spoke, and the same morose expression was on each of their faces.

"What's the plan?" she asked, looking from Robin to Samuel. Neither answered. "What is it? You said that if I passed the test, I could know the-!"

"It doesn't matter!" Samuel snarled. "Don't you realize what this means? Victor has won, we've lost, the end!"

"There's got to be something we can do!"

"Are you mad? Our entire plan rested on those three!"

"You were using them!" Marian gasped.

"We were trying to help them," Robin explained, his voice weary. "We were planning to go to the police and convince them that Victor was a terrible guardian for the children and that they were better off with us."

"Why didn't you go sooner?" Marian demanded. "You could've stopped all this!"

"We had no proof!" Robin yelled. Then he seemed to remember the situation and banged his fist against the table, his tone calmer. "We're still gathering information on Victor."

"Y-You should've gone forward with the information you had!" Marian argued, feeling close to tears. "You should've-!"

"Marian." Robin cut in, laying a hand on her shoulder. "There was nothing we could've done." Marian yanked away from him, eyes blazing.

"You could've been true to your word," she snapped. "And taken care of the children you supposedly care for!" Then she turned and stormed out. Robin winced, not only at the harshness of her words, but at the truth of them: She was right. He'd failed the Winthrop family.

--

"You need to let go now, Faith."

"Get off of him and get on the train!"

"I think she's being very selfish, don't you, William?"

"Oh yes, extremely. Papa, we are going to miss our train."

"Perhaps we should pry her off,"

"Grandfather!"

"What? I'm in a hurry!"

"You're in a hurry?"

Faith barely heard any of these things. She had her face buried in Nathaniel's chest.

"Get her off, or I will!" she heard a voice threaten. Then Nathaniel gently but firmly began to pull her off of him.

"No…." she pleaded.

"Faith," he said gently. "It's time." Faith looked up at him and then allowed herself to be pulled away towards her train by Ruth and Regina. Once they were in their car, Faith ran to the window and pressed her nose against it.

"Young lady!" scolded Mrs. Prescott, their escort. "That is extremely childish! Come here, this instant!" Faith began to back away from the window, but a familiar face caught her eye.

"Robin!" she cried, now pressing her entire face against the glass. Ruth ran to her side.

"Where?" she asked eagerly.

"There," Faith answered, pointing. Both girls looked excitedly at their friend, who smiled back and gave them both encouraging looks.

Suddenly, their vision was blocked by the window shade, which had been pulled down by Regina.

"What did you do that for?" Ruth demanded, turning on the other girl.

"You should be preparing for school," Regina said primly. "Anything you do now will hopefully lessen the teachers' annoyance."

"Why would they be annoyed?" Faith asked. Regina didn't answer for a moment, her cool blue eyes studying Faith critically.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. Then she let out a tiny gasp as her arm was grabbed in a steely grip. Ruth was glaring down at her.

"Listen to me very carefully," she growled. "If you ever talk to my sister like that again, I'll make your life miserable! Got that?" Eyes wide, Regina nodded. Just then, Mrs. Preston burst in.

"What is going on here?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Ruth said calmly, her eyes still boring into Regina.

"Sit down!" their escort commanded. Ruth and Faith sat down and Regina sat across from them, now looking more angry than anything else.

"Something tells me this is going to be a long train ride," Faith whispered.

Here! Hopefully this will appease you guys for a while, because I can feel my Robin Hood muse fading. Don't worry; I'll probably still be able to squeeze another update or two out of it. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!