The Fox and the Wolf
"I need a bath." I call out to the servants and my manservant Geoffrey calls out 'Right you are, my lady.' He and my maid Bess carry the wooden bath to my room, before heading back down to the kitchen and beginning to heat up the water. Clotaire walks into the room and begins circling around our new guard like a bird of prey. Mark Devyn looks a little nervous, but he stands his ground.
"This is our new guard?" Clotaire asks.
"Yes." I smile, "He needs a wash and I think you must get rid of his hair and clothing, they are crawling with lice."
Mark looks shocked, "My Lady, I have no others."
"Tis nothing to worry about; you will have a uniform with the Knighton crest upon it. See Clotaire already wears his and you will look very fine beside him."
"There's never really been a guard at Knighton." Mark says.
"Well this is a new time. As a Lady of France I always had my own guard and it means that if anyone should ever ask of me to send reinforcements I can send men who are well trained, not just farmers and labourers." I smile easily and Mark nods his head eagerly.
"Some of the water they're heating can be used for your own washing. Edgard will help you shave your beard and hair off, don't worry, it will grow back quickly. But for the safety of this household, it must be done."
"Oh I do not mind losing my hair, my lady. You have spared me a fate far worse than that." Mark kisses my hand again and I smile sweetly, before putting my hand behind my back and rubbing it surreptitiously against my gown.
"Clotaire see to it this man is feed, then once has washed himself burn his clothes and find him new ones."
Clotaire nodded, "But first, my lady, I must insist this man knows the debt he owes to you."
I raised my hand as though to object, but Mark fell to his knees, "Were it not for your kind and good lady, I would be dead and so would my family, I owe her so much more than my life."
"Then you swear to serve her faithfully and unwaveringly." Clotaire continued.
"I swear it."
"You swear to put the interests of this household before any other duty you may have."
"I swear it."
Clotaire smiled grimly and nodded, "Then rise up and let's get some food in your belly and the lice out of your hair."
Once the oath of allegiance is fulfilled, I go up to Grégoire's room where Celine has put him to bed and finished reading to him.
"Goodnight mon agneau." I whisper, before kissing him on his head, he gives a soft smile and bids me goodnight. I continue to my own room, where the steamy tub of hot water awaits and I bring out my scents, lotions and pumice stone from France. Bess is still standing by the tub and she unlaces me from my dress.
"Thank you Bess, you may go now."
"Yes, my lady."
"You don't need to return, the tub can be removed in the morning and I can dress myself for bed."
She smiles and gives a small curtsey before leaving me to the privacy of my room. I pull down the dress over my hips and then take off my undergarments. I sink heavily into the warm water and rest my tired muscles. I scrub at my arms, chest and legs with a bar of perfume soap, before rubbing my skin with a rough cloth and then washing the soap off with the water. I try to keep my eyes and hands busy, but I cannot help but linger over the scars on my shoulder, the marks across my stomach. I sink my head beneath the water, the noise of the household drowning out, so deathly quiet and nothing but the peaceful sound of water. But we must all resurface at some point. I bring my head up and reach out for my hair oils, but as I turn my head I can see they are not there. I frown; perhaps I left them on the bed, but I was certain I had brought it to the bath.
"Good evening, Lady Anne."
I practically drown myself with shock, how did the outlaw bastard get into my bedroom? I peek behind the screen covering the top half of my body, seeing the man sitting casually on my bed and then quickly cover myself up with my arms, though he gives an irresponsible grin and raises his eyebrows. Hood raises a finger to his lips, I can hear someone running up the stairs, presumably because they nearly heard me drown myself.
"Lady Anne, is everything well?" Gaurin calls from the other side of the door.
"Yes. I just dropped the pumice stone into the bath."
There is silence for a moment, then "If you are sure, my lady."
"I am quite sure. I am perfectly well, Gaurin."
"Very well, my lady. Good night."
We wait until his tread continues downstairs and Hood removes the finger from his lips.
"Who are you?" I hissed.
He looks momentarily surprised, "I thought you wouldn't have forgotten me, Anna-Marie."
I blink with shock when he calls me by my old nickname.
"I am Robin. Robin Hood. I was Robin of Locksley."
I gasp and quickly grab a sheet from a chair, wrapping it around my body and then stepping out from the privacy screen.
"What are you doing here?" I whisper.
"Seeing whose side you are on."
I sigh and roll my eyes, "I am on nobody's side." It is the truth, the only side I am on is my own.
"But you saved Mark Devyn's life, that must surely mean something."
It is time to put all my courtly manners and flattery into practice.
"The punishment here was too harsh, I was shocked that a man's life would be considered taken for want of payment for the poultice."
"Exactly, you can see how bad life is here, how badly the Sherriff treats others."
I turn my back on Robin to hide my smile; he must be a bigger fool than I first thought. I pull my robe down from the door peg and pull it over my sheet to preserve my modesty. If Robin is so taken in by appearances, then I will gain all I can from him. I pull my hair over my shoulder and pick up my hair comb.
"Why are you here exactly, Robin?"
"I want to know how you managed to beg the Sherriff to spare Mark Devyn's life."
I begin to brush the tangles from my hair, "He was at the French court when I was first married, my husband knew him."
"So you are close with him?"
I smile softly, "I wouldn't say close, Robin. He's not exactly the easiest person to get along with."
"But he's never done something like this before, spared someone's life. How did you persuade him?"
I sigh and tap the hairbrush against my leg, then give a little shrug, "I don't know if it's so much my persuasion or argument that swayed him. Perhaps because I am a single woman, with a good fortune and two sons already. The Sherriff may be old but it's not unheard of for old men to marry young women. Perhaps that's what he's aiming for, though I really couldn't say."
"And you'd consider that?" Robin asks. I bite back my laughter and smile at Robin.
"No Robin, I may consider gaining some information for you, if that is what you'd wish. But I'd have to be a desperate woman indeed to marry the Sherriff."
"It shouldn't come to that." he says.
"Well I should hope not."
Robin lies back on my bed, lazily toeing the heel of his boot; I hope he isn't expecting anything, for it shan't be given. I put my hands on my hips and arch an eyebrow.
"Why are you here, Lady Anne?" Robin asks, "I thought you had wealth and property in France?"
I sigh, there's no way of avoiding this subject at hand, I keep myself busy with rearranging the sheets and then brushing my hair again. I avoid his eye.
"I did. But when I lost my husband, I lost the right over my old home due to my brother-in-law…he's taken guardianship over my oldest boy and until I am married again I will not be able to claim my home or my boy back. I was fortunate to keep my dowry and pension."
"That does not sound very fortunate." Robin sits up and approaches me; he looks as if he will hold my shoulders and so I quickly shift away from his reach. "My men have seen how you are protective over your youngest son, I am sure you miss your oldest terribly."
I smile sadly, "Of course I do, but I cannot do anything against how the tide has turned and I dare not marry anyone till I am sure of their purposes and in the honour to protect my sons. Rather than selling my old property in France and keeping my oldest boy in his uncle's keeping. Until then I must wait."
Robin sighs and looks down to his boots, "We have all suffered in one way or another, at the hands of Prince John."
I know my expression is growing into confusion and Robin cocks his head, "Forgive me, but Prince John pays for my pension, he was the one who managed to persuade my mother-in-law into letting me keep my youngest son. He acknowledges my father's support of him, his brother the King and their father." I say in way of explanation.
"And you know how he pays for your pension?" Robin asks.
"Yes, the taxes and revenue that comes into his wealth." I reply.
"It is the taxes of the poor and destitute, the money you have is covered in their blood."
Most money is covered with some sort of blood and Robin is a fool to think it could be otherwise, but if the peasant lover wishes for me to go along with his day dreams, then I'm more than happy to.
"Oh but what can we do then?" I say and Robin smiles happily.
"Join our side, spy for us, with your ability to gather information from Prince John and the Sherriff you can help us and surely you disagree with what they are doing to the poor people of England."
"Of course," I lie, I couldn't give a damn what happens to the poor people of England, but having more people think I am their ally and friend will serve me better than declaring them my enemy. "But can I ask for something in return?" I simper.
Robin frowns, "It depends on what it would be, I cannot confess to having a great fortune anymore."
I smile sweetly at him, gently lay my hand on his shoulder and wipe away an imaginary piece of dust, Robin always shone in the attention of women and I am no longer the little girl trying to keep up with my cousin and her friend. I draw a look of such balefulness and sadness Robin places his hand on my shoulder.
"I would like to know how my cousin died. I have heard so many rumours, it is impossible to say which ones have some basis in truth. I know she died in the Holy Lands, but how did my cousin get there?"
Robin sits back on the bed once more, his back to me, I see him gather the material up into his hand, his clenched fist tightly over the velvet bedspread.
"She was with me; we had gone to the Holy Land to defend the King from a plot created by Vaisey and Prince John. Before all this she had persuaded Sir Guy of Gisborne that she loved him, so she could find out information that would benefit us, but once the plot to kill King Richard was revealed she left Gisborne to join us and fight for England." He stops and takes in a gasping breath.
"And then?" I ask.
"At one point King Richard was injured and Sir Guy was meant to finish him off, but Marian stood in front of the King and begged Sir Guy not to kill him. Sir Guy killed her instead. I got there too late…I couldn't defend her." his shoulders hunch and he gazes miserably down at the floor, I gently squeeze his shoulder. He has told me part of the truth, I can tell that much, but he has not told me all of it.
"You are a good man, Robin. Never doubt your conviction." I give a long, drawn out sigh, "I have much to think about, knowing this. But I do know I will stand with you and do all I can, without raising suspicion, to help your cause."
Robin quickly seizes my hand and kisses it, "You are a good lady, good for saving Mark Devyn and better for helping our cause. We will see King Richard returned."
I do not let any emotion across my face, except for a false look of hope and sadness for my cousin, but I am surprised by how quickly he can forget my cousin's death for his political ideal. Somehow I feel that Robin's late arrival was not solely down to the slowness of his pace, but his willingness to put Marian in harm's way for his own cause. But then that has always been the case of men, everything must be sacrificed, even those they claim to love.
"You must go." I whisper, "My Captain of Guards, Clotaire has the ears of a fox and I wish to pray for my cousin's soul."
Robin gives another bow, then runs over to the window, climbs over the sill and out of sight. I put my robe back on the door and go to the cooler bath, to wash my hair. As my hair drifts around my shoulders I muse to myself, 'So that was how my cousin died.' She played with one man's affections, a dangerous man, the lone, unknown wolf. She stroked his fur and ran her hands over his ears, and then everyone was surprised when she got bitten. Both she and Robin seem like fools, but I cannot help but feel sorry for my cousin, she had pretended to love a wolf and in many ways pretended to love a boy. Robin was still the same, an ignorant child in the forests of Sherwood, building forts and camps, fighting what he believed were great battles with wooden swords and arrows. No woman in her right mind wishes to marry a boy, but Marian could not handle a man.
I get out of the bath, dry myself off and then after putting my nightgown on, kneel by the foot of my bed. I will pray but not for Marian's soul or my own, I will pray for the advancement of my own cause and certainly not Robin's.
"Actiones nostras, quaesumus Domine, aspirando praeveni et adiuvando prosequere: ut cuncta nosta oratio et operatio a te semper incipiat et per ta coepta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen."
I blow out my candle and climb into bed, smiling to myself in the darkened room. So the outlaws were watching me or listening to gossip, this was turning out better than I thought. Robin was used to people saying what they thought and being honest with their words; if it did not serve me well, then I would never be truly honest. It would be a fool's errand to follow Robin's cause. Poor, misguided Robin.
A/N: Apologies for the delay, just moved back to Uni today.
Translate:
Go before us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, in all our doings with Thy gracious inspiration, and further us with Thy continual help, that every prayer and work of ours may begin from Thee, and by Thee be duly ended. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.* (Latin)