Marian was crying in her room, which was unusual. If something were wrong, she almost never hid away crying. She would think of a way to fix things, and then act. But today, she felt so hopeless and confused, that she needed to cry.
What was wrong with her father? Why had he turned against Robin? He had always been fond of him, she thought. But ever since May Day, her father seemed to consider him an enemy! She didn't understand!
She couldn't NOT see Robin ever again! It was hard enough, missing him as she did while he was away from home. But to never see him…forever? She would rather not see the sun, the moon, or the stars!
She wiped her tears and picked up her embroidery. She stared at it, imagining Loath-bore-oh's face in its center, and jabbed it as hard as she could with her needle. There! That felt somewhat better! But it was no good. This was such a waste of time.
She had felt so good and useful this morning, helping her villagers. She wished she could get that feeling back.
Marian sat up, a thought striking her, filling her with hope. She would go to Locksley. She would go to Locksley right now, and see if she could help any of Robin's villagers. While he was away from home, she could be helpful to him by helping those he cared about.
She grabbed her cloak, and ran to the stables.
More than one hundred miles to the south, the bells of London tolled two o'clock, as Robin and Much exited Prince Richard's chambers in the White Tower. They had supped with the Prince…even Much had been fed, and his belly was full. Robin's head was full…full of visions of glorious battles yet to be fought.
Richard had been duly impressed by Robin's skill at arms this morning, and had confided his dream of a Third Crusade. He'd explained how the situation in Jerusalem was shaky, with the threat of Saracens wanting to kill all Christian pilgrims. The efforts of his father's Second Crusade had ended in failure, for the Saracen leader, Saladin, was a brilliant strategist and warrior. There was currently peace, but Richard foresaw trouble ahead, and he wanted to be prepared. He told Robin to ready himself, for if trouble came, he would want men such as Robin to fight alongside him.
Robin's head was so transported by the Prince's talk, that he did not even see Lady Catherine, as she deliberately stepped directly into his path. They bumped hard. She staggered a step or two backward, and Robin grabbed her elbow to steady her.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I wasn't looking. Are you alright?"
"Not quite," she lied. "That was quite a bump. I think I need to sit awhile." She allowed Robin to guide her to a bench, and sank down gracefully upon it.
"Please," she said, "Sit with me while I recover my breath."
"Where did I bump you?" he asked, concerned.
"Here," she replied, with feigned innocence, indicating her left breast. She expertly unfastened some laces, and pulled the fabric back. "You don't see a bruise, do you?"
Much looked away, blushing profusely. Robin knew he ought to look away as well, but he couldn't help himself. His eyes opened wide and a grin spread across his face.
"Everything looks fine," he said. "Perfect, in fact!"
Lady Catherine readjusted her gown and took his hand. "That's better," she said, smiling charmingly into his eyes.
"Better?" he asked, disappointed that the "show" was over.
"You're speaking to me again. You were so distant last night, I thought I'd done something to offend you."
He took a deep breath. "Actually, you did."
He told Much to leave them, then turned to her in anger. "Just what did you think you were doing, charging into my room and climbing into bed with my servant?"
"I didn't mean to climb into bed with HIM," she smiled. She looked so gorgeous and amusing that Robin felt his anger fade. She continued smiling at him, until he actually began to laugh. It was funny, if you looked at it that way.
"All the same," he continued, in a kinder tone, "You mustn't do things like that."
"Well," she said, "Now that we're on speaking terms again, I won't have to. See what I have to resort to when you ignore me?"
"I'll remember that next time I'm lonesome in the night," he flirted.
He was adorable! She just wanted to keep him in a box so she could take him out and play with him whenever she wanted!
She brushed her foot across the top of his and changed the subject. "You looked quite delicious training this morning. No wonder Richard had you for dinner."
Robin laughed. He was proud she had seen him fight. "There's still so much to learn," he sighed. "You ought to see me shoot!"
"I have seen you shoot, remember? That is how I first noticed you. You hit the target, and Eros hit my heart."
At that, he stopped smiling and appeared uncomfortable.
"Catherine," he began seriously. "I need to tell you…."
She waited, not liking where this was headed.
"You see my black eye?" he continued. "Well, I wasn't just punched…I was knocked head over heels."
Surprisingly, Catherine jumped to her feet, smiling brightly. "In love?" she gasped. "You're in love? Why, Robin, that's wonderful! I'm so thrilled for you! You must tell me all about her!" She sat down next to him again, waiting for him to confide in her.
Robin hesitated, confused. He thought his confession would hurt, or anger her. He hadn't expected joy and excitement. His instincts, however, warned him to be discreet and protect Marian.
"I…I can't talk about her. She's too wonderful."
Catherine's smile froze and her eyes took on a steely look.
"Well, no matter," she recovered. "You don't need to tell me now. Just answer me this…is she young?"
Robin chuckled. "Too young. She doesn't even know how I feel."
"Well," she said, smiling brightly again, "I am delighted for you! And, I want you to know..." She took his hand and began caressing it slowly, "I want to do all I can to help you. There is a lot to learn about Love, just as there is a lot to learn about battle. You need someone to guide you…to teach you. "
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his fingertips, the leaned toward him and took his earlobe between her teeth.
Robin felt dizzy, but he pushed her away, jumped to his feet, and laughed uncomfortably. "That is very kind, but I don't think it's such a good idea."
Catherine stood and smiled at him, completely composed, as if nothing unusual had transpired between them. "You know best, of course. I'm just glad we can be friends again. Come," she said, taking his arm, "You must escort me to the Queen's apartments. I'm dangerously late, and you're to blame for being so distracting. You must apologize to Her Majesty for me. She likes you so much, she can't refuse you anything."
A few moments later, Queen Eleanor witnessed a dazed and bewildered Lord Locksley bowing farewell to Lady Catherine, who definitely looked like the cat who had swallowed the canary, or, in this case, the robin.