Guy let go of Marian's hand just a moment before entering the great hall.
Long tables had been set in the hall and most of the guests were already sitting at their seats when Guy and Marian entered.
Gisborne tried hard not to notice the ironic gazes that had focused on him as soon as he entered, and he and the girl took a seat next to Sir Edward.
"Ah, Gisborne," the sheriff said, malicious. "You're still here, I see. Are you going to dispense other pearls of wisdom today?"
Guy didn't look up and he just shook his head.
"No, my lord," he said in a humble tone.
He knew that the sheriff had just begun to have fun at his expense and that the only sensible thing to do was to endure any insult and wait for him to get tired.
Marian took his hand under the table and squeezed it lightly. Guy closed his fingers on those of the girl, grateful for that gesture of comfort.
"Good for you, Gizzy. Be careful to keep your mouth shut or I might decide to punish your insolence. I don't think you have a lot of healthy skin on your back, if I were you I would do my best to keep it whole."
Vaisey was about to say something else, but at that moment the servants, loaded with trays of food and jugs of fine wine, entered the hall and began to serve the meal and fill the goblets of the guests.
The sheriff imperiously stopped the servant who was about to pour wine into Guy's chalice and he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"No! Only water for Gizzy, I wouldn't want to see again some unseemly scenes. You should thank me, don't you think? I avoid making you even more ridiculous than you have already done."
A buzz went through the room while the eyes of all present were staring at Guy, waiting for his reaction. The sheriff's insult was bad enough to push a knight to react violently to defend his honor, but they also knew that confronting the Sheriff of Nottingham would be madness to pay with blood.
Guy stood up and let his gaze wander over the guests sitting at the tables before he stared back at the sheriff. Neither his sister nor her husband were present, he noted absently before turning to Vaisey.
"It is true, my lord, yesterday morning my behavior was shameful and I would like to apologize to those who have been forced to witness it. But in my defense I can say that I am not the only culprit for what happened: even Lady Marian has a good part of responsibility."
Marian held her breath and gave him a hurt look.
Why did Guy talk like that? Did he want to ridicule her in front of everyone?
Even Sir Edward was frowning and staring at him sternly, while everyone else was curious to hear how he would go on.
Guy took Marian's arm to make her stand up and he smiled at her, then turned back to the other nobles.
"Lady Marian is guilty because she has agreed to marry me, and I admit that I have celebrated our engagement too enthusiastically. The joy of having her by my side as future Lady Gisborne has pushed me to exaggerate with wine and to lose control of my actions. It was certainly foolish and inappropriate on my part and I beg you again to accept my sincerest apologies, but I hope that seeing my betrothed you may understand the reason for my recklessness."
Marian looked at him, happy and moved, then she realized that the looks that the other nobles addressed to Guy were still amused, but less contemptuous than just a while ago.
"I always said that that woman would ruin you," the sheriff commented in a bored and disgusted tone. "It's like leprosy, Gisborne, look how low you've fallen."

Robin looked at Meg, puzzled: the girl was holding a piece of chalk and using it to draw a symbol on one of the inn's external beams.
"Do you think it will work?" He asked, skeptical.
The girl shrugged, and she adjusted the hood of her cloak that hid her face.
"Allan said that at the time this was the way he contacted Gisborne. And I know that your method is more fun, but you can't shoot arrows inside the castle windows. Also because you don't know what Guy's room is."
Robin could not object and followed her inside the inn.
Guy looked at Marian and smiled at her from a distance. The girl had been surrounded by the other women who wanted to admire the engagement ring or who wanted to involve her in some funny gossip and Gisborne was happy to see her in company.
When word got out that she was her lover, Marian had been isolated and treated with disdain, but perhaps now the announcement of their engagement was beginning to settle things. Of course, there was always the possibility that those women were just curious to know if he behaved like a perfect fool even in private, but it didn't really matter. Marian seemed to be happy to chat with the young ones and he was pleased to see her serene.
He left her to the company of those new friends and retired from the great hall.
He had consoled and reassured Marian, and perhaps he had managed to make up at least a little for the bad scene of the day before, but he still had a problem to solve and this time Guy had the impression that it wouldn't be so simple.
Isabella.
Gisborne sighed.
His memories of what had happened were rather confusing, but he remembered perfectly the emotion he had felt in seeing his sister's face after such a long time.
There was still a faint trace of her childhood face in her, the one he remembered so well, but Isabella was a woman now, matured by a life he didn't know at all.
What had she done in all those years? Were the smiles to sculpt the features of her face or her eyes had become so luminous because of the tears of some past pain?
He had left behind an immature teenager and had found a woman in the flower of her beauty.
The day before Guy had expressed his thoughts badly, but he hadn't lied: Isabella didn't look much like Ghislaine except for the color of her dark curls and white skin, but she had something of their father's pride in her.
Guy wondered what impression he had made in the eyes of his sister, except that of a drunken fool obviously.
When he had married her to Thornton, Guy's hands were not yet stained with so much blood, though his heart always carried the guilt of their parents' death. Then Guy still didn't know what it meant to kill a man in cold blood, he had not sold his soul yet to the ruthlessness of the sheriff.
How had he changed in all those years? Was there still in him something of that Guy of Gisborne who had been Isabella's brother?
He turned the corner of a corridor and jumped as he came face to face with the object of his thoughts.
Isabella was alone, followed only by a maid, and for a moment she seemed surprised to find herself in front of Guy, then her gaze hardened and she started to go on, completely ignoring him.
"Isabella! Wait up!" Guy said, moving to block the passage.
His sister looked at him with disgust.
"I have nothing to say to you. Return to drown your vices in some tavern."
"Yesterday I wasn't myself, I said words that I didn't mean, but it was a mistake, I assure you, I don't have the habit of getting drunk."
"Too bad," Isabella said, icily and Guy looked at her, perplexed.
"Why?"
"Usually drunkards die prematurely."
Gisborne stared at her, shocked by his sister's hateful tone.
"Would you like to see me dead?"
"Yes, Guy. If there was a divine justice, there would be nothing left of you but bones and ashes."
Guy took a step back, frightened by Isabella's gaze.
His sister was not exaggerating and her were not impulsive words dictated by the fury of the moment or old grudges. Isabella would have really preferred to know he was dead, she would have liked to put a marble tombstone on his brother's grave and erase him forever from her world.
He shook his head, desolate.
"Why?" He managed to ask in a low voice.
"Do you know what you did to me?"
Guy understood that he was referring to the marriage with Thornton.
"I tried to give you an opportunity. I grabbed the only chance we had at that moment..."
"No."
"What then?"
"You killed me. While you were the one who deserved to die."
Isabella turned her back and walked away without saying anything else, but Guy didn't even try to follow her.
He took another step back and leaned against the stone wall with his back, trembling.