Isabella awoke in the middle of the night, terrified. To protect herself from her husband's cruelties against her, she had taught herself to be a light sleeper. She woke now, sensing a presence standing over her, watching and waiting.

Her panic subsided when she saw it was Robin, and she remembered where she was.

"Get up," he ordered, quietly but firmly.

This could be exciting, she realized, if she could lure him. She knew the ignition of the sparks between them, even if he was madly in love with his wife. She climbed out of the bunk and followed him outside the camp.

Moonlight filtered softly down through the lacings of the trees overhead. An owl hooted softly, soothingly. The night breeze was warm and caressing. Isabella thought it a perfect night for love.

"What is it you want, Robin Hood?" she asked, her voice low, eager, and seductive.

"Where are hiding it, Isabella?"

"Hiding what?"

"The poison you gave my wife."

"Poison? Don't tell me she's dead!" Isabella knew she wasn't. What she'd sprinkled over Marian's supper was slow moving, inducing cramps, weakness and fatigue, but would build up gradually in the system with more and more doses, until the body shut down.

"She's ill," Robin told her. "She was perfectly well until after she'd eaten. I suspect you tampered with her food. Let me repeat my question. Where are you hiding your poison?"

Isabella sighed. "Ah, Robin! So many questions! 'Where is the king?'... 'Where is the poison?' " She stepped close. "I have a question for you. Where could I possibly hide anything? Look at me! You know I have absolutely nothing on but this nightdress. I showed you myself when I slipped it off. Shall I slip it off again?"

She had removed her garter holding her knife and poison vial in the leaves under her feet before she'd shown herself to him before. Now they were hidden in the camp, behind a chest where they'd never be found. She began slowly undoing the lacing at the low neckline, looking suggestively into his eyes.

He did not stop her, but showed no sign of attraction. He was strictly business, determined to learn the cause of his wife's illness.

The nightdress dropped to the ground and Isabella stood naked before him. "Mmm," she moaned, flicking out her tongue to lick her lips while slowly undulating her body back and forth.

"Get dressed," Robin commanded, coldly.

"Aren't you the least bit interested in what we could pursue?" she asked.

"You couldn't remind me any more of a snake, unless you'd hissed instead of moaned just now. Put your dress back on. I'm going inside to search your bunk for poison, Viper."

"So nasty! And I was going to let you be my protector! I guess I won't tell you where King Richard is, after all."

Robin drew in his breath, then regained mastery over himself. Not wanting to wait any longer, he strode inside and began searching her bunk, shaking out her blanket. Convinced there was nothing there, he returned to Isabella.

"Alright. You won this round, Isabella. But be warned, I'm watching you. I won't let you out of my sight, any time food is being eaten or prepared. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away from Marian."

"But we're getting to be such good friends!" she exclaimed snidely. She walked right up and pressed against him. "Couldn't you and I be friends, too, Robin? With your wife ill, you won't be able to enjoy the pleasures of the marriage bed for a time. You'll need to do something to relieve all that pent up energy, and you won't forget what you see here before you. I'll be waiting for you to take me again, and I promise, you won't be disappointed."

He walked angrily past her, trying to put her out of his mind as he returned to Marian.

Marian lay awake.

Robin removed his boots and joined her in bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Better." She snuggled into his arms. She could feel the tension in him. "Where were you?"

"I questioned Isabella."

"Robin, in the middle of the night? I hardly think that's the time to find out where the king is."

"It wasn't about the king. I suspect she had something to do with how you were feeling."

"Don't be ridiculous. I told you, squirrel meat doesn't agree with me."

"I want you to stay away from her, Marian. I mean it."

"Why, Robin? She's beginning to trust me! You know as well as I, we can learn more from her if we're a team. You taught me yourself about questioning techniques, rather than using torture. When one person seems cruel and the other kind, the prisoner will often give in to the kind interrogator."

"She tried to seduce me just now."

Marian's eyes widened and she held him more tightly. "Oh. Maybe you're the one who needs to stay away from her."

"I wish we both could." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, and tenderly kissed her lips. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I might have ruined the progress we made, getting her to tell us what she knows. She's angry now and won't talk."

"Well, we'll just have to begin all over again. But we can't do that, Robin, by keeping our distance."

"Agreed. I warned her I'd watch her whenever Much is cooking, but we need to do more. We need to lock up our food, our utensils, our trenchers and cups...anything she can use to poison you. Never be alone with her. That means no more trips to the pond."

"Not even with you?"

He smiled.

"You're tense, Robin," she said. "I have an idea. Let me try to seduce you. I'm sure I can do a far better job than-"

She couldn't finish her statement, stopped by his kiss.

"You're not playing fair," Marian teased, pleased all the same by his ardor. "You've got to let me try."

He threw himself back, away from her, grinning. "I'll play hard to get, if I can."

"Good luck with that, Locksley."