"WHO'S THE NIGHTWATCHMAN?"

"Mama, who was the Nightwatchman?"

"What's that, Eleanor?"

"The Nightwatchman. Who was he?"

"Where did you hear a name like that?"

"From Matthew. He told me there used to be this mysterious man that came around Locksley at night, giving food and medicine to people. Sort of like what Papa and his gang used to do, you know? But he was more secret about it."

"Likely it's just some story, Eleanor. You shouldn't believe everything you hear, especially from the other children."

"I'm not a child, Mama!" said Eleanor indignantly. "And Matthew's older than me. And he heard the story from his father and mother and his uncle Hugh. So it's real, not made up!"

Marian decided to ignore her daughter's saucy attitude for the moment. She was learning, through trial and error, to pick her battles with the girl. Eleanor was thirteen, nearly as tall as her mother, and a bit too sure of herself.

She's half Robin's offspring, and half mine, thought Marian. She's got Robin's cocky self-assurance, and my stubbornness and willful temper. What else could I expect from her now that she's growing up and thinks she's not a child anymore?

My poor father—this is what he had to deal with from me. Now it's my turn. Mine and Robin's.

But Marian's thoughts quickly shifted back to the present. Here was this sudden question, a thorny question fraught with peril, thrown at her out of the blue. What else has my daughter heard?

"So, why this interest in this mysterious person?" she asked, with a pretended casualness.

"I'm just curious, I guess. I thought you might know. Maybe Papa's heard of him. Matthew told me something else his father said, but I'm not sure I should tell you."

"What about?" asked Marian, as she fought to keep her voice calm.

"He—I'm not sure if it's true. He said Sir Guy stabbed the Nightwatchman once, but he got away. Does he mean Uncle Guy? Did Uncle Guy stab him? Why?"

Marian felt a jab of pain in her side on hearing her daughter's words. The scar on the lower side of her abdomen, from Guy's nasty little curved knife, paled into insignificance beside the much larger scar left by Vaisey's sword, but small though the wound had seemed at the time, it would have killed her if not for Djaq's doctoring.

Guy still felt terrible about it all these years later. He had apologized to her more times than she could count, even though, of course, he hadn't known it was her when he'd stabbed her. She had forgiven him long ago, as she'd forgiven him for many other things he regretted. He was no longer the same man who had done those things, but how could they explain that to their children?

Marian wished desperately that Robin were there to deal with the situation, but he and Allan were at Bonchurch with Much.

"What do you know about Guy?" she couldn't resist asking.

"Just stuff I hear, Mama. I heard he worked for Sheriff Vaisey. Was Vaisey as bad as they say? Did Uncle Guy really work for him? Mama, he didn't kill people, did he?"

This is what comes of putting off talking to our children. I told Robin we should have had this talk before now. I can only imagine what Rodger has heard.

"Eleanor, you haven't talked to Rodger about this, have you?"

"No, not much."

"Not much?"

"Well, he's heard about the Nightwatchman, too, but he doesn't know about his father stabbing him. At least I don't think he does. Did he really stab him? Why would Uncle Guy do that?"

Marian didn't want to lie to her daughter, but she also didn't want to upset Guy and Meg by saying too much. She weighed her words carefully before replying.

"Eleanor, sometimes people think they're doing the right thing. They believe they are upholding the law. But other people feel what they've done is wrong. Guy worked for Vaisey when Vaisey was the Sheriff. That was many years ago, before you were born. It's all different now. But it's hard to explain."

"Oh, oh. Here we go again. Are you going to tell me that I need to wait until I'm older?"

"No, I'm going to say that you need to wait until your father and I talk it over first."

"So, you do know who the Nightwatchman was?"

There's no fooling her, Marian smiled to herself. Clever girl.

"Yes, I do."

"Then why didn't you just tell me in the first place? Why did you tell me it's a made-up story?"

"I'm sorry, but you have to understand that this is difficult. Can you be patient and wait until your father and I talk first?"

Eleanor sighed. "Yes, Mama. But what about Rodger?"

"Don't say anything to Rodger right now. His father and mother need to talk with him."

"I don't think he wants to talk to me anyway. He's been an awful grump lately. I asked him if he was okay and he told me to leave him alone!"

"We all have bad days. Maybe he didn't feel well."

"All he ever has now is bad days, then. He's not any fun anymore."

"You tease him too much."

"I didn't today, Mama. I was nice to him, honest! And he still yelled at me."

"Leave him be for now, Eleanor. I'll have a talk with his mother."

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"Robin, stop laughing. You're making a joke out of this, but it's not funny!"

"Come on, Marian, don't be a spoilsport. You know it's funny, admit it."

"It would be if it wasn't so serious. What are we going to tell her?"

"Have you said anything yet?"

"Not much. As little as I could."

"Let me get this straight. Our daughter out-and-out asked who the Nightwatchman was, and you kept your composure? Marian, I'm impressed."

"If you don't stop laughing I'm going to hit you good and hard."

"All right! Easy there, woman! Ouch! Okay, we'll think of something."

"That's not even the worst part."

"Oh?"

"Robin, she heard from someone in the village that Guy stabbed the Nightwatchman."

"How did she take that news?"

"I'm not sure. She didn't seem too upset. I'm actually more concerned about Rodger right now."

"Why, has he heard the story?"

"Some of it, apparently. Not the part about his father. I saw Meg today. She's worried about Rodger. She told me ever since he was in a scuffle with a boy in the marketplace a few weeks ago, he's been quiet. I mean, more than usual. Withdrawn, she said. Usually he confides in his mother, but she said he won't tell her what's bothering him."

"He sounds like a typical boy about to become a teen to me."

"I'd think so, too, except that Eleanor remarked on it as well. She said that Rodger's been snappy with her and yells at her to leave him alone."

"So, what else is new?"

"It's just that Rodger's always been a polite boy. It doesn't sound like him."

"He's his father's child. Guy was always moody, too."

"I wonder if he heard something about his father. You know how people talk. It hasn't been that many years since Vaisey. Robin, do you worry that we've been remiss in not telling our children about the past?"

"Do you mean 'we' as in us and Guy and Meg?"

"Of course. I know we've talked to them before about this, but Guy wanted to put it off until the children were much older."

"They're not that old now."

"But they're hearing things, that's my point. You can't stop people from gossiping. Our children are learning things from others. Shouldn't it come from us instead?"

"I'm not disagreeing with you, love, so stop frowning at me, will you? You've already bruised my arm."

"Robin, there's no more time to waste. We need to sit down with Guy and Meg, right now, today, and figure out what we're going to tell our children."