Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from this writing. OC's belong to me, some plot belongs to me (I can't take credit for Richard's abduction, huge thanks to Duke Leopold : )
AUTHOR'S NOTES: To understand the joke later (between Allan and Ashley) just remember an outlaw is a person outside of the law, or king's protection, whereas an in-law is someone who is considered a king's subject—entitled to all the rights, laws, privileges, responsibilities as such.
Chapter 36: Spinning Confrontations
"Well, there it is," Robin said as the wagons brought in the wool. They all watched as the wool was carted into the center of Locksley. A guard announced that each family was to receive their share and have it returned in a week or there was a fee and time in the stocks in Nottingham for not completing it.
"Well, might as well get to it," Lilith said as the guards turned the wagons to leave. She snuck up to one of the cottages where it was a man raising his two children. She knocked and saw his surprised expression. "My lady?"
"Hello Michael," she said, slipping inside.
"What can I do for you my lady?" the man asked nervously.
"Helping," she said. "Do you have your wife's old carding tools and spindle?" she asked hopefully.
"I kept everything of hers," he admitted. He went to her old trunk and brought out two sets of carding tools and a spindle.
"Wonderful," Lilith said. "Do you think you could help Alice two doors down with her garden? She has so much already with a baby and now the carding."
"Of course," the man said. "Thank you."
Lilith gathered the instruments and took the material, as much as she could carry, to Esther's cottage. Sarah, Eve, and Marion who had gone to other cottages were meeting there as well.
John was working on Esther's garden outdoors and would give them the alert if anyone was getting too close to the cottage. Marion shut the door behind them. "I'll card, I hate using the spindle."
"If it is anything like what you did as a child, I would not let you anywhere near the spindle," Lilith teased. "Yours always came out so bumpy and, well, horrible."
"True. I detested it. I am surprised you can do it. You hated the domestic chores as much as I."
"True, but my father was more demanding than yours," Lilith said. Sarah and Lilith pulled chairs up around the table and the five of them started carding the wool over scraps of cloth they set on their laps.
"How are we going to get all of this done?" Sarah asked. "There are two more cottages who will need assistance."
"If we can borrow these extra carding tools and spindle we can work on it at night as well," Marion said.
They chatted happily as they worked. "I feel as if this is some sort of fable," Esther said as she got up to get some food for the midday meal. "Something I would tell Agatha when she is older."
"I often feel as if I am living in a fable," Sarah said.
"Well, let us hope we have a happy ending to this, too," Marion said. By the time they left for the camp that night they managed to get quite a lot done. Marion and Eve continued carding and Sarah and Lilith had begun to use the spindle as they sat around the campfire that night.
"I like watching your hands," Allan whispered to Lilith, making her blush.
"After a week of this I dare say you will be as bored with it as I am," she said. They chatted around the campfire.
The next day they spent at Esther's again. "Four more days," she said tiredly.
"We will stay here tonight," Sarah told her.
"You don't have to do that," Esther said quickly.
"Nonsense. It is more enjoyable to work with you than it is with the guys lounging around," Eve said.
"It must be terribly boring for you here, at night, as well," Marion said.
"It is, that is, the nights are long, but … thank you," Esther said. The girls all nodded as they worked quickly. They had finished one household's worth and were working on the second. It they kept this up they might be able to finish in time.
They didn't have an alternative.
They sat around and continued working long into the night, telling stories—both of their own past as well as fairy tales—to pass the time.
They awoke early when Agatha cried. Blurry eyed, they straightened their own clothing and splashed some cold water on their faces to wake up as well. Then set to carding and spinning again.
"This is so … woolly," Eve said tiredly. "And my eyes can't seem to focus on anything any more."
"Really? My fingers seem to be stuck like this," Lilith said holding up the spindle and wool she was working on.
"Three more days," Esther sighed. She had finished her allotment since John and the other outlaws had helped out with her normal chores and she devoted her time to nothing but Agatha and the wool.
A whistle had the girls flying to various places to hide as Esther peaked out the window. "Some guards from Nottingham it looks like. Guy might be with them, I am not sure," she said cautiously drawing the curtains closed.
They worked the whole day without any interruptions. Djaq arrived after the sun set to join them. "The men are driving me mad," she said. "Teach me how to help."
Esther laughed and showed Djaq how to card the wool. They spent the night again so they could work far into the night.
The routine was repeated with Agatha waking everyone before dawn. The six of the women set to continue working. "Two days," Esther said nervously. They had three more houses to complete in that time.
"We shall prevail," Marion said happily. "Three houses, we are half way done," she encouraged.
"Since when are you such an optimist, Marion?" Eve jested.
"I am just looking forward to finishing," she grumbled. "If I ever see wool again it will be entirely too soon."
"Try spinning," Sarah grumbled. "My fingers will never do anything ever again. And I look at how much we have left and I could cry."
"Chin up, we are nearly done," Lilith said. "We could also have to weave it and dye it," she pointed out.
"I am so thankful we do not have to do that as well," Esther said. "My weaving is atrocious."
"Can't be as poor as Marion's," Sarah teased. Marion rolled her eyes.
"Yes, yes, Marion is incompetent at household chores, that is established," Marion muttered.
"Robin will hire a mountain of servants for you," Eve pointed out. "You will never have to card or spin again after this."
"Here, here," Marion cheered, making everyone laugh.
"Can I just say this is the longest we have spent away from Sherwood or the men?" Eve pointed out.
"It has been enjoyable, I am certainly not complaining," Djaq said.
"Guards," Esther said as the women gathered the supplies to hide. It wouldn't do for Esther to be seen with five times as much wool as necessary.
They held their breath as the guard came to the door. When he just was checking that Esther was working on her allotment and left they let out a breath of relief and slipped out from their various hiding places.
"Too close," Esther said leaning against the door.
"You handled it so well, Esther," Marion said. "Well enough to be an outlaw, I dare say," she teased.
"I have Agatha to consider," Esther said. "It would not be well for her to live out in the woods. And thus far I have no reason to leave," she pointed out as she dished up the mid day meal.
"I feel like I need to intervene," Lilith said and the others groaned. "What? It worked for me and Allan. And Will and Sarah," she pointed out, sticking out her fork.
"I am curious how you plan to intervene," Eve said warily.
Lilith looked thoughtful for a moment making everyone nervous. "Well, the simplest way would just be to beat each of them until they had some sense." The girls shared a look and burst out into laughter. "It would be vastly entertaining I dare say. But no, I think the direct approach is in order."
"Lilith, hon, remember how I already argued with Much? Not much has changed."
"Not much with Much," Sarah repeated giggling.
"Okay, well,… what if we found a handsome looking lad for you to flirt with? Much is hardly the only man in Huntington," Lilith scoffed. "And Marion, if we get to London I am going to introduce you to Lord Henry, count of Somerset," she said. "We can drop some names while we are in camp."
Everyone looked at Lilith unsure if she was serious or not. "You are being absurd," Djaq said.
"Well, with Ashley we could entice him that you have that black book from the other scientist," Lilith teased. "Ashley detests women who can not hold an entire conversation with him. I recall Charles saying how Ashley was always very picky with whom he favored in court. Everyone was too shallow and flippant and, well, stupid," she admitted. "I try not to be offended since we had never met," she added.
"You are hardly shallow, flippant, or stupid, Lilith. Mischievous, spirited, yes," Marion laughed.
They ate quickly to get back to work. They worked continuously for the next 2 days barely getting everything completed in time. They delivered the finished products to the various cottages and slipped back around to the foliage surrounding the village as Guy rode in with his guards.
"Look at Davina," Sarah sniffed. Davina was riding snidely into the village as if the dirt under her horse's hooves should be decimated for dirtying her mount. "She has been here only a few weeks and look at her. She already thinks of herself as the Queen of England."
"I want to know who makes her clothes," Lilith said staring at her. "Honestly, who wears that while riding through a forest? Particularly one fraught with bandits?"
"Well, perhaps she hopes that we would be too distracted to rob her," Allan whispered behind Lilith making her jump and he put a hand over her mouth, silently laughing.
She smacked his shoulder.
"I still have to say that her hair style would look lovely with your chestnut hair, Sarah," Marion said.
"Can we not worry about Davina's appearance?" Robin chided.
"Robin, it is what we do," Eve drawled. "One look at her and you just want to shout: Queen of Evil!"
"After one look, huh?" Ashley joked making Eve laugh, which made Much frown.
"Hmm," Lilith whispered.
"You have that look in your eye," Allan whispered.
"Shh, we are supposed to ensure the exchange goes well," she chided, her eyes laughing.
"Not to be funny, but you are entirely frightening like that; even worse than Robin when he has a plan," Allan whispered.
"I have a plan," Lilith whispered. "You might be lucky enough to be in on it."
"Oh boy," Allan sighed.
"Oh yes," she said. "I just want you to flirt with a woman."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Just Eve," Lilith explained.
"So Much tries to beat me up?"
"You can't hold your own against Much?" she chided.
"Hey, no need to get nasty," he said offended. She laughed. "Fine, but only so long as she knows about it. I don't want her to fall for my charm. I'm taken," he said.
She leaned back to kiss him quickly. "Oh, she knows that," she promised.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For the next 2 days Lilith was beginning to think Much was oblivious to Eve and Allan flirting. The two of them had gotten along quite well before, Lilith knew, but it was painfully obvious that their banter had become more flirtatious over the last few days.
What was Much's problem? She was never wrong about these things.
"Lilith?" Robin asked, and before she could respond he had grabbed her around the waist and carted her off away from the camp.
"Uh, Robin, what are you doing?" she asked quizzically. She thought perhaps Robin had gone mad—or blind—grabbing the wrong Lady.
"We need to talk," he said.
"What did I do?" she asked puzzled.
"I need your help," he said.
"Ah, Marion. So Sir Edwards still gives his permission?" she teased.
"But now what? Does she still wish to marry me?"
"You are asking the wrong woman that question," she pointed out.
Robin didn't hear her. "Is she doing this out of some sense of obligation to the old betrothal? Sometimes I feel as if … as if now that she is here in Sherwood she has what she wants, the adventurous life she has always wanted."
"She does have what she wants, Robin," Lilith sighed. She cupped Robin's face to make him look at her. "She is in Sherwood fighting a cause with you." She said gently. "She'd go after the King, fight in the crusades, stay home and twiddle her thumbs, if it was for you. I always knew you were blind regarding her," Lilith sighed. "So what do you need my help with? Haven't I meddled enough with the two of you? Short of proposing to Marion myself, and then performing the ceremony, I don't know what more I can do."
Robin grinned at her, the same boyish grin she remembered from their childhood. "You would, too, I'm sure. No, I am going to ask. Well, if Marion says no I would appreciate it if you could talk her into changing her mind. I know you Lilith, you can convince anyone to whatever you want. But I am hoping she will say yes, which is why I need your help."
She was highly curious.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They walked back to camp, Lilith very happy and Robin very nervous. Lilith dragged Sarah, Djaq, and Eve with her and the three of them made a trip to Nottingham, hoping it would be safe with Guy out and about collecting the ransom products.
"Where did they go?" Much asked looking after Eve.
"Shopping," Ashley shrugged.
Allan was walking back from washing, had just pulled his tunic on, when Much tried to take a swing at him. He dodged, thinking it was finally about time. "You don't know when to stop, do you. Lilith is still here, and I won't let you use Eve that way."
"First of all, Much, Eve has no problem with me or us," Allan said. "Second of all, but not to be funny, but what does it concern you?" he pointed out, grinning smugly. He quickly tapped Much's cheek, smirking. "No offense, Much, but you have no authority here."
Much jumping him from behind was unexpected as they went flying forward.
"What is going on?" Ashley asked rushing up but just watched on.
"Thanks for the assistance," Allan huffed as he kicked Much off. "Hey, I wasn't supposed to get hurt in this," Allan complained.
"But it is okay if Eve or Lilith gets hurt?"
"First of all, Lilith is not your concern," Allan said. "Second of all, well, neither is Eve."
"I am just my master's manservant—
"Much, not any longer," Ashley pointed out, leaning against the tree watching everything unfold. He had guessed what Allan and Lilith were up to days ago and had been waiting patiently for Much to explode.
"Until Richard's return I am, but … but… he doesn't need two!" he pointed to Allan.
"That's the best you can come up with mate?" Ashley chuckled, trying not to laugh too hard.
"I don't know why you are laughing," Much said. "You are certainly just as bad as I am."
"Not nearly as bad, Much," Ashley smirked. "I don't have to worry about Djaq, for example, flirting with other outlaws."
"Or in-laws," Allan smirked.
"I have nothing to offer."
"You are the future Earl of Bonchurch," Allan said surprised. "You have more to offer than Will or I."
"And don't even say that Eve is after your future title," Ashley said. "That doesn't honor either of you."
"No, I know better than that," Much said. "But until then, I am nothing."
"You are the only one who seems to think so," Allan said sauntering back to camp. Lilith would be sorry she missed it.
"I think it is beautiful," Eve said as they purchased the material for Marion. They decided to work on it at Esther's so that Marion wouldn't see it. "We don't have much time," she said thoughtfully.
"Who is the best seamstress?" Djaq asked. They looked at each other. "Esther," Everyone said.
Esther seemed all too happy to help when they showed up at her doorstop. "You have to be there tomorrow, Esther," Lilith ordered. "No excuses!" she said as they rushed out.
"This is going to be perfect," Sarah sighed happily. The hard part, they realized, was acting as if everything was normal once they reached the camp and were around Marion again.
For the most part, Lilith thought, they did a good job of it. Marion only gave them a few odd looks but they could pass it off on Lilith. She realized she made a good scapegoat for anything odd or mischievous.
Djaq was standing next to Lilith the next afternoon when Robin went after Marion who had gone off further into the woods. They shared excited looks as all the women waited.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Special thanks to llohur, scarletprincess, genevieve, sharnay for the wonderful reviews! Wedding bells? : ) Big surprise coming up!