Yay, *finally* finished this chapter. This is a little more Beth-centric so I hope you all don't mind. I ignored her for the past 2-3 chapters so I thought it was her turn. I'm sorry if I forgot to respond to the past reviews you guys left for the story. I do read all the reviews and I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story. I really, really do. Please let me know your thoughts. And one thing I want to make sure of is that the story isn't boring any of you. PLEASE let me know if it is. I need to know these things! =) Take care.
Beth waited anxiously in the assembly room. Where was her uncle? She could just imagine the conversation he was having with the Sheriff right now. She debated on whether she should go in search for him when she heard footsteps in the corridor. Beth breathed a sigh of relief when he came striding through the doorway.
"Thank God! What did you tell the Sheriff?"
"He won't be causing you any problems, if that's what you're worried about. And I have decided to stay for a little while."
"You will? Oh, I'm so glad. Does the Sheriff know?"
"Yes, he knows everything. Beth, in your absence a few things have changed. I have gained a position that allows me to exercise some authority over the Sheriff, so in this case he cannot order me about like he does to everyone else."
"This is perfect!" Beth quickly lowered her voice, making sure no servants were wandering about. "What position is this?"
Phillip swallowed and hoped his next words would sound convincing. "I was chosen to become one of Prince John's advisors. But Beth, believe me when I say this: I do not support what the Prince stands for by any means. I will always answer to King Richard, as long as he is still alive."
"Well…congratulations, I suppose. And I will never doubt your loyalty. You are a good man, Uncle."
Phillip smiled but inwardly groaned at her words. A good man? He wasn't so sure of that anymore.
Beth's eyes brightened. "I'll be able to help Robin without having the Sheriff breathe down my neck."
"Ah yes, that's what I wanted to discuss with you, actually. I thought I might be able to help you."
"Help me? How?"
"Well, we can both find ways to relay messages to Robin, I'm sure. A few of the nobles in London, including myself, have formed a secret society—we've decided to aid Richard in any way we can while he is fighting in the Holy Land. And I would like to send him messages from time to time—he needs to know what's going on here."
"I agree. Matters have gone out of hand. But be careful—the Sheriff is a very cunning man."
"Yes, well…let's discuss this somewhere more private. I need to find one of the servants. Who knows, the Sheriff might have forbade them from letting me have a room."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Beth laughed as the two made their way to the guest chambers.
As Phillip settled his sleeping arrangements with one of the servants, Beth caught sight of Vaisey and Guy at the end of the hallway. Whatever the Sheriff was whispering excitedly about was making Guy's features darken. He must be informing Guy of Uncle's position of authority over them. Beth couldn't help smirking at the thought of Vaisey flustered and unable to control her now. Beth's breath caught in her throat as she realized Guy was staring…at her. He must have caught her looking at them—had he seen her smug smile? She quickly turned away and headed toward her bedroom. The last thing she needed right now was Guy probing around and asking questions. She prepared herself, because she knew she couldn't avoid him much longer.
The next few days were uneventful. Beth avoided the Sheriff and Guy as much as possible. So she spent her time waiting and watching for Robin to send a message. She missed the gang. During that short amount of time, they had become her family. Even now, she still wondered if she made the right decision coming to the castle in the first place. Marian and she were just beginning to bond, and leaving at such a time had been more painful than Beth wanted to admit. But a certain ache would settle in her heart when she dwelt on a certain member of the gang she especially missed—Allan. She hadn't realized how much he was beginning to mean to her. Now he probably hated her for abandoning him and the gang so abruptly. Or was she fooling herself into thinking he liked her at all?
As Beth gazed out the window, she wiped a tear away and forced herself to think on pleasanter topics. She was so glad her uncle was staying at the castle. He seemed so interested in Robin's cause and his gang in general. She hoped he would get word back to the nobles in London concerning all the good that Robin was doing.
Beth's thoughts drifted to Guy's sister, Isabella, who seemed especially intent on making friends with her. She seemed almost hungry for affection…from anyone. But Beth couldn't help but notice the angry scowls Isabella and Guy would exchange across the table at dinner. She was curious to find out more of their history. While having another female in the castle was somewhat refreshing, B eth didn't fully trust Isabella, and she couldn't explain why.
"Excuse me, milady?"
Beth jumped and quickly turned to see one of the servants peeking her head around the door. "Oh, it's you, Sarah." Beth hadn't seen the young servant girl, Kate, anywhere around the castle, so she assumed she had been fired. She felt responsible for that—hopefully the girl was making due somehow.
" I'm sorry for startlin' you, milady." Sarah closed the door behind her and walked closer. She had been attending to Beth for the past few days. "I have an urgent message for you." She handed Beth a slip of paper and gave her an odd smile.
"Oh, who is it from?" Beth inquired as she began to tear the letter open.
Sarah lowered her voice. "Robin Hood," she simply stated.
Beth's eyes widened with fear. Was this a trap? Had the Sheriff sent Sarah up here to discover whether she was still in league with Robin? Hands shaking, Beth pushed the envelope back into the servant's hands.
"I want nothing more to do with that man, and you can tell the Sheriff I'll have no more of his tricks, do you hear?"
"No, milady. This is no trap! I am on your side. Read it, please. Robin delivered it to me himself. I used to be Lady Marian's servant when she was here in the castle, and Robin was the one who risked his own life to help save my daughter, Jess. I would never betray such an honorable man, I swear." Sarah pushed the note back into Beth's hands.
One look into her eyes, and Beth knew this woman couldn't be lying to her. Still, she had to be careful. She opened the letter and quickly perused its contents. Beth glanced up.
"Robin's here?"
"Yes, he was at the Nottingham market with his gang when he delivered the message to me. He asked after you, wondered if you were being treated well. I told him you were."
"Thank you. It's…it's such a relief I can talk to you openly about these things."
"I have missed Lady Marian's company here, but Robin told me a joyous bit of news when I saw him today. To think…Lady Marian is alive. And they are married!"
"Shhh. No one must find out."
"Sorry. I'm still shocked and excited over the news. We all thought she had been killed back in the Holy Land, at least that's what the Sheriff wanted us all to believe. Having you here is like having a bit of the Lady herself, you being her sister and all. Can't wait to see her again."
"Everyone loves Marian…I quickly found that out. She is so brave. I don't know if I could ever do the things she did when she was here."
"That she is, milady. Were you at the wedding?"
"Yes, I was actually."
"How was it?"
Beth paused before responding. "It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. It was perfect."
Sarah smiled. "Wonderful. Never thought I would see the day when Robin and Marian would become husband and wife. I wish I could have been there. Anyway, what does that letter say? If Robin wants you to meet him somewhere, I'll help in any way I can."
"You read my mind! Robin wants to meet me at the market. I'd rather not waste time asking for the Sheriff's permission—he'll most likely send a guard to watch me. And my Uncle is at one of the outlying villages."
"It's easy to lose guards, milady. Lady Marian would do it all the time, or so she told me. Best not to arouse the Sheriff's suspicion, so the sooner you ask him, the sooner you can meet Robin."
"But what will I tell him?"
"Tell him you want to look around at some of the wares. It is market day, after all."
Beth nodded. "Alright. It's worth a try, I suppose. Thank you for your help, Sarah."
"You're welcome, milady."
"Please, call me Beth."
Sarah smiled. "You're welcome, Beth."
After Sarah left, Elizabeth mustered up every ounce of courage she had to ask for the Sheriff's permission. She didn't know why, but he still intimidated her. He was a hateful, spiteful—not to mention ridiculous—human being and she couldn't stand him. Best not to keep Robin waiting, though. As she walked down the hallway, Beth thought of all the times Marian was put in the same position. Did she ever feel scared, having to lie and risk her life for Robin so many times? As the Sheriff's voice drifted out of the assembly room, Beth took a deep breath and braced herself for the worst.
"Would ya care to buy a lovely necklace, miss? Ah, ain't you a pretty lass!" The older man smiled broadly, revealing a row of missing upper teeth.
"No, thank you." Beth quickly moved away, startled at the boldness of the vendor. She had experienced markets before, but the people here seemed overly eager for her to buy every worthless trinket they were selling. She was just grateful she was here. To her surprise, the Sheriff hadn't tried to stop her from going to the market, although he had assigned a guard to watch her. He wasn't a particularly bright chap from what Beth had gathered. He was off talking to one of the other castle guards at the moment, allowing Beth a chance to spot Robin. Maybe she could lose him temporarily by walking down one of the side streets.
As she turned the corner, she still had her eyes trained on the guard, making sure he didn't notice her slipping away. Not realizing someone was walking right in front of her, Beth collided with the individual.
"Oi! Watch where you're going there, mate!"
Startled, Beth turned and stared at the hooded figure, knowing exactly who he was. As he turned to see who had so rudely bumped into him, Beth bit her lip, feeling at a loss for words.
"Beth!" Allan's blue eyes grew large as he gaped at her for a few more seconds.
"Allan…Robin sent for me. Will you take me to him?" Beth attempted to compose herself, even though she felt like running back to her guard.
Allan's expression turned unreadable. "Yeah, sure. We've been waiting for you. He's over here." Allan turned and led the way.
Beth inwardly chided herself. How could she sound so cold? She didn't even ask how he was. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't. Judging from Allan's reaction, he hadn't forgiven her. And it hurt far more than Beth wanted to admit.