Marian, in her kindness, could not follow Ghislaine's plea to "leave nothing out" when telling her about Guy and Isabella. Brushing over or completely omitting many facts, she concentrated instead on those times when Guy had surprised her by choosing to do what was good, such as the time he had discovered she was the Night Watchman and had agreed to Allan's plan to save her, as well as the time Guy had been willing to die, returning to Nottingham just as Prince John's army was about to set the town ablaze.

That story set Marian thinking of Robin, for that was the night she had first given herself to him, body and soul. Having told herself a few moments ago she regretted that decision, she realized now that she did not. Her heart reminded her she wouldn't trade the beauty of his love that night for all the world. And their love had only grown sweeter as time continued.

"What else?" Ghislaine asked greedily, abruptly ending Marian's thoughts of Robin.

Having no more stories showing Guy in a good light, Marian began talking about Isabella. "Your daughter is a beautiful woman, breathtakingly so, but I am afraid, a troubled one. She was sold in marriage at a very young age to a brutal man she does not love, and she-"

"I hope she had the sense to run away from him."

Marian was struck by Ghislaine's cold, unemotional tone, so different from her attitude when asking about Guy. "Yes, she did," Marian explained, wondering what else she could say about Isabella that might comfort her mother.

But Ghislaine had little interest learning about her daughter. "I'm sure Isabella can take care of herself. She always could. Tell me more about Guy," she begged.

"Guy," Marian repeated, giving herself time to think, while recognizing one of the Gisbourne family dynamics. So, Guy at least had had his mother's love, while Isabella clearly had not. Marian could not lie to Guy's mother about him, but she could somewhat soften the blow. "Guy chose to follow the sheriff in the end, and tried to kill King Richard. I got in the way, and he stabbed me instead."

"An accident! You should have stayed back."

"I could not allow him to kill my king."

"So you are the way the legends portray you, putting king and country above yourself."

Ghislaine's sneer reminded Marian of Guy's. Marian began to realize this woman was not as kind as she had suspected. Nowhere near as murderous as her children, she was nonetheless selfish. She had, after all, deserted Guy and Isabella to their brutal father when she ran away with Alain the troubadour. Marian would sooner die than leave her own children.

"Thank you for telling me about my son," Ghislaine said. "I am sorry he hurt you, but when I tell you about him, when he was a child, perhaps you will better understand his tormented nature."

A small part of Marian wanted to learn more about Guy's history, but mostly, she didn't want to know. She already knew that Guy had grown up deprived of love after losing his mother, and that his brutal alcoholic father had twisted him, and that was enough. Other people suffered terrible things in their childhoods, and they did not grow up to become murderers. Marian reminded herself that Allan a Dale's father had been a drunk, often violent, but Allan was extraordinarily good tempered. And Robin! Robin's kind, loving mother had died when he was small, making his father distant and stern. Robin's need to be loved, even to the point of sending another woman flowers, seemed a small flaw when compared to Guy's viciousness. But still! Flowers, to a onetime former lover, just so he could be admired! It was infuriating! How could he?

Ghislaine had no idea where Marian's thoughts had gone, and seemed relieved to talk about her son. "Guy was a difficult, complicated child from the start," she explained. "He both loved and scorned me."

When Marian didn't respond, Ghislaine pressed on anyway. "He looked up to his father and tried to please him, for his father was lord. But he got little from him but mockery and beatings. But me! I adored my beautiful firstborn child, and Guy loved me for being beautiful, but part of him looked down on me. It wasn't my being French I believe, but he resented my ignoble blood, blaming me in his heart for tainting him and making him feel lesser.

"He had trouble relating to children his own age, feeling superior as Lord Gisbourne's son and heir, yet despising himself for knowing half his blood was no better than theirs. Meeting the sons of nobles was even worse for him, though it was rare when he encountered them. His father never taught him the manners of a nobleman, so Guy didn't know how to behave. He imagined himself rejected, and I tried to help him, telling him to give and give again until his attentions were accepted."

"I remember him mentioning you told him that," Marian said, wanting to be kind, "once when he gave me a gift."

Marian remembered the feeling of oppression she had felt then, hearing Guy tell her he would "continue to give." Nothing his mother said now was any surprise to her, and she realized she knew Guy of Gisbourne far better than she wanted. But what his mother said next did come as a surprise.

"Guy had one friend," his mother told her, "more than a friend actually...his brother, Lambert."

Marian remembered Guy's friend Lambert, the man who had discovered the recipe for "Turk Fire" and recorded it in his ledger...the man whom Guy had allowed the sheriff to kill. "Lambert was Guy's brother?' she asked, incredulous.

"You know him?"

Marian could only nod her head, saddened again by his death.

"Half brother," Ghislaine clarified. "One of my husband's lessons to teach me he could have any woman in his village whenever I displeased him. Knowing Lambert, surely you recognize his resemblance to Guy?"

Marian hadn't recognized it at the time, but now she did. Both men were the same extraordinary height, both had the same black hair, both had sharp, pointed noses and chins. Their eyes and expressions had been so different, Marian hadn't even thought they had looked alike. But she believed Ghislaine's claim, and wondered if the relationship was another reason Vasey had killed Lambert, to prove Guy's loyalty to him even over family.

Again, Marian thought of Robin, and how he had treated her when she had been forced to admit she had been wrong for trusting Guy at the time of Lambert's death. Robin had every right to have lectured and scolded her, even to boast, "I told you so," but instead, seeing her tears, he had silently enfolded her in his arms and grieved with her, comforting her with his goodness and his strength. And especially, Marian reminded herself, with his caring, unselfish love.

"I must be wrong about the flowers," she silently told herself, fighting back tears. "Robin is not a man to hurt me by pursuing another woman! Even if he didn't love me as deeply as I know he does, he would not break his marriage vows! He has never lied to me, and I should have listened when he tried to explain."

She wanted to leave Ghislaine and find Robin, but Ghislaine stopped her. "Guy was tormented in his own mind from an early age," his mother pursued. "His father's violence frightened him, but he was also fascinated by it. He saw it as strength, admiring it as long as it wasn't directed toward him. Guy began practicing his own violence on Isabella until she tried to stop it by tattling to their father. He only laughed at her, so Isabella threatened to tell everyone in the village how Guy wet his bed, and that saved her. Not that she wouldn't have enjoyed telling his secret to everyone, but she kept silent, knowing that holding the threat over him protected her. But she mocked him mercilessly about it when they were alone. So Guy took out his violence on animals instead, sharpening his skill with weapons while teaching himself the most painful ways to kill. I tried to stop his behavior, but his father approved of it, and Guy seemed to feel powerful and strong at last, escaping his father's beatings and gaining his approval. Didn't I say Isabella could take care of herself, the sly minx?"

Her last sentence was said with such loathing that Marian almost felt sorry for Isabella...almost, but not quite. The entire family was so horrible, Marian did not want to hear another word. She wanted to go and find her husband and mend what had parted them, and seek forgiveness if she had wronged him, or give forgiveness if he needed and asked for it. But she doubted he did. Knowing Robin, Marian guessed she must have jumped to conclusions about him sending flowers, even if he seemed to have admitted to sending them. But he had been desperate to explain the situation to her, and she had refused to hear him. Instead, she had wasted time here, listening to stories about the Gisbourne family that turned her stomach.

"Excuse me," she said now, before Ghislaine could tell her more she didn't want to know. "I really must be going."

She hurried away to find her husband, leaving Ghislaine stung by her departure. "I shouldn't have told you anything," Ghislaine complained after Marian had gone. "No. I told you everything, and you do not care. And now, your knowledge of my identity threatens me and may even harm my son. You will have to be silenced, Lady Marian, one way or another, before you tell your king who I am, and he comes after me to try to find my son."