"Good evening, Marian."

Summoning all his charm, Robin stepped from the shadows and greeted the furious lady whose venomous summons thrilled him beyond reason.

"Stay hidden! Don't you know we have spies watching our house?"

"I doubt it. Surely Aylesbury's caterwauling scared them all away. Besides, I thought you asked me to show myself. Which is it, Marian? Make up your mind."

"Grow up!"

Chuckling at her fury, Robin quickly pulled himself up and climbed onto the ledge outside her window. He hadn't been here in five long years, but he adored this spot! It held countless memories of enchanted hours spent in lovers' whispered conversations of dreams and promises. His heart was soaring. He smiled into her enraged eyes, positive his romantic mood would soon change hers. He was determined to win a kiss from her tonight.

Marian smelled the sweet wine from Martin's wineskin on his breath, and it only served to increase her ire.

"What did you mean by that ridiculous show? How dare you mock me? Not to mention what you did to Martin! What has he ever done to you to make you use him for your cruel sport?"

Jealous anger took the place of Robin's joy. "What has he ever done to you?" he asked pointedly.

She stared indignantly at him. "How dare you?"

He was smiling again, flaunting his dimples and his little white teeth with their infuriating small gaps. His mild imperfection only served to make him all the more alluring, curse him!

"Didn't you enjoy his love song? I thought it would please you, Marian."

"You know I did not! What's wrong with you, Robin? Martin's a happily married man! How do you think his wife will feel, when she learns of this?"

Robin cringed. In truth, he hadn't even considered the unknown woman's feelings. Suddenly, his plan didn't seem so clever after all. It seemed a bit juvenile, and stupid. Make that a lot juvenile.

Marian echoed his thoughts, unaware she was doing so.

"Just how old are you, Robin? Your experience at war seems to have made you less mature rather than more so! I cannot believe His Majesty allowed you to lead his Private Guard!"

Her words stung his pride. His "experience at war" was something he felt she had no right to question. He had grown up more than she ever would, even if he didn't show it. His eyes glared back at hers.

"Well, anyway," he said, mastering his raw emotion, "his purse and clothing will go a long way toward feeding the poor."

"I suggest you see to it, then." Her voice was cold and clipped, her face hard and distant. She started to close her shutters, but he stopped her.

"Marian, wait!"

Against her better judgment, she paused, arming herself to resist him as she looked back into his handsome, appealing eyes.

"What?" she asked, impatiently.

He couldn't let her go...not again. Not like this. Not when they stood face to face alone at her window, just as they had stood so many times in the past, with a glorious full moon shining down on them, bathing her in its silvery beams!

"Marian," he began, trying to keep his voice steady, "have you forgotten?"

She drew a startled breath.

Of course she hadn't forgotten! No matter how hard she had tried, she couldn't...couldn't forget! But why did he have to say it? He had forfeited the right, years ago! She summoned all her strength to resist him now, fighting off the overwhelming urge to kiss him. She wouldn't succumb!

As for Robin, he felt himself dangerously close to revealing his true heart. Brave in all things but admitting his innermost feelings, he readjusted his manner and hid again behind his well practiced flippancy.

"Forgotten what?" she asked coldly.

"You've forgotten what a good kisser I am," he bragged. "I have full lips, you see," he boasted, recalling Gisbourne's thin ones. "Gives me a decided advantage."

He made a move toward her lips, and she reared back in anger.

"Is that what you've heard, or did you figure that out all by yourself?" Thank Heaven he had made it easy for her to scorn him, the fool!

He laughed wickedly under his breath and grinned at her. Slamming her shutters closed, she left him all alone in the moonlight.

...

Marian pulled her robe more closely around her and hurried downstairs. There was no way she'd be able to sleep now, not with the anger bubbling inside her. It was better to see how poor Martin was faring.

She found him clothed in one of her father's robes, eating beef and drinking wine.

"Forgive me for not attending to you sooner," she apologized. "I wanted to wait until I was sure you were decent. Are you alright?"

Martin sniffed, and wiped away a tear. Now that his ordeal was safely over, he had broken down and cried. Sir Edward's kind attentions, as well as the wine and beef, had done much to ease his sufferings. Still, he felt wounded and violated, and he hated Hood and his filthy little outlaw gang with all his heart.

"I am fine, but I wasn't sure I would be the whole time I was captured. I thought he might kill me!"

"I'm sure you were very brave," Marian said.

"Oh, I was! I was! You have no idea how he's changed, Lady!"

She pursed her lips and nodded her head gravely. "Your wife must be worried sick! Has anyone sent word to her?"

"No. She'll be alright. No sense waking her up. You can send word of my delivery come morning."

He ate and drank silently for a time, daintily wiping his mouth and fingers. It was so good to be back in civilized society!

When he had finished, he desired to talk. Gossip had always been his favorite pastime, and now that he had a story to tell, he told it delightedly.

"He keeps company with ignorant ruffians. Vile, cruel, dirty, disgusting men, without any manners whatsoever. They sleep on animal hides on the ground, completely exposed to the elements! There's a big man, a brute, more animal than man, really. He barely speaks, but growls when angry. He's all over hair. And the Scarlet boy...you know the one...a peasant from his village. Hood enjoys how the boy looks up to him...hangs on his every word, as if he's a hero! Then there's a fast talking pickpocket from the south...thinks he's so funny! Everything's a joke to him! You know the type...a regular love 'em and leave 'em sort. Of course he brought along his sidekick Lots...when have they ever been separated? But the worst of all is a man called 'Roy.' He's the one who stole my clothes right off my back! He swears most fearsomely, and drinks ale like it's water! He's a hardened criminal...most scary, I assure you!"

Marian couldn't say a word, but merely shook her head in disgust. She believed she had met the hairy man and that 'Roy' once herself, a few years ago. Suitable companions for a fool! Her cheeks were flaming, as she recalled how close she had been tonight to kissing his "full lips!" She wished she had slapped them!

"And you know that song I sang? Oh! Forgive me! He made me do it! He had an arrow aimed at me, I tell you! It was most distressing! That song came straight from the Court in Aquitaine, where he'd had some adventures, let me tell you!"

"Adventures?" Marian asked. "In Aquitaine?"

"Oh, yes! He and Plenty visited there on their journey home. Plenty had lots to say, scolding his master for his behavior while there. It seems there was a woman, 'Marguerite' her name was, whom Hood had relations with. You know what I mean! Get this, milady! Their first encounter was in the library! Apparently, Plenty went looking for his master, and surprised them going at it quite enthusiastically amongst the books!"

Marian went pale, and her father mercifully interrupted.

"Young man! That is quite enough! Have you forgotten, you are in the presence of a noble maiden?"

Aylesbury stifled a burp. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "My sojourne in the forest must have temporarily wiped away my courtesy. But anyway, that wasn't the end of it! It seems they went at it again, but afterwards, this Marguerite kicked him out of her bed when he showed his new true self, acting all crazy and maddened!"

"That will be enough!" Sir Edward insisted. "You will say no more words on the topic before the daughter of this house! Do I make myself clear, young man?"

"Certainly, My Lord! Forgive my tongue! Being a man of the world, married and expecting a child and all, I sometimes forget a maiden's delicate sensibilities."

Martin shrugged. He really wanted to share more of the gossip Hood's babbling servant had offered, but it would obviously be better to wait until Sir Edward was not present. The father had no idea how experienced his daughter was! After all, she had kissed him quite passionately before they'd even been betrothed! Well, he was a kind old soul...let him enjoy his delusions.

Martin would just have to wait until breakfast to tell Marian the rest.