Sitting up with his back against a tree, trying to sleep, Robin knew he was in for a long night.
He couldn't help contrasting his current state with how he had found Marian recently in another forest, admiring her again for her bravery and resilience. She had made a bow drill to make fire, and had caught a squirrel with a snare made from one of her dress lacings. Using only the pin from that hideous Gisbourne brooch, she had gutted and skinned the squirrel and was roasting it over the fire when he'd found her. Of course, he reminded himself, Marian hadn't known how long she would have to survive in the forest, whereas he knew he would be here for one night only.
He had fire tonight, but he hadn't needed to fashion a bow drill to make it. He had borrowed lighted coals in a bucket, courtesy of Pedro's High Flying Circus of acrobats, and easily build one once it had turned dark. The bucket was useful for gathering water to drink and nuts to eat, for the squirrels would be safe tonight in this forest, at least from him.
Thoughts of the Spanish acrobats put temptation into Robin's head. He wasn't tempted by the thought of sleeping in a tent or even sleeping with Pedro's daughter Estella, but only of the bow he'd used to send Marian a message. He needed a bow, he thought, for protection, when he travelled tomorrow to meet Marian along the road heading north. He had a few coins with him and he determined to go back to the acrobats at first light tomorrow and ask to purchase their bow and some arrows. He needed to return their bucket to them, after all, so it wouldn't be a wasted trip.
Pleased with the thought of no longer being bowless, he was able to close his eyes and enjoy the nocturnal sounds and the feeling of the forest surrounding and sheltering him before drifting off to sleep.
...
The first thing Marian saw upon awakening the following morning was the bouquet of yellow tulips Robin had given her. She smiled, then sadly sighed, realizing she had spent the night alone and knowing she would have to leave the flowers behind.
What did it matter, she asked herself, when she would have the man who had given them instead? She missed Robin, unused as she was to sleeping and waking up without him beside her. But no matter. They would soon be reunited and heading home, but first she needed to get up and work to have everything packed.
Once she saw that everything was being properly attended to, she took her daughters outside the castle. She had heard there was a troupe of Spanish acrobats who would be performing at tonight's banquet, which she and Robin would miss, and she believed her little girls would enjoy watching them practice.
A small crowd had already gathered to watch, including a few off duty guards from the castle, but Marian found a place up front so that her little girls could see.
The acrobats had formed two human pyramids with an attractive, dark haired woman being helped to the top of one. Marian was admiring the woman's grace and balance when Ellen called out, "It's Daddy!"
"My daddy," Grace echoed excitedly, jumping up and down.
Turning her attention to where her girls were looking, Marian was surprised to see Robin quickly scrambling to reach the top of the other pyramid. Though he kept his face averted, Marian recognized her husband by his handsome form and by the way he moved.
Robin heard his children calling out to him. Still believing he was wanted by the castle guard, he felt he needed to "disappear," and quickly. Upon reaching the top of the pyramid, he immediately executed a backflip off it and was about to dash away when he glanced up and saw Estella lose her balance off the other pyramid and begin to fall. Without stopping to think, he stationed himself under her, catching her in his arms.
The crowd applauded, then whooped and raised a cheer as Estella kissed his surprised mouth.
Marian, of course, found nothing to cheer about.
With difficulty, Robin extracted himself from Estella's embrace and placed her on her feet. His eyes sought Marian's, pleading with her not to mind and to keep Ellen and Grace from giving away his identity. Marian's face communicated back to him indignant surprise and outrage, but at least he saw her take their daughters by their hands and lead them back inside the castle.
Luckily, Robin thought, the castle guard watching paid no attention to him, their interest focused solely on the lovely, exotic Estella.
It was time for him to go. He had not wanted to take part in the acrobatic display when he'd called on Pedro to purchase the bow, but had only done so to avoid detection by the off duty castle guard. It had worked, he told himself cockily, even after Ellie had spotted and called out to him. Marian clearly did not understand, but Robin looked forward to making her, once they were reunited within their coach on the road to Normandy. And then, after sailing across the channel, they'd be back in England and on the road home to Locksley.
...
The coach rumbled northward, containing luggage, Nurse, the two little Locksley girls, and Marian. Before anyone saw him enter, the coach suddenly also contained Robin.
Nurse screamed, then fanned her face when she realized it was only Lord Locksley who had joined them and not a ghost.
"It's alright," Robin said pleasantly, trying not to laugh. "It's only me."
His two little girls threw themselves happily at him, each of them climbing onto his lap.
"We watched you jump off that tower of men," Ellen told him, delighted to have him back again. "You catched that lady. Here, Daddy, catch my poppet!" She held her rag doll up and pretended to make it fall, only letting it go once Robin grabbed it in his hand.
"Safe," he grinned at his daughter, giving her back her ragdoll. "Like me," he added meaningfully to his wife.
Marian stared unsmilingly at him, then rolled her eyes. "Aren't you forgetting something? A kiss, for instance."
His grin widened as Robin leaned across toward Marian to try to give her the kiss he thought she was requesting. He was surprised when she pushed him away.
"Not me," she scolded. "I meant Ellie's poppet. That was part of the act, wasn't it? Kissing the woman who fell into your arms?"
Robin continued smiling. "I didn't kiss her, Marian. She kissed me, unexpectedly. Anyway, I'm safe now, and we are on our way home."
"Safe?" Marian asked, raising her eyebrows at him. "You weren't in any danger, Robin, after I cleared you with Lord Joscelin."
Robin's grin was replaced by a look of surprise. "You cleared me?" he asked. "You mean, I didn't have to spend the night alone in the forest?"
"You heard me. And you didn't have to perform with those acrobats, like a trained monkey, either. Do you remember years ago...? I told you then my way was the better one."
"You stopped claiming that once you saw how successful my gang became."
"With my help! You couldn't have outwitted the sheriff half as well as you did if you didn't know what I told you."
"Agreed. I'll forever be grateful to my beautiful spy and all the help she gave me."
Robin could see Marian begin to relax and lose her annoyance. "I brought you a present," he admitted, somewhat shyly.
She almost laughed when he handed her the bow he'd purchased from Pedro.
"Another bow, Robin?" she asked, smiling as she rolled her eyes again.
"It's Spanish made," he explained. "You packed mine, of course."
"Of course."
He continued balancing his little girls on his knees, alternating his attention between them and Marian. Ellen's freckles had grown more pronounced from her time in the southern sunshine, and Grace had grown golden brown. Their feet were still purple though the stain was fading, and they had picked up a smattering of the French language. As far as his daughters were concerned, their vacation had been a success.
Robin could see that Marian had not completely thawed from watching Estella kiss him this morning, so he said to her, his voice warm and alluring, "You know how much I love my bow. I told you before, the first time I held it, I knew it had been made for me."
Marian enjoyed hearing him allude to his proposal. "Go on," she invited.
He glanced at Nurse before continuing, who appeared to be sleeping. "You know you're the only woman I've ever truly wanted," he told Marian softly.
She smiled, knowing it was true, but looked surprised again when he added, "Well, except for maybe one time."
"Isabella?" she accused.
Robin's face wore a grimace. "Hardly." He smiled again, breathing out a sigh of pretended longing. "I must have been six or seven," he explained, causing Marian's smile to return, "when I got in a fight with the butcher's boy in Locksley. Old Elspeth, buying her meat that day, witnessed the entire thing. Afterwards, she took me into her cottage, giving me the piece of meat she'd bought to place over my black eye, to help heal it. And then, as if that hadn't already been enough, she fed me bread and milk, and swore she wouldn't tell my father about the fight. I decided I wanted to marry her there and then, even if I was already your sweetheart, Wren."
Old Elspeth was the oldest woman in Locksley, who lived in her cottage with too many cats to count. Even back then, when they'd been children, Elspeth had seemed ancient to them, and was large and round and motherly. "Philanderer. I never knew Elspeth was my rival," Marian happily teased.
They smiled lovingly at one another, but were surprised when they realized Ellen had been listening. "I'm glad you married Mama instead," the little girl said, seriously. "If you married Old Elspeth, Daddy, you wouldn't have us."
Robin playfully tweeked the end of her nose. "That's right! I'd have a house full of cats instead."
"You have Moonlight," Ellen reminded him, trying to sell the benefits of the family he had truly chosen over the benefits of being married to Old Elspeth.
"Kitty, kitty!" Grace said, missing the cat they'd left at home.
"I definitely made the right choice," Robin told Ellen, winking at her.
"We'll all be reunited soon," Marian said, knowing how Robin missed his people and his friends. Gazing at her husband holding both their daughters on the seat across from her, she thanked God for giving her such a wonderful family. And just then, when she thought things couldn't be any lovelier, she felt the baby inside her kick for the very first time.
She loved her girls with all her heart, but picturing Robin as he'd been as a boy, when he'd just now told his story, made her hope this new baby would be a son.